Storm Goretti has battered the UK with heavy snow and violent winds, with gusts of up to 99mph recorded on Thursday. The storm, named by French meteorological service Meteo-France, caused significant travel disruption and power outages across England and Wales.
The Met Office issued a red weather warning for wind in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly on Thursday evening, while an amber warning for snow covered the Midlands, Yorkshire and parts of Wales until Friday morning. The extreme weather knocked out power to around 60,000 homes and forced Birmingham airport to close one of its runways.
As of midday Friday, three weather warnings remain in place until Saturday. A snow and ice warning covers much of Scotland, the North East and the East Midlands, while an ice warning affects the West Midlands, Wales, and parts of the North West and South West. A new snow and ice warning has been issued for Northern Ireland lasting until Saturday morning.
A yellow warning for ice and snow has been issued for Sunday, covering much of Scotland and North East England, with some parts of the North West also affected. The warning will be in place from 2am to 3pm, with school closures and travel disruption expected.
The UK Health Security Agency has issued amber cold health alerts for all of England until Monday, warning of significant impacts on health and social care services. Dr Agostinho Sousa urged people to check on vulnerable friends and family, as the cold weather increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes and chest infections.
Chief forecaster Neil Armstrong said Storm Goretti is a multi-hazard event, with snow accumulations of 5 to 10cm widely expected in Wales and the Midlands, and up to 30cm in some areas. Hundreds of schools remain closed, and rail passengers face disruption, with Avanti West Coast advising against travel on its Midlands routes until Friday afternoon.
