Plunging temperatures, ice and snow forecast combined to create treacherous conditions on the roads and railways
Thanks for reading today and for all your comments. Good luck on your journey home. Here is a summary of the day’s events:
Environment Agency staff have been helping vulnerable people in snow-logged areas get to medical appointments by using their 4x4s.
On the agency’s blog, it says:
We’ve been volunteering our staff and 4x4 vehicles to help people who might otherwise be stranded get the medical help they need, despite the snow. Directed by the NHS, our volunteers have been helping ferry people to medical centres so they don’t have to miss appointments, and have been helping doctors and health visitors get to patients in rural locations.
Our 4x4s are usually used for site visits, sampling, or the work of our fisheries teams – work that’s on hold while the snow poses a risk, meaning we can make the best use of our vehicles in these conditions by helping the community, whether by ferrying patients or delivering food or road salt to rural locations.
Airports continue to advise passengers to check for disruption to their flight before travelling.
UPDATE | Disruption continues following yesterday's adverse weather. Please do not travel to the airport if your flight has been cancelled, and contact your airline directly. https://t.co/hs9FmTfDnmpic.twitter.com/BEA4Qw6lFW
In the north-east three schools have been closed in Northumberland and another three in County Durham.
At least 586 schools have been closed in the south-east owing to the weather.
Here is a breakdown within the region:
Luton airport says it is open for business and its runway is in use but the weather is still affecting some flights.
Airport open and runway open and operating, however, some flights are affected by delays and/or cancellations. We will update if this message changes.
Commuters in London worrying about getting home may find that it is not the bad weather hampering their journey.
**UPDATE** Due to a lineside fire at London Waterloo some lines are blocked. Train services running across the whole South Western Railway network may be cancelled, delayed or revised. Disruption is expected until the end of the day. https://t.co/gWxn1cw1lb
The TUC called on employers not to force staff to make hazardous journeys into work, saying firms in areas of the country affected by the snowy conditions should have put out advice to their staff on what they should do when snow, ice and a lack of public transport prevents them getting to work.
More 1,300 schools have been forced to close in the West Midlands, writes Will Tilbrook. They include:
Some parents have been grumbling about schools closing in areas where there has been little or no snow.
Child B school closed. I have had to come home. There is no snow here just sleet. Nanny state!
Parents will be! The decision by schools to close because of “snow” when businesses and other public services are operating OK (no choice, really) is not acceptable. Parents must be urged to complain to governing bodies. (I’m a former school governor, btw!) https://t.co/oGfIE7ikQF
What a joke. There is no snow outside but because there is snow forecast my daughter's school has closed without even bothering to open. #GreatSchool
So. Olivers school was declared closed today, at 7pm last night when the bus company they use refused to operate...
Not saying the country's going soft or owt but...
Dozens of flights have been cancelled at Heathrow, the UK’s busiest airport, PA reports.
Heathrow said it was operating three-quarters of its full schedule as airlines dealt with the knock-on effects of Sunday’s heavy snowfall, which turned to ice overnight as temperatures plummeted.
Flight still not yet cancelled. Keeping fingers crossed. Bags still missing @British_Airways#heathrownightmare morning after pic.twitter.com/Mr34FdYzjO
The NHS has urged the public to check in on older neighbours amid the coldest snap for seven years.
Older people may be more isolated than normal due to the cold weather. Check in on an older neighbor to make sure they're ok: https://t.co/4RpvABDpmR#BlackIceMondaypic.twitter.com/fgZyVz6rkM
A further 421 schools in the east Midlands were shut, Will Tilbrook reports.
Almost 300 schools in the South West region of England have been force closed, writes Will Tilbrook.
They include 261 in Gloucestershire and 38 in Wiltshire, but none in Bristol,Somerset, Devon and Cornwall.
Western Power distribution has confirmed that around 7,000 homes in the West Midlands are still without power.
We've restored around 100,000 customers' electricity supplies in the last 24 hours as a result of #StormCaroline. We currently have around 7,000 customers off supply, mostly in the West Midlands. Full update here: https://t.co/f9CpNTWHeF Photo thanks to @DinahLiversidgepic.twitter.com/xsPrxVLGw6
If you have to drive in the snow and ice, here’s a guide to staying safe:
Stay safe and plan ahead
The daytime temperature yesterday was the coldest in seven years, the BBC says.
