An amber wind warning has been issued as Storm Henk looks set to batter parts of the UK with gusts of up to 80mph.
The Met Office warning, for parts of southern England, the Midlands, East Anglia and Wales, means there could be disruption to travel as well as "flying debris" that is "likely and could lead to Injuries or danger to life".
It is in place from 10am until 8pm on Tuesday.
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Forecasters had earlier warned that many parts of the country would get a drenching today - likely across parts of Wales, the Midlands and towards eastern England and Yorkshire.
The worst of the rain was expected to clear southwestern areas of England and South Wales by around midday but it could last into the evening across the northeast of the warning area.
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Forecasters have said the wettest areas could see up to 50mm (1.9in) of rain, while coastal areas could see wind speeds of up to 60 mph (96km/h).
Train services between London Paddington and south Wales were being diverted on Tuesday, Great Western Railway said, because of flooding between Swindon and Bristol Parkway.
A yellow warning for rain came into force at 17:00 GMT on Monday and lasts until 21:00 on Tuesday.
It affects all local authority areas in Wales except Anglesey.
Met Office
A separate yellow warning for wind is in place from 08:00 GMT until 21:00 on Tuesday, covering Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea, Torfaen and Vale of Glamorgan.
The Met Office said flooding of some homes and businesses was possible, in addition to power cuts and travel disruption.
An American mother suspected of killing two of her young children and injuring a third has been arrested in the UK, according to US police.
Kimberlee Singler’s nine-year-old daughter and seven-year-old son were found dead on December 19 when police responded to a report of a burglary at their home in the state of Colorado Springs.
Police found Ms Singler, 35, with minor injuries, at the home alongside the bodies of two other children and her 11-year-old daughter, who was hospitalised, Ira Cronin, spokesman for the Colorado Springs Police Department said.
At first Ms Singler was treated as a burglary victim and initially cooperated with police but disappeared during the investigation, Ms Cronin said.
Police later said the burglary report was unfounded.
American police officers at the scene of Singler's home on December 19
Credit: The Gazette
Authorities were unable to apprehend her after obtaining an arrest warrant on Tuesday of charges of murder and attempted murde among other allegations.
Ms Singler was not under surveillance and was last seen in Colorado Springs on December 23, Ms Cronin said.
American police did not provide further details on the British arrest, but said they are working with multiple law enforcement agencies.
The children’s deaths came amid an ongoing legal battle between Ms Singler and her ex-husband over parenting time and other issues, according to court filings.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a boy was stabbed to death in north London on New Year's Eve.
Police were called to the stabbing in Primrose Hill, Camden, at about 23:40 GMT on Sunday.
Officers gave first aid to the victim, who was believed to be a 16-year-old boy, but he was pronounced dead shortly before midnight.
A cordon has been set up at the park as detectives carry out forensic examinations at the scene.
The Metropolitan Police said the area was busy with people watching fireworks at the time of the stabbing and appealed for witnesses to contact them.
The park is not an official viewing area for London's New Year fireworks, but people gather there to watch them.
On Monday morning, police officers stood guard at every entrance to the park, directing dog walkers and joggers away from the area and telling them it would be closed all day.
Police tape has been used to section off the area, and a forensic tent has been erected at the northern end of Primrose Hill.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and taken into custody, police said.
The boy's family have been informed, and will be supported by specialist officers.
Heavy rain and high winds didn't put off these revellers from seeing in the new year in Cardiff city centre. From bar entertainment to pantomimes there were many things happening in Wales' capital to honour the end of 2023 and ring in 2024.
The ice skating rink at Cardiff's Winter Wonderland was available for midnight skates to take you into the new year while rock bandOcean Colour Scene also took to the stage at the Tramshed. In London, tens of thousands of revellers started 2024 with a bang as fireworks and drones lit up the sky over the capital and told the world the city is "a place for everyone". After the bongs of Big Ben sounded midnight the message: "London: A Place for Everyone" was written high above the crowds as the unity-themed display welcomed the new year.
In a display that lasted almost 15 minutes 100,000 people cast their eyes to the sky to take in the firework, laser, and drone spectacular. As hits by the Spice Girls, Calvin Harris, Dua Lupa and others rang out across the city revellers were invited to look back on 2023.
The celebration referenced the King's coronation and also used Charles' quote to mark the 75th anniversary of the Windrush crossing in which he said the new arrivals "collectively enrich the fabric of our national life". The display – which included more than 12,000 fireworks, 600 drones, and 430 lights – also paid homage to the NHS, which celebrated 75 years in 2023.
There wasn’t a spare place to stand along the River Thames near the London Eye as people from all around the world gathered to watch the 12-minute long spectacular which also featured a drone light show and music.
Those in attendance, some waiting since 7.30am, cheered as the countdown started before the bongs of Big Ben sounded at midnight and the 12,000 fireworks lit up the dark and damp night sky.
