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Heavy snow disrupts travel in England and Wales as airports close runways Heavy snow disrupts travel in England and Wales
(about 1 hour later)
Forecast of freezing rain to follow raises fears of treacherous conditions, with road and rail also affected Amber warning for snow covers most of northern England, with air, road and rail travel falling foul of wintry weather
Heavy overnight snow in Wales and northern England is causing travel disruption as the new year gets off to a cold start. Heavy overnight snow in Wales and northern England has caused travel disruption as the new year gets off to a cold start.
Two amber weather warnings from the Met Office have been put in place in England and Wales. Snowfall of 3cm to 7cm is predicted, with freezing rain likely to follow, creating treacherous conditions. On Sunday, the Met Office put in place an amber weather warning for snow in northern England, along with seven yellow warnings lasting into Monday, including three for snow and ice in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and the Midlands, one for snow in northern England, and two for rain in the south of England.
The Met Office said Bingley, West Yorkshire had seen 12cm of snow up to 7am on Sunday, with Shap in Cumbria and Capel Curig, Conwy both seeing 10cm. Although the snow turned into rain in much of the country, drifts accumulated in northern England, especially on higher ground. The Met Office said Bingley, West Yorkshire saw 17cm of snow up to 11am on Sunday, with Shap in Cumbria and Capel Curig, Conwy both seeing 10cm.
One amber warning for snow and freezing rain, which covers much of Wales and the Midlands and as far north as Manchester, is in place until midday on Sunday. Higher ground in Wales and the southern Pennines could have 15cm to 30cm of snow, the forecaster said, with milder air leading to a rapid thaw in the south of the warning area through Sunday. The amber warning for snow, covering most of northern England including Leeds, Sheffield and the Lake District, was in place until midnight on Sunday. The Met Office said some rural communities could be cut off, with up to 40cm of snow on ground above 300 metres, before conditions eased later on.
The second amber warning for snow, covering most of northern England including Leeds, Sheffield and the Lake District, is in place until midnight on Sunday. The Met Office said some rural communities could be cut off, with up to 40cm of snow on ground above 300 metres before conditions ease later on Sunday. Leeds Bradford, Manchester and Liverpool John Lennon airports all closed their runways on Sunday morning due to heavy snow. Manchester reopened mid-morning after heavy snow around 7am, while Liverpool reopened at 10.15am. Leeds Bradford airport confirmed shortly after 2.15pm that its runway had reopened, but warned that disruption would continue throughout the day after a backlog built up.
A yellow weather warning for rain has been issued for southern England on Sunday, with travel disruption expected. Birmingham airport suspended operations for several hours overnight “for snow clearing and safety reasons”, but started the morning on schedule. Bristol airport reopened around 11pm after an earlier closure but warned of delays on Sunday morning.
Leeds Bradford, Manchester and Liverpool John Lennon airports all closed their runways on Sunday morning due to heavy snow. Manchester reopened at mid-morning after heavy snow around 7am, while Liverpool reopened at 10.15am. Leeds Bradford Airport said its runway would remain closed “until further notice” while its team clears snow, and would reopen “as soon as it is safe to do so”. Several roads roads were closed due to snow and flooding across England, National Highways reported, while National Rail warned of disruption continuing into Monday, with line closures and warnings not to travel on some northern routes.
Birmingham airport suspended operations for several hours overnight “for snow clearing and safety reasons”, but started the morning on schedule. Bristol airport reopened around 11pm after an earlier closure but warned of delays on Sunday morning. All the affected airports, and Belfast international airport, urged passengers to check with their airline. The Environment Agency issued 15 flood warnings across southern England on Sunday, particularly in the west.
National Highways warned up to 25cm of snow could hit roads in northern England, resulting in closures and a risk of ice, while National Rail said the line between Leeds and Halifax via Dewsbury was closed in both directions, with disruption on northern routes expected into Monday. The National Grid reported several power outages across the country on Sunday.
In Devon, the Environment Agency issued two flood warnings – with flooding expected on Sunday morning – on the River Taw and the River Torridge. Liverpool football club and Manchester United considered postponing their match at 4.30pm in Liverpool due to snowfall, but confirmed at midday on Sunday that it would go ahead.
The National Grid said it had been working to restore power after outages across the Midlands, south-west England and south Wales on Saturday and Sunday morning.
Liverpool football club and Manchester United confirmed that their match at 4.30pm in Liverpool would go ahead after fears it might need to be postponed because of snowfall.
As well as the amber warnings, the Met Office has issued yellow warnings covering almost the entire country across the weekend. A yellow warning for snow and ice covers most of the remaining parts of England and Wales until midnight, while a similar warning covers large parts of Northern Ireland until 6pm on Sunday.
The north and west of Scotland is covered by a yellow warning for snow and ice until 11am on Monday, with another for snow and ice in the east of central Scotland until midday on Monday. There is also a yellow warning for rain covering much of Wales and the West Midlands on Sunday from 6am to 9pm.
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 would run until Wednesday, meaning a rise in deaths was likely, the agency said.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 would run until Wednesday, meaning a rise in deaths was likely, the agency said.
Councils across London and southern England have introduced emergency measures for rough sleepers including additional accommodation.Councils across London and southern England have introduced emergency measures for rough sleepers including additional accommodation.
The Met Office forecast the sleet and snow would continue to push north and eastwards on Sunday, falling heaviest in northern England and southern Scotland before turning into snow showers in northern Scotland arriving on Monday.The Met Office forecast the sleet and snow would continue to push north and eastwards on Sunday, falling heaviest in northern England and southern Scotland before turning into snow showers in northern Scotland arriving on Monday.
After a period of freezing rain, the south will turn milder. Frost and icy patches will continue through the early part of the week, but Monday and Tuesday will become drier with sunny spells and scattered wintry showers, although temperatures will remain below average. After a period of freezing rain, the south turned milder on Sunday. Frost and icy patches will continue through the early part of the week, but Monday and Tuesday will become drier with sunny spells and scattered wintry showers, although temperatures will remain below average.
The Met Office’s deputy chief forecaster Mike Silverstone said: “There is also the potential for some snow in southern and maybe central parts of England and Wales around the middle of the week, as a system brushes the south, bumping into the cold air. This is however still uncertain.”