Heavy rain and 40 mph winds are expected in the coming days in Oxfordshire despite the county avoiding the worst of Storm Gerrit.

The Met Office predicts heavy rain for most of today (Wednesday, December 27), with moderate drizzle tomorrow and Friday and more rain again on Saturday 30.

New Year’s Eve is expected to be relatively dry apart from some short bursts in the morning.

Motorists are being urged to drive cautiously amid the strong winds.

Oxfordshire County Council warned the public about the winds on Wednesday morning.

A statement from the authority said: "Approaching 40mph winds can be expected across much of Oxfordshire today, causing challenging driving conditions."

There were widespread delays on key Oxfordshire routes amid the challenging conditions on Wednesday morning.

Traffic has been slow moving on the M40 southbound near Baynards Green with average speeds of 30mph. 

Congestion has also been building on the A40 eastbound with an average speed of 15mph in the Eynsham area reported by the AA at around 11am.

There were also delays on the A34 after a broken down vehicle caused disruption in the northbound carriageway between Marcham and Hinksey Hill. 

The vehicle broke down near the Marcham Interchange with motorists being warned to approach with caution.

The increased rainfall comes as Storm Gerrit hits the UK, with the Met Office warning of strong winds and wintry hazards.

Met Office chief meteorologist Frank Saunders said: "Storm Gerrit will run towards western UK on Wednesday (December 27) and bring with it potential impacts for much of the UK.

“Winds across southern coastal areas of England will be strong, possibly peaking around 70mph on exposed coastlines, but more widely around 50-60mph within the warning area.”

 

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This story was written by Matthew Norman, he joined the team in 2022 as a Facebook community reporter.

Matthew covers Bicester and focuses on finding stories from diverse communities.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Matthew.norman@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter: @OxMailMattN1