Storm Goretti batters UK with heavy winds and snow | UK weather

Parts of the country continue to suffer the effects of Storm Goretti, which left thousands of people facing power cuts, school closures and travel chaos, with snow and ice expected to blanket large parts of the UK at the weekend.

The storm brought winds of nearly 100 miles per hour after forecasters issued a rare red warning for “dangerous, gusty” winds in the southwest.

According to National Grid’s website, more than 38,000 properties were without power in the south-west at around 7pm on Friday, along with around 5,000 properties in the West Midlands, more than 1,000 in the East Midlands and around 120 in Wales.

Downing Street said support was being offered to homes left without electricity.

A No 10 spokesman said: “Approximately 0.21% of British customers are without electricity. Engineers and staff are working to reconnect them as quickly as possible… Approximately 150,000 customers have had their power restored so far.”

27cm of snow was recorded at Altnaharra in Sutherland; 26cm of snow was recorded at Loch Glascarnoch and 22cm at Durris in Aberdeenshire.

Forecasters recorded 15cm of snow at Lake Vyrnwy in Powys, 7cm at Preston Montford in Shropshire and 7cm at Nottingham.

The lowest temperature overnight was -13.3C at Braemar in Aberdeenshire, while a top wind gust of 99mph was recorded at St Mary’s on the Isles of Scilly, the highest since 1991, according to the Met Office.

Met Office chief forecaster Steve Willington said more snow could fall on Sunday after a “largely dry” Saturday, except for Scotland and the north-east of England.

A yellow warning for snow and ice will be in effect across much of Scotland from 2am to 3pm on Sunday.

Willington said: “An additional 2-5 cm of snow accumulation is possible at low levels in the warning area on Sunday, and 10-20 cm of snow accumulation is possible at higher elevations. Since most of this precipitation is in areas that have already seen heavy snowfall, the disruption is likely to continue.”

“Those in central and southern England and Wales will see rain this autumn, with a wet Sunday for many.”

A separate yellow warning covering most of Scotland, the East and West Midlands, north-east and north-west England and Yorkshire will be in force from 2am to 3pm on Sunday.

Yellow warnings for snow and ice have been extended until Saturday for much of Scotland, England and Northern Ireland. An alert will be in effect from noon on Friday until 15:00 on Saturday; Further snowfall is possible in parts of northern England and parts of Scotland, while the risk of widespread ice is expected to cause disruption.

A separate yellow warning for ice will cover large parts of England and Wales from midday on Friday until midday on Saturday as partially melted snow refreezes, accompanied by showers and freezing fog.

A yellow warning for snow and icing in Northern Ireland will come into force from 5pm on Friday and will remain in force until 11am on Saturday, with the Met Office warning of icing and snowfall in higher elevations.

At least 69 flights scheduled to and from Heathrow on Friday were canceled, affecting more than 9,000 passengers. Most of the cancellations are due to short-haul flights operated by British Airways.

Rail services across Great Britain may be affected by weather conditions until the end of the day on Friday, National Rail said.

Stormy conditions caused around 100 trees to fall on St Michael’s Mount. The island off the coast of Cornwall has lost around 80% of its trees due to wind, according to the Met Office. No injuries were reported.

The storm, named by Météo France, was described as a “multi-hazard event” by the Met Office.

Dozens of schools in the Midlands and Wales, where an amber warning is in force, announced closures on Friday.

More than 250 schools in Scotland were expected to remain closed; Among these, more than 150 were in Aberdeenshire, dozens in the Highlands and Aberdeen, and a few in Moray.

Forecasters also warned that melting snow and rain could increase the risk of flooding in some areas in the coming days.

David Morgan, flood officer for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, said: “Snowmelt from Sunday will increase the risk of flooding as temperatures rise following recent cold conditions.”