Storm Goretti live: UK hit by ‘weather bomb’ with 99mph winds as yellow weather warnings remain
Birmingham airport suspended runway operations as heavy snow and “dangerous stormy winds” hit the UK
Storm Goretti has hit the UK with 99mph winds and heavy snow as part of a “weather bomb”, with yellow and amber weather warnings to continue throughout Friday.
The Met Office updated an amber wind warning for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly to red between 4pm and 11pm on Thursday, with “dangerous stormy winds” battering the south west of England.
Winds of 99mph have been recorded at St Mary’s Airport on the Isles of Scilly, which is a new record for the site, the forecaster said, while thousands of homes around the country have lost power.
At around 9pm, more than 47,000 properties were without power in south west England, while Cornwall Council said it had reports that trees and power lines had fallen.
The government has also sent two messages via its emergency alerts system to people in affected areas, with the latest sent to people in Cornwall at 5pm.
Another six yellow weather warnings remain in place as Met Office chief forecaster Neil Armstrong has described Storm Goretti as a "multi-hazard event" with heavy rain, strong winds and snow.
Birmingham Airport suspends use of runway
Birmingham airport has suspended the use of its runway after heavy snow.
Issuing an alert on X, the airport said: “Passengers due to travel should contact their airline regarding the status of flights.
“The safety of our colleagues and customers is our number one priority and this decision has been made with this in mind. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.”
Yellow warning remains in place in Scotland after red alert lifts
A yellow warning for snow and ice is also in force across much of Scotland, where more than 250 schools are due to remain closed on Friday, including more than 150 in Aberdeenshire, dozens in the Highlands and Aberdeen, and a number in Moray.
The red warning, which was in place until 11pm on Thursday, warned of damage to buildings and homes, very large waves, flying debris resulting in danger to life, power cuts and public transport cancellations.
The Met Office's website says amber weather warnings are issued when there is an increased likelihood of impacts from severe weather, including the possibility of travel delays, road and rail closures, power cuts and the potential risk to life and property.
Yellow warnings are issued for a range of weather situations, including when it is likely that the weather will cause some low level impacts, including some disruption to travel in a few places, or when the weather could bring much more severe impacts to the majority of people but the certainty of those impacts occurring is much lower, according to the Met Office.
Storm Goretti, a ‘multi-hazard event’
Storm Goretti, 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".
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."
A yellow warning for wind has been issued for the rest of the south coast and Wales, where gusts of up to 70mph are forecast, while a yellow warning for snow covers swathes of England from Bath to Northumberland.
Meanwhile, an amber warning for snow runs 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.
Snow set to cause school closures, power cuts and travel disruption
Wintry weather is set to cause chaos across the country including school closures, widespread power cuts and major disruption to travel.
It comes after Storm Goretti brought 99mph winds while a rare red warning was issued by the Met Office for "dangerous, stormy" winds in the South West.
More than 50,000 properties were without power in the South West on Thursday evening, according to the National Grid's website, while about 9,000 had no power in the West Midlands and 2,000 were without power in Wales.
Trains were cancelled in Cornwall, and Birmingham Airport said it was suspending operations as of 9pm on Thursday because of heavy snow on its runway.
All trains in Cornwall were to be suspended from 6pm on Thursday, Network Rail said.
In Devon, trains on the Exeter-Okehampton and Exeter-Barnstaple routes were suspended from the same time because of forecast high-wind speeds.
Rail services across England, Wales and Scotland may be affected until the end of the day on Friday due to the weather, National Rail said.
A yellow warning for snow and ice is also in force across much of Scotland, where more than 250 schools are due to remain closed on Friday, including more than 150 in Aberdeenshire, dozens in the Highlands and Aberdeen, and a number in Moray.
Recap: Storm Goretti leaves 44,000 homes without power as ‘weather bomb’ hits the UK
Storm Goretti brought a potentially deadly mix of violent winds, ice and heavy snow and rains on Thursday, forcing schools to close and leaving thousands of homes without power.
Gusts of up to 99mph were recorded as authorities issued a rare red warning – the highest level – of winds for the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall.
Emergency alerts were sent to mobile phones in the area so they sounded an alarm even if set to silent.
Trees and power lines felled in Cornwall
Cornwall Council said it had received reports of trees and power lines felled by the storm.
The Met Office said “violent gusts” will hit parts of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly over the next few hours bringing a potential danger to life when it issued its red weather warning covering those areas.
Winds of 99mph were recorded at St Mary’s Airport on the Isles of Scilly, which is a new record for the site, the forecaster said.
School closures on Friday
Dozens of schools will be closed on Friday where an amber weather warning for snow has been issued.
A number of schools across the Midlands and Wales have announced they will be shutting, as an amber warning for snow runs from 8pm until 9am on Friday covering parts of Wales, the Midlands and Yorkshire.
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.
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.
Yellow weather warning for Northern Ireland
A yellow weather warning for ice is in place for Northern Ireland from midnight to 11am on Friday.
The Met Office says: “A scattering of showers around the coast this evening and overnight to give an ice risk, especially on untreated surfaces. Showers will turn to sleet or snow at times, perhaps giving a fresh dusting of snow in a few places.”
Recap: Storm batters UK
Storm Goretti hit the UK on Thursday evening, after the Met Office issued a rare red warning issued for “dangerous, stormy” winds on the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall. Here is a recap:
Winds of 99mph were recorded at St Mary’s Airport on the Isles of Scilly, which is a new record for the site, the Met Office said.
Cornwall Council said trees and power lines had been reported felled and it was dealing with a large number of incidents. In its red warning, the Met Office said violent gusts would hit that part of the country, with speeds of 100mph forecast, between 4pm and 11pm on Thursday.
It said people should expect damage to buildings and homes, very large waves, flying debris resulting in danger to life, power cuts and public transport cancellations.
More than 47,000 properties were without power in the South West at about 9pm, according to National Grid’s website, while more than 5,000 had no power in the West Midlands and 2,000 in Wales.
The forecaster’s description of a red warning on its website reads: “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.
Elsewhere, Birmingham airport has suspended the use of its runway due to heavy snow.
An amber warning for snow covers parts of Wales, the Midlands and Yorkshire until 9am on Friday, with about 10 to 15cm of snow likely across the warning area, and up to 30cm on higher ground in Wales and the Peak District.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments
Bookmark popover
Removed from bookmarks