A THIRD UK city has canceled its New Year’s Eve fireworks display due to heavy rain, 70mph gales and up to 8 inches of snow expected to fall today.
Fireworks have been canceled across the UK after the Met Office issued a rare yellow warning for rain and five yellow warnings.
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Hogmanay celebrations have already been canceled due to weatherCredit: PA
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The wave crashed onto Blackpool Pier where the New Year’s Eve fireworks were also canceled Credit: Dave Nelson
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Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and northern England are covered by a range of Met Office weather warnings Credit: MET Office
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Up to 8 inches of snow expected in Scotland (pictured above the snow in Kidderminster last month) Credit: Alamy
Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations have already been canceled due to “extreme weather”.
Blackpool Council also said it had taken the “difficult decision” to cancel its New Year’s Eve fireworks display due to the winds, while the popular RNLI New Year’s Day swim in Southend was also called off.
Now, as a new blow to revelers, the fireworks on the Newcastle waterfront have also been cancelled.
Newcastle City Council said: “Due to gale-force winds and a Met Office yellow warning, we have had to cancel tonight’s Quayside New Year’s Eve fireworks display at 6pm and midnight.
“Safety is our priority and we thank you for your understanding. We wish you all a very safe and happy New Year.”
London’s fireworks display could now be at risk due to 45mph winds set to lash the capital, it is feared.
City Hall said it was “monitoring” the situation in response to weather warnings.
Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and northern England are covered by a series of Met Office weather warnings.
An amber rain warning will affect Moray and the Highlands until 5pm this afternoon.
Much of central and northern Scotland will be under a yellow warning for rain and snow until midnight.
Edinburgh Hogmanay street party CANCELED amid stormy chaos
Further north, the Orkney Islands are also under a yellow snow warning until midnight with a whopping eight inches of snow expected to blanket parts of the area.
Meanwhile, a yellow wind warning is set to affect Scotland and northern England from 11pm.
A second wind warning of the same category is in place for most of Northern Ireland until 2pm.
Delays to all types of transportation are “likely” as strong winds continue to blow – reaching speeds of up to 70 mph.
London’s New Year’s fireworks are in danger as experts warn revelers could be disappointed
New Year’s Eve FIREWORKS could be under threat – including in London where 45mph winds are forecast.
Fireworks expert Stephen Miller – whose firm consults on spectacular displays across the country – revealed the problems organizers will face in the coming hours.
Mr Miller, a fireworks health and safety adviser for Bromley Council for more than 25 years, said there was a chance the more dangerous effects would have to be reduced if the weather continued.
The Met Office is forecasting snow, heavy rain and strong winds for parts of the UK as the New Year begins.
London could see gusts of 45mph on Tuesday night – while other areas face winds of up to 70mph, the Met Office said.
A spokesman for the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said they were “continuing to monitor the weather forecast closely”.
Former MOD researcher and bomb disposal engineer, Mr. Miller, told The Sun that wind speed is the most important aspect that determines whether the display will be able to be displayed in full.
And it could be wind speeds – combined with rain – that could rule out London’s most spectacular fireworks display.
He said if the wind in London became “particularly strong” then organizers would have to “reduce the main effects”.
“They are the ones who will pose the greatest danger,” he continued.
“They’re the most spectacular, but they’re also the most dangerous because there’s a bigger bang and a projection of fragmentation. If there’s a risk, release a bigger firework.”
As for whether heavy rain was likely to have an impact, he said: “It would have to be absolutely heavy.”
Heading south, a yellow warning for rain will be in place along the coast of north-west England and Wales.
The warning is in effect from 6pm tonight until 6pm on Wednesday.
Met Office expert Craig Snell said: “Another system coming in from the Atlantic.
“Scotland is bearing the brunt of this with further heavy rain and snow and strong winds.
“Winds are also picking up for Northern Ireland and northern England on New Year’s Eve as well.
“It’s going to be a pretty unsettled last day of the year for the northern half of the UK.”
“Further south, we’re expecting some rain later on New Year’s Eve, but it shouldn’t cause too many problems.
“Unless you’re out celebrating – you might get a little wet.
“With a number of hazards happening across the UK, I think we can probably expect some travel delays across the UK.”
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Last year’s New Year’s Eve fireworks in Newcastle Credit: NCJ Media
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Vehicles plying the A9 in InvernessCredit: PA
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A woman with a suitcase in a plastic rain jacket during inclement weather on New Year’s Eve in DublinCredit: Photocall Ireland
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Citizens battle rain in ManchesterCredit: LNP
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People watch the waves crash in Scarborough, North YorkshireCredit: PA
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