Yesterday was the coldest day we've had since December 2010. Braemar saw a max day temp of -6.2C. Brrrrrr! Jo pic.twitter.com/hwXDpj7Ce5
This, posted overnight by an Essex police officer, is an example of how not to drive in these conditions:
My officers just came across this while on patrol in Harlow, driver reported for Careless driving! pic.twitter.com/AhC6sVu5JT
Eurostar has warned passengers of delays in both directions caused by the snow.
In a statement posted on its website, it said:
Our apologies to passengers travelling today from the continent to London St Pancras and vice versa.
Due to the predicted adverse weather conditions in the UK and the rest of Europe, speed restrictions are put in place. This means that your journey could be affected and that the arrival time of your train might be delayed.
You have been sharing your stories about snow and ice with us here.
Rob in Munich is looking on the bright side: “The weather has left my wife stranded with me in Germany. It’s been quite romantic.”
A rare good news story. I am an academic in London but I have been in Munich, Germany, for this term on sabbatical doing research for a book. I have been here since the middle of October and not got to see much of my wife as a result. She has been at home in London.
She came here on Friday night for the weekend and was meant to go back today but her flight was cancelled early this morning. We are lucky because I have a flat here for the next couple of weeks so it did not cause any accommodation problems and it’s just meant we get to spend more time together.
Today, we are both working but in the evening we will go out to the Christmas markets. The earliest she was allowed to re-book her flight for was 6pm on tomorrow. The airline did not give much other information, just the usual apologies. It’s been nice to spend time together and quite romantic . The snow here has been lovely and not caused much chaos as elsewhere. It just looks really Christmassy.
We’ve been living in our motorhome with our dog Poppy for the last 17 months, for a five-year tour of Europe. We are back in the UK to visit people but after a family Christmas meal, we have found ourselves snowed in on the car park we staying on overnight.
We’ve cancelled a visit to our sister in Orpington and a doctor’s appointment because we didn’t want to risk travelling. We’ve managed to keep warm so far, but are concerned about running out of the gas we use for heating.
Here’s a map showing the latest Met Office warnings for snow and ice.
Dozens of rail services in England have been hit by snow, ice and a landslip. The latest problems include:
More than 500 schools have been forced to close in the east of England, writes Will Tilbrook.
A pet emu called Farage has been recaptured in Tollesbury, near Maldon, after running loose in the snow.
Only in tollesbury would you see an emu escaping in the snow pic.twitter.com/hr7aSO2kVN
Jasmine Emson and Harriet Balcombe managed to take photographs capturing the drama as it unfolded.
“It was just madness,” said Miss Emson.
Tollesbury’s resident emu (yes, emu) got out this morning and has now been safely herded home. #Essex#snowpic.twitter.com/x1CsRiIDrY
Drone footage over Ipswich from Sky Cam East looks likes a scene from The Snowman.
#Ipswich in the #snow
Almost looks Christmassy.#UAV#drone@BBCSuffolk@BBCLookEast@itvanglia@SkyNews@EADT24pic.twitter.com/yZ4QYlDTJI
A Met Office yellow severe weather warning for snow and ice has been extended to much of the east coast of England, as well as Scotland and the south-east, until at least 4pm today. An ice warning for central England and Wales remains in place.
An assessment from the chief forecaster said:
With cold conditions and some snow lying over parts of England, as well as further rain pushing in from the south-east during the second half of the night, icy stretches have formed on untreated surfaces. At the same time some snow will fall over parts of south-east England this morning and early afternoon as well as over parts of East Anglia in the afternoon. However, most accumulations here should be above about 100m. This is only a low impact warning with impacts much less widespread and less significant than across parts of England and Wales on Sunday.
Yellow weather warnings for #snow& #ice have been issued: https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfs Stay #weatheraware@metofficeukpic.twitter.com/wdeaApXfXZ
The coldest temperature recorded in the UK in the last 24 hours was -12.4C in Dalwhinnie in central Scotland.
Chillingham Barns in Northumberland wasn’t far behind at -12.2C.
