Summary of the day …
Winter weather has caused significant travel disruption across the UK and Ireland, with roads and trains affected, and power cuts impacting tens of thousands of people.
Yellow warnings for snow and ice are in place until tomorrow morning from the Met Office for most of Northern Ireland, the north and west of Scotland, most of Wales, and western and south-western regions of England
Snow and flooding was affecting railway services, with disruption reported between Nottingham and Grantham, between Peterborough and Leicester, between Derby and East Midlands Parkway/Nottingham and between Bristol Parkway and Gloucester
The M5 has been reopened southbound between junction 11a at Gloucester and junction 12 at Quedgeley after it was closed this morning, but delays remain
There were long delays to flight departures at Manchester airport after the runways were briefly closed in the morning by snow
The Environment Agency has 166 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, and 320 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible, active across England. At the same time, National Resources Wales has two flood warnings and 20 flood alerts in place.
Almost 60,000 homes and businesses were without power and 40,000 without water in Ireland overnight as a status yellow snow and ice warning has been issued by Met Éireann for the entire country until midday on Tuesday
About 100 customers were still without power on Monday lunchtime after more than 27,000 homes and businesses across Yorkshire and the north east of England lost power overnight during the cold snap, network operators Northern Powergrid said
PA Media reports Met Office chief meteorologist Frank Saunders said: “Hail, sleet or snow showers are expected to affect parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland, spreading to Wales and parts of north-west England this evening, before moving into part of south-west England, the Midlands and southern England during the early hours of Tuesday.
“Rain or hail is more likely towards some western coasts.
“Icy stretches which develop overnight as a result of these showers, or the recent wet conditions, could bring some disruption to travel.
“In addition to the ice, we could see snow accumulations of a few centimetres above 200 metres, with a chance of greater than 5cm above 200 metres in Wales.
“The heaviest snow showers may also produce temporary accumulations of 0-2cm at low levels.
“It is not possible to say exactly where this snow might fall, so it’s important that people are prepared.”
Prof Trevor Hoey, director of Brunel University of London’s centre for flood risk and resilience, said “Flooding resulting from snowmelt due to warm air associated with heavy rainfall is not uncommon in the UK and has been the cause of some of the largest flood events in recent decades.”
He continued:
The coincidence of snow and ice in some locations with flooding in others poses particular challenges for authorities and infrastructure operators as they have to deal with different issues at the same time.
Flooding followed by a shift to freezing conditions, as is happening across the UK now, leads to challenging conditions for drivers and rail and air operators and travellers should be prepared for further delays over the next few days.
People across England and Wales have been experiencing snow, ice and rain since the weekend.
Hattie Cooper Hockey from Leeds sent in to the Guardian photos of the snow in Pudsey from Sunday. The 28-year-old who works as a content designer is thankful she is able to work from home as there is still a lot of snow today.
“I really enjoyed getting out for a walk yesterday in Queens Park and seeing lots of families sledging in the park. We built a snowman but he’s looking a bit sad today though.”
If you’ve been affected by the winter weather, you can share your experience here.
About 100 customers are still without power after more than 27,000 homes and businesses across Yorkshire and the North East of England lost power overnight during the cold snap, network operators Northern Powergrid said.
PA Media reports the firm said its teams have worked around the clock to restore electricity supplies to all but about 100 customers by Monday lunchtime.
A spokesperson said: “Our network continued to be impacted by the wintry weather conditions overnight, leading to customers predominately across Yorkshire and Northumberland experiencing power cuts.
“We want to thank our customers for their patience. We understand how difficult a power cut can be, particularly in these conditions, and our teams will continue to work until all of our customers’ power is back on.”
Manchester airport earlier closed its runways due to disruption from snow. Although the runways have been open again since about 7.15am this morning, there are still significant delays, with many flight departures postponed by up to two or three hours. You can check the latest information here.
Here are some of the latest images of the weather England today.
The RAC said Monday would be the busiest day of the winter so far for vehicle breakdowns because of severe weather.
RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: “Today will undoubtedly be the busiest of the winter so far and our patrols are working exceptionally hard rescuing thousands of our members in difficult conditions. Waiting times will be longer as a result.
“The impact of the weather, and the fact many people are using their vehicles for the first time after a festive break, means we’re expecting to be 80% busier than normal.
“At our peak today, we will be dealing with upwards of 20 new breakdowns every minute.
“We urge drivers who know their vehicles are slow to start to book in a mobile mechanic or reliable local garage as soon as possible as it may mean a new battery is required.
“Conditions are especially challenging due to heavy rain and snowmelt causing flooding across the country.”
