Storm Goretti map: Where Britain will be hit by heavy snow with yellow and amber warnings in place
Storm Goretti brought dangerous gusty winds to the UK on Thursday, in addition to heavy snowfall that reached 99 mph.
The storm, named by French weather service Meteo-France, is the first storm of the year and has battered Britain with “fierce” winds and caused significant travel disruption in parts of the country.
The UK Met Office has issued a red weather warning for wind in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly from 4pm to 11pm on Thursday. Extreme weather knocked out power to more than 44,000 homes in south-west England and forced Birmingham airport to close one of its runways.
The yellow weather warning, which comes into force from 8pm on Thursday evening, will remain in force until 9am on Friday, covering parts of the Midlands, Yorkshire and Wales. The Met Office has warned that 10 to 15cm of snow will fall, and in some places, particularly in Wales and the Peak District, 20 to 30cm will fall, particularly on the hills.
Weather warnings for Friday
Storm Goretti will continue until Friday, with an amber “danger to life” warning for snow continuing across the Midlands, Wales and the South West until 9am.
Six other yellow weather warnings are in place. The snow and ice warning covering most of Scotland will end at noon, along with a yellow snow warning covering the North, Midlands and Wales.
Meanwhile, rain warnings in Wales and eastern England will end at 10am and 9pm respectively.
Yellow wind warnings covering Cornwall, South Wales and much of the south coast of England will end at 9am.
A new yellow weather warning for ice will come into force across Northern Ireland from midnight. It was stated that it will end at 11:00.
Cold warning extended until Sunday
The UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) has issued yellow cold health alerts for the whole of England until 12pm on Sunday, warning there could be significant impacts on health and social care services, including an increase in deaths, particularly for those aged 65 and over or with underlying health conditions.
UKHSA’s head of extreme events and health protection, Dr. Agostinho Sousa said: “As cold weather arrives, it is vital to check on your friends, family and neighbors who are most vulnerable.
“Predicted temperatures could have a serious impact on some people’s health, leading to an increased risk of heart attack, stroke and chest infection, especially for those over 65 and those with pre-existing health conditions.”
Chief forecaster Neil Armstrong said: “Storm Goretti will be a very dangerous event, with the most significant impacts coming from snow across parts of Wales and the Midlands, but rain and strong winds also have the potential to disturb many people.
“Goretti will bring snow to the northern edge, most likely over Wales and the Midlands, where accumulations of 5 to 10cm are likely to fall widely, with 15 to 25cm in some places, particularly on the hills, and perhaps up to 30cm locally.”
travel interruption
Hundreds of schools in northern Scotland will remain closed as much of the country braces for more snow and icy conditions. Some rural areas were completely cut off and transportation was seriously affected by weather conditions.
Rail passengers should also expect a number of line closures during the cold period.
Northern said the line between Sheffield and Manchester, as well as roads to Glossop and Buxton, would be closed from 6pm on Thursday until Saturday morning.
Northern Managing Director Tricia Williams said: “We have issued ‘Do Not Travel’ warnings for these three routes and advise customers to check before traveling on other routes on our network and allow extra time for their journey.
”The last train from Manchester Piccadilly to Sheffield leaves at 16.48, in the opposite direction at 17.14.
Transport for Wales (TfW) said six lines would be closed completely from 3pm on Thursday, while services would be reduced on the remainder. TfW’s standard advice is: “You can’t travel; there are no trains running and we can’t operate rail bus services.”
In Scotland, 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 early in the day. Avanti will reduce its West Coast schedule to 3 p.m. There will be two trains per hour instead of three between Birmingham and Manchester to London Euston, and only one train per hour between Liverpool and London.
CrossCountry cuts train services starting at 15:00 and offers passengers tickets to travel on the train of their choice on Thursday or Friday or switch to Saturday.
LNER is also urging people with trains scheduled to travel after 3pm on Thursday to travel earlier in the day if possible.
Chiltern urges passengers to complete their journey by 20:00 on Thursday and warns that services will be reduced on Friday.
South Western Railways canceled seven long-distance trains on Thursday evening and warned further disruptions were possible.
