Travel chaos after UK sees 'worst snow for a decade' with rare red weather warning issued
There’s a fair bit of travel chaos going on today (9 January) as areas of the country warn of the ‘worst snow for a decade’.
Parts of the UK were issued a rare red weather warning by the Met Office, with Storm Goretti said to bring a ‘danger to life’.
And though this warning passed overnight, yellow and amber warnings remain in place for millions of people. Tens of thousands of homes have also been left without power, and many schools in Scotland are remaining closed for a fifth day today.
The wild wintry weather brought huge 99mph winds, and travel services across the country have been impacted by the storm.
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Met Office chief forecaster Neil Armstrong warned that Storm Goretti is a ‘multi-hazard event’ and said it may ‘bring disruption to many’ with a number of roads closed across the UK.
‘Worst snowfall in a decade’
Parts of England and Wales are preparing to be hit with 5-10cm of snow today and up to 15-25cm in some areas.
With parts of Wales and the Midlands set to receive the most significant impacts from snow, officials from Stoke-on-Trent City Council issued a warning.
A statement said on Wednesday: “We are now facing the worst snowfall we have faced in 10 years. The Met Office has predicted that we could have 3.5 inches of snow and temperatures as low as minus 4C on Thursday into Friday morning. As a result, we are carefully managing our resources and stock of salt.”
It also cleared up ‘misinformation’ that the council had ‘run out of grit’.
The south-west of England is currently experiencing the most outages following Thursday's red 'danger to life' wind warning.
An amber weather warning for snow remains in place for much of the West Midlands, Wales, Gloucestershire and parts of Yorkshire. And there are also yellow warnings for rain, wind, snow and ice covering parts of England, Scotland and Wales.
Trams and buses
Fallen trees mean services on the West Midlands tram network could not operate in Birmingham this morning. The team is working on removing them safely so services can resume as soon as possible.
Most rail replacement buses for the large number of suspended train services are not running today due to the weather conditions.
Bus operator National Express West Midlands has suspended all services until 8:30am ‘due to difficult road conditions and low temperatures'.
Again, it's best to check with your local service provider before attempting travel today.
Trains
As updates continue to come in, West Midlands Railway has suspended all services.
It said: “We are unable to operate any services until the afternoon,” with no rail replacement transport provided due to ‘uncertain road conditions’.
London Northwestern Railway also has suspended services between Birmingham New Street and Liverpool Lime Street until this afternoon, with its services between Birmingham New Street and London Euston reduced.
Train operator Transport for Wales will not run services on the majority of its routes today, with the remaining having a reduced service.
Avanti West Coast also has ‘do not travel’ advice in place on its Midlands routes until 1.00pm.
Chiltern Railways plans to operate around half of its normal timetable with no services north of Birmingham Moor Street or on the line to Stratford-upon-Avon, with no rail replacement buses in operation.
Heavy snowfall has also impacted East Midlands Railway services, with the Hope Valley line closed all day and a number of others closed until after 10.00am.
Network Rail said all trains in Cornwall were suspended from 6.00pm last night, with trains on the Exeter-Okehampton and Exeter-Barnstaple routes in Devon also suspended from the same time because of forecast high-wind speeds.
National Rail has warned that services across England, Wales and Scotland may be affected until the end of the day today due to the weather, so be sure to check before heading to your train station today.
Planes
Following a ‘temporary runway closure’ due to heavy snow this morning, East Midlands Airport has now reopened.
“However, there may be some delays throughout the day,” it warned.
Birmingham Airport also said its runway has now reopened with a reduced service.
“Whilst we apologise for any inconvenience Storm Goretti has caused, the safety of our colleagues and customers is our number one priority,” it added.
“Passengers due to travel are advised to check the status of their flight with their airline.”
British Airways has so far cancelled 25 departures and 27 arrivals scheduled to operate at London’s Heathrow airport today. Most of the affected flights were short-haul.
Ferries
Ferries between Dover and France are all disrupted today.
Operator DFDS said: “All services are currently operating with delays due to strong winds in the Channel.
“Please check in as normal, we will transfer all passengers onto the first available sailing on arrival.
“Apologies for any inconvenience caused.”
Please check locally before attempting any modes of travel today, LADs.
Jess Battison