BRITONS have been warned to brace for 82mph winds and travel chaos, with the Met Office issuing a new weather warning.
A yellow ice warning is now in place, continuing into next week, just as the nation prepares for the Christmas getaway.
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The Met Office has warned of snow, sleet and hail todayCredit: PA
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A new yellow ice warning has been issuedCredit: meteorological office
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A map produced by the Met Office reveals patches of snow across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern IrelandCredit: X/metoffice
The ice warning covers the Scottish Highlands and is in effect from 9pm tonight until 10am tomorrow.
Weather forecasters warned that those affected could expect some icy patches on some unpaved roads, pavements and cycle paths.
And there could be injuries from slipping and falling on icy surfaces.
It comes after Heathrow Airport has already confirmed around 100 flights have been canceled today, with passengers advised to check with their airline before travelling.
A Heathrow spokesman said: “Due to high winds and airspace restrictions, a small number of flights have been canceled today. This will ensure the vast majority of passengers can still travel as scheduled.
“We know how important travel is at this time of year and we have extra colleagues on hand at our terminals to support people on their journeys. We encourage passengers to check with their airline for the latest information about their flight.”
Elsewhere in Northern Ireland, a plane made a hard landing in Belfast today due to stormy conditions.
The Aer Lingus regional flight landed around 4pm after taking off from Edinburgh.
The runway was closed for the rest of the day, Belfast City Airport said.
Several Loganair flights from Glasgow Airport to the Hebrides have also been cancelled.
Meanwhile, P&O Ferries has canceled journeys between Larne in Northern Ireland and Cairnryan in southern Scotland until at least 8pm tonight.
18 CalMac ferry routes have also been cancelled.
Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud told the PA news agency that there could be gusts of up to 75 mph on Sunday.
He said: “There will continue to be increasingly challenging travel conditions, with coastal winds around 50 to 60 mph.
“Extremely exposed coastal areas could see up to 70 or 75 mph, with parts to the west expected to get up to 40 or 50 mph.
“In the evening, we expect that they will weaken and gradually disappear.
“My advice for people traveling today and tonight is to be relaxed, especially in the north and east. The main concern is that there is potential for ice patches in some areas.”
It comes after a map revealed where snow is expected to fall in Britain today – as the Met Office also gave its Christmas weather forecast.
Today’s map shows snow, sleet and hail falling across large parts of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland – as well as heavy rainfall.
In the early hours of the morning, around 3am to 4am, snow fell in the north, north-west and Midlands – with small patches even creeping into the south-east around Norwich and Cambridge.
As the morning wore on, larger patches of snow, sleet and hail could be seen making their way south from Manchester towards Birmingham and down Scotland, bypassing Newcastle towards the middle of the country.
Spots of rain accompanied the snow along its route – while heavier showers were reported on the south-west coast around Plymouth and Cornwall.
Meanwhile, more snow fell in Northern Ireland and Scotland, which stopped later in the morning.
A yellow wind warning is currently in place for Great Britain, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – covering the North East, North West, South West and West Midlands, as well as Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Hampshire.
The Met Office said: “It’s a cold, windy start to Sunday, and as the sequence shows, we’re even seeing some snow in places this morning, mainly on the hills to the north and west.”
In its full forecast for the day, it added: “Broadly windy with gales, strong in the north and west.
“Frequent showers coming in from the northwest, heavy with hail and snow over the hills before gradually fading away later.
“Sunny weather in between but feeling very cold due to strong winds.”
The forecast for tonight is: “Showers are becoming confined to the far eastern coasts and winds are slowly weakening.
‘Bloody weekend’ as weatherman issues ‘storm’ update amid 15-hour wind warning for SIX counties ahead of Christmas
“Clear spells overnight for most, but cloud increasing in the west towards dawn. A touch of frost in sheltered places.”
The Meteorological Service has also released a forecast for the days leading up to Christmas.
Cold arctic air, which is currently making its way over the British Isles after arriving from the Atlantic, will ease tomorrow.
This will give way to mild Atlantic air coming in from the southwest, making for a calm but cloudy Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
The Met Office said: “It will be cold for us all for the rest of the weekend.
“However, as we head towards Christmas, milder Atlantic air will move in and many of us will see a gray Christmas rather than a white one.”
It comes after 70km/h winds caused travel chaos before Christmas yesterday.
Heathrow Airport was forced to cancel flights, while P&O Ferries announced that journeys between Larne and Cairnryan were canceled until at least 8pm on Sunday.
Weather forecast for 5 days
Today
Widely windy with storms, strong in the north and west. Frequent showers coming from the northwest, heavy with hail and snow over the hills before gradually fading away later. Between sunny periods, but very cold due to strong winds.
Tonight
Showers become limited to the far eastern coasts, and winds slowly weaken. Clear spells overnight for most but cloud increasing in the west towards dawn. Touch of frost in protected places.
Monday
Dry and fine in the east with extended sunny spells, although it feels cool. Outbreaks of rain and extensive low cloud are spreading towards western areas and becoming weaker.
Tuesday-Thursday
Mostly settled, moderate and cloudy for the Christmas period. Best chance for brighter spells east of the high ground. Wetter and windier across NW Scotland.
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An ice warning is in effect from Sunday at 9 p.m. until Monday at 10 a.m
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