by Around 2.6 million car journeys are expected to be made on Good Friday when storm Nelson hits the Easter break.
Stormy weather which has hit parts of the UK on Thursday is expected to ease, but numerous flood warnings and alerts are in place in England after rain and strong winds battered the UK on Thursday.
Weather warnings have ended, but the Environment Agency has issued 35 flood warnings and 183 flood warnings in England.
Motorists have been warned that journeys could take twice as long on some routes.
Ferry company DFDS reported that its services at Dover were running with delays “due to strong winds in the English Channel” on Thursday as the long weekend got under way, with two million British holidaymakers also set to head overseas.
On Friday there were already large queues at Dover as people looked to make their journey across the channel. Several ferries were canceled on Thursday due to the high winds.
There was chaos for commuters to Stansted airport on Friday morning as National Rail warned customers “not to travel” between Liverpool Street and Stansted Airport and Cambridge following storm damage to overhead wires near Stansted Mountfitchet on Thursday evening. Storm Nelson arrived with gusts of 50mph. widely, according to a yellow weather warning from the Met Office for the wind covering London and the South East, South West and east of England. The weather warning has been lifted for Friday.
Great Western Railways closed several 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 organization Abta said airports are reporting “strong numbers”, with 175,000 departing 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 blue showers, following unsettled conditions where hail lashed parts of Cornwall.
Elsewhere, it could be warm in some sunshine, with highs of 14C expected in south-east England but there is a risk of isolated storms, the Met Office said.
The driest weather is expected in north-east Wales and there could be a windy start in many regions.
Deputy chief meteorologist Dan Harris said: “The weather is expected to gradually improve after the unsettled period of the past 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 south-west in particular are likely to see passing showers as well, which could be quite heavy and frequent at times.
“Eastern coastal areas are likely to feel cooler as an onshore wind develops, which would also pose the risk of persistent low cloud in some areas.”
The RAC and transport analysis company Inrix commissioned a survey which suggested that 2.6 million leisure journeys were made by car on Good Friday.
The longest delays are expected to be between 11am and 3pm, meaning motorists are advised to leave as soon as possible or wait until later in the evening.
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 experience congestion.
Turkey, Dubai and the Canary Islands are among the most popular destinations abroad and trips to Dublin are also in demand.
Manchester Airport managing director Chris Woodroofe said: “It’s exciting that next Easter will see a record number of people take off: 320,000 people will travel (through the airport) over the bank holiday weekend – that’s a 7% increase on April 2023.”
Glasgow is expecting more than 90,000 passengers over the four days and Birmingham Airport said it is expecting a 27.2% increase in departures compared to last year over the whole Easter period.
Bristol, which predicts 30,000 holiday journeys on Easter Sunday alone, said: “If traveling with Easter eggs, passengers are advised to keep any chocolate treats in their cabin luggage and ensure they are easily accessible as they may they would need to be opened. 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 cars are expected to travel through the Port of Dover between Thursday and Easter Monday.
Ferry firm Stena Line said that bookings on Irish Sea routes are up 115% on an average weekend at this time of year and Easter weekend 2023 is up 26%.
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 the areas around Glasgow and Huddersfield.
Tourism board VisitEngland said around 11 million people in the UK are planning an overnight Easter trip, generating an estimated £3.2 billion for the economy.
