Storm Goretti to dump heavy snow across England as country braces for travel chaos and power cuts: Live updates

The NHS is is reporting a rise in people suffering injuries from slips and falls due to the icy conditions gripping the nation.

One trust in Scotland, NHS Lanarkshire, has urged the public to take extra care during the winter months after seeing a noticeable increase in patients visiting A&E departments with orthopaedic injuries.

Arwel Williams, Director of Acute Services at NHS Lanarkshire, said:

With the particularly cold and icy weather we are experiencing just now, our A&E departments are under significant pressure, and we are seeing a significant increase in people attending with orthopaedic injuries caused by slips and falls on ice.

Our staff are working extremely hard across our hospitals to care for everyone who needs us during this challenging winter period. Many of these injuries are, however, preventable. By taking extra care when outdoors, wearing appropriate footwear, and avoiding unnecessary risks in icy conditions, people can help protect themselves from harm.

Here’s a reminder how the arctic-like conditions have caused hazards across the country:

Some villages could be at risk of being cut off by snow later today

An amber warning for snow comes into force from 8pm covering parts of Wales, the Midlands and South Yorkshire – meaning these areas will be among the worst hit in the country.

The Met Office said rain associated with the storm in these areas will turn to ‘heavy snow’, which may lead to some rural communities being cut off.

Around 10-15cm of snow is likely across the warning area, with up to 30cm on higher ground in Wales and the Peak District.

A yellow warning for snow is also in place from 5pm until noon on Friday for a wider part of England, from Northumberland to Wiltshire.

In Scotland, Aberdeenshire Council declared a major incident on Wednesday after the village of Insch in Aberdeenshire was cut off after getting nearly a foot of snow.

Locals there had described it as ‘one of the worst winters in 25 years’.

Arctic storm chaos in Europe has already left thousands of passengers camping out at a frozen Dutch airport while snow-hit France has closed motorways and cancelled flights.

Intense snowfall and icy weather has left six people dead as Goretti wreaks havoc across the continent.

Three people died and 15 were injured in road accidents on Tuesday in the Landes region of south-west France, while two more were killed in weather-related incidents in the Paris area.

A driver died in hospital Monday night after losing control and veering into the Marne River, while a second died after a collision with a heavy goods vehicle in the east of Paris.

More than a thousand passengers spent the night at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, the main international airport of the Netherlands, marking the sixth day of disruption in ‍a row ‍at one of Europe’s busiest hubs.

Wind speeds of up to 100mph could strike exposed regions from this evening with meteorologists warning of ‘violent gusts that may persist for two to three hours’, especially in South West England, as the weather brings a ‘danger to life’ to the UK.

Alongside heavy snow, forecasters have predicted destructive winds will blow across the country later on.

An amber wind, originally set to come into force across parts of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly at 5pm, has been brought forward by an hour with peak gusts of ’80 to 100mph winds’ expected later today

There is a further yellow warning for wind for much of South West England from 3pm today until 6am tomorrow, which was later extended along the south coast to Kent.

We are just hours away from the arrival of Storm Goretti, the UK’s first named storm of 2026.

Here’s our video explaining why Goretti is a ‘weather bomb’ and how that affects people across Britain.

Amber cold weather health alerts have been issued by the UK Health Security Agency until Sunday, meaning severe impacts across health and social care services are expected.

Officials expect a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions, with impacts also possible on younger age groups.

Temperatures fell to -8.3C in the Highlands early this morning, while Edinburgh dropped to -6C.

The low in England was -5C at Topcliffe in North Yorkshire.

Insch in Aberdeenshire was cut off after getting nearly a foot of snow

In Scotland, many schools across the Highlands remain closed for a fourth day, as efforts to recover from days of heavy snow and sub-zero temperatures continue.

This includes more than 150 schools in Aberdeenshire, dozens of schools in the Highlands, and a number of schools in Moray and Orkney.

This comes after 440 schools were closed yesterday across a number of councils in Scotland, amounting to 18 per cent of the entire school estate, with remote learning being provided in many cases.

Ministers said that while wintry weather is continuing, the severe weather affecting the north of Scotland in particular has abated, allowing the recovery effort to begin.

Aberdeenshire Council declared a major incident on Tuesday, warning of a ‘good chance’ some rural communities will be cut off, as well as the possibility of power cuts.

The village of Insch in Aberdeenshire was cut off after getting nearly a foot of snow, with locals describing it as ‘one of the worst winters in 25 years’.

Storm Goretti will be at its most powerful over northern France

With the worst of Storm Goretti’s high winds expected over northern France, the storm was named by French forecaster Meteo France.

To avoid confusion and ensure consistent messaging across borders, the UK forecaster is using the same name for the storm.

It is the third storm this season that has been named by another European forecaster, with the Met Office adopting Meteo France’s name for Storm Benjamin in October.

