'Worst snowfall in a decade': Thousands without power, motorway closed and flights cancelled as Storm Goretti hits
Tens of thousands of homes have been left with no power after Storm Goretti brought 99mph winds to the UK
Tens of thousands of homes have been left with no power, motorways have been closed and flights cancelled with officials saying the UK was facing ‘the worst snowfall in a decade’.
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Storm Goretti has been battering the UK, with people in Cornwall placed under a red weather alert and warned not to travel.
A section of the M1 has been closed due to a lorry crash in snow, at least 69 flights have been cancelled from Heathrow Airport alone, and Avanti train passengers have been warned against using services on Midlands routes until 1pm.
A record gust of 99mph was recorded on the Isles of Scilly on Thursday night, as engineers battled the conditions to restore power to homes.
More than 250 schools have also been closed including more than 150 in Aberdeenshire, dozens in the Highlands and Aberdeen, and a number in Moray.
Officials in the West Midlands have warned of the "worst snowfall in a decade" as parts of England and Wales prepare to be hit with 5-10cm of snow on Friday, and up to 15-25cm in some areas.
In a statement on Wednesday, Stoke-on-Trent City Council reassured residents it had not run out of grit after "misinformation" began to circulate.
It said: "We are now facing the worst snowfall we have faced in 10 years. The Met Office has predicted that we could have 3.5 inches of snow and temperatures as low as minus 4C on Thursday into Friday morning.
"As a result, we are carefully managing our resources and stock of salt."
The statement added: "Unfortunately, we have been made aware of some misinformation circulating regarding the council's salt supplies and gritting operations. It simply isn't true that we have run out of grit."
Read more: Rare 'red' weather alert for 100mph winds as Storm Goretti 'weather bomb' set to hit UK
Winds of 99mph were recorded at St Mary’s Airport on the Isles of Scilly on Thursday, which is a new record for the site, the forecaster said.
In Devon, trains on the Exeter-Okehampton and Exeter-Barnstaple routes were suspended from the same time because of forecast high-wind speeds.
Brits should expect continued delays and disruption across most rail services throughout Friday, National Rail has warned.
Storm Goretti, named by French weather forecaster Meteo France, has been described as a "multi-hazard event" by the Met Office, with as much of 30cm of snow possible for parts of the UK and wind gusts of up to 100mph.
While the red alert has come to an end, weather warnings have been issued for snow, wind, rain and ice across the country, ahead of likely “disruption and dangerous travelling conditions”.
Met Office chief forecaster Neil Armstrong said: “Storm Goretti will be a multi-hazard event, with the most significant impacts from snow in parts of Wales and the Midlands and the very strong winds in the far South West, though heavy rain in some parts of Wales and East Anglia also has the potential to bring disruption to many.”
A yellow warning for wind has been issued for the rest of the south coast and Wales, where gusts of up to 70mph are forecast, while a yellow warning for snow covers swathes of England from Bath to Northumberland.
Meanwhile, an amber warning for snow runs until 9am on Friday covering parts of Wales, the Midlands and Yorkshire.
About 10 to 15cm of snow is likely across the warning area, with up to 30cm on higher ground in Wales and the Peak District.
Dozens of schools across the Midlands and Wales have announced they will be closed on Friday where the amber weather warning has been issued.
A yellow warning for snow and ice is also in force across much of Scotland, where more than 250 schools are due to remain closed on Friday, including more than 150 in Aberdeenshire, dozens in the Highlands and Aberdeen, and a number in Moray.
The red warning, which was in place until 11pm on Thursday, warned of damage to buildings and homes, very large waves, flying debris resulting in danger to life, power cuts and public transport cancellations.
The Met Office’s website says amber weather warnings are issued when there is an increased likelihood of impacts from severe weather, including the possibility of travel delays, road and rail closures, power cuts and the potential risk to life and property.
Yellow warnings are issued for a range of weather situations, including when it is likely that the weather will cause some low level impacts, including some disruption to travel in a few places, or when the weather could bring much more severe impacts to the majority of people but the certainty of those impacts occurring is much lower, according to the Met Office.