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.
Flight cancellations on Monday morning
Four flights have already been cancalled so far today after a weekend of closures due to snow.
Data from aviation analytics firm Cirium have shown that a further three arrivals have been cancelled as of now and that the figure is likely to rise as the day progresses.
On Sunday 152 flights were cancelled departing UK airports and a further 136 arrivals were cancelled.
Major airports including Liverpool and Manchester were forced to shut their runways due to the snow over the weekend - with Manchester also temporarily closing theirs briefly this morning before reopening them.
Major roads closed due to flooding and snow
Millions travelling on Monday morning are facing delays to their journeys as major roads are closed due to flooding.
The M5 is closed southbound between J11a in Gloucester and J12 in Quedgeley due to extensive flooding.
The M50 is also closed eastbound between J4 Ross-on-Wye and J3 GorsleyCommon in the West Midlands following a collision and significant flooding in the carriageway.
Earlier this morning, the M1 J37 northbound exit slip road for Barnsley was closed due to snow, resulting in a number of stranded vehicles.
The A46 is also closed both ways between the M40 J15 and the A425 Warwick following a collision and flooding in the carrigeway.
Manchester Airport reopens runways
Manchester Airport has now reopened its runways, after they were temporarily closed due to heavy snowfall on Monday morning.
In an update at 7:15am, the airport said that passengers should expect delays due to the earlier closures and urged them to allow extra time for their journeys.
Travel update on Liverpool airport
Liverpool John Lennon Airport has confirmed it is open on Monday morning after it was temporarily closed on Sunday due to heavy snow.
In an update on Monday, the airport warned there may still be some flight delays as it urged passengers “to allow plenty of journey time” to travel to the airport.
Weather warnings in place this morning
Almost all areas of the UK are facing a weather warning on Monday morning, as many face a harsh commute on the first Monday after the new year.
There are currently seven yellow weather warnings in effect for snow, ice and rain.
- Yellow weather warning for rain for the south of England until 9am.
- Yellow warning for rain for most of Wales, Yorkshire, northwest England and the Midlands until 10am.
- Yellow warning for snow and ice for the north of England, the majority of Wales, West Midlands, Yorkshire and northern England.
- Yellow warning for snow in south west Scotland until midday.
- Yellow warning for snow in central and western Scotland until midday.
- Yellow warning for snow and ice in northern and eastern Scotland until 11am.
- Yellow warning for ice for the majority of Northern Ireland until 11am.
Manchester airport temporarily closes due to snow
Manchester airport’s runways are temporarily closed following heavy snowfall.
In an update on Monday morning, the airport said its teams were “working hard” to clear the runways as soon as possible as it urged travellers to check with their airlines before heading to the airport and to allow “extra time today”.
“The safety of our passengers is our top priority, and we appreciate your patience during this time,” it said.
Commuters face challenging Monday morning
Monday morning is bringing more challenges to UK commuters as they face continued travel disruptions due to severe weather conditions.
More snow, ice, and rain have led to hazardous road conditions, with flood warnings and alerts in place across much of the country.
The Met Office has issued several weather warnings, including yellow and amber alerts, which could affect travel throughout the day. Over 60 flood warnings and more than 260 flood alerts have been issued.
Major airports closed their runways for several hours due to heavy snow, while there were stranded vehicles and collisions which blocked key roads across northern England.
A yellow rain warning for southern England from Cornwall across to Kent will last until 9am on Monday, while a separate rain warning covering much of Wales, the Midlands and parts of Greater Manchester and Yorkshire is in force until 8am.
A yellow warning for snow and ice covering most of northern England and Wales is in place until midday on Monday, while 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, with another for snow and ice in central and eastern parts of the country in place until midday.
A further yellow snow warning covering part of the Scottish Lowlands including Edinburgh is in place until midday.
An amber weather warning for snow - which covered parts of Lancashire, Cumbria and the Lake District - expired at 6am on Monday.
Snowfall on A3 in Surrey as weather causes flight delays and motorway chaos
Ryanair and Jet2 issue warnings amid travel disruption as extreme weather hits UK
Both Ryanair and Jet2 have issued warnings amid widespread travel disruption caused by the extreme weather hitting the UK.
Ryanair writes on its website: “Potential disruptions to/from the UK (Saturday 4 January - Sunday 5 January) due to snow and ice.
“Affected passengers will be notified and any passengers travelling to/from the UK on Saturday 4 January - Sunday 5 January should check their Ryanair app for the latest updates on their flight.”
Meanwhile, Jet2 writes: “The overnight snowfall across the UK has resulted in temporary closures of many UK airports.
“Our operations teams are working closely with our airport partners to get you on your way as soon as possible.
“However our flights are experiencing severe delays in some parts of the UK.”
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