The UK is facing a severe bout of winter weather as Storm Goretti sweeps in, threatening to dump up to eight inches of snow and bring bone-chilling temperatures as low as -12C. The Met Office has issued a series of warnings, anticipating significant disruption from Thursday night into the weekend.
Widespread Disruption and Arctic Temperatures
Named by Meteo France, the deep area of low pressure is forecast to bring a dangerous mix of further snow, strong winds, and heavy rain to southern parts of the UK from Thursday evening. The Met Office fears the storm will lead to travel disruption, power cuts, and rural communities being cut off on Thursday and Friday.
Hundreds of schools have already been closed due to the extreme conditions and are unlikely to reopen until Monday. The cold snap has already proven brutal, with temperatures plunging to -12.5C in Marham, Norfolk on Monday—colder than parts of Iceland—and -11C recorded in the Scottish Highlands.
Key Areas at Risk of Heavy Snowfall
The Midlands is expected to be the worst-hit region. The Met Office predicts that parts of Worcestershire and Warwickshire could see an accumulation of eight inches of snow by midday on Friday. Rural communities in these counties and surrounding areas face a high risk of becoming isolated.
Parts of southwest Wales, including the South Wales Valleys, may also face similar challenges, with the heaviest of the new snowfall expected early on Thursday night. The storm will then track eastwards overnight.
Friday's Rush Hour Impact
Snowfall will become more widespread in the early hours of Friday morning. While the heaviest falls are anticipated across Herefordshire, Worcestershire, and Warwickshire, regions further north, including parts of North Yorkshire, will receive a dusting.
The brunt of Storm Goretti will then tear further east, battering the East Midlands and East of England by Friday's rush hour. For example, Northamptonshire could see around six inches of snow by Friday afternoon.
Met Office Warnings and Forecast
Jason Kelly, a chief forecaster with the Met Office, provided an update: "A further spell of snow is expected to move east across central and northern Scotland today. Amber warnings are in place until 7pm this evening."
He added, "Elsewhere, snow showers will be mixed with rain and sleet and it will be another very cold day, with strengthening winds too. Overnight, cold air pushes back in with temperatures widely dipping below freezing again." This brings a renewed risk of ice, with a yellow weather warning for ice covering much of the UK into Wednesday morning.
The forecaster confirmed that cold Arctic air remains firmly in place across the UK. While the air temperature will be slightly warmer on Friday, it will still feel as cold as -12C due to wind chill. The Met Office has at least one weather warning active each day until Saturday.
