Two amber weather warnings are in place across the UK as heavy snow and freezing rain has started to hit Britain.
The first amber warning for snow and rare freezing rain covering most of Wales and central England came into place from 6pm on Saturday to midday on Sunday.
Another amber snow alert is in place across most of northern England from 9pm on Saturday until the close of Sunday.
Up to 40cm of snow is expected in the worst affected areas, while much of the warning area can expect 3cm to 7cm, the Met Office predicted.
The alerts come after the forecaster confirmed temperatures plunged to as low as -8.6C in Aboyne in Aberdeenshire overnight.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) also issued a Cold-Health Alert (CHA), warning of an “increase in risk to health”.
Meanwhile, Bristol Airport was forced to suspend flights after heavy snowfall as a “number of collisions” were reported across Somerset.
Rail problems in Devon, Wiltshire and Shropshire
On the trains, Great Western Railway says severe weather in the Dawlish area of south Devon is delaying trains by up to half an hour and causing the odd cancellation.
GWR also warns that most rail replacement buses in the Westbury area – deployed because of engineering work – won’t run because of heavy snow.
The rail link between Shrewsbury and Chester has been blocked by a landslip at Gobowen in Shropshire, with buses running instead between the two stations as well as to Wrexham.
Simon Calder4 January 2025 23:31
Avon and Somerset Police warn against travel
Avon and Somerset Police has urged residents to travel only if necessary amid “significant” road disruption across the area.
Writing on X, the force said: “Weather warnings are in place with snow and ice affecting the region. There is significant road disruption, particularly in parts of Somerset. Please only travel if necessary.”
Alexander Butler4 January 2025 22:50
Flight cancellations extend into Sunday from Bristol airport
Planes, pilots and passengers are all out of position after the large-scale diversions of flights arriving at Bristol airport on Saturday evening. At least 17 arrivals have flown to different UK airports, as far away as Manchester, because of heavy snow.
A spokesperson for the airport said: “The Bristol Airport team are working hard on snow clearing but challenging weather means that flight operations have been suspended until later tonight.
“This will mainly impact inbound flights but any concerned customers are advised to contact their airline for more information.”
The airport is outside the Met Office “amber weather warning” area, but it is relatively high: around 200 metres above sea level.
As a result of the closure, Sunday flights are certain to be disrupted even if the snow is quickly cleared.
The 6am KLM departure to Amsterdam has been delayed by five hours, and the 9am flight cancelled altogether.
Ryanair’s 8.55am departure to Alicante has been grounded. Further cancellations are likely.
Simon Calder4 January 2025 22:45
Wiltshire Police warn against travel amid snowfall
Wiltshire Police has warned residents against travelling unless necessary amid heavy snowfall across the county.
Writing on X, the force said: “The weather has turned very quickly and causing chaos all over the county, do not travel unless absolutely necessary!
“Otherwise you could find yourself having a long cold night roads being closed due to amount of incidents.”
Alexander Butler4 January 2025 22:25
Collision on M5 amid snow warnings
A collision was reported on the M5 as the motorway was closed to traffic amid warnings of freezing temperatures and heavy snow.
Traffic was stopped on the M5 southbound between J24 Bridgwater and J25 Taunton due to the collision earlier this evening, National Highways said.
Alexander Butler4 January 2025 22:03
Dublin Airport’s snow and ice teams on stand-by
A spokesman for Dublin Airport said its snow and ice teams are on stand-by to treat surfaces as required and to respond to any issues that arise.
“As always, passengers seeking updates regarding specific flights should contact their airline directly,” it said on social media.
“Those travelling to Dublin Airport over the weekend should allow plenty of time for their journey.”
Tara Cobham4 January 2025 22:00
Snow chaos at Bristol airport
As of 9.30pm on Saturday evening, Bristol airport has seen 17 diversions. The first two were easyJet arrivals from Grenoble and Geneva, which flew to London Gatwick and Luton respectively.
Jet2 sent planes arriving from the Canary Islands to Cardiff and Birmingham. The West Midlands airport has received eight Bristol diversions so far.
The longest diversion was a later easyJet flight from Geneva, which went to Newcastle. At least 10 flights have been cancelled so far as a result of the snow.
KLM cancelled its late-evening arrival from Amsterdam, as well as the early Sunday morning flight. The return legs are also grounded.
Three round trips – to Belfast, Paris and Barcelona – were cancelled by easyJet on Saturday evening.
In a statement posted on its website, the airport said: “Snowfall at Bristol may result in some delays to flights. “Customers are asked to contact their airline for the latest flight information.”
Simon Calder4 January 2025 21:31
Forecasters warn of school closures in Ireland and travel chaos
Forecasters have said that depending on snow accumulations in Ireland on Monday, schools could remain closed there as the sub-zero temperatures stretch into next week.
Met Eireann has also warned that the cold snap will create difficult travelling conditions and poor visibility.
They have said it will lead to very difficult travelling conditions, with disruption to public transport, air, rail and bus services, difficult conditions underfoot and animal welfare issues.
Tara Cobham4 January 2025 21:00
