Winter Wonderland Woes: Snow Chaos Hits England and Wales

Significant snowfall overnight in Wales and northern England has led to travel interruptions as the new year commences with frigid conditions.

On Sunday, the Met Office issued an amber weather alert for snow across northern England, accompanied by seven yellow alerts extending into Monday, which include three for snow and ice in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, and the Midlands, one for snow in northern England, and two for rain in southern England.

Even though the snow transitioned into rain in many areas, snow drifts built up in northern England, particularly on elevated terrain. The Met Office reported that Bingley, West Yorkshire recorded 17cm of snow by 11am on Sunday, while Shap in Cumbria and Capel Curig, Conwy both experienced 10cm.

The amber alert for snow, which encompassed most of northern England including Leeds, Sheffield, and the Lake District, was valid until midnight on Sunday. The Met Office indicated that some rural areas might be isolated, with up to 40cm of snow accumulating at altitudes above 300 meters, prior to conditions improving later.

Leeds Bradford, Manchester, and Liverpool John Lennon airports all closed their runways on Sunday morning due to the intense snowfall. Manchester resumed operations mid-morning after heavy snow around 7am, while Liverpool reopened at 10:15am. Leeds Bradford airport announced shortly after 2:15pm that its runway had reopened, but cautioned that delays would persist throughout the day following a backlog.

Birmingham airport halted operations for several hours overnight “for snow clearance and safety considerations,” but resumed on schedule in the morning. Bristol airport reopened around 11pm after an earlier shutdown, but warned of potential delays on Sunday morning.

Multiple roads were reported closed due to snow and flooding across England, according to National Highways, while National Rail advised that disruptions would persist into Monday, with line closures and alerts against travel on some northern routes.

The Environment Agency issued 15 flood alerts throughout southern England on Sunday, especially in the west.

The National Grid reported several power disruptions across the nation on Sunday.

Liverpool football club and Manchester United considered delaying their match at 4:30pm in Liverpool due to the snowfall, but confirmed at midday on Sunday that it would proceed as planned.

UK Health Security Agency cold weather health warnings for all of England remain effective in anticipation of a week of low temperatures. Amber alerts were issued on Thursday and are expected to continue until Wednesday, indicating a probable increase in fatalities, according to the agency.

Councils across London and southern England have implemented emergency measures for rough sleepers, including additional accommodation.

The Met Office predicted that sleet and snow would persist moving north and eastward on Sunday, with the heaviest precipitation affecting northern England and southern Scotland before transitioning into snow showers in northern Scotland arriving on Monday.

After a period of freezing rain, the southern regions became milder on Sunday. Frost and icy patches are expected to endure through the early part of the week, though Monday and Tuesday will likely be drier with sunny intervals and scattered wintry showers, despite temperatures remaining below average.

The Met Office’s deputy chief forecaster Mike Silverstone stated: “There is also the possibility of some snowfall in southern and perhaps central regions of England and Wales around midweek, as a system brushes through the south, encountering the cold air. However, this remains uncertain.”