Passengers are facing cancellations and delays after several major airports in England had to shut their runways as snow and freezing rain swept parts of the UK.
An amber weather warning is still in place from the Midlands up to Carlisle. Less severe yellow weather warnings are also in force for parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland, Walesand elsewhere in England.
Until mid-morning on Sunday, no planes could leave Manchester Airport with all incoming flights being diverted elsewhere. Runways at five other airports were also temporarily closed.
Wintry conditions led to road closures and caused rail disruption and cancellations, while parts of southern England have been warned of flooding.
Due to a combination of heavy rain and snowmelt, flooding is “expected” in several parts of south England, prompting the issuance of several flood warnings.
Additionally, over 200 flood alerts have been issued in various parts of England and Wales, indicating that flooding is “possible”.
Some of the UK’s swollen rivers are almost overflowing their banks, according to the Environment Agency, which said it is keeping an eye on them.
The following weather warnings are in effect:
Most of central and northern England, including the Midlands and the north-west cities of Manchester and Liverpool, are under an amber warning for snow until midnight on Sunday.
Until the end of the weekend, there will be less severe yellow warnings for snow in most of northern England, including Leeds, Sheffield, and the Lake District, as well as parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales.
Up until Monday morning, Wales, southern and northern England, and the Midlands are under a yellow rain warning.
Amber warnings, which are more severe than yellow warnings, suggest a greater disruption to travel and a potential risk to life.
On Sunday and Monday, new yellow weather warnings will also be in effect in certain locations.
According to the Met Office, “widespread frost and the threat of ice” will persist when temperatures drop below normal once more starting Monday.
According to the agency, snowfall of up to 40 cm (16 in) on ground over 300 meters might shut off some rural villages before conditions improve later on Sunday.
Much of England and northern Wales experienced significant snowfall on Saturday night, while Loch Glascarnoch, Scotland, recorded the lowest temperature at -11C.
After being forced to close its runways, Manchester Airport issued a warning that “some departures and arrivals may still be subject to delays” and advised travelers to check with their airline for flight updates.
As of 17:15 GMT, the tracking website FlightAware reports that around 30 flights into and out of the airport have been canceled and over 250 have been delayed.
London Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham, Dublin, Glasgow, and Paris had to handle the landing of over a dozen flights headed for Manchester.
The runways at the airports in Leeds, Newcastle, Birmingham, Bristol, and Liverpool were briefly closed due to the severe snowfall that occurred overnight. Since then, all have reopened.
The A628 Woodhead Pass, which runs through the Peak District and connects South Yorkshire and Greater Manchester, was closed in both directions by snow overnight between the A57 at Hollingworth and the A616 at Flouch.
Between the M6 and the A1M, the A66 is likewise closed in Cumbria and County Durham.
National Highways’ Stuart Irons told BBC Breakfast on Sunday that they had accumulated over 240,000 tonnes of salt and that 500 gritting trucks would be deployed around the United Kingdom.
“It is snowing pretty heavily in the north,” he remarked. From the Midlands down, it is beginning to ease, and the remainder of the network is looking pretty good.
“But obviously as it does start to ease and it does thaw out there is a risk of flooding and there could be some freezing conditions later so we are advising motorists to be aware of areas with excess water.”
Two safety meetings were held in Merseyside on Sunday morning to see whether the Premier League match between Manchester United and Liverpool will be impacted by the snow and traffic conditions.
The match was approved, however after all services were canceled on Sunday morning due to problems at its depot, Avanti West Coast announced that there would be fewer trains traveling to or from Liverpool Lime Street station.
According to National Rail, bad weather is having an impact on Northern, TransPennine Express, and LNER services.
In the meantime, southern England’s train networks were disrupted by melting snow; delays between London St Pancras International and St Albans were predicted to last until 21:00 GMT.
According to the Great Western Railway, trains are operating at slower speeds because of the heavy rain that has inundated the route between Frome and Taunton.
More snow is predicted for north Wales, southern and eastern Scotland, and north England as far south as the Peak District over the course of the night.
Higher elevations in Wales, the Midlands, and northern England are predicted to receive the most snowfall, with up to 40 cm of snowfall likely over the Pennines, the Peak District, and the mountains of north Wales.
There will probably be some disruptive snow at lower elevations, but in certain locations it may combine with rain and fall on cold surfaces, increasing the risk of ice.
Parts of Scotland are under localized snow and ice warnings, and the temperature is expected to stay chilly.
All of England is still under amber cold weather health alerts issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
