Homes were left without power, roads were closed, cars stranded and flights and train services were disrupted on Saturday as heavy snow and freezing rain hit much of the UK.
The National Grid said on Saturday evening that power had been cut to properties in the Midlands, south-west England and south Wales, including Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff, and that work was underway. course to restore services.
The Met Office has issued a series of weather warnings as the weekend approaches, along with forecasts of up to 30cm of snow.
Bristol Airport said on Saturday evening that it had suspended operations for a few hours due to “difficult weather conditions” but had now reopened, adding that its teams were “working hard on snow removal”.
Wiltshire Police said the weather was “causing chaos”, Cumbria Police said they had received calls about a multi-vehicle collision in the Lake District, while Avon and Somerset Police issued warns of significant disruption to roads in parts of Somerset.
Road closures included the A303 in Wiltshire between the A338 Cholderton and the A345 Amesbury in both directions, the A628 Woodhead Pass, which links Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire via the Peak District, was closed in both directions between the A616 Hollingworth and the A57 Flouch. , all because of the snow.
National Highways said on Saturday there had been a “number of collisions” on the M5 between the J21 at Weston-super-Mare and the J25 at Taunton.
On the rail network, Great Western Railway was among the operators affected, with bad weather in the Dawlish area disrupting trains on the line between Exeter St Davids and Plymouth.
An orange warning for snow and freezing rain covering most of Wales and central England, including the Midlands and the north-west towns of Liverpool and Manchester, came into force at 6 p.m. on Saturday hours and lasts until midday Sunday, the Met Office said.
The second snow warning, covering most of northern England including Leeds, Sheffield and the Lake District, began at 9pm on Saturday and will remain in force until midnight on Sunday.
Both warning zones could expect snowfall of 3 to 7 cm across much, while snow could mix with rain at times in lower areas, the forecaster said.
On Friday night, the lowest temperature was observed in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, where -8.6C was recorded.
A yellow warning for snow and ice until midnight on Sunday has been issued for much of England and Wales not covered by orange warnings and there has been a yellow warning for snow and ice covering much of Northern Ireland until 6pm on Sunday and a warning for ice in northern Scotland until 10am on Sunday. A yellow warning was also in place for rain covering much of Wales and the West Midlands on Sunday from 6am to 9pm.
Met Office chief forecaster Jason Kelly said “significant accumulations” of snow were possible in parts of Wales, the Midlands and northern England, and the added factor of strengthening winds could lead to a drift of lying snow.
He continued: “There is a risk of freezing rain in parts of the Midlands and northern England, but especially in Wales, adding to the risk of icy conditions and leading to dangerous conditions in places.
“When the super-cooled rain droplets hit the surface, they instantly freeze, covering everything in a layer of ice, making the situation extremely dangerous.”
The Health Security Agency’s cold weather health alerts for all of England remain in place ahead of a week of low temperatures.
Amber alerts were issued Thursday and will last until Jan. 8, meaning an increase in deaths is likely, the agency said.
City councils across London and the south of England have activated emergency measures including additional accommodation to help people sleeping rough stay safe during the cold snap.
Further weather warnings could be issued for early next week, the Met Office said.
theguardian