As of 12.30pm, the Environment Agency had 173 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, and 315 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible, active across England.
At the same time, National Resources Wales had two flood warnings and 22 flood alerts in place.
Fresh weather warnings issued
The Met Office has issued fresh yellow weather warnings covering much of the UK.
A warning for snow and ice is in place across most of south-west England and Wales, and parts of north-west England and the West Midlands, for between 5pm on Monday until 10am on Tuesday.
The same warning is in place for western and northern parts of Scotland for between 4pm on Monday until midday on Tuesday, and in Northern Ireland between 3pm on Monday until 11am on Tuesday.
There is a separate warning for snow in southern England on Wednesday from 9am until 11.59pm.
M5 reopens
The M5 has been reopened southbound between junction 11a at Gloucester and junction 12 at Quedgeley after it was closed this morning, but delays remain.
Several road and lane closures remain. National Highways has full details here.
Updated
Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin has posted to social media this morning to say “We love to see it”, endorsing the efforts of some young people on Sunday afternoon who helped free a bus in Leeds that was stuck in snow.
This is the moment a group of young people helped free a bus in Leeds pic.twitter.com/ijksDWY1k9
— BBC Yorkshire (@BBCLookNorth) January 6, 2025
Reporting on the incident this morning, the BBC adds the obligatory cautionary “don’t try this at home” note of “appropriate care should be taken in snow and around vehicles.”
National highways is still reporting closures of main roads in England due to weather disruption. Among the routes affected are:
A52 closed in Nottinghamshire eastbound between A60 and A606 – flooding
A66 in County Durham/Cumbria closed in both directions between A1M (J53) and M6 (J40) – snow
A628 Woodhead Pass in both directions between A616 (Flouch) and A57 (Hollingworth) – flooding
In addition the M25 in Surrey is closed anti-clockwise between J9 (Leatherhead) and J8 (Reigate) after a lorry struck the central reservation and came to rest sideways across the carriageway.
National highways reports “the resurfacing operation has now commenced and the road is expected to remain closed until at least 3pm”.
Lisa O’Carroll in Dublin
Almost 60,000 homes and businesses were without power and 40,000 without water in Ireland overnight as a status yellow snow and ice warning has been issued by Met Éireann for the entire country until midday on Tuesday.
Status yellow warnings for extreme cold, widespread ice and lying snow, will remain in place until midday on Thursday, the national weather centre said.
Eleven counties, mostly in the southern part of the country, remain under the more severe status orange warning.
Electricity supply authority, ESB Networks, said it was working hard to restore power but many would not be reconnected for several days due to the conditions.
Worst hit are Munster and parts of Leinster, with Cork and Kerry particularly hazardous.
Many schools have closed with snow blanketting parts of the country with temperatures expected to drop to -5C (23F) in some places overnight.
Health authorities have cancelled non-urgent appointments in some hospitals in Cork, south Tipperary, Kerry and Laois in the midlands.
Dublin and other countries not hit by snow remain in the grip of extreme cold with temperatures struggling to get above freezing during the day.
Kay Mulcaire in Adare, county Limerick told RTÉ there was 20cm of snow in the village with an overnight freeze expected to mean further deterioration in conditions.
Here are some of the latest pictures of the weather disruption in England sent to us over the news wires.
National Rail are advising that poor weather may affect services run by GWR, ScotRail and the TransPennine Express, and that travellers should check for delays before setting out.
In addition the National Rail website advises that these services are all currently subject to disruption in England and Wales:
Buses replace trains between Llandudno Junction and Blaenau Ffestiniog
Buses replace trains between Hooton and Chester / Ellesmere Port
Poor weather may affect Merseyrail services
Poor weather may affect Northern services
Disruption between Nottingham and Grantham
Disruption between Peterborough and Leicester
Disruption between Derby and East Midlands Parkway / Nottingham
The Met Office still has yellow weather warnings in place for snow and ice covering much of Scotland, most of Northern Ireland and Wales, and places in the north, west and south-west of England.
If you have been affected by the snow, ice and rain in the UK, our community team would like to hear from you. How has it affected your commute? They are also interested in any photos you have taken of the snowy weather. You can find out how to get in touch with them here.
Here is a picture of flooding in Yalding in Kent this morning. The Environment Agency in England currently has 167 flood warnings in place, where flooding is expected, and 312 flood alerts, where it says flooding is possible. You can check the flood warnings here.
A number of schools in north-east Scotland have been forced to close, PA Media reports.
More than 80 schools and nurseries across Aberdeenshire, Moray and Highland council areas are shut due to snow and poor driving conditions on what would have been the first day back for pupils after the holidays.
