Thousands of people in the UK are facing a Christmas travel nightmare as strong winds led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights and ferries.

A Met Office yellow weather warning was in place until 9pm on Sunday from John o’Groats to Land’s End, with gusts of up to 60mph widespread and some as strong as 70mph on hills and around exposed coasts.

More than 100 flights were expected to be cancelled at Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, with passengers advised to check the situation before they travel.

An airport spokesperson said predicted high winds on Sunday meant the flow rate had to be reduced. This inevitably leads to cancellations. “We are really aware this is right before Christmas. This is purely for safety that we have had to do this.”

The majority of the cancellations will be British Airways flights. It said it was offering free flight changes to passengers who did not want to travel at the weekend.

A spokesperson said: “While the vast majority of our customers will travel as planned, our teams are working hard to help those who have been affected get their travel plans back on track at this important time of year.”

Ferries between Northern Ireland and Scotland were cancelled on Sunday because of the weather, including P&O services between Larne and Cairnyran and Stena Lines between Belfast and Cairnyran.

This comes on top of major problems caused by the closure of one of Britain’s busiest ports, Holyhead in Anglesey, after damage caused a fortnight ago by Storm Darragh. The port had been due to reopen on 20 December but that date has been changed to 15 January.

CalMac, which operates ferry services on Scotland’s west coast, said 29 of its 30 routes were either cancelled or affected by disruption on Sunday.

Major roads were also expected to be particularly busy on Sunday, with the AA predicting 21.3 million drivers.

That is slightly fewer than the 23.7 million on Friday, which was billed as the busiest day on the roads since the group’s records began in 2010.

A spokesperson said: “If the congestion wasn’t enough of a headache, the inclement weather could create the perfect storm.

“We advise those heading out to allow extra time to travel and increase the distance between themselves and other road users.”

Great Western Railway said the line between Crediton and Okehampton, in Devon, was closed on Sunday because of “forecasted severe weather”.

It was not just the weather that was causing anxiety for Christmas travellers. No trains were getting to Stansted airport in Essex on Sunday morning because of a points failure, National Rail said. It warned of “major disruption” until 11am.

The RAC predicted that congestion hotspots would be on both directions of the M1 to Gatwick via the M25 and the M23; Liverpool to Chester on the M53; Oxford to the south coast via the A34 and the M3; the M25 to the south coast along the M3; and at the Taunton to Almondsbury interchange in Bristol heading down the M5.

Forecasters are predicting that the winds should ease by Monday and there will be much more settled weather on Christmas Eve.

The chances of a white Christmas remain slim. Rebekah Hicks, the Met Office’s deputy chief meteorologist, said for most people it would be a “fairly cloudy, nondescript day”.

“Conditions on Christmas Day and Boxing Day look to be exceptionally mild for the time of year, especially in the north,” she said. “East and north-east Scotland, for example, could see overnight temperatures that are 10C above average on Christmas morning.”