The Met Office has issued fresh weather warnings as Storm Goretti is set to bring heavy snow to the UK.
Storm Goretti, named by French meteorological service Meteo-France, is the first storm of the year and is likely to cause significant travel disruption in Britain, although France will be the most severely impacted.
The UK Met Office has now put two amber weather warnings in place for Thursday evening, including an amber wind warning for 80 to 90mph winds in Cornwall, meaning there will be a “danger to life” from large waves and debris.
Another amber warning will bring 10 to 15cm of snow, with the potential for 20 to 30cm in some locations, mainly on hills, especially in Wales and the Peak District.
Eight yellow weather warnings for snow, rain, wind and ice cover other parts of the UK on Thursday. These span Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and large parts of England.
Mass cancellations to and from Amsterdam Schiphol airport continued for nearly a week due to snow and ice, with flights between the Dutch hub and UK airports on KLM having been cancelled. KLM grounded 600 flights to and from its hub on Wednesday.
British Airways cancelled 10 flights linking Heathrow with Amsterdam, and a round-trip from London City airport.
Aberdeenshire Council also declared a “major incident” as ongoing snow continues to cause travel disruptions and school closures.
Thursday’s weather warnings
The Met Office has issued two amber and eight yellow weather warnings across the country on Thursday.
Northern Ireland will see a yellow ice warning in place until 10am on Thursday, with temperatures expected to fall rapidly and bring an ice risk overnight.
Snow and ice are likely to cause further disruption until Thursday morning for Scotland, as the Met Office has extended a yellow weather warning until 12pm.
A yellow wind warning is in place across the South West and South East of England and Wales as a deep area of low pressure will move across the south of the UK during Thursday and into Friday, bringing a mixture of rain, snow and strong winds. The warning is in place from 3pm until 8am on Wednesday.
Three yellow weather warnings for snow will be in place in the Midlands and North of England, and most of Wales on Thursday from 5pm to midday on Wednesday. Another covers patches of the South East overnight from 8pm until 9am.
Storm Goretti will likely bring heavy snow over higher ground in south Wales. In some areas, 5 to 10cm of snow may settle with the potential for up to 20cm in some locations, especially over higher ground. Strong winds may lead to some drifting of snow.
An amber warning for heavy snow from 8pm will cover parts of Wales, the Midlands and South Yorkshire. It lasts until 9am on Wednesday. The warning stretches from Sheffield in the North, down to Leicester, across much of the West Midlands and into Wales.
An amber wind weather warning is in place over Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly on Thursday from 4pm to 11pm as the forecaster warned there may be a “danger to life” from large waves and debris being thrown onto beachfront roads and properties.
Two yellow rain warnings are also in place, in southwest Wales (covering Swansea, and lasting from midday to 10 am) and the east of England (covering Norwich, and lasting from 6pm to 9pm on Tuesday).
Friday’s weather warnings
Storm Goretti is set to continue into Friday with the amber “danger to life” warning for snow still in place in the Midlands, Wales and the South West until 9am.
Six other yellow weather warnings are also in place. A wind warning in the South West and Wales ends at 8am. One for rain in south Wales ends at 10am, but another for rain in the East will not end until 9pm.
A yellow warning for snow in the South West ends at 9am and another across large areas of the UK, including the Midlands, Wales, the North East and the North West, will be over by midday.
Cold health alert extended until Sunday
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued amber cold health alerts for all of England until Sunday at 12pm, warning there could be significant impacts across health and social care services, including a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions.
Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at UKHSA, said: “As the colder weather sets in, it is vital to check in on friends, family and neighbours that are most vulnerable.
“The forecast temperatures can have a serious impact on the health of some people, leading to increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and chest infections, particularly for individuals over the age of 65 and those with pre-existing health conditions.”
Chief forecaster Neil Armstrong said: “Storm Goretti will be a multi-hazard event, with the most significant impacts from snow in parts of Wales and the Midlands, though rain and strong winds also have the potential to bring disruption to many.
“Goretti will bring snow on its northern edge, this most likely over Wales and the Midlands. Here accumulations of 5 to 10cm are likely widely, with 15 to 25cm in some places, especially hills, and perhaps up to 30cm very locally. An Amber warning has been issued where the greatest risk of disruption is likely on Thursday night into Friday morning, though updates may be required as confidence increases in the exact track of Storm Goretti.”
Travel disruption
Hundreds of schools in northern Scotland will remain closed as much of the country braces itself for further snow and icy conditions. Some rural areas have been completely cut off, and transport is severely affected by the weather.
Rail passengers should also expect a series of line closures during the cold period.
Northern says the line between Sheffield and Manchester, as well as routes to Glossop and Buxton, will be closed from 6pm today until Saturday morning.
Tricia Williams, managing director at Northern, said: “We have issued ‘Do Not Travel’ warnings on these three routes and are advising customers to check before they travel on other routes across our network and allow extra time for their journeys.
”The final train from Manchester Piccadilly to Sheffield leaves at 4.48pm, and in the opposite direction at 5.14pm.
Transport for Wales (TfW) said six lines will be closed completely from 3pm on Thursday, with a reduced service on the remainder. The standard advice from TfW is: “You cannot travel – there are no trains running and we are unable to run rail replacement bus services.”
In Scotland, the northern parts of the Far North line from Inverness to Wick and Thurso remain closed, with some rail replacement buses.
Intercity operators are encouraging passengers to travel earlier in the day. Avanti West Coast is to reduce its timetable from 3pm. Instead of three trains an hour between both Birmingham and Manchester to London Euston, there will be two services – and only one an hour between Liverpool and London.
CrossCountry is cutting back trains from 3pm, and is offering passengers with tickets for Thursday or Friday to travel on any train they like today, or switch to Saturday.
LNER is also urging people with trains scheduled after 3pm on Thursday to travel earlier in the day if they can.
Chiltern urges passengers to complete their journeys by 8pm on Thursday and warns of reduced services on Friday.
South Western Railway has cancelled seven long-distance trains on Thursday evening and warns that further disruption is likely.
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