Severe gales and wet weather to hit UK

Heavy gales are expected to batter large parts of the UK today, with winds predicted to reach up to 80mph in some areas. The Met Office has issued severe weather warnings relating to the expected gales for the north-west of England, parts of north Wales, Yorkshire and Humber, and the east Midlands. Westerly to south-westerly winds are expected to reach 70 to 80mph around exposed coastal areas and over hills this evening, with gusts of 55 to 65mph further inland. They are expected to ease off tomorrow morning. The winds and snow are the latest stormy conditions to hit the UK in a week which has seen wintry weather arrive with a vengeance after a spell of unseasonally warm weather last week. A severe weather warning has also been issued for Northern Ireland, where heavy winds are expected this afternoon and early evening before easing off later in the day. South-westerly to westerly winds are expected to reach 55 to 65mph quite widely in Northern Ireland, with gusts of 70mph possible over exposed areas. The Met Office issued a flash warning last night for the Scottish Highlands as well as central Scotland, Tayside and Fife, warning motorists to take extra care because of the risk of heavy snow on routes above 250 metres and widespread icy roads on lower levels. In addition, nine flood warnings have been issued by the Environment Agency . The areas affected are the Midlands, north-east, north-west, south and south-west. Flooding has already disrupted train services on the Isle of Wight . Heavy rain fell in the south-east on Monday and snow blocked roads in Scotland and the north-east. There was flooding in some areas, which also disrupted traffic. The wintry weather has put increased pressure on breakdown services and also affected train and ferry services.