Wet and windy weather will continue for most over the New Year weekend, with flood alerts in place in Wales and the old Severn Crossing has been closed.Natural Resources Wales has eight flood alerts in place in the North Gwynedd catchment area, Lower Dee and South Pembrokeshire areas.The M48 Severn Crossing was also closed in both directions around 9am because of "increasing winds".
A statement from the team who run the bridge say: "We are closing the bridge to all traffic. We will continue to monitor the speeds and as soon as its safe we will reopen."The Met Office says that the current wet and windy weather in the UK is being pushed on by a strong jet stream, which is the driving force behind much of the weather the UK experiences.The forecasting service added: "Although the cold weather in North America isn’t directly impacting the UK’s weather, the temperature contrast across the Atlantic is strengthening the jet stream, leading to a succession of low-pressure systems impacting the UK in the coming days."A wet Friday (December 30) is in store for much of the UK, with several weather warnings issued in others parts of the UK.
The Met Office says that rain will move northeast across the UK and will be heaviest in central and southwest of Scotland and Northern Ireland, with around 20-30mm of rain falling quite widely across these areas, with in excess of 60mm possible through the day in Scotland, and around 40mm possible in some spots in Northern Ireland.
Friday's forecast for Wales says: "Heavy rain will gradually clear east this morning, followed by some brighter spells and a few blustery showers.