London: Storm Goretti has swept across the UK, leaving tens of thousands without electricity, disrupting travel networks, and forcing widespread school closures as severe winter weather gripped large parts of the country.
The powerful storm brought wind gusts of up to 99 miles per hour, prompting the Met Office to issue a rare red weather warning for parts of south-west England due to dangerous conditions. Transport services were hit hard, while emergency crews worked through the night to deal with fallen trees, damaged power lines, and snowbound roads.
In the West Midlands, authorities warned of the heaviest snowfall seen in a decade. Several areas recorded between 5 and 10 centimetres of snow by Friday morning, with higher ground receiving as much as 15 to 25 centimetres. Conditions were described as particularly challenging as temperatures dropped well below freezing.
Power outages remained a major concern. More than 43,000 homes and businesses in the south-west were still without electricity early Friday, while around 14,000 properties in the West Midlands and hundreds more in Wales and the East Midlands also faced outages. Engineers were deployed across affected regions, with efforts underway to restore supplies as quickly as possible.
⚠️⚠️YELLOW and AMBER warnings UPDATED ⚠️⚠️
Yellow warning for snow in northern & central England and Wales has been extended north into to parts of Cheshire
Amber snow warning now includes Wrexham, Stafford and parts of Flintshire
Latest info 👉 https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfs pic.twitter.com/WoufFLtCfz
— Met Office (@metoffice) January 8, 2026
Air travel was disrupted as snow and strong winds forced temporary runway closures. Birmingham Airport reopened on Friday with reduced services, advising passengers to check flight schedules before travelling. East Midlands Airport also confirmed its runway had reopened after overnight closures caused by heavy snowfall. Cross-Channel travel was affected, with ferry services between Dover and France facing widespread disruption due to rough seas and high winds.
Schools across parts of England and Wales were closed, particularly in the Midlands and rural areas where snow and ice made travel unsafe. In Scotland, wintry conditions continued for a fifth consecutive day, forcing more than 250 schools to remain shut. Many pupils, especially in Aberdeenshire, the Highlands, and Moray, have missed most of the first week of the new term, although remote learning has been made available in some areas.
Weather warnings remain in place across much of the country, including amber and yellow alerts for snow, ice, wind, and rain. Forecasters said conditions were expected to gradually ease later on Friday as the storm system moves east, though icy conditions could persist in some areas into the weekend.
Authorities have urged the public to remain cautious, avoid unnecessary travel, and check local updates as recovery efforts continue.