It was another very cold night across much of the UK, with minus 12.2 °C recorded at Chillingham Barns in #Northumberland❄️ pic.twitter.com/NkqS6HvgNH
A number of flights at Heathrow have been cancelled “due to crew and aircraft being out of position following yesterday’s weather”.
UPDATE | Disruption continues following yesterday’s weather. If your flight is cancelled, please do not travel to the airport. https://t.co/zOqJyQR48Tpic.twitter.com/ZczcxvAQ4I
Just to be clear, there was hardly any snow at Heathrow yesterday. BA cancelled about 300 flights because it was cold. https://t.co/opIdGEDuRe
Wondering if there’s more to this than BA have said. This morning’s reports suggested it was only BA flights in & out of Heathrow that were badly affected. Heathrow wasn’t the only cold place.
Worcestershire is one of the areas worst hit, writes Will Tilbrook. There are some 200 schools closed across the county.
Don't forget, a significant number of schools across Worcestershire are closed today. Find the latest here: https://t.co/NbwPSjh534pic.twitter.com/z0IDcymvck
Don't forget, a significant number of schools across Worcestershire are closed today. Find the latest here: https://t.co/NbwPSjh534pic.twitter.com/z0IDcymvck
REMINDER: All Heart of Worcestershire College sites will be closed on Monday 11th December due to adverse weather conditions. We will continue to assess the situation and will provide updates via our website and social media channels.
Have a safe snow day!! pic.twitter.com/ZIHXkvBX1E
The University is open today but please be careful travelling. Follow @WorcsTravel for road news. @worcester_uni@WorcesterSU#uksnowhttps://t.co/QCUHIv6xJe
Powis and Chirk castles in Wales are among a number of National Trust Wales attractions that have been forced to close because of the weather.
⛄️Snow update: Some of our special places are closed today (Monday 11 December) due to heavy snow and ice. Please check the website before travelling. Stay safe. #uksnow❄️ pic.twitter.com/9Sgx8ZuLlD
Motorists are being warned of havoc on the roads as snow turns to ice after the weekend’s wintry blast.
Pete Williams, the RAC’s road safety spokesman, said the motorists’ service was expecting 11,000 breakdowns on Monday, 20% above the seasonal norm. “I think the big thing is people are not going to leave enough time,” he said. “Journeys will take two to three times longer. It’s going to be treacherous driving conditions.”
Related: Ice to cause road havoc, motorists warned
Black ice Monday MAPPED: More snow to fall HERE today as Britain FREEZES OVER https://t.co/e2ddFiHt6Zpic.twitter.com/VerddPS8TN
There have been some pretty impressive snow sculptures in the last 24 hours.
What a snow sculpture!!!
This @West_Belfast guy has serious talent@newbelfastpic.twitter.com/jkCOxPx65g
So considering snow in Hatfield UK is an unusual occurrence, how does our snow sculpture rate? #snow#santa (#fatherchristmas) and his #dog#snowysundaypic.twitter.com/hv0NDH1adA
Last snow sculpture of the day. The great fire eyed snow cat of Oxfordshire! pic.twitter.com/KPa0QlUidd
Hundreds of schools are closed today. The government has set up a postcode finder to check if your child’s school is among them.
The snow arrived at a crucial time in the undergraduate interview season at Oxford University, with the city and surrounding region hit hard.
Oxford is advising candidates to contact the relevant colleges if they are having trouble travelling to the city.
We are thinking of all the students making their way to @uniofoxford for their #OxInterview this week. Take care in the snow, and contact your college in case of any delays: https://t.co/neiiYK8Xxtpic.twitter.com/RbR3GaFwHH
Due to the heavy snow across our campuses today (10 December), the University has taken the decision to close all buildings across each of its campuses today and will remain closed on Monday 11 December. Staff/students should check Brookes email for more info. #SnowDay❄ 1 / 2 pic.twitter.com/ZV9uEW3VKm
How is the snow and ice affecting you this morning? We want to hear about the impact on the roads and transport system, as well as children who are unable to go into school. Share your stories, views, and photos with us. Please think about your safety and security first when recording and sharing your content.
