Gusts of up to 75mph could hit parts of the south of England and Wales on Saturday, the Met Office has warned.
A yellow weather warning for wind has been issued for parts of London, the South East, South West, East Anglia and Wales from 11am on Saturday until 3am on New Year's Eve.
The Met Office is predicting gusts of up to 40mph in the capital on Saturday night.
A Met Office spokesperson said bus and train journeys were likely to be affected.
“Some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport are likely. It’s likely that some coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities will be affected by spray and/or large waves.”
It comes as rail companies warned New Year's Eve revellers to expect serious disruption to some train services on December 31 - with one railway firm urging people to consider travelling today (Friday) to avoid the chaos.
Northern Rail warned there will be "significant travel disruption" on New Year's Eve in the north west, where it will be operating a reduced service "due to train crew unavailability". CrossCountry also warned passengers to expect disruption.
Tens of thousands of people are expected to gather outdoors on New Year's Eve to watch fireworks displays across the UK, including in central London.
A separate yellow warning for rain covers much of Northern Ireland from midnight until 11am on Saturday, with up to 25mm of rain expected in just a few hours.
It comes as thousands of homes remained without power as the post-storm cleanup begins in the wake of Storm Gerrit.
Around 1,500 homes in Scotland experienced their second night without power in Scotland while a lightning strike hit supplies in Wales on Thursday.
Power company Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said it had restored supply to more than 46,000 properties that lost power due to the storm, with people in the north east and Shetland worst affected.
⚡ We've now restored power to 46k customers #stormgerrit
— Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (@ssencommunity) December 28, 2023
🏠 1.5k will be off overnight, we're giving help & advice.
👷 Teams are working tonight to clear debris hindering access to faults.
☕ Full details of vans serving hot meals from 9am tomorrow are at https://t.co/HSBcM400Fh pic.twitter.com/pnHIApyUvC
They said the remaining homes should be reconnected on Friday with welfare vans serving hot food and drink to affected customers from 9am.
Operations director Andy Smith said: “This has been a difficult couple of days for the communities affected and I’m grateful to them for their patience and support as our teams work extremely hard to restore power.”
National Grid UK said 36,000 properties were without power in Ceredigion on Thursday after lightning struck.
A supercell thunderstorm moved across the northwest of England on Thursday after a similar storm is thought to have resulted in a tornado that damaged homes in Greater Manchester on Wednesday.
Around 100 properties were damaged by what police called a “localised tornado” in Stalybridge, Tameside and in the badly-hit village of Carrbrook.
Hayley McCaffer, 40, who lives in Carrbrook, told the PA news agency that some of her neighbours’ houses “are an absolute disaster” with missing roofs and “squished” cars.
Damage will be covered by standard property insurance policies, the Association of British Insurers has said.
ScotRail said many lines have been reopened but urged passengers to check for the latest information before travelling, a message echoed by LNER, Avanti West Coast and London Northwestern Railway who suspensed or cancelled services due to damage or system faults.
In Wales, the aftermath of the recent severe weather will see rail services hampered until Monday.
🌦️ Blustery showers are possible on Friday morning, with these most likely in the north and west. Many of us will also see some sunshine and some places may stay dry.
— Met Office (@metoffice) December 28, 2023
🌬️ Still windy in northern England and later Shetland, with gales possible, but otherwise somewhat less windy. pic.twitter.com/hInP8LNF2c
Ferry services also experienced cancellations and delays due to storm activity with operator DFDS confirming sailings between Dover and France were delayed due to strong winds in the English Channel.
Air travel in and out of the UK saw cancellations but most services have returned to normal.
The Met Office reported the worst of Storm Gerrit had passed with the last few days of 2023 forecast to be unsettled with strong winds, rain and even snow on higher ground.
Met Office chief forecaster Steven Ramsdale said: “Heavy rain will spread across all but the far north on Saturday, affecting similar areas previously affected by Storm Gerrit. However, this rainfall will be a step down from that seen during Storm Gerrit.”
