Around 2.6 million car journeys are expected to take place on Good Friday as the aftermath of Storm Nelson hits the Easter break.
The stormy weather hitting parts of the UK on Thursday is expected to ease, but dozens of flood warnings and alerts are in place across England after rain and strong winds battered the UK on Thursday.
Weather warnings have been lifted, but 35 flood warnings and 183 flood warnings have been issued in England. from the Environment Agency.
Drivers have been warned that journeys could take twice as long on some routes.
The ferry company DFDS said that its services to Dover Thursdays were delayed “due to high winds across the Channel” as the long weekend got under way, with two million British holidaymakers also arriving overseas.
On Friday, large queues could already be seen at Dover as people tried to make their journeys across the channel. Several boats were canceled on Thursday due to high winds.
Storm Nelson arrived with 50 mph gusts expected quite widely, according to a Met Office yellow weather warning for wind covering London and the South Easttea Southwest and the east of England. The weather warning has been raised for Friday.
Great Western Railways closed a number of lines on Thursday due to flooding. All lines between Westbury and Swindon were closed and the main line from Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads was also closed.
Travel trade body Abta says airports reported “strong numbers”, with 175,000 from Stansted, 105,000 from Luton, 160,000 from Manchester, 79,000 from Birmingham, and 89,000 from Edinburgh between Friday and Monday.
Good Friday is set to be a day of sunshine and scattered showers, which come after unsettled conditions which saw hail lash parts of Cornwall.
Did you see some hail today? Storms have tracked across parts of the UK, with large hail reported in places ⚡️ https://t.co/ejNpl4Lhdg
— Met Office (@metoffice) March 28, 2024
Elsewhere, any sunshine could feel hot, with highs of 14C expected in south-east England, but there is a risk of the odd storm, the Met Office said.
Drier weather is expected in the far north-east of the UK and has has has has has has has has has been a problem.
Deputy Chief Meteorologist Dan Harris said: “The weather is expected to gradually improve after the very unsettled spell of the last few days, with a fairly typical mix of spring weather across the UK.
“There will be some sunshine, and it will feel warmer for the most part as the winds lighten.
“However, the west and especially the southwest is likely to see passing rains as well, which could be quite heavy and frequent at times.
“Eastern coastal districts are also likely to feel increasingly cold as a land breeze develops, threatening persistent low cloud in some areas as well.”
The RAC and transport analytics company Inrix commissioned a survey which suggested that 2.6 million leisure car journeys will be made on Good Friday.
The longest delays are expected between 11am and 3pm, meaning drivers are advised to leave as soon as possible or wait until later in the afternoon.
Two popular routes for holidaymakers – the M5 southbound between Bristol and Taunton, and the M3 between the M25 and the south coast – are likely to be congested.
Turkey, Dubai and the Canary Islands are among the most popular destinations abroad and trips to Dublin are also in demand.
Manchester Airport chief executive Chris Woodroofe said: “It’s exciting that a record number of people will be departing from here this Easter: 320,000 people will travel (through the airport) over the bank holiday weekend – that’s 7% in April 2023”.
Glasgow is expecting more than 90,000 passengers over the four days, while Birmingham Airport said it expects a 27.2% increase in departures compared to last year over the entire Easter period.
Bristol, which is predicting 30,000 holiday trips on Easter Sunday alone, advised: “If traveling with Easter eggs, passengers are advised to keep any chocolate treats in their cabin baggage and to ensure they are easily accessible as they could be opened for a quick check.”
Liverpool Airport expects around 60,000 passengers over the four days, which is around 7% higher than last year.
Meanwhile, around 20,000 buses are expected to travel through the Port of Dover between Thursday and Easter Monday.
Ferry company Stena Line said bookings on Irish Sea routes were up 115% on an average weekend this time of year and were up 26% over the 2023 Easter weekend.
Network Rail has urged train passengers to check their journey details before traveling as some major routes will be closed due to engineering work.
The West Coast Main Line between London Euston and Milton Keynes will be closed for four days from Good Friday.
There will also be disruption in areas around Glasgow and Huddersfield.
The VisitEngland Tourist Office says around 11 million people in the UK plan an overnight Easter trip, generating an estimated £3.2 billion for the economy.
