Heavy snowfall closes runways at airports including Manchester and Liverpool

Several motorists were left stranded due to the heavy snow overnight.

Cumbria Police said emergency services rescued drivers from six vehicles on Wrynose Pass, in the Lake District.

They were safely escorted down the single track mountain road.

Several roads in the area were closed due to icy conditions including Hardknott Pass, Cold Fell and Birker Fell, according to Cumberland Council.

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 A1M because of the conditions, while two of four lanes on the M1 northbound between J30 Worksop and J31 Sheffield in South Yorkshire were shut after a collision involving a HGV.

One lane of the northbound A3 in Hampshire was closed this morning due to flooding following overnight snow, National Highways said.

National Highways has a severe weather alert in place for snow for England until midnight tonight.

The runways at Manchester and Liverpool John Lennon airports have reopened.

They were closed this morning due to heavy snow fall.

Manchester Airport said there would still be some delays as staff work to de-ice aircraft and clear walkways.

Liverpool John Lennon Airport also said passengers should expect some delays.

Runways at Leeds Bradford Airport remain closed.

A new yellow weather warning for rain has been issued for southern England on Sunday.

The Met Office said disruption to bus and train services was likely while spray and flooding on roads would delay car journeys.

The warning is in place from Cornwall across to Kent and will last until 9am on Monday.

The short answer – no. So for any Londoners looking at winter wonderland pics from up north this morning and hoping for something similar, we’re afraid you’ll be disappointed.

Although there was some snow fall last night, it soon turned to rain as temperatures rose. And it’s only going to get warmer through the day, peaking at a rather balmy 12°C around 2pm.

Here’s the Met Office forecast for London:

Today:
Cloudy with outbreaks of rain, occasionally heavy, especially first thing. The rain becoming lighter and patchy during the afternoon. Temperatures much milder than of late. Windy with coastal gales. Maximum temperature 12°C.

Tonight:
Patchy rain becoming widespread with heavy spells in the early hours. Winds continuing to strengthen with the risk of gales inland towards the end of the night. Minimum temperature 3°C.

Monday:
Wind and rain clearing during the morning, then turning cold, with sunny spells and the odd rain shower. Maximum temperature 5°C.

Liverpool says its match with Manchester United at Anfield is currently set to go ahead, despite the weather.

After heavy snowfall in across northern England there were fears the Premiership match would be postponed.

Liverpool said in a statement: ‘A safety meeting was held this morning to assess the weather and travel conditions for today’s fixture against Manchester United at Anfield.

‘At this stage the match is planned to go ahead as normal and every effort is being made to get the game on.

‘A further safety meeting will take place again at midday to assess the latest conditions.

‘We will update supporters just as soon as we can. Please take extra care out there, Reds.’

Leeds Bradford Airport has closed its runway this morning due to heavy snowfall.

In a statement posted on its website, the airport said its team were ‘working hard to clear snow and minimise the impact on flight schedules’.

Passengers have also been advised to walk to the terminal as the long stay and car rental shuttle bus service is postponed until at least 10am.

Some morning departures have ben rescheduled to Sunday afternoon, the airport said.

It comes after Manchester and Liverpool airports also closed their runways this morning.

Not surprisingly, train services across the UK have been affected.

National Rail have published the following warnings and asks passengers to check before travelling:

The Met Office said Bingley in West Yorkshire saw 12cm of snow overnight.

Shap in Cumbria and Capel Curig in Gwynedd, Wales both saw 10cm and Leeming in North Yorkshire saw 7cm.

Multiple weather warnings covering much of the UK remain in effect today, including two amber warnings for snow and ice.

Manchester, Liverpool, Carlisle and Newcastle are among the places covered by amber on the map.

Manchester and Liverpool John Lennon Airport have both closed their runways this morning due to heavy snow.

Manchester said its teams are working to clear them ‘as quickly as possible’.

It comes hours after Birmingham Airport suspended operations for several hours overnight ‘for snow clearing and safety reasons’, but said it was on schedule for ‘business as usual’ to start the morning.

Bristol Airport reopened around 11pm after an earlier closure but warned of delays on Sunday morning due to aircraft being out of position. All the affected airports, and Belfast International Airport, urged passengers to check with their airline.

A number of motorists were left stranded by the snow overnight.

Emergency services rescued six vehicles on Wrynose Pass, in the Lake District, said Cumbria Police.

They were safely escorted down the single tack mountain road.

Several roads in the area were closed due to icy conditions including Hardknott Pass, Cold Fell and Birker Fell, according to Cumberland Council.’

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 A1M because of the conditions, while two of four lanes on the M1 northbound between J30 Worksop and J31 Sheffield in South Yorkshire were shut after a collision involving a HGV.

Liverpool’s blockbuster Premier League game against Manchester United is at risk due to the severe weather conditions forecast for Merseyside on Sunday.

The runaway leaders will be hoping to extend their advantage at the top to eight points after Arsenal dropped two points at Brighton on Saturday and rub further salt into the wounds of their demoralised local rivals.

After flooding hit the area earlier this week, the north west is primed for more adverse weather conditions over the course of the next 24 hours.

The first service on each MerseyRail line will run without passengers on Sunday.

This is to allow the network to check tracks for ice before regular services resume.

There’s be no sneaking out without a trace tonight after snow settled in parts of the UK.

From Newport in Wales to Basingstoke in Hampshire and Greenwich in London, the snow is deep enough to display tyre tracks and footprints of anyone who’s passed through.

A landslip at Gobowen, Shropshire, has blocked railway lines, according to National Rail.

This is causing cancellations and 10-minute delays to trains running between Shrewsbury and Chester.

Disruption is expected to continue until 9pm on the following Transport for Wales services between:

• Cardiff Central and Llandudno Junction / Holyhead
• Shrewsbury and Wrexham General / Chester / Llandudno

This rare type of rain freezes almost instantly on impact, and it can be dangerous – but why?

First it falls from a cloud as snow. But the temperature doesn’t stay the same between there and the ground.

If it passes through warmer air on the way, it can melt and become a rain droplet.

But if this warm patch is followed by more cold air just before the droplet reaches the surface, it can become ‘supercooled’.

Even if its temperature is below zero, it’s still falling as a liquid – until it hits the ground and freezes on impact.

This coats the ground in a layer of clear ice – or black ice.

Because you can’t see it, this can prove dangerous – even fatal – for drivers, causing them to skid and crash on roads.

People have been warned to stay away from water in the icy and snowy conditions.

The Port of London Authority warned people on X this morning to ‘exercise caution near the Thames’.

The Canal & River Trust has advice on staying safe near water during the winter – that includes planning your route, taking a friend and slowing down.

It also advises that you keep to well-lit areas and take a phone.

Heavy snow is expected tonight across a wide area of the UK while rain pushes north eastwards, turning to snow in the colder air.

The Pennies could see up to 40cm of snow with the risk of rural communities becoming cut off.

In lower levels of Wales and the Midlands there will be between 3 and 7cm of snow.

But there could be between 10 and 20cm of snow tomorrow morning across the higher ground of Wales, the Midlands and the south Pennines.

Accumulations of 5cm of snow into tomorrow morning for Northern Ireland in the south-east are expected as snow pushes further north.

There could be 15-30cm of snow across Wales and the Peak District.