Red and amber weather warnings have been issued across the UK as Storm Goretti, described as a ‘weather bomb’, brings winds of up to 100mph and up to 30cm of snow. The Met Office said the storm is more powerful than Storm Ciarán in 2023 and the Great Storm of 1987, with a record wind of 99mph recorded at St Mary’s Airport on the Isles of Scilly.
Heavy snowfall of up to 30cm is expected in Wales and the Midlands, with 20cm in South Yorkshire. Birmingham Airport suspended its runway on Thursday evening due to snow. Rail services across Wales, Cornwall and north-west England have been cancelled, and National Rail warned of delays and cancellations on Eurostar routes.
A rare red warning for dangerous winds is in place for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly from Thursday evening. Emergency alerts were sent to mobile phones in these areas. More than 47,000 properties lost power in the south-west, with further outages in the West Midlands and Wales.
The National Grid advised people to keep torches and fully charged phones, while water companies urged customers to protect exposed pipes. Amber cold weather health alerts have been issued until 11 January, with officials expecting a rise in deaths, particularly among the elderly and those with health conditions.
