UK weather latest: Heavy snow causes travel chaos as fresh Met Office warnings issued

Both Ryanair and Jet2 have issued warnings amid widespread travel disruption caused by the extreme weather hitting the UK.

Ryanair writes on its website: “Potential disruptions to/from the UK (Saturday 4 January – Sunday 5 January) due to snow and ice.

“Affected passengers will be notified and any passengers travelling to/from the UK on Saturday 4 January – Sunday 5 January should check their Ryanair app for the latest updates on their flight.”

Meanwhile, Jet2 writes: “The overnight snowfall across the UK has resulted in temporary closures of many UK airports.

“Our operations teams are working closely with our airport partners to get you on your way as soon as possible.

“However our flights are experiencing severe delays in some parts of the UK.”

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The King and Queen braved wintry weather to head to church in Sandringham amid heavy downpours.

The royal couple held umbrellas as they arrived at the Sunday church service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Norfolk, with weather warnings in place for much of the UK.

Wearing a beige wool overcoat, Charles was greeted by Revd Canon Dr Paul Williams, rector for the Sandringham group of parishes, as he arrived for the service.

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The Met Office has updated an amber weather warning for snow in northern England to run into Monday morning.

The warning – which covers parts of Lancashire, Cumbria and the Lake District – warns that travel delays, stranded vehicles and power cuts are all likely and rural communities could be cut off.

It will stay in place until 6am on Monday, with up to an additional 15cm of snow falling during the period over higher ground, the forecaster said.

An earlier amber warning covering a larger area of northern England had been due to expire at midnight.

Forecasters have warned of potential disruption to travel in the areas covered by the weather warnings in Scotland.

ScotRail advised people to check their journeys before travelling.

It said: “Yellow weather warnings for snow and ice are in place across the country until midday on Monday January 6.

“If you’re planning to to travel, check your entire journey using our app or website as delays & alterations to services are possible.

Take care when out and about.”

Network Rail Scotland said it has made preparations to deal with the weather.

In a post on X, it said: “We’re expecting snow move into central Scotland this morning, light initially, but getting heavier. It’ll continue into the evening.

“We’ll see heavy snow across the lines out of Inverness tonight and overnight. A normal service is operating today.

“Locomotives with ploughs are standing by at strategic locations, ready to clear tracks if it’s needed.

“Snow showers remain likely across parts of the West Highland Line and lines out of Inverness for the first half of the week.”

Forecasters are warning of potential travel disruption with snow and ice alerts in force across much of Scotland.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for such conditions across the north east and east of the country as far south as Edinburgh, which is in place until midday on Monday.

It warns that more than 10cm could fall on ground above 200 metres in northern areas, while further south snowfall accumulation is likely to be “patchier” and generally between 1cm to 2cm.

The latest warnings come after days of wintry weather, which saw temperatures drop to minus 11.1C at Loch Glasgarnoch in the Highlands early on Sunday morning, according to Met Office data.

A warning of snow across northern, western and south-west Scotland is in force until 11am on Monday.

Areas in the south west could see 2-5 cm of snow in some places, mainly above 200 metres, while areas further north could see 1-4cm accumulate.

A warning of snow in south-eastern Scotland, extending from Edinburgh to Lanark and Lockerbie and down to the border, will be in force from midnight on Sunday until midday on Monday.

The Met Office said that 2-5 cm of snow could accumulate widely, with as much as 10-20 cm over the higher ground of the Borders and the southern edge of the Lothians.

Met Office chief forecaster Frank Saunders said: “Cold conditions in Scotland will continue, with snow showers in many coastal areas, and more persistent snow for a time in the southeast.”