Parts of the UK are facing severe gales

Parts of the UK are facing severe gales with gusts of 80mph during the next 24 hours, meteorologists have warned.

The Met Office said gales are forecast for the areas of Blackpool, Cumbria and Lancashire while in Wales, Ceredigion, Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey and Pembrokeshire will be affected.

The Met said: “A band of heavy rain will move eastward early this evening, with squally winds gusting to 70 mph.

“The public are advised to take extra care and refer to the Highways Agency for further advice on traffic disruption on motorways and trunk roads.”

A severe weather warning has also been issued for Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland.

Meteogroup UK added that heavy showers will be widespread across Northern Ireland in the morning, with snow over the mountains and blizzard conditions here for a time.

“Conditions will ease later in the day as the wind moderates for all but northern Scotland and long dry spells develop, though a few wintry showers will continue.

“There will be strong winds elsewhere, too, with scattered showers, wintry over northern hills.

“Some sunny spells, longest in south-eastern England. More widespread rain will spread into Wales and South West England later.”

Well if last weeks -17 and heavy snow predictions was anything to go by, i think i’ll be needing my sun tan lotion.