A total of 12,000 fireworks were used in the huge display in the centre of London
(AFP via Getty Images)
People record and take pictures of the fireworks over the London Eye
The unity-themed display began with “London: A Place for Everyone” written high above the crowds before a series of features including the marking of the King’s coronation year, the 75th anniversary of the NHS and the 10-year anniversary of same-sex marriage becoming legal in England and Wales.
The spectacle also used Charles’s quote to mark the 75th anniversary of the Windrush crossing in which he said the new arrivals “collectively enrich the fabric of our national life”.
Further messages throughout the show were heard from mayor of London Sadiq Khan, Dame Helen Mirren, Bella Ramsey, Stephen Fry, Joanna Lumley, George the Poet, and Baroness Floella Benjamin, who read a poem by the late Benjamin Zephaniah.
The show in the capital, featuring music from the likes of the Spice Girls, Louis Armstrong and Dua Lipa, was joined by events up and down the country, including in Edinburgh where people joined the 30th Hogmanay street party, headlined by reformed band Pulp.
There were also firework displays at the Blackpool Tower and on Newcastle’s Quayside where a laser show was projected on to the Baltic Flour Mills.
The spectacular show lit up the dark and damp night sky
Fireworks explode over Edinburgh Castle as the city held the 30th Hogmanay street party
However, it wasn’t the night everyone had hoped as events in Barnstaple and Plymouth, both in Devon, had to be cancelled due to the strong winds impacting coastal parts of southern England and Wales.
London’s spectacular celebrations came before New York’s famous annual event, and after huge shows across most major cities in Europe, Asia, Australia and Japan.
Eye-catching pyrotechnic displays took place over Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong and from Auckland’s tallest building, Sky Tower, in New Zealand.
But Sydney stole the show of the early celebrations as one in five of the city’s residents converged on locations around its famous Harbour Bridge for a massive fireworks display.
More the 1 million people watched the 12-minute firework display on the Sydney Harbour Bridge
(AFP via Getty Images)
Fireworks explode over the Opera House, which is also marking its 50th anniversary
(AFP via Getty Images)
The local government, which calls its city the “New Year’s Eve capital of the world”, made the harbour bridge dance with colour with 7,000 fireworks as around 1 billion watched from across the globe.
On the Opera House, which is marking its 50th anniversary, there were some 75,000 pyrotechnic devices which exploded from the building. The entire display, which lasted 12 minutes, used around 8.5 tonnes of fireworks and took 15 months to plan.
The worldwide celebrations all started on the island of Kiribati in the Pacific Ocean, and were followed, first, by Tonga, Samoa and New Zealand, where a huge firework display, accompanied by a laser light and animation show, lit up the cloudy night sky.
Australia followed before events in North Korea and South Korea, where in the capital Seoul a stunning bell ringing ceremony took place. It was then the turn of Hong Kong, Taiwan and China.
Fireworks erupt over Sydney Harbour
(Independent)
An event marking the new year in Foshan, Guangdong in China
(Anadolu via Getty Images)
The Chinese celebrated the new calendar year relatively quietly, with most major cities banning fireworks over safety and pollution concerns.
Then in India, thousands of revellers from Mumbai flocked to a bustling promenade to watch the sun set over the Arabian Sea. In New Delhi, fireworks raised concerns that the capital would be blanketed by a toxic haze on the first morning of the new year.
But while billions of people indulged in the night of celebration, a stark reminder issued by Pope Francis of the heartache and suffering for many during 2023.
In his traditional Sunday blessing from a window overlooking St Peter’s Square, he offered prayers for “the tormented Ukrainian people and the Palestinian and Israeli populations, the Sudanese people and many others”.
Fireworks light up the sky at the landmark Burj al-Arab luxury hotel tower in Dubai
(AFP via Getty Images)
“At the end of the year, we will have the courage to ask ourselves how many human lives have been shattered by armed conflict, how many dead and how much destruction, how much suffering, how much poverty,” the pontiff said.
The wars, particularly in Gaza and Ukraine, have raised tensions across the world – and with millions attending events there was high security planned, including in New York where police created a “buffer zone” around Times Square.
In France, some 90,000 police officers were deployed to beef up security at the celebrations with the country under a “very high terrorist threat”.
But there appeared no trouble on the Champs Elysees boulevard where 800,000 people were said to have greeted the new year in a mass party with an Olympic theme ahead of Paris 2024.
And there were similar scenes at a concert at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin where thousands watched 20 live acts to celebrate the turn of the year.
In London, Mr Khan said on X shortly after midnight: “From London to the world: a message of unity, love & hope.”
People responded, praising the show, which was designed by the Cambridgeshire-based pyrotechnics firm Titanium Fireworks.
They included Jamie Wallis, who wrote: “Thank you for putting on a world class fireworks display, we are the envy of the world on NYE. It feels like this year could be one of real change and something to be excited about.”
