Snow brings disruption amid amber weather warnings

Heavy overnight snow is causing disruption across the UK as the cold start to the new year continues.

Two amber weather warnings from the Met Office have been put in place in England and Wales, with 3cm to 7cm of snowfall predicted for much of the affected area, mixing with rain at times in lower-lying areas.

The Met Office said Bingley, West Yorkshire, had seen 12cm of snow up to 7am on Sunday, with Shap in Cumbria and Capel Curig, Gwynedd, both seeing 10cm.

One amber warning for snow and freezing rain, which covers much of Wales and the Midlands as far north as Manchester, is in place until midday on Sunday.

Higher ground in Wales and the southern Pennines could see 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 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 300m before conditions ease later on Sunday.

Manchester and Liverpool John Lennon Airport both closed their runways on Sunday morning due to heavy snow. Manchester said its teams are working to clear them “as quickly as possible” but had been hampered by “heavy snow” around 7am.

It comes hours after Birmingham Airport suspended operations for several hours overnight “for snow clearing and safety reasons”, but said it was on schedule for “business as usual” to start the morning.

Bristol Airport reopened around 11pm after an earlier closure but warned of delays on Sunday morning due to aircraft being out of position. All the affected airports, and Belfast International Airport, urged passengers to check with their airline.

National Highways warned up to 25cm of snow could hit roads in northern England, including the A628 Woodhead Pass, which connects Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire through the Peak District and was closed overnight in both directions between the A616 at Flouch and the A57 at Hollingworth, because of snow.

The A66 in County Durham and Cumbria was also closed between the M6 and A1M because of the conditions.

National Rail said the line between Leeds and Halifax via Dewbury was closed in both directions, with disruption on northern routes expected into Monday.

One lane of the northbound A3 in Hampshire was closed on Sunday morning due to flooding following overnight snow, National Highways said.

As well as snow, National Highways warned rain may initially fall on frozen ground and lead to ice, with areas of high ground, including the Cotswolds and Peak District, most at risk.

Rain is causing concern in Devon with the Environment Agency issuing two flood warnings – with flooding expected on Sunday morning – on the River Taw and the River Torridge.

The National Grid said it had been working to restore power after outages across the Midlands, south-west England and South Wales on Saturday. The company’s live map shows power cuts across the region on Sunday morning, including in Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff.

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 from 6pm on Sunday.

The north of Scotland is covered by a yellow warning for ice until 10am on Sunday, with another for snow and ice in the east of central Scotland until 6am 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 will run until Wednesday, meaning a rise in deaths is likely, the agency said.

Councils across London and southern England have activated emergency measures including additional accommodation to help rough sleepers stay safe during the cold snap.

The Met Office forecast the sleet and snow will continue to push north on Sunday and be heaviest in northern England and into southern Scotland.

After experiencing freezing rain for a time, 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. Wednesday will be cloudier with hazy sunshine.

Wintry showers are possible in the south early on Thursday before Friday becomes more settled ahead of a cloud and rain in the west before largely settled conditions from next weekend.

Published: 05/01/2025 by Radio NewsHub