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Fresh weather warnings for ice across UK

PA Media A van drives along a road where fields on either side have been covered by snow. A farmhouse is located to the right of the road.PA Media
Snow covered the fields around this farmhouse near Stanhope in Durham on Thursday

The Met Office has issued new weather warnings for ice that take effect from Thursday afternoon at 16:00 GMT and continue until Friday morning.

The two new warnings cover parts of Northern Ireland and Wales as well as areas in north-west England and the east of England - they come after an existing warning for snow and ice in parts of northern Scotland.

The bitterly cold spell has already brought heavy snowfall to many areas, and dozens of flood alerts and warnings are in place due to either heavy rain or melting snow.

Travel disruption to road and rail services is likely throughout Thursday in areas covered by warnings.

Manchester Airport reopened its two runways on Thursday following a temporary closure caused by "significant levels of snow". In an update the airport advised that "some departures and arrivals may still experience delays".

There are three weather warnings in place:

  • A yellow warning for snow and ice for parts of northern Scotland applies until 10:00 Friday
  • A yellow warning for ice is in place until 10:00 on Friday across parts of the east of England, East Midlands, north-east England, Yorkshire & Humber and south-west Scotland and Lothian Borders
  • A yellow warning for ice continues until 10:00 on Friday for parts of Northern Ireland, East Midlands, Wales, West Midlands and north-west England

Looking ahead to Friday, a further yellow warning for ice comes into effect at 03:00 until 11:00 covering areas in south west England and Wales.

PA Media A car is stuck in deep snow in rural Northumberland, with a house visible in the distancePA Media
This stranded car helps illustrate the depth of the snowfall in rural Northumberland

On Wednesday the lowest temperature recorded so far overnight was -12.4C (9.68F) at Tulloch Bridge in the Highlands.

Low temperatures were also recorded in Shap, Cumbria, at -11C, Sennybridge, Powys, at -7.8C and Castlederg, County Tyrone, at -7.3C.

The coldest temperature recorded so far this winter was -13.3C at Loch Glascarnoch on Sunday night into Monday morning.

The continuing low temperatures mean that an amber cold health alert in place for all of England has been extended until 09:00 on Tuesday, indicating that the forecast weather is expected to have significant impacts across health - including a rise in deaths.

In the Yorkshire Dales, Tristam Rossin, 50, and his wife, Sarah, are snowed in their Airbnb.

The couple had planned to drive to Greater Manchester but will be staying another night after they woke to find six inches of snow on the track leading to the cottage.

Mr Rossin said: "We're in one of the most remote places you could be in. It was a blessing yesterday [Wednesday] but not so much today. We're up a tiny farm track and it's just impossible to get back down again.

"There is very uneven ground, so at certain points you'd be in four to five inches deep and then you'd walk into a drift and find it halfway up your leg."

He insisted on paying for the additional night after their hosts offered to let them stay.

PA Media Two riders on horses at Lingfield Racecourse in Surrey, with heaps of snow in the foreground and bright sunshine elsewherePA Media
These two riders were putting their horses through their paces ahead of competing at Lingfield Racecourse in Surrey

The RAC said it was experiencing one of its "busiest weeks" for car breakdowns since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Roadside teams are "working flat out to rescue drivers", spokeswoman Alice Simpson said, and urged drivers to keep emergency kits in their vehicles.

National Rail has also advised passengers to check before they travel, as ice and snow can mean speed restrictions and line closures.

Poor weather is affecting Northern and Great Western Railway. The rail operator has further warned the weather may affect Merseyrail and ScotRail.

Buses are replacing trains between Llandudno Junction and Blaenau Ffestiniog until Monday.

Transport for Wales has said "some parts" of its network are closed following damage to the track due to weather conditions.

PA Media Icicles hang from a wooden bar with several buildings and hills covered in snow in the background in DurhamPA Media
This spectacular formation of icicles is at Killhope Lead Mine in Durham

The wintry conditions have caused significant disruption across the UK since snow swept many parts of the country at the weekend.

In northern Scotland, thousands of school pupils were off school on Thursday because of snow and freezing weather.

Highland Council said almost 140 schools and 100 nurseries were shut while 38 schools in Aberdeenshire and five in Shetland were closed.

In Wales around 80 schools closed on Thursday - the majority in Conwy county - while Devon, Yorkshire and Aberdeenshire are among counties in England and Scotland also seeing closures.

There has also been widespread flooding in recent days. There are currently a number of flood warnings - meaning flooding is expected - for areas of England and one flood alert - where flooding is possible - for South Pembrokeshire in Wales.

The outlook for the weekend is for the weather to become a little less chilly, but only gradually.

After another bitterly cold night on Friday, Saturday will see maximum temperatures of between 1 and 5C around the country.

By Sunday, western parts of the UK will continue to thaw out, with highs in doubles figures in Northern Ireland and western Scotland, whilst central and eastern parts of England - as well as eastern Scotland - will hold on to the cold, icy conditions for another day.

However, the milder air is forecast to spread eastwards across all parts at the start of next week.

Additional reporting by Emma Pengelly