Edinburgh’s Hogmanay cancelled due to ‘extreme weather’ – what are the alerts where you are?
Edinburgh’s Hogmanay is the latest victim of bad weather set to batter the UK over the new year.
The celebrations have been cancelled due to high winds and “extreme” weather, organisers announced hours ahead of events kicking off on Monday.
Outdoor events scheduled for 30 and 31 December have been called off for “safety reasons”, a spokesperson said.
Blackpool’s New Year’s Eve fireworks have also been cancelled due to the forecast of high winds in northwest England tomorrow night.
Organisers of London’s celebrations are monitoring the weather carefully.
Blackpool Tower Fireworks, October 2018. File pic: iStock/Victorburnside
Britain is set to be hit by high winds, heavy rain, and snowfall – as weather warnings cover almost every part of the UK.
Here’s what forecasters are predicting across the UK over the next few days.
England
There are four yellow weather warnings covering different parts of England over the next few days, including one on Monday December 30.
That yellow alert for wind is in place for the North Pennines and Yorkshire Dales from 11am until 6pm.
The Met Office weather warnings on 30 December. Pic: Met Office
It warns of potential disruption to travel in the area and the potential for short-term power cuts.
Another yellow weather warning for wind comes into place from 7am on New Year’s Eve. That covers the northeast of England, down towards Bridlington in East Yorkshire, and across towards Carlisle in the northwest.
The Met Office weather warnings on 31 December. Pic: Met Office
It warns of “strong westerly winds” that could lead to travel disruption on New Year’s Eve and is in place until 11pm.
England then has two warnings in place on New Year’s Day.
The first, for strong winds, covers southern England and parts of the West Midlands from 7am to 11.59pm on 1 January.
The second, for heavy rain, covers a large part of the northwest and covers areas such as Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, parts of Liverpool, Preston and north towards High Bentham.
That warning runs from 6pm on New Year’s Eve until 6pm on New Year’s Day.
Wales
Wales is covered by a yellow weather warning for rain on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
The Met Office weather warnings on January 1. Pic: Met Office
The alert covers a central belt of Wales from the north coast, to the south, and is in place from 6pm on New Year’s Eve until 6pm on New Year’s Day.
Scotland
Scotland is covered by five different weather warnings across the next four days – including a more severe amber warning.
The first alert, for rain and snow, covers almost all of Scotland and warns the weather could bring “significant disruption in the build-up to the new year.
It is place across Monday, until 11.59 pm tonight, and warns that some homes and businesses could be flooded and there could be delays to travel services.
Orkney, which is not covered by this warning, is covered by another alert for snow lasting from 5am on New Year’s Eve until midnight.
There is also an amber warning in place for central Scotland from midnight tonight until 5pm tomorrow.
The Met Office says the rain is “likely to cause some property flooding and travel disruption”.
Southern areas of Scotland, including Edinburgh and Glasgow, are also covered by another wind alert from 7am on New Year’s Eve until 11pm.
Read more from Sky News:
President Biden leads tributes to Jimmy Carter
One of UK’s oldest golf clubs fights for its future
There is also a yellow alert for snow and ice in place for northern areas of Scotland from midnight on 1 January until 9am on 2 January.
The Met Office weather warnings on January 2. Pic: Met Office
Northern Ireland
A yellow weather warning is in place for much of Northern Ireland, covering Belfast, Londonderry, Coleraine and Larne, from 6am until 7pm on New Year’s Eve.
The whole of Northern Ireland, from Derry to Enniskillen, and Newry to Ballycastle, was covered by a yellow weather alert for “heavy and persistent” snow from 7am until 11.59pm on New Year’s Day, but that has now been withdrawn by the Met Office.
A 15-year-old boy has died after “getting into difficulty” in a lake in southeast London, police say.
Officers and paramedics were called shortly after 3pm on Friday to Beckenham Place Park in Lewisham.
The Metropolitan Police said a boy “was recovered from the lake” at around 10.42pm the same day.
“He was taken to hospital where he was sadly pronounced dead. His death is being treated as unexpected but not believed to be suspicious,” according to the force.
The boy’s family has been told and are being supported by specialist officers.
The force originally said the child was 16 years old, but has since confirmed his age as 15.
In the earlier statement, officers said emergency services carried out a search and the park was evacuated.
Emergency teams were called to Beckenham Place Park on Friday afternoon
Beckenham Place Park, which borders the London borough of Bromley, covers around 240 acres, according to the park’s website.
The lake is described as 285 metres long, reaching depths of up to 3.5 metres.
It is designed as a swimming lake for open-water swimming and paddle boarding.
A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said on Friday: “We were called at 3.02pm this afternoon to reports of a person in the water.
“We sent resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, an incident response officer and members of our hazardous area response team.”
Emergency teams have not explained how the boy entered the water, or whether he was accompanied by others.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports12 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business3 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway