The UK is bracing for further disruption as Storm Goretti is set to bring heavy snow and strong winds to parts of England and Wales on Thursday. This follows days of travel chaos and school closures across the country, with more than 1,000 schools shut on Tuesday from Oxfordshire to Orkney.
The Met Office has issued yellow warnings for snow and ice across much of England, Wales, and southern Scotland until Wednesday morning, with similar warnings for Northern Ireland. Northern Scotland remains under a snow and ice warning until midnight Wednesday, where up to 20cm of fresh snow is expected, accompanied by strong winds causing drifting.
Storm Goretti, named by Météo France, will bring strong winds to south-west England, with a yellow warning for Cornwall, Devon, and the Isles of Scilly from Thursday afternoon. From Thursday evening until Friday midday, snow warnings cover large parts of England and Wales as a deep area of low pressure moves across the south of the UK.
In Scotland, Aberdeen city council and Aberdeenshire council have closed all schools on Wednesday, with Aberdeenshire declaring a major incident. The council warns that some rural communities may be cut off and power cuts are possible. Police Scotland urges people to follow travel advice as the impact of snow is expected to last several days in the north and north-east.
Hundreds of thousands of households are receiving cold weather payments of £25 to help with heating costs, with those in Cumbria and Northumberland eligible for £50. The UK Health Security Agency has extended an amber cold health alert for all regions of England until Sunday.
