Heavy overnight snow is causing disruption across the UK, with several major airports forced to suspend flights as temperatures dropped down to -11C.
Manchester and Liverpool John Lennon Airport both closed their runways on Sunday morning due to heavy snow and some key roads in northern England remained shut. Manchester Airport said its teams are working to clear them “as quickly as possible” but had been hampered by “heavy snow” around 7am.
In an update shared on social media at 8.45am, Liverpool’s airport said the runway was still temporarily closed but the airport remains open. Birmingham Airport had suspended operations for several hours overnight “for snow clearing and safety reasons”, but said it was on schedule for “business as usual” on Sunday.
Bristol Airport reopened around 11pm after an earlier closure but warned of ongoing delays because aircraft were out of position following flight cancellations. All the affected airports urged passengers to check with their airline for updates.
National Highways warned up to 25cm of snow could hit roads in northern England. Roads closed due to snow included the A628 Woodhead Pass which connects Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire through the Peak District overnight in both directions between the A616 at Flouch and the A57 at Hollingworth.
The A66 in County Durham and Cumbria was closed between the M6 and A1M because of the conditions, while two of four lanes on the M1 northbound between J30 Worksop and J31 Sheffield in South Yorkshire were shut after a collision involving a HGV. 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.
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.
National Highways also 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. 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. A new yellow rain warning for southern England from Cornwall across to Kent was issued and put in place on Sunday morning and will last until 9am 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. The Met Office’s long-range forecast from Thursday, January 9 to Saturday, January 18 reads: “Cold initially, with widespread frost and an ongoing risk of ice. Snow showers likely in northern Scotland, with wintry showers also possible in some other coastal districts in particular.
“Some rain, sleet or snow is possible over the far south at first on Thursday but should clear quickly. More settled for most on Friday, although a band of cloud and rain may move in to the far west later.
“Through the weekend and beyond, high pressure is likely to develop close to the UK, with generally settled conditions prevailing through to mid-month. That said, some wintry showers will be possible at times, and there may also be some occasional attempts of milder conditions and outbreaks of rain (perhaps preceded by snow) to approach from the Atlantic into some western parts.”