THERE SHE BLOWS
UK weather: Storm Pia to blast Britain with 80mph winds as Met Office warns of Christmas travel chaos
The warning covers Scotland, Northern Ireland, Northern England and the north of Wales
STORM Pia is set to blast the UK this week - with the Met Office warning of Christmas getaway chaos.
Forecasters said 80mph winds are expected to blast parts of Britain - with the yellow weather warning covering most of the country from tomorrow - as millions begin to hit the road for the festive season.
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The AA has predicted that Friday 22nd and Saturday 23rd will be the two busiest days for motorists zooming home to spend Christmas with loved ones.
And the Met Office weather alert warns: "Strong winds across a large swathe of the country Thursday, causing some travel disruption."
It adds: "Some bus and train services affected, with some journeys taking longer.
"Some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport expected."
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The wild weather is expected to last into Friday as Storm Pia - named by the Danish Met Office - blows across the continent.
Brits in the north and west are likely to see the highest rainfall through the day, though the south could also experience periods of rain.
A notably deep area of low pressure will then track to the north of the UK over the Norwegian Sea through Wednesday night and into Thursday.
This will bring very strong winds and heavy showers to a large portion of the UK, with a covering Scotland, Northern Ireland, Northern England and the north of Wales.
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Meteorologists warned: "There is a small chance that injuries and danger to life could occur from large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties."
"There is a small chance of injuries and danger to life from flying debris," the alert added.
Meanwhile, people could be hit with power cuts and disrupted mobile phone coverage.
Stephen Dixon, a Met Office spokesperson, said: "Storm Pia is responsible for the wind we're getting tomorrow.
"It's named by the Danish as it'll have more impacts there.
"Although it will be windy here, it hasn't reached the threshold for us to name it ourselves."
Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Chris Almond said: "From late Wednesday into Thursday, strong winds are likely to develop across a large area of the UK.
"We've issued a large yellow warning area where there's a potential for some impacts, but gusts of 50-60mph are possible for large parts of central and northern areas of the UK.
"Exposed coasts and high ground could see gusts of 70-80mph at times.
"There's a chance this low pressure will continue to exert its influence into Friday, so it's important to stay up to date with the latest Met Office forecast."
It will remain windy for many on Friday, with further periods of rain likely to sweep in from the west, but any snow will be confined to the hills of Scotland.
It's a largely showery outlook for the weekend before Christmas, though those further south and east will see fewer showers in general.
Rain will be heaviest in the west and northwest through the weekend, with any wintry showers most likely confined to high ground in northern Scotland.
There are still some uncertainties in the details of the forecast for Christmas Day, as Chris explained: "On Christmas Day there's a chance of showers almost anywhere, and across the high ground of Scotland in particular, these could fall as sleet and snow, which would technically make it a White Christmas, as we only need to see a single flake falling.
"However, for the majority of the UK it's unlikely that we'll see significant snow, but it will likely feel cold in a strong breeze.
"Beyond Christmas Day a westerly influence on the weather remains the most likely scenario, with further rain or showers and strong winds for many, and again mainly over the hills of Scotland, some sleet and snow is likely, as is often the case in December.
"Further details will be available closer to the time."
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It comes after cars were caught in floods yesterday after a river burst its bank following heavy rainfall in parts of the country.
An Audi car was abandoned by its owner in Welney, Norfolk, as an Asda delivery truck appeared trapped in the same deep water.
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