Leeds Bradford airport reopens
Leeds Bradford Airport has just confirmed that its runway had reopened and operations have resumed. It said some disruption was expected to continue throughout the day due to a backlog of departing flights, but the airport expected the situation to “improve”.
Key events
Mother Nature has handed the UK a striking disparity in temperatures on Sunday.
Temperatures in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, were -8 degrees Celsius below, while Exeter, Devon, experienced a comparatively toasty +14C.
The temperature differences between locations did not necessarily require such vast distances as Scotland and England’s south coast. Bristol enjoyed a mild +13, while Ross-on-Wye, only 30 miles away, was cold enough to keep your milk fresh outside at a chilly +2C.
There’s been a whopping 20.8C difference in maximum temperature across the UK so far today 👀
Do you prefer the cold or the mild air at this time of year? pic.twitter.com/FTwBIz3Spl
— Met Office (@metoffice) January 5, 2025
Simon Burnton
If you were worried about the Liverpool v Manchester United game being called off due to today’s heavy snow, you can rest assured that it will go ahead as planned.
You can follow live coverage of the game, including match build-up, in-game commentary, and post-match analysis on the Guardian’s Premier League blog…
A flight from Singapore to Manchester looks to have been diverted to London twice, reports the Manchester Evening News.
The flight was due to arrive at Manchester Airport at 8.35am but was diverted to London Gatwick.
It departed from Gatwick around 11.33am towards Manchester, but after circling around the Peak District, it was turned back to Gatwick, arriving at 1.51pm.
The King and Queen endured the winter chill to attend a church service in Sandringham amid heavy downpours.
Photograph: Paul Marriott/PA
King Charles III leaves following a Sunday church service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk.e Photograph: Paul Marriott/PA
Photograph: Paul Marriott/PA
Leeds Bradford airport reopens
Leeds Bradford Airport has just confirmed that its runway had reopened and operations have resumed. It said some disruption was expected to continue throughout the day due to a backlog of departing flights, but the airport expected the situation to “improve”.
Horse racing abandoned at Chepstow
Racing at Chepstow was abandoned after two races on Sunday, just hours after Plumpton’s Sussex National meeting was called off despite passing a morning inspection.
Clerk of the course Dai Jones told Sky Sports Racing: “We had an inquiry before the first race with all the jockeys, trainers, doctors and vets and all the horse group there were happy to carry on. Unfortunately, just after that we had a fair shower and with the thawing out and everything else, it’s just the amount of water that we’ve had in the last hour, the jockeys have come back and said that in a couple of places, they felt it was just a little bit too wet and unsafe.
“At the end of the day, the welfare of the jockeys and the welfare of the horses, that’s got to be paramount, irrespective of how much we want to race. When they come back and you see the jockeys, we’ve got to take it in hand and listen.”
60 million Americans living under warnings of severe weather
The weather in the UK is causing disruption on our highways and runways; it has seen sporting events called off and holidays cancelled, but what’s happening here is nothing compared to what is about to hit across the pond.
Sixty million Americans are under weather alerts across 30 states. The National Weather Service warns that severe thunderstorms and even tornadoes are also a possibility in some regions this week.
A major winter storm bringing snow and ice is already deteriorating road conditions in the central United States.
Forecasts predict the cold snap will move eastward this week, bringing blizzard warnings for parts of Kansas and Missouri. The storm will reach the Mid-Atlantic states on Sunday into Monday.
In the two states where blizzard warnings were in effect, travel “could be very difficult to impossible,” The National Weather Service said, adding “Do not travel unless necessary!”
On the east coast, parts of New York state saw three feet of snow from a lake effect event expected to last until late Sunday afternoon.
The Kansas City International Airport temporarily closed its runways on Saturday afternoon due to ice, delaying dozens of flights, including a charter jet transporting the NFL team Kansas City Chiefs.
The Met Office has issued five warnings for keeping safe in the snow.
Here’s an extract:
What to do if you need to drive somewhere?
Snowy, wintry weather can cause delays and make driving conditions dangerous, follow these few simple steps to prepare before journeys:
Plan your route
Check for delays and road closures
Leave more time to prepare and check your car before setting off
Check wipers, tyres and screenwash
Pack essentials in your car
Take a fully charged mobile phone with an in-car charger or battery pack
You can read the rest of the weather forecaster’s tips on their website.
Rain is now falling in central London, as a new yellow weather warning for rain has been issued for southern England on Sunday.
People during a rain shower on Tower Bridge, London Photograph: Yui Mok/PA
People during a rain shower on Tower Bridge, London Photograph: Yui Mok/PA
Groundsmen at Anfield work hard to clear the snow before Liverpool’s big game with struggling rivals Manchester United.
So far, 24 flights due to take off from Manchester Airport have been cancelled by airlines.
The airport was closed for three and a half hours this morning before workers could clear the runways of snow and ice.
The flights include: the 1.55pm easyJet flight to Hamburg; the 2.15pm easyJet flight to Belfast; the 3.50pm easyJet flight to the Isle of Man; the 5.55pm easyJet flight to Jersey and the 5.15pm KLM flight to Amsterdam.
New weather warnings issued across UK for Monday
The Met Office has extended their weather warnings into Monday while issuing new warnings from midnight tonight.
Parts of southeastern Scotland have received a yellow warning for snow until 12pm tomorrow, while the north, northeast and east of Scotland should also expect snow and ice, with their warning in place between 11 and 12am.
Warnings for rain will be in place for southern England (until 9am) and parts of Wales and central England (until 6am). Warnings are in place in regions across northern and central England and northern Wales until 12pm.
Northern Ireland has been warned to expect ice until 11am.
The Met Office said: “Snow will become more sporadic during Monday morning. Icy stretches are likely to develop quite widely, making for some difficult travelling conditions.”
While bringing danger and disruption for some, others have been able to take advantage of the snow to have fun.
In its latest news release, the Met Office notes the contrast in temperatures across the country. It said the the Isles of Scilly recorded a low of 13.2°C overnight, while the lowest temperature was recorded at Loch Glascarnoch where temperatures dropped to -11.1°C.
It said as the milder air moves north there could be a difference of 6-9°C within just 50 miles or so, with this boundary probably somewhere over the north Midlands.
Snow will increasingly turn to rain for much of the UK today, the Met Office has said, while snow continues to accumulate over Northern England, especially the higher ground. It said snow showers will move into parts of Scotland.
It said 17cm of snow had accumulated at Bingley in West Yorkshire by 11:00GMT on Sunday, with 10cm at Shap in Cumbria. With an Amber warning for snow still in force for Northern England until midnight tonight, accumulations are forecast to continue to build over the Pennines through Sunday.
Through Sunday and into Monday morning further snow showers and the risk of ice continue in much of Scotland, it said.