Hundreds of schools will remain closed as snow and ice brought by Storm Goretti continue to cause disruption across the country.
The Met Office has issued 10 weather warnings across the country – two amber and seven yellow – for snow, ice, wind and rain as chief forecaster Neil Armstrong warns Storm Goretti will be “multi-hazard event”.
Hundreds of schools in Aberdeenshire and the Highlands will remain closed for a fourth day, leaving thousands of children to either stay at home or play in the snow after term was meant to start on Monday. A yellow snow and ice warning remains in place across Scotland until midday. Freezing conditions have caused ice and around 2 to 5cm of fresh snow accumulations are expected in western Scotland and hills in northern England.
As Storm Goretti, named by the French meteorological service, impacts weather in the UK, an amber wind warning for gusts of 80 to 90mph could batter more exposed areas in Cornwall and will come into effect from 8pm on Thursday night, with large waves and debris causing a potential “danger to life”. An amber snow warning on Thursday night and into Friday morning could bring up to 30cm of snow in Wales and the Peak District.
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Travel has been affected all week, with a number of flights cancelled, and some train lines affected. But as much of the country is impacted by ice, authorities have asked pedestrians and motorists to be careful on slippery surfaces.
Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said the storm will bring “wet, windy and wintry weather” to parts of the UK.
He said Storm Goretti, named by Meteo France, would bring “some strong winds and some significant snow to central and perhaps southern parts”.
The meteorologist added: “As that rain pushes its way and it hits against that cold air that we currently have across us… and so on the northern edge, we are likely to see some fairly significant snow as we go through later tomorrow and into Friday.”
Aberdeenshire Council declared a major incident earlier this week as the region deals with ongoing heavy snow. The local authority says there is a “good chance” some rural communities will be cut off and there may be power cuts.
Separate yellow warnings for snow, ice, wind and rain cover vast parts of the UK, including Northern Ireland, Wales, south-west England, north-west England, the Midlands, east England and the north-east of England.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has extended amber cold health alerts for England as an early warning that adverse temperatures are likely to affect health and wellbeing, running until Sunday.
Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at UKHSA, urged people to check in on vulnerable friends, family and neighbours earlier this week. He warned: “The forecast temperatures can have a serious impact on the health of some people, leading to increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and chest infections, particularly for individuals over the age of 65 and those with pre-existing health conditions.”
National Highways issued its own amber warning for snow in the West and East Midlands, which lasts from 6pm on Thursday until 9am on Friday.
The agency said in a statement: “Routes particularly around Birmingham across to Leicester and Nottingham will see particularly difficult driving conditions and consideration of the weather forecast should be taken before commencing journeys, with considerable delays possible.”
Drivers were also warned that the A628 Woodhead Pass would be closed both ways between the A616 at Flouch and the A57 at Hollingworth from 8pm on Thursday due to the severe weather.
Network Rail urged passengers across Britain to check for updates before they travel on Thursday night and Friday morning.
Some railway lines will be closed in Wales from Thursday afternoon, and some routes in north-west England may also be shut as a precaution.
Network Rail regional director Jake Kelly said thousands of members of staff will do “everything they can to keep the railway running”, but “we are concerned that the scale of the storm means there may still be some disruption”.
Scottish ministers met police, local authorities, utilities companies and other bodies on Tuesday to discuss the response to the severe weather.
Scottish justice secretary Angela Constance, who chaired the meeting, said “difficult conditions” are expected to remain this week, and ministers will “continue to closely monitor the situation and to engage with local partners in severely affected areas”.
Posting on social media, John Swinney said: “Please be aware of amber warning of snow affecting much of the north of Scotland today and the yellow warning of snow and ice across most of Scotland.
“I am very grateful to all public bodies and volunteers for the support that is being provided. Please stay safe.”
The first minister had earlier paid tribute to the “truly exceptional” efforts of farmers, volunteers and members of the public in helping clear roads, dig out cars and keep people safe, which he said showed “heartening” community spirit.