In November, Storm Claudia, which brought heavy and persistent rain to the UK, was named by the Spanish Meteorologial Service after it severely impacted the Canary Islands.

If you’re planning to travel by train today, here’s how Storm Goretti will affect your journey:

• Avanti West Coast: Reduced service from 3pm today
• Chiltern Railways: Passengers advised to complete journeys by 8pm tonight; significantly reduced timetables tomorrow
• CrossCountry: Reduced service between Birmingham and Bristol, Reading and Manchester from 3pm today
• East Midlands Railway: No trains between Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield from 6pm tonight
• Eurostar: Possible last-minute cancellations to and from London St Pancras
• Great Western Railway: No trains between Great Malvern and Hereford from 3pm; and none between Oxford and Hereford from 6pm
• LNER: Passenger travelling after 3pm are advised to bring forward their journey
• Northern: Routes suspended between Guide Bridge and Glossop; Hazel Grove and Buxton; and New Mills Central and Sheffield, from 6pm tonight until Saturday
• ScotRail: Trains between Inverness and Wick remain suspended today
• South Western Railway: At least seven trains cancelled from 7pm tonight including between London Waterloo and Weymouth, Portsmouth, Poole and Bournemouth
• TransPennine Express: Route between Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield via Stockport will shut from 6pm tonight until the start of Saturday
• Transport for Wales: Line between Machynlleth and Pwllheli is closed; Liverpool to Chester trains will be suspended from 3pm; reduced service from Merthyr Tydfil to Cardiff Central; other closures expected.
• West Midlands Railway: Reduced timetable from 7pm on several routes

Snow has already impact train services across Scotland

Network Rail urged passengers to check for updates before they travel on Thursday night and Friday morning.

Some railway lines will be closed in Wales from Thursday afternoon, and some routes in north-west England may also be shut as a precaution.

Rail operators have announced advance line closures, with TransPennine Express saying the route between Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield via Stockport will shut from 6pm tonight until the start of Saturday with no replacement buses running.

From 3pm, CrossCountry will run a reduced service between Birmingham and Bristol, Reading and Manchester; Avanti West Coast said it would operate fewer trains; while LNER advised customers travelling after that time to bring forward their journey.

Northern will suspend three routes from 6pm tonight until Saturday – between Guide Bridge and Glossop; Hazel Grove and Buxton; and New Mills Central and Sheffield. ScotRail said trains between Inverness and Wick remained suspended today.

South Western Railway cancelled at least seven trains from 7pm tonight including between London Waterloo and Weymouth, Portsmouth, Poole and Bournemouth – while Eurostar warned of last-minute cancellations to and from London St Pancras.

Transport for Wales said the line between Machynlleth and Pwllheli was closed today, while Liverpool to Chester trains will be suspended from 3pm. The line from Merthyr Tydfil to Cardiff Central will have a reduced service, with other closures expected.

Chiltern Railways urged passengers to complete journeys by 8pm tonight, ahead of reduced timetables tomorrow; while Great Western Railway warned of a shutdown between Great Malvern and Hereford from 3pm, and Oxford and Hereford from 6pm.

Drivers have been warned to expect chaos on the roads as two amber warnings, one for snow and the other for wind, come into force today.

An amber alert for snow will activate at 8pm with the warning stretching from Sheffield in the north, down to Leicester, across much of the West Midlands and into Wales.

Meanwhile, an amber wind warning covering Cornwall comes into effect at 5pm.

Amber warnings have an ‘increased likelihood of impacts from severe weather’ compared to yellow warnings, meaning there is the possibility of travel delays, road and rail closures, power cuts and potential risk to life and property.

National Highways issued its own amber warning for snow in the West and East Midlands, which lasts from 6pm on Thursday until 9am on Friday.

The agency said in a statement:

Routes particularly around Birmingham across to Leicester and Nottingham will see particularly difficult driving conditions and consideration of the weather forecast should be taken before commencing journeys, with considerable delays possible.

Drivers were also warned that the A628 Woodhead Pass would be closed both ways between the A616 at Flouch and the A57 at Hollingworth from 8pm on Thursday due to the severe weather.

Today will see a cloudy and cold start to the day as wintry weather from Storm Goretti sweeps in from the south-west.

Met Office chief forecaster Neil Armstrong described Goretti as a ‘multi-hazard event’ with heavy rain, strong winds and snow all forecast later today.

He said 5-10cm of snow is likely widely in Wales and the Midlands, with 15-25cm and a potential for up to 30cm in some areas.

Strong winds with gusts of 50-60mph will likely affect south-western areas on Thursday afternoon and evening, with gusts of 60-70mph along exposed hills and coasts, the Met Office said.

The forecaster issued an amber warning for heavy snow from Thursday evening into Friday, covering parts of Wales, the Midlands and South Yorkshire.

The warning stretches from Sheffield in the north, down to Leicester, across much of the West Midlands and into Wales.

It comes into force at 8pm on Thursday and ends at 9am on Friday.