London, Feb 23 .- London's Heathrow airport on Thursday announced a 10 percent reduction in flights due to bad weather conditions brought on by a severe storm.

Parts of the United Kingdom were being battered by rain and winds of up to 144 kilometers per hour (87 miles/hour) as "Storm Doris" set in.

Some 39 departures and 38 arrivals had so far been canceled at Heathrow, one of Europe's busiest airports.

A spokesperson for Heathrow recommended that passengers consult their flights' status before traveling to the airport.

The Met Office, the UK's weather service, issued weather warnings for areas of northern England, East Anglia, northern Wales and the Midlands, as well as a snow alert for Scotland, where up to 15 centimeters are expected to fall.

Disruptions are likely to affect road and rail travel, as well as ferry services.

Voters were headed to polling stations for by-elections in the constituencies of Stoke-on-Trent and Copeland as Storm Doris was set to cause disruption to many areas of the country.

Winds of up to 140 km/h were registered on the western Irish coast at Galway and 115 km/h in western Wales, according to the Met Office.

A total of 12 Aer Lingus flights between the UK and Ireland had to be canceled due to the wind.

Network Rail warned of delays and cancellations to rail services over safety concerns. (EFE)