UK weather live: Roads flooded and trains cancelled as flight disruption continues amid snow and ice warnings
Hundreds of flood warnings and alerts in place after most of country saw heavy snow or icy rainfall over weekend and consequent disruption
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Your support makes all the difference.Travel chaos is continuing on the first Monday of the new year as weather warnings for snow, ice and rain remain in force across much of the UK.
Hundreds of flood warnings and alerts have been issued as a result of heavy rain and thawing snow, leading to fears of further disruption as key roads have already flooded this morning.
Millions of commuters in the UK are facing difficult journeys as trains have also been cancelled.
Meanwhile, disruption continues at major UK airports, where flights have been delayed for a second day, with Manchester, the country’s third-busiest airport, closed for a second morning due to heavy snow, although it has now reopened.
Most of the UK saw heavy snow or icy rainfall over the weekend that caused travel chaos, with runways shut, rail services cancelled, and stranded vehicles and collisions also blocking key roads across northern England.
Today, again, almost all areas of the UK are facing a weather warning, as seven yellow alerts remain in place, with the Met Office warning of travel disruption.
The Environment Agency issued 173 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, and 304 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible, across England as of 9am on Monday. At the same point, National Resources Wales had issued three flood warnings and 35 flood alerts.
Environment Agency issues warning as Lancashire and Warwickshire face ‘significant’ flooding
A combination of melting snow and rain could lead to “significant river flooding” in areas of Lancashire and Warwickshire today, the Environment Agency has warned.
It advised people to stay away from swollen rivers and to not drive through flood water.
Thousands without water and power amid bitter weather in Ireland
Tens of thousands of homes and businesses in Ireland are without water and electricity amid a bitter cold snap across the whole island.
The severe winter weather has led to the closure of some schools and some public transport restrictions as well as the cancellation of several healthcare services.
There are treacherous road conditions across the Republic of Ireland, with broad sections of the island experiencing below-zero temperatures.
Read the full story here:
Thousands without water and power amid bitter weather in Ireland
The cold snap is expected to last days.
Pictured: Mainoo slides into bank of snow at Liverpool vs Manchester United match
Airports prepare for more snow – with ‘polar bears’ on standby at Gatwick
After multiple airport closures across the UK, and with more snow forecast for the week, Britain’s two busiest airports are honing their “snow plans”. Severe weather shut both Heathrow and Gatwick airports shortly before Christmas 2010.
“At Snowfall T-4 hours, a conference call will be held by the Airside Tactical Team,” says the Heathrow plan.
If the snow gets heavy, the airport says: “Each runway will be suspended in succession to facilitate clearance and treatment.”
Meanwhile Gatwick recognises “seven snow states”. The climatic calibration ranges from “Met Office forecast snow in the next seven days but not expected to accumulate; no disruption to the operation of the airfield predicted” to “Snow is falling and accumulating in sufficient amounts to cause disruption”.
The Sussex airport has a team of winter volunteers are staff who are ordinarily employed elsewhere at the airport, many of them in security. They are on standby for airside snow clearance and are known as “polar bears”.
Seventy tons of grit and 80,000 gallons of de-icing fluid are waiting in the wings. If, despite all that preparation, flights are heavily delayed or cancelled? Gatwick’s “Snow Plan” includes provisions for sleeping areas with beds, blankets, food and water.
The airport says: “We have in stock 4,000 blankets, 600 mattresses, 8,000 bottles of water, 600 folding beds, 20 snow shovels, four baby bottle warmers, 10 travel cots and a mixture of baby food and nappies.”
Read more here:
Winter is here, so Gatwick is training ‘polar bears’ and ‘yetis’
The Man Who Pays His Way: Snow, ice and airports don’t mix well
Key roads and motorways closed amid severe weather including flooding
- Thousands of journeys on the M25 in Surrey are being delayed as the motorway is closed in the anti-clockwise direction from junction 10 for the A3 to junction eight for Reigate after a lorry crashed into the central reservation and came to a rest sideways across the carriageway.
- The M5 in Gloucestershire is closed southbound from junction 11A for Gloucester to junction 12 for Quedgeley because of extensive flooding.
Several stretches of A-roads across England are also closed because of severe weather, including:
- The A66 in Cumbria in both directions between the A1M and the M6 because of snow.
- The A628 Woodhead Pass in South Yorkshire/Derbyshire in both directions between the A616 for Flouch and the A57 for Hollingworth because of flooding.
- The A49 in Herefordshire in both directions between the A4112 for Stockton and the A44 for Leominster because of flooding.
- The A46 in Warwickshire is also closed in both directions between the A452 for Kenilworth and the M40 (junction 15) because of a crash. National Highways said “a car is reported to have aquaplaned due to flooding in the area”. Aquaplaning is when a driver loses control because a layer of water prevents their tyres from gripping the road.
Last night was UK’s coldest night of winter so far, according to Met Office
Last night was the UK’s coldest night of the winter so far, according to the Met Office.
The temperature plummeted to -13.3C in Loch Glascarnoch, Scotland.
However, the forecaster said southeast England was much milder, with temperatures remaining in double figures in places.
Thousands of journeys delayed as part of M25 closed after lorry crash
Thousands of journeys on the M25 in Surrey are being delayed as part of the motorway is closed following a crash that left a lorry overturned.
The M25 is shut in the anti-clockwise direction from junction 10 for the A3 to junction eight for Reigate after a lorry crashed into the central reservation and came to a rest sideways across the carriageway.
In pictures: Bradford residents wake up to another snowy morning
What weather warnings have been issued by the Met Office for today
- A yellow rain warning for southern England from Cornwall across to Kent will last until 9am on Monday.
- Meanwhile, a separate yellow rain warning covering much of the Midlands and parts of Greater Manchester and Yorkshire is in force until 10am.
- A yellow warning for snow and ice covering most of northern England and Wales is in place until midday on Monday.
- Then, a yellow ice warning covering large parts of Northern Ireland expires at 11am.
- The north and west of Scotland are covered by a yellow warning for snow and ice until 11am on Monday.
- Another for yellow warning for snow and ice in central and eastern parts of the country is in place until midday.
- A further yellow snow warning covering part of the Scottish Lowlands including Edinburgh is in place until midday.
Hundreds of flood warnings and alerts in place across England and Wales
The Environment Agency issued 173 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, and 304 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible, across England as of 9am on Monday.
At the same point, National Resources Wales had issued three flood warnings and 35 flood alerts.
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