As the UK braces for another bout of wintry weather, thousands of homes have been left without power and numerous schools have been forced to close due to the impact of Storm Goretti.
The Met Office has issued rare red weather warnings for “dangerous, stormy” winds in the south-west, where more than 37,000 properties were without electricity as of Friday evening. Power cuts have also affected around 3,000 homes in the West Midlands, over 1,000 in the East Midlands, and approximately 240 in Wales.
Downing Street has stated that support is being provided to those impacted by the power outages, with engineers and staff working to restore connections as quickly as possible. Around 150,000 customers have already had their power restored.
The storm has brought heavy snowfall to many parts of the country, with Altnaharra in Sutherland recording 27cm, Loch Glasnarnoch 26cm, and Durris in Aberdeenshire 22cm. Other areas have also seen significant accumulations, including 15cm at Lake Vyrnwy in Powys, 7cm at Preston Montford in Shropshire, and 7cm in Nottingham.
Forecasters have warned that further snowfall is possible on Sunday, with up to 20cm expected over higher ground, leading to ongoing disruption. Those in central and southern England and Wales will see this fall as rain, resulting in a wet day for many.
The wintry conditions have also caused travel chaos, with dozens of school closures across the Midlands and Wales, and more than 250 schools expected to remain shut in Scotland, including over 150 in Aberdeenshire, several in the Highlands and Aberdeen, and numerous in Moray.
In addition, at least 69 flights scheduled to operate to or from Heathrow on Friday were cancelled, affecting more than 9,000 passengers. Most of the cancellations were short-haul services operated by British Airways.
The storm, named by Météo France, has been described as a “multi-hazard event” by the Met Office, with the combination of heavy snow, strong winds, and melting snow increasing the risk of