New Year's Reprieve: Rain Clears For 2013

The heavy rain which has washed out December will stop in time for New Year's Eve celebrations - bringing a brighter start to 2013.

Showers will soak much of Britain into Monday - but skies will clear over many parts in time for the evening of the 31st.

Forecasters predict that London - where thousands will turn out for fireworks - should have clear skies, though temperatures will be quite low.

The heavy rain should also subside in time for the celebrations in Edinburgh, but there will still be a risk of some light showers.

Sky weather presenter Nazaneen Ghaffar said the start of 2013 should be brighter, and less wet, than the worst of December .

The south of the country should be mostly dry during the first few days of the new year, with some outbreaks of rain further north.

Flood warnings remain in place across Britain after strong winds and showers followed by more heavy downpours brought the last weekend of the year to a wretched end.

Days of almost relentless downpours blighted parts of the country for much of December, punctuated only by the briefest of dry spells.

Hundreds of alerts have been issued by the Environment Agency this month, as several days' worth of rain fell in just a few hours at its worst.

Environment Agency teams are continuing to monitor river levels, clear river channels and ensure flood defences are working properly, and have erected mobile flood barriers in cities and towns such as Oxford, Worcester, Shrewsbury and Bewdley.

Larger rivers such as the Thames, Severn and Wye are likely remain high for several days.

Records, dated up to Boxing Day, show England on the brink of its wettest year since records began in 1910.