Almost 3,000 customers of Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks spent a night without electricity, but the company has restored power to 48,000 households. It said the worst-hit areas were Oxfordshire, where 800 homes are without power, Wiltshire and parts of Berkshire.
It said heavy snow and winds of up to 70mph caused damage to the network’s overhead power lines.
** YELLOW ALERT UPDATE **
We've restored power to over 48,000 homes following heavy snow and up to 70mph winds across our southern region. We aim to restore the remaining 2,900 customers by the morning. https://t.co/QNb4zf0fXTpic.twitter.com/oEG7vwfVKv
A Met Office yellow severe weather warning for ice will remain in place for large parts of the UK until around 11am.
Good morning! An icy start for some this morning ❄️ Rain, sleet and snow will affect the southeast today, with a mixture of sunshine and showers elsewhere ️ pic.twitter.com/WHljyWC7mn
There are currently 20 rail services cancelled in Scotland, according to ScotRail’s journey checker. The latest problems include a points failure at Newton, which will hit services until at least 8.30am, and a broken-down train in Glasgow which is blocking the route to Paisley.
UPDATE: #GlasgowCentral. Due to this broken down train, we’re not able to run trains between Glasgow & Paisley just now. Engineers on way to failed train. ^CT
NEW: We’re dealing with a points failure at #Newton. Staff are on site working to repair now. Services through the station will be disruption until at least 08:30. We’re sorry about this. ^CT pic.twitter.com/xT745P0Eci
Highways England has declared the main road and motorway network clear.
Frank Bird, an emergency planning officer, said: “For our network there aren’t any problems. All of our motorways are back to tarmac. Some of the three lane motorways are still only two lanes, but we are working to try and clear that throughout the day. For the large part we would say once you can get to the motorways it’s safe motoring.”
Meanwhile in America...
WALK OF TOUCHDOWN!!!!
LESEAN MCCOY'S WALK OFF OVERTIME 21 YARD TOUCHDOWN IN THE SNOW IS EVEN BETTER WITH TITANIC MUSIC!!! WHAT A SCENE IN BUFFALO!!! @BUFFALOBILLS BEAT THE COLTS!!!!
pic.twitter.com/HPSb5Imai8
The RAC wants motorists to take it slow today.
Pete Williams, the group’s road safety spokesman, has told the Press Association that they are expecting 11,000 breakdowns today, 20% more than the seasonal norm.
It seems even famous footballers aren’t immune to the effects of snow.
Not ideal at 5:30am when you’ve got a train to catch! Thought I was clever sheltering my car from the snow! pic.twitter.com/9Oqz8UxiPR
More than 50 schools across Oxfordshire have announced that they are closed today because of snow, including the major state secondaries Cherwell, Matthew Arnold and Cheney schools in Oxford city.
Looks like Birmingham got another rather heavy dusting last night ...
They said this snow would stop in Birmingham at around 8. It's not stopped. It's still snowing. In some parts of my garden it's over 30cm deep. pic.twitter.com/WLjpjcuRs5
Glad I'm not going out in that this morning ❄❄❄ was still snowing after 1 am here #snow#Birmingham take care all those travelling to work pic.twitter.com/9yWU85c3AD
There are train problems and warnings for cyclists in the West Midlands.
We are currently unable to operate a service between Stourbridge Junction and Stourbridge Town due to a foot of snow covering the line. We're sorry if this affects you today. All other services through Stourbridge Junction are currently operating normally.
Today's roads are very icy, cyclists may want to consider alternative modes if possible. Winter cycling information from @BritishCycling available here: https://t.co/Mb7N9lTC0p
More detail on school closures across the country:
More than 100 schools are closed in Shropshire. In Wales, 71 schools are closed in Flintshire, 11 in Wrexham and 49 in Denbighshire.
#UKSnow - Trains between Newport and Hereford are currently unable to run between these stations because of tress on the line. Customers can use CrossCountry and Great Western Railway services. https://t.co/gp7AMZ66dg
On the roads, lane three on the M42 in the West Midlands, between junctions 1 and 3, and lane three on the M5 between junction 4a and junction 3, are impassable, with only lanes one and two running on both motorways.
