Travellers warned to expect tricky driving conditions
Festive travellers were today warned to expect tricky driving conditions after The Met Office issued an Amber weather warning.
Forecasters say areas of the South West will experience heavy rain starting from today (Monday 23rd December) and lasting up untill Christmas Eve.
The Environment Agency warned that communities across southern and south west England should prepare for the risk of flooding from swollen rivers and surface water collected on roads.
The rain should clear South East England on Tuesday morning, with the winds moderating from the west.
Chief Forecaster Eddy Carroll said: "We can expect stormy weather in many areas to start the Christmas week, but looking forward to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we are expecting it to turn colder, with a mix of wintry showers and sunny spells but for wind speeds to drop. So there is a chance that some places may see a White Christmas.
"Throughout this unsettled spell Met Office forecasters and advisors are working round the clock with our partners to keep everyone up to date with the latest forecast information so they can plan and prepare for the expected weather."
The Met Office forecast for the next five days is as follows:
Monday:
A very wet and windy day with widespread gales, reaching severe gale-force along the coasts and hills. The rain will be heavy, especially across Dartmoor, with localised flooding possible. Maximum Temperature 12 °C.
Outlook for Tuesday to Thursday:
Windy Tuesday, with showers, perhaps wintry over the moors. Christmas Day will be chilly with a few showers, but also lighter winds and some brightness. Largely fine on Thursday.
Meanwhile, bookmaker William Hill reported a further run of money for a White Christmas - particularly across Scotland where it is now 2/1 that at least one snowflake falls in Aberdeen, Glasgow or Edinburgh.
Met Office weather forecasts and warnings can be found on the Met Office website and you can follow the Met Office on Twitter at @metoffice and Facebook.
