Severe weather warnings in place today after UK thrown into chaos by Arctic blast

The UK is set for its first snow day of 2025 as an Arctic blast sees snowfall, ice and freezing rain batter the country.

According the Met Office, various yellow and amber weather warnings will remain in place across Sunday for various parts of the country, with the north of England and the Midlands currently projected to be the worst affected areas.

For amber areas, around 3-7cm of snow is forecasted, rising to 40cm for higher ground.

Travel delays and disruption are also expected to be in place across the UK today, before the snow begins to ease up towards the end of the day.

Numerous airports are already reporting cancellations and delays to flights as they work to clear snow from runways, with passengers at Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool John Lennon Airport all experiencing disruption.

Providing an update to passengers via X, Manchester Airport confirmed that runways were closed due to heavy snowfall around 7am, with teams working to clear the airfield 'as quickly as possible'.

Bristol Airport reopened around 11pm after an earlier closure but warned of delays on Sunday morning due to aircraft being out of position.

Leeds Bradford has also confirmed temporary closure to their runways, with morning departures being rescheduled to later in the day.

ℹ️ Information for passengers due to travel from @manairport pic.twitter.com/Qfb3hzKbcg

— Manchester Airport (@manairport) January 5, 2025

Affected airports have urged passengers to check with their airline.

Meanwhile, National Highways has warned that upto 25cm of snow could hit roads in various parts of northern England, with routes connecting Manchester and South Yorkshire through the Peak District the worst affected.

Milder temperatures are forecasted to move across the country later in the day, however this could bring further issues as snow begins to melt.

The BBC has issued yellow weather warnings for for South Wales and the South and South West of England as forecasted rainfall could lead to localised flooding in certain areas.

The National Grid has also reported a number of power cuts across the country, adding that they were working to restore power across parts of the Midlands, south-west England and South Wales on Saturday, including in Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff.

Health secretary Wes Streeting has urged Brits to take precaution when going outside this weekend, telling BBC Breakfast earlier in the week: "We are heading into a cold snap this weekend and I know there are lots of concerns, not just amongst charity leaders, but also among NHS and social care leaders as well, about the particular risks and vulnerabilities this weekend as temperatures drop, both in terms of risk of accident and injury, but also risk from the cold itself.

"This is a weekend to wrap up and keep warm, to take sensible precautions about going out and about."