The slip road to Stansted airport on the M11 eastbound was closed overnight for carriageway treatment due to freezing temperatures, according to Highways England.
The Press Association is reporting that seven flights have been cancelled at Edinburgh airport, while Manchester airport has 13 departures listed as cancelled.
Still looking pretty white in North London.
well we are doing ok so far here at Barnet... pic.twitter.com/OiXGWy13aD
You knew it was cold yesterday - but how cold?
Here's a look a Sunday's wintry weather extremes:
Warmest day: Swanage 10.7C
Coldest day: Braemar -6.2C
Coldest night: Dalwhinnie-12.4 °C
Wettest: Liscombe47.2 mm
Sunniest: Kinloss5.4 hours pic.twitter.com/rWHC5wMmqj
Nominative determinism in action: one of the coldest places last night was Chillingham Barns, Northumberland, at -11.6C. pic.twitter.com/mMwgWF5X8n
A reminder that all schools in Birmingham are closed, and 200 are shut in Gloucestershire.
Good morning everyone. Look around and all you’ll see is snow and ice which is affecting public transport and motorists getting about. ALL schools run by Birmingham City Council and Solihull Council will be closed today (11/12). Please take extra care if you’re out & about! pic.twitter.com/U6ysVwH4Li
In the capital there is good news and bad news:
now the bad news:
• Ice on many back roads, especially to the north
• Over 200 flights (arrivals / departures) cancelled at Heathrow.
(Still awaiting an update on the trains..!) [ro]
The latest travel updates from National Rail:
#UKSnow - Trains are unable to run between Watford Junction and St Albans Abbey and also between Stourbridge Town and Stourbridge Junction
#UKSnow - Poor weather conditions affecting West Midlands Trains services today https://t.co/WReYPiMDNR
Passengers with tickets for Sunday can travel today on Virgin Trains.
#VTINFO Passengers with tickets dated for 10/12/17 can travel today 11/12/17. Services will be running this morning and live travel info can be found at https://t.co/aLA1ux5OXZ
Just a reminder of conditions across the country yesterday:
Flying from Heathrow today? Read this first:
If your flight is cancelled, we ask that you do not travel to the airport and keep updated via your airline’s website. We're working with our airline partners to return aircraft to where they need to be and full service recovery remains the focus. (2/3)
The latest wrap from the Press Association warns of snow and ice causing treacherous driving conditions at the start of the working week.
Here is a breakdown of what we can expect, after 12 inches of snow fell overnight in some parts of the country and temperatures fell to minus 12C:
Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon said, with snow flurries fading, most places across the country will wake up to a “bright sunny morning” and that it will be “very cold overnight”. With ice expected “quite widely” for many beginning another working week, he said there will be “widespread slippery, icy conditions” with some “tricky conditions” on the roads and pavements.
“Another feature for Monday morning is that there is some rain that is going to come across and clip the south east corner of the UK. There is a separate ice warning out for that because there is a chance that that rain could fall as a little bit of snow over the higher ground.”
Birmingham Children’s Hospital has put a call out for help transporting staff in to work – they need people with 4WD vehicles to volunteer.
URGENT APPEAL: Birmingham Children’s Hospital is appealing for people with 4x4s to help transport staff to the hospital in the city centre. If you can help, please call 07799 694 895. pic.twitter.com/L8hMTzbCCn
British Airways is reducing its flight schedule from Heathrow today.
Customers are advised to check the status of their flight before leaving for the airport. You can do that here.
National Rail suggests anyone travelling today checks the journey planner to find out if their route is affected by bad weather.
Travelling today? You can check your journey via our planner to see any affects from poor weather https://t.co/1SgXYZJjFp
Airport operators have warned some flights at Heathrow will be disrupted today due to “crew and aircraft being out of position following yesterday’s weather”.
Passengers should check their flight status with their airline, the website warns.
Hello and welcome to our snow/traffic chaos/weather blog, where we will keep an eye on transport and life disruption across the UK - and probably include some nice pictures of the snow.
Millions of Britons will be waking up this morning to more of the white stuff, freezing temperatures and more trouble on the roads. If you don’t need to go anywhere, don’t.
Related: Hundreds of schools to shut on Monday as more travel disruption likely
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