Storms kill one as more bad weather forecast Saturday December 30, 02:13 PM

LONDON (Reuters) - High winds and heavy rain battered parts of Britain overnight and a woman died when a tree was blown onto a caravan in Staffordshire.

Forecasters on Saturday predicted more stormy weather after a short period during the day when the wind and rain will ease off.

With gusts of up to 80 mph expected overnight and into Sunday it is possible some outdoor New Year's Eve celebrations, such as firework displays, will have to be cancelled on safety grounds.
The dead woman, who was 18, was killed when a large tree fell on a caravan at a site in Cheadle, police said.

Two other occupants of the caravan, a man and a woman who were both 19, were not hurt when the tree crashed to the ground shortly after 5.00 a.m.

The Met Office said strong winds will come in two waves. The first on Saturday afternoon and evening will particularly affect parts of eastern and southeast England as winds gust up to 80mph in places.

"The second period of strong winds will come during New Year's Eve," the Met Office's Web site said.

Parts of southern Scotland, northern England and Wales and Northern Ireland will be the most severely affected, casting doubt on the traditional Hogmanay celebrations in Edinburgh.

In 2003 bad weather forced the cancellation of many celebrations. Up to 100,000 people who had gathered in the Scottish capital were disappointed when the celebrations were called off just one hour before midnight on New Year's Eve.

The Highways Agency has warned drivers to take extra care because of the weather. Rain and spray could reduce visibility and increase stopping distances by as much as 100 percent, it said.

"Motorcyclists and drivers of high-sided vehicles are asked to be especially vigilant," the agency said on its Web site