A “small number” of Heathrow Airport flights have been cancelled due to strong winds, with roads and public transport also facing disruption over the Christmas getaway.
Yellow weather warnings for wind are in place over the weekend, with forecasters warning of gusts of up to 85mph.
Millions of motorists have been urged to be patient, with the AA saying the busy roads and bad weather could create a “perfect storm” for delays.
“With more than 20 million car journeys expected on both Saturday and Sunday if the congestion wasn’t enough of a headache, the inclement weather could create the perfect storm,” a spokesperson said.
“We advise those heading out to allow extra time to travel and increase the distance between themselves and other road users.”
Get the five-day forecast where you are
Heathrow Airport said “a small number of flights” had been cancelled on Saturday due to “strong winds and airspace restrictions”.
“This will ensure the vast majority of passengers can still safely travel as planned,” a spokesperson said.
“We know how important travel at this time of year is and have extra colleagues on hand in our terminals to support people on their journeys.
“We encourage passengers to check in with their airlines for the latest information about their flights.”
Sunday’s yellow weather warnings. Pic: Met Office
P&O Ferries said journeys between Larne, in Northern Ireland, and Cairnryan, in Scotland, had been cancelled for at least 24 hours from 8pm on Saturday.
National Rail warned the bad weather could lead to possible disruption to journeys across Scotland, Wales and England.
Rail operator ScotRail announced that speed restrictions would be in place for part of the route between Glasgow and Oban/Mallaig, and the Inverness service to Kyle/Wick.
Meanwhile, those holding out hope for a white Christmas are likely in for disappointment, with the Met Office forecasting “a fairly cloudy, nondescript day”.
From next week, winds will start to ease, giving way to bright spells in places on Monday.
Moving forward from then, most people can likely expect rain and a slight increase in temperatures.
This means the chance of a white Christmas is slim.
Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Rebekah Hicks said: “We’ll start to see high pressure to the south of the UK bringing in more settled and much milder conditions from Christmas Eve.
“Christmas Day itself will be cloudy for most, although some eastern areas of the UK, most likely eastern Scotland, may see some clear or sunny spells.
“We could see some drizzle across hills in the west, and some more persistent rain is possible for northwest Scotland but overall, it will be a fairy cloudy, nondescript day.
“Conditions on Christmas Day and Boxing Day look to be exceptionally mild for the time of year, especially in the north.
“East and northeast Scotland, for example, could see overnight temperatures that are 10C above average on Christmas morning.”
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‘Disruptive weather’
Ahead of Christmas, the Met Office has also urged people to brace for “disruptive weather”.
An area of low pressure is set to cross the far north of the UK on Saturday, bringing rain and strong winds.
The first wind warning covers Scotland, much of Northern Ireland, North Wales and northwest England between 7am and midnight on Saturday.
A second is in place between midnight and 9pm on Sunday, covering Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and all of western England.