Storm Goretti has brought the ‘worst snowfall’ in a decade to Britain with flights at major airports grounded, roads blocked and rail lines closed.
Birmingham Airport was forced to suspend use of its runway operations on Thursday night after ‘heavy snow’ made it unsafe to fly, while Heathrow cancelled dozens of flights due to severe weather.
Passengers were urged to contact their airline about the status of their flights – with photos showing planes blanketed in a thick layer of snow and ice.
Cornwall was under a strict red warning until 11pm on Thursday – with residents urged to stay indoors while up to 99mph winds rocked St Mary’s in the Isles of Scilly.
Meanwhile, much of the rest of Britain including the Home Counties has been on alert for heavy snow.
More than 65,000 properties were left in the dark without power on Thursday evening, the National Grid said – most in southwest England. As many as 11,000 properties were affected in the West Midlands and a few thousand in Wales.
Footage posted on social media showed motorists struggling to drive through country roads resembling rivers in Cornwall, journalists struggling to stand as they reported on the storm, and people pushing a vehicle up a hill that got stuck in the snow in Buxton, Derbyshire.
The red weather warning covering Cornwall, in place until 11pm, told people to expect damage to buildings and homes, very large waves, flying debris resulting in danger to life, power cuts and public transport cancellations.
Services on affected transport routes are expected to be disrupted on Friday morning, while schools across the country announced they will be closed.
People attempt to push a car stuck in the snow in Buxton, Peak District, Derbyshire, on Thursday night
Weather warnings are in place across the UK for Friday as Storm Goretti continues to cause chaos
A fallen tree blocks a road after Storm Goretti hit Falmouth, Cornwall
There was significant disruption near Dowlais in Wales in the evening, causing chaos for motorists
Birmingham Airport, pictured on Thursday night, confirmed it suspended use of its runway operations due to ‘heavy snow’
Damage to cars near Falmouth Docks, Cornwall, on Thursday due to Storm Goretti
A man’s umbrella is turned upside down by the wind in Walsall on Thursday night
A bicycle is abandoned in the snow on Thursday night in Ruthin, Wales
Vehicles struggle at a road junction in the town of Mossley in Tameside, Greater Manchester
The forecaster stated on its website: ‘It is very likely that there will be a risk to life, with substantial disruption to travel, energy supplies and possibly widespread damage to property and infrastructure.
‘You should avoid travelling, where possible, and follow the advice of the emergency services and local authorities.’
Dozens of schools in Cornwall closed early on Thursday afternoon as the storm approached. Network Rail said all trains in Cornwall would be suspended from 6pm on Thursday.
In Devon, trains on the Exeter-Okehampton and Exeter-Barnstaple routes were to be suspended from the same time because of forecast high-wind speeds.
Passengers were advised to travel earlier and not to attempt travel late in the afternoon. Services on affected routes are set to be disrupted on Friday morning.
Replacement road transport will not be available as road conditions are also expected to be affected by the weather.
The storm, named by French weather forecaster Meteo France, has been described as a ‘multi-hazard event’ by the Met Office, with as much as 30cm of snow possible in parts of the UK.
Weather warnings have been issued for snow, wind, rain and ice across the country, ahead of likely ‘disruption and dangerous travelling conditions’.
Motorists drive on a snow-covered road in Ruthin, Wales, on Thursday night
A map of Storm Goretti which is set to hit South West England with ‘exceptionally strong’ winds
Large waves as Storm Goretti hits Plymouth, Devon, on Thursday evening
Met Office chief forecaster Neil Armstrong said: ‘Storm Goretti will be a multi-hazard event, with the most significant impacts from snow in parts of Wales and the Midlands and the very strong winds in the far South West, though heavy rain in some parts of Wales and East Anglia also has the potential to bring disruption to many.’
It was reported that the storm would bring a ‘weather bomb’ to the UK. Also known as explosive cyclogenesis, a weather bomb is caused when the central pressure in an area of low pressure falls rapidly. The pressure has to fall by 24 millibars in 24 hours to qualify.
The Met Office said that winds during a weather bomb can be ‘strong enough to bring down trees and cause structural damage’.
A yellow warning for wind has also been issued for the rest of the south coast and Wales, where gusts of up to 70mph are forecast.
The weather service said the ‘exceptional’ wind speeds could be stronger than recent storms such as Ciaran in 2023 and Eunice in 2022.
Very few passengers at Paddington in London this afternoon as Storm Goretti approaches
Meanwhile, an amber warning for snow runs from 8pm until 9am on Friday covering parts of Wales, the Midlands and Yorkshire.
About 10 to 15cm of snow is likely across the warning area, with up to 30cm on higher ground in Wales and the Peak District.
Dozens of schools across the Midlands and Wales announced they will be closed on Friday where the amber weather warning has been issued.
The Met Office has issued a yellow warning of snow and ice covering much of Scotland which came into force at 8pm on Thursday and runs until midday on Friday.
There has been several days of ‘intense’ snowfall, ice and sub-zero temperatures which have led to school closures and travel disruption, mainly in the north of the country.
