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Millions of commuters in the UK are facing more snow, ice and rain with ongoing weather warnings this morning.
The Met Office has warned that travel disruption is expected due to adverse conditions, including flooding from heavy rainfall and melting snow.
Over 60 flood warnings and 260 flood alerts have been issued across the UK. Several major airports were forced to temporarily close their runways due to snowfall, leading to flight cancellations and delays over the weekend.
Stranded vehicles and collisions left key roads in northern England closed while rail services were cancelled across the region.
Snow closed the A628 Woodhead Pass which connects Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire through the Peak District overnight in both directions between the A616 at Flouch and the A57 at Hollingworth.
The A66 in County Durham and Cumbria was closed between the M6 and A1(M) because of the conditions, while the A1 was closed southbound between the A639 North Elmsall.
It comes as eight weather warnings were put in place for Sunday and Monday, including snow and ice warnings across Scotland and Northern Ireland and rain warnings across England and Wales.
Weather warnings in place this morning
Almost all areas of the UK are facing a weather warning on Monday morning, as many face a harsh commute on the first Monday after the new year.
There are currently seven yellow weather warnings in effect for snow, ice and rain.
– Yellow weather warning for rain for the south of England until 9am.
– Yellow warning for rain for most of Wales, Yorkshire, northwest England and the Midlands until 8am.
– Yellow warning for snow and ice for the north of England, the majority of Wales, West Midlands, Yorkshire and northern England.
– Yellow warning for snow in south west Scotland until midday.
– Yellow warning for snow in central and western Scotland until midday.
– Yellow warning for snow and ice in northern and eastern Scotland until 11am.
– Yellow warning for ice for the majority of Northern Ireland until 11am.
Athena Stavrou6 January 2025 07:17
Manchester airport temporarily closes due to snow
Manchester airport’s runways are temporarily closed following heavy snowfall.
In an update on Monday morning, the airport said its teams were “working hard” to clear the runways as soon as possible as it urged travellers to check with their airlines before heading to the airport and to allow “extra time today”.
“The safety of our passengers is our top priority, and we appreciate your patience during this time,” it said.
Athena Stavrou6 January 2025 06:53
Commuters face challenging Monday morning
Monday morning is bringing more challenges to UK commuters as they face continued travel disruptions due to severe weather conditions.
More snow, ice, and rain have led to hazardous road conditions, with flood warnings and alerts in place across much of the country.
The Met Office has issued several weather warnings, including yellow and amber alerts, which could affect travel throughout the day. Over 60 flood warnings and more than 260 flood alerts have been issued.
Major airports closed their runways for several hours due to heavy snow, while there were stranded vehicles and collisions which blocked key roads across northern England.
A yellow rain warning for southern England from Cornwall across to Kent will last until 9am on Monday, while a separate rain warning covering much of Wales, the Midlands and parts of Greater Manchester and Yorkshire is in force until 8am.
A yellow warning for snow and ice covering most of northern England and Wales is in place until midday on Monday, while a yellow ice warning covering large parts of Northern Ireland expires at 11am.
The north and west of Scotland are covered by a yellow warning for snow and ice until 11am on Monday, with another for snow and ice in central and eastern parts of the country in place until midday.
A further yellow snow warning covering part of the Scottish Lowlands including Edinburgh is in place until midday.
An amber weather warning for snow – which covered parts of Lancashire, Cumbria and the Lake District – expired at 6am on Monday.
Maroosha Muzaffar6 January 2025 06:34
Snowfall on A3 in Surrey as weather causes flight delays and motorway chaos
Joe Middleton6 January 2025 06:00
Ryanair and Jet2 issue warnings amid travel disruption as extreme weather hits UK
Both Ryanair and Jet2 have issued warnings amid widespread travel disruption caused by the extreme weather hitting the UK.
Ryanair writes on its website: “Potential disruptions to/from the UK (Saturday 4 January – Sunday 5 January) due to snow and ice.
“Affected passengers will be notified and any passengers travelling to/from the UK on Saturday 4 January – Sunday 5 January should check their Ryanair app for the latest updates on their flight.”
Meanwhile, Jet2 writes: “The overnight snowfall across the UK has resulted in temporary closures of many UK airports.
“Our operations teams are working closely with our airport partners to get you on your way as soon as possible.
“However our flights are experiencing severe delays in some parts of the UK.”
Joe Middleton6 January 2025 05:00
My elderly mother can’t afford heating – she needs the winter fuel allowance
In its bid to plug the £22bn ‘black hole’ in public finances, the Labour government has let down vulnerable, elderly people like my mother, writes Becky Bowden. I urge them to rethink their stance on the winter fuel allowance
Joe Middleton6 January 2025 04:00
King and Queen brave wintry weather to attend church in Sandringham
The King and Queen braved wintry weather to head to church in Sandringham amid heavy downpours.
The royal couple held umbrellas as they arrived at the Sunday church service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Norfolk, with weather warnings in place for much of the UK.
Wearing a beige wool overcoat, Charles was greeted by Revd Canon Dr Paul Williams, rector for the Sandringham group of parishes, as he arrived for the service.
Joe Middleton6 January 2025 03:00
Mea Culpa: The Japanese knotweed of weather reporting
We made a mess of saying ‘It’s cold’ in The Independent last week, according to John Rentoul
Joe Middleton6 January 2025 02:00
Skier takes to Northampton hill as snow hits parts of the UK
Joe Middleton6 January 2025 01:00
Met Office updates amber weather warning for snow
The Met Office has updated an amber weather warning for snow in northern England to run into Monday morning.
The warning – which covers parts of Lancashire, Cumbria and the Lake District – warns that travel delays, stranded vehicles and power cuts are all likely and rural communities could be cut off.
It will stay in place until 6am on Monday, with up to an additional 15cm of snow falling during the period over higher ground, the forecaster said.
An earlier amber warning covering a larger area of northern England had been due to expire at midnight.
Joe Middleton5 January 2025 23:55