Met Office chief forecaster Frank Saunders has said: “Cold conditions in Scotland will continue, with snow showers in many coastal areas, and more persistent snow for a time in the south east.”
The BBC has also reported that in England there are school closures in Bradford, Calderdale, Halifax, Kirkless, and Leeds.
Here are a couple of the latest pictures of the weather impact in England.
There is also significant weather disruption in Ireland, where the Irish Electricity Supply Board (ESB) said 41,000 homes and businesses remained without power.
National Rail has warnings in place for travel disruption in the following places in England and Wales:
Buses replace trains between Llandudno Junction and Blaenau Ffestiniog
Buses replace trains between Hooton and Chester / Ellesmere Port
Poor weather may affect Merseyrail services
Poor weather may affect Northern services
Disruption between Nottingham and Grantham
Disruption between Peterborough and Leicester
Disruption between Derby and East Midlands Parkway / Nottingham
National Highways in England has warned that the A52 in Nottinghamshire is closed eastbound between A60 Ruddington and A606 Wheatcroft, due to flooding.
The Met Office has said that it was the UK’s coldest night of the winter so far, with temperatures falling to -13.3C (8F) in Loch Glascarnoch in the Highlands of Scotland.
In its latest forecast the Met Office warns “a further slight covering of snow is possible in the coming hours which may give some difficult travelling conditions.”
The Environment Agency in England currently has 169 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, and 304 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible. They can be found here.
National Resources Wales at the moment has three flood warnings and 35 flood alerts. It has no severe flood warnings. They can be found here.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency currently has no flood warnings in place.
Flooding closes railway lines between Derby and Nottingham
PA Media reports that CrossCountry and East Midlands Railway services are being affected by flooding which has closed all railway lines between Derby and both Nottingham and East Midlands Parkway.
Flooding near Hooton, Cheshire, means Merseyrail’s Chester services are suspended and it is also reported that Southeastern trains are unable to run from Ramsgate or Margate towards London via Canterbury West because of a fallen tree.
GWR is reporting delays between Bristol Parkway and Gloucester because trains are having to run at reduced speed because of what it describes as “heavy rain flooding the railway”.
It expects delays to be in place until 9am.
In England, National Highways have notified drivers that several stretches of A-roads are closed due to weather conditions. That includes:
A66 in Cumbria in both directions between the A1M and the M6 due to snow
A628 Woodhead Pass in South Yorkshire/Derbyshire in both directions between A616 for Flouch and A57 for Hollingworth – flooding
A1 in Lincolnshire in both directions between A607 for Grantham and B1174 for Little Ponton – flooding
A49 in Herefordshire in both directions betweenA4112 for Stockton and A44 for Leominster – flooding
Crashes have also closed the A38 in Derbyshire northbound from A50 for Findern to A5111 for Mickleover, and the A46 in Warwickshire in both directions between A452 for Kenilworth and the M40 (junction 15).
Manchester airport reopens runways after snow closure
In a statement Manchester airport says it has reopened runways after an earlier closure due to snow.
It advises passengers to check with airlines directly about arrivals and departures, as there may be delays due to the earlier closure.
Flights to Germany that were scheduled for 6.30am and 7am departures have been delayed until 9am and 8.30am respectively.
Part of M5 in Gloucestershire closed due to 'extensive flooding'
PA Media reports, citing National Highways, that the M5 in Gloucestershire is closed southbound from junction 11A for Gloucester to junction 12 for Quedgeley because of “extensive flooding”.
In an update it said “contractors are en route to try to deal with the flooding”.
The latest Met Office map shows the extent of the weather warnings in force across the UK, with heavy rainfall predicted in southern England, and warnings about snow and/or ice in place in parts of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. You can find the weather warnings here.
Manchester airport closes runways due to snow
Manchester airport has issued a statement saying that its runways are closed due to snow.
At 6.30am the airport put out a message saying:
Our runways are temporarily closed due to heavy snow, as our teams work hard to clear them as quickly as possible.
The safety of our passengers is our top priority, and we appreciate your patience during this time. Please check with your airline for the latest flight information and allow extra travel time today.
We will update you as soon as possible. Thank you.
Welcome and opening summary …
Welcome to the Guardian’s rolling coverage of weather and travel news in the UK, where commuters are urged to brace for snow showers, and ice, rain and travel disruption is likely due to the adverse conditions on the first Monday back to work in the new year. Here are the latest headlines …
Snow has closed the runways at Manchester airport as travel disruption is threatened across multiple areas of England, Wales and Scotland
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
The Environment Agency had issued 65 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, and 262 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible, across England as of 6am on Monday
