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As Nick Beake reports, the weather could disrupt journeys ahead of the Christmas break
Heavy rain and strong winds have hit western parts of the UK, while travellers are warned of disruption elsewhere throughout the day.
The Met Office has issued amber warnings for rain for Wales, the east of England, south-west England and London and the South East on Monday.
Train companies expect services to be affected and the AA warned road disruption was likely.
Forecasters have warned of 80mph winds in Wales and possible flooding.
Northern Ireland will face some of the worst weather in the UK on Christmas Eve, with warnings of winds of up to 90mph.
A yellow "be aware" weather warning has been issued for storm-force winds over much of Scotland during Christmas Eve.
In London, Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park will be closed on Monday.
The attraction said it would shut because of the predicted "high winds and extreme rain", before opening as planned on Tuesday.
The Met Office amber warnings run from 07:00 GMT on Monday to 09:00 on Tuesday. They mean people in the areas affected should "be prepared" for disruption.
BBC weather forecaster Nick Miller said the weather would be getting in the way of the Christmas getaway, because of a rapidly deepening area of low pressure which would push more stormy weather across the UK.
The rainfall falling on saturated ground means a heightened risk of flooding as a result, our forecaster added.
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As Nick Miller explains, strong winds and heavy rain are expected
Elements include heavy rain and severe gales, some snow especially across parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland, and disruption is likely.
Persistent rain has already hit Wales and south-west England.
The stormiest weather on Christmas Eve will be in Scotland and Northern Ireland, with gusts of 80mph or more in the worst affected areas.
Chris Burton, from weather forecaster MeteoGroup, said up to 2in (50mm) of rain was expected to fall across southern areas of England, the Midlands and Wales.
Gusts of 60mph across England and Wales, Northern Ireland and western Scotland are also expected.
Forecasters said the conditions would ease off for Christmas Day and Boxing Day before possibly returning on Friday.
FloodingThe Environment Agency said there was a medium risk of flooding on Monday in southern areas, including Hampshire, Kent, West Sussex, Surrey, the south west of England and Greater London.
Several flood warnings and alerts - which are updated every 15 minutes - are currently in place across England and Wales.
The agency's director of operations, David Jordan, warned people not to try to drive through floodwater.
"Tragically, people die because they've taken risks and attempted to drive through floodwater just to save a few minutes.
"If there is widespread flooding in your area then don't travel and if a road is closed then turn around and make a detour."
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A rapidly-developing weather system is rushing across the Atlantic towards the UK under the influence of an upper-level jet stream of more than 280mph
Pete Fox from the Agency warned that driving into just 30cm of water was enough to carry a car away.
He added: "We're going to see river flooding in all likelihood tomorrow and on through the Christmas period.
"So if people are living at flood risk, they need to take heed of warnings they receive.
"And if they are planning to leave their house, they need to make sure they move valuables upstairs, otherwise they might come back to a very soggy Christmas."
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued several flood warnings for Tayside, as well as alerts for other areas.
Travel adviceA number of train companies have said they expect services to be affected by the weather.
Speed restrictions will be imposed on some routes to try to reduce the risks from trees and other debris that may fall onto the tracks, Network Rail said.
Because of the expected disruption, many train operators have advised customers with tickets for Monday afternoon to travel earlier.
Passengers are advised to check the National Rail Enquiries website or speak to their train company.
- East Coast has speed restrictions on the route to and from London Kings Cross, with some cancellations
- Virgin Trains says delays and disruption are expected to services from mid-afternoon
- South West Trains says there is a very high possibility of severe disruption from about 13:00 GMT
- From 13:00 GMT services between London Waterloo and Weymouth will only run between London Waterloo and Bournemouth
- Services to and from Exeter St Davids and Yeovil Junction will start and terminate at Salisbury
- Some services between London Waterloo and Reading, London Waterloo and Guildford and London Waterloo and Shepperton via Richmond after 17:00 GMT are cancelled
- Arriva Trains Wales are advising passengers to check their journeys before travelling by visiting its website
- First Capital Connect said it would be running reduced services on its Great Northern and Thameslink routes
- Greater Anglia and Stansted Express services said it would run at a reduced speed from 18:00 GMT until the end of the day. Trains are not expected to run on Tuesday before 10:00 GMT while engineers check for damage to overhead wires, and there will be no replacement bus services
- First Great Western is expecting delays and cancellations to some of their services in the South West
- The King Harry Ferry service in Cornwall will not be running
- Brittany Ferries has cancelled all crossings from Plymouth to Roscoff
- The Tamar Bridge, which connects Devon and Cornwall, has been closed to high sided vehicles, caravans and motorbikes
The AA said Monday was likely to be one of the busiest days on the road ahead of Christmas, with key motorways and A-roads busier than usual.
"Driving conditions in places are going to pretty horrible... with reduced visibility and standing water causing problems," it said.
The Highways Agency, which manages major roads in England, is advising drivers of vehicles vulnerable to high winds to avoid certain roads if possible.
It said gusts of up to 60mph were likely in areas south of the M4 and as far east as Suffolk, with 70mph gusts likely on routes close to the coast.
Its head of on-road services, John McTaggart, said: "Road users are urged to check traffic and weather conditions before setting out on journeys, and to heed any advice such as speed restrictions.
"Be aware of sudden gusts of wind, and give high-sided vehicles, caravans, motorbikes and bicycles plenty of space."
The agency said it may need to close certain bridges in the event of persistent high winds.
While there are currently no planned flight delays, Heathrow and Stansted have advised passengers to check with their airline before travelling to the airports on Monday.
Gatwick said that although some adverse weather was expected the airport did not expect it to cause any problems.
On Sunday, 40 firefighters were called to Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders after a flash flood swept through the town. Gale force winds damaged ancient woodland in Gwynedd.
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