Heavy snow and freezing rain hit large parts of Britain on Saturday, leaving homes without power, roads closed, cars stranded and flight and train services disrupted.
National Grid said on Saturday night that power was out in areas across the Midlands, south-west England and south Wales, including Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff, and work was underway to restore services.
The Japan Meteorological Agency had issued numerous weather warnings as the weekend approached, with up to 30 centimeters of snow expected to fall.
Bristol Airport announced on Saturday night that it had ceased operations for several hours due to “severe weather” but has now reopened, adding that airport teams were “working hard to clear snow.”
Wiltshire Police said the weather was “causing disruption”, Cumbria Police said they had received reports of a multi-vehicle crash in the Lake District, Avon Police and Somerset Police said they had received reports of a multi-vehicle crash in the Lake District, and Avon Police and Somerset Police said the weather was “causing chaos”. It warned of significant road disruption in parts of the state.
Among the roads closed are the A303 in Wiltshire, in both directions between the A338 of Chalderton and the A345 of Amesbury, the A628 Woodhead Pass, which connects Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire via the Peak District; Traffic is closed in both directions between the A616 Hollingworth and the A57 Flatch. , it's all because of the snow.
National Highways said on Saturday there had been a “numerous collisions” on the M5 between the J21 at Weston-super-Mare and the J25 at Taunton.
Great Western Railway was also among the affected operators on the network, with trains disrupted on the line between Exeter St Davids and Plymouth due to bad weather in the Dawlish area.
The Met Office said an amber warning for snow and freezing rain covering most of Wales and central England, including the Midlands and north-west cities of Liverpool and Manchester, was issued at 6pm on Saturday and will last until midday on Sunday. did.
A second warning for snow covering much of northern England, including Leeds, Sheffield and the Lake District, will begin at 9pm on Saturday and last until midnight on Sunday.
Forecasters said 3 to 7 centimeters of snow is expected to fall over wide areas in both warning areas, with snow possibly mixing with rain in low-lying areas.
The lowest temperature was recorded in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, on Friday night at -8.6C.
Many areas of England and Wales that are outside of the yellow warning will remain under a yellow warning for snow and ice until midnight on Sunday, and most areas of Northern Ireland will remain under a yellow warning for snow and ice until 6pm on Sunday. A yellow warning has been issued and a national ice warning has been issued. until 10am on Sunday in the north of Scotland. A yellow warning for rain has also been issued for large parts of Wales and the West Midlands from 6am to 9pm on Sunday.
Met Office chief forecaster Jason Kelly said there was a chance of “significant accumulation” of snow in parts of Wales, the Midlands and northern England, with further wind-increasing factors potentially causing the piled snow to blow.
He added: “There is a risk of freezing rain in the Midlands and parts of northern England, particularly Wales, which could increase the risk of ice and lead to dangerous conditions in some places.”
“When supercooled raindrops hit the ground, they instantly freeze, covering everything with a layer of ice and making it very dangerous.”
The UK Health and Safety Executive continues to issue a cold weather health warning for the whole of England ahead of a week of cold temperatures.
The Amber Alert was issued on Thursday and will last until January 8, so the death toll is likely to rise, authorities said.
Councils in London and southern England have activated emergency measures including extra accommodation to help people sleeping rough during the cold snap.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said further weather warnings could be issued early next week.
