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Storm Pia is set to cause a travel nightmare in Britain before Christmas, as the 600-mile-wide storm is expected to sweep in tomorrow with 80mph gusts and a 'danger to life' warning. The Danish Meteorological Institute has designated the storm as Pia.
As reported by Mail Online, Storm Pia is expected to make landfall starting on December 20, at midnight. This 21-hour wind warning from the Met Office will be in effect until 9 pm on Thursday, December 21, 2023.
Due to Storm Pia, weather warnings are in effect for high winds in the northern half of the country on Thursday, posing the potential travel disruptions till Christmas.
According to the Independent, there are high chances of travel disruptions on roads and train services. British Airways has decided to cancel a minimum of 24 flights, and Scotland's airline, Loganair, has likewise grounded several services. Additionally, numerous ferries are opting to remain in port amidst the adverse weather conditions.
Storm Pia: A midnight weather warning predicts likely travel disruption ahead of Christmas
The Met Office has warned of high winds of Storm Pia in the northern half of the country, posing a risk of travel disruptions before Christmas.
Northern Scotland is expected to experience winds ranging from 70mph to 80mph, reaching 65-70mph on elevated terrain. In other regions, including parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland, North Wales, England north of Birmingham, and the upper portion of East Anglia, wind speeds may reach 45-55mph. The Met Office warns that travel disruptions are likely in the affected areas, and power cuts are possible.
It has been disclosed that there is a "high degree of confidence" that the UK will experience snow during the Christmas period. Grahame Madge, a spokesperson for the Met Office, told The Independent:
“We can say with a high degree of confidence it will be a white Christmas this year.”
She clarified that there there was no need to panic, as snow will get heavier mostly in the higher altitudes of the UK. She added:
“However that does not mean we will see blankets of snow. It is more likely we will see snow in higher parts of the UK like the North Pennines or Scottish Highlands.”
All the train and airplane services has been kept at halt. Some railway lines in Scotland are entirely closed due to Storm Pia.
TransPennine Express is strongly advising passengers against attempting Anglo-Scottish journeys. They are recommending that passengers avoid traveling in or out of Edinburgh until after 3 pm, and no services between Edinburgh and north-west England are expected until Thursday afternoon.
Network Rail Scotland posted about the same on their official X (Twitter) account on December 21. They wrote:
“We’ll suspend train services on some routes on Thursday until we can safely inspect our tracks for fallen trees and debris. Those lines are the West Highland Line (including lines to Oban and Mallaig), Kyle of Lochalsh Line, Far North Line and Inverness-Inverurie. Speed restrictions will also be in place across the Highland Mainline, as well as some central belt, south-west Scotland and cross-border routes where wind speeds mean we need to slow trains down to keep you safe."
One of the spokesperson from the British Airways said:
“Due to the high winds forecast as part of Storm Pia, we have made some adjustments to our schedule with as much notice as possible for our customers. We have apologised for the disruption to their travel plans and our teams are working hard to get their journeys back on track as quickly as possible.”
According to Mail Online, Friday is anticipated to be the busiest day in the Christmas season at major UK airports, with a record 250,000 passengers expected to pass through London Heathrow. Following that, Saturday is poised to be the peak travel day on trains as passengers hurry to reach home before engineering works and festive shutdowns commence across the network.
The Met Office predicts that the windy conditions are likely to persist into the weekend as the low-pressure system moves eastward across Scandinavia. Frequent showers are expected to continue in western areas, while the South East should mostly remain dry.
Storm Pia: The Aftermath
Storm Pia continues to create disruptions across the country. Sheffield Council street teams reported that Storm Pia is noticeably impacting the area as they work to address road closures caused by debris. Firefighters are depicted attempting to clear a tree from the middle of the road.
On December 21, two cars were crushed, and a driver was injured by falling trees in Derbyshire, leading the Derbyshire Police to close several roads within half an hour.
The police are advising road users to exercise caution and urging them to "please go carefully."
