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UK weather: heavy snow and freezing rain set to hit as amber warning issued UK weather: power cuts, traffic chaos and cancelled flights due to heavy snow
(about 7 hours later)
Met Office warns of up to 40cm snowfall in northern England and Pennines overnight as temperatures drop to -8.6C Closed roads, multi-vehicle collisions and train interruptions reported as Met Office yellow and amber warnings remain in place
Further weather warnings have been issued for England, Scotland and Wales amid heavy snow and freezing rain that has been forecast this weekend. Homes were left without power, roads were closed, cars stranded, and flights and train services disrupted on Saturday as heavy snow and freezing rain hit much of the UK.
A new yellow weather warning has been issued for rain, affecting Wales, north-west England, east Midlands and the west Midlands. The National Grid said on Saturday night that power was cut to properties across the Midlands, south-west England and South Wales, including Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff, and that work was under way to get services restored.
Meanwhile, another yellow warning was also issued on Saturday morning for eastern Scotland, including Aberdeen, Perth and Inverness. It is in place until early on Monday. The Met Office had issued a slew of weather warnings as the weekend approached along with forecasts for up to 30cm of snow.
The warnings came as a Met Office spokesperson confirmed temperatures had reached a low of -8.6C in Aboyne in Aberdeenshire late on Saturday. Bristol airport said on Saturday evening that it had suspended operations for a few hours due to “challenging weather” but that it had now reopened, adding that its teams were “working hard on snow clearing”.
Weather warnings, including two amber warnings – the second most severe – had already been put in place for Wales, the Midlands and northern England for snow and ice. Police in Wiltshire said the weather was “causing chaos”, Cumbria police said it had received calls about a multi-vehicle collision in the Lake District, while Avon and Somerset police warned of significant disruption on roads in parts of Somerset.
The Met Office said stranded vehicles on the roads, delayed or cancelled rail and air travel and power cuts were all likely as the country grappled with a week-long spell of wintry conditions. Among the roads closed were the A303 in Wiltshire between the A338 Cholderton and A345 Amesbury in both directions, the A628 Woodhead Pass, which connects Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire through the Peak District, was closed in both directions between the A616 Hollingworth and the A57 Flouch, all because of snow.
There was also a “good chance” that rural communities could be cut off because of the weather, with up to 30cm of snowfall expected in some areas. National Highways said on Saturday that there had been a “number of collisions” on the M5 between J21 at Weston-super-Mare and J25 at Taunton.
National Highways warned a “spell of disruptive snow” would spread across southern and central parts of the road network on Saturday night. On the rail network, Great Western Railway was among the operators affected, with severe weather in the Dawlish area disrupting trains on the line between Exeter St Davids and Plymouth.
Drivers in high-altitude areas, particularly the Cotswolds and the Peak District, were warned to take particular care. Gwent police issued a warning for black ice on Friday. An amber warning for snow and freezing rain covering most of Wales and central England, including the Midlands and the north-west cities of Liverpool and Manchester, came into effect at 6pm on Saturday and lasts until midday on Sunday, the Met Office said.
Road users in north England were warned up to 25cm of snow could hit parts of the network including the A66 Old Spittal, A628 Woodhead Pass and M62 at Windy Hill. The second warning for snow, covering most of northern England including Leeds, Sheffield and the Lake District, started at 9pm on Saturday and will remain in place until midnight on Sunday.
The Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said in a post on X: “Many parts of the UK [are] seeing warnings throughout this weekend. Snow and ice covering large parts of England and Wales, also northern parts of Scotland as well. Both of the warning areas could expect to see 3cm to 7cm of snowfall widely, while snow may mix with rain at times in lower-lying areas, the forecaster said.
“As we head through Saturday and into Sunday, we start to see significant snowfall across parts of England and Wales – perhaps up to 40cm over the higher ground [and] parts of northern England, the Pennines in particular.” Overnight on Friday, the lowest temperature was seen in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, where -8.6C was recorded.
The first amber warning for snow and freezing rain, affecting Wales, the Midlands, and north-west England is in place from 6pm on Saturday to midday on Sunday. A yellow warning for snow and ice until midnight on Sunday was issued for much of England and Wales not covered by the amber warnings and there was a yellow warning for snow and ice covering much of Northern Ireland until 6pm on Sunday and a warning for ice in the north of Scotland until 10am on Sunday. A yellow warning was also in place for rain covering much of Wales and the West Midlands on Sunday from 6am until 9pm.
Meanwhile, the second, for snow, affecting the Pennines, Lake District and parts of Yorkshire, runs from 9pm in Saturday to midnight on Sunday. Met Office chief forecaster Jason Kelly said some “significant accumulations” of snow were possible in parts of Wales, the Midlands and northern England, and the additional factor of strengthening winds could lead to drifting of lying snow.
Both areas affected by the warnings can expect 3cm to 7cm of snowfall widely, while snow may mix with rain at times in lower-lying areas, the forecaster said.
A yellow warning for snow and ice affects much of England, running from midday on Saturday to midnight on Sunday.
Much of Northern Ireland is affected by a similar warning from 9pm on Saturday to 6pm on Sunday.
A yellow warning for ice and snow applies to northern Scotland and Orkney and the Shetland Islands.
The Isle of Man is subject to an amber weather warning for snow from 11pm on Saturday to 3am on Monday.
Horse racing at Sandown Park in Surrey was abandoned on Saturday, with the racecourse saying the weather meant there “would not be sufficient time for the ground to become raceable”.
In a statement posted on social media, the racecourse added: “Following this morning’s inspection, sadly racing today has been abandoned due to frozen ground.”
The Met Office chief forecaster, Jason Kelly, said some “significant accumulations” of snow were possible in parts of Wales, the Midlands and northern England, and the additional factor of strengthening winds could lead to drifting of lying snow.
He continued: “There is a risk of freezing rain across parts of the Midlands and northern England, but especially Wales, adding to the risk of ice and leading to some treacherous conditions in places.He continued: “There is a risk of freezing rain across parts of the Midlands and northern England, but especially Wales, adding to the risk of ice and leading to some treacherous conditions in places.
“As the super-cooled rain droplets hit the surface they instantly freeze, covering everything in a layer of ice, making it extremely dangerous.”“As the super-cooled rain droplets hit the surface they instantly freeze, covering everything in a layer of ice, making it extremely dangerous.”
The UK Health Security Agency cold weather health alerts for all of England remain in place ahead of a week of low temperatures.The UK Health Security Agency cold weather health alerts for all of England remain in place ahead of a week of low temperatures.
Amber alerts were issued on Thursday and will run until 8 January, meaning a rise in deaths is likely, the agency said.Amber alerts were issued on Thursday and will run until 8 January, meaning a rise in deaths is likely, the agency said.
Councils across London and southern England have activated emergency measures including additional accommodation to help rough sleepers stay safe during the cold snap.Councils across London and southern England have activated emergency measures including additional accommodation to help rough sleepers stay safe during the cold snap.
Several football matches have been called off, the highest profile being Cheltenham Town’s game against League Two leaders Walsall. Further weather warnings could be issued for the start of next week, the Met Office said.
Some non-league fixtures also fell victim to the weather, as did games in the Scottish Professional Football League.