A yellow weather warning for strong winds has been issued for Northern Ireland on New Year’s Eve, while a separate warning for snow will be in place on New Year’s Day.
The Met Office warned that disruption can be expected over the two days while the weather warnings remain in force.
The yellow warning for wind will be in place on New Year’s Eve between 6am and 7pm, and covers most of Northern Ireland including Londonderry, Tyrone, Antrim and Armagh.
The forecaster said that strong and gusty winds will develop across Northern Ireland on Tuesday, with gusts reaching up to 70 mph in some areas.
A spokesperson for the Met Office Spokesperson said: “Strong and gusty westerly winds will develop across the north and east of Northern Ireland. Gusts of 50 to 60 mph are expected, perhaps reaching 70 mph in a few exposed areas, and this may lead to some travel disruption.”
The Met Office added that some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport are likely while the warning is in place.
A man struggles in the strong winds as a Stenaline ferry is anchored at the edge of Belfast Lough during Storm Darragh earlier this month (Picture by Peter Morrison)
A separate yellow warning has been issued with snow expected between 7am and midnight on Wednesday January 1.
The Met Office warned that heavy and persistent snow could result in further disruption on Wednesday.
“A band of rain in association with a deep low pressure system moving in from the west pushes east on Wednesday,” said a spokesperson for the forecaster.
“This is likely to turn to snow as it moves into cold air. Possibility of 2-5cm of snow, perhaps up to 10cm, in a few places, whilst 15-20 cm may accumulate over hills with drifting in the strong winds.”
They added that there will be a small chance that power cuts will occur and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected while the warning is in place.
The Met Office has issued multiple weather warnings between Monday and Thursday, with nearly all of the UK impacted by at least one alert.
Met Office chief forecaster Andy Page said the forecast for the upcoming week was “complicated” and urged people to check the forecast regularly in order to update their plans.
This comes after thick fog descended on the UK for several days, causing travel disruption at some of the country’s busiest airports.
Flights at Stansted airport have been affected by the weather conditions, while live departure boards showed delays at Heathrow, Luton and Manchester airports.
Passengers at Gatwick airport on Saturday morning were warned to expect disruption because of the poor visibility and told to contact their airline for updated information.
Patches of thick fog could reduce visibility to just 100 metres in some areas, the Met Office said.
Flights were delayed by up to three hours from Gatwick on Friday evening because of poor conditions.
The fog was still in place on Sunday, which was expected to be the airport’s busiest day during the holiday period, with 769 flights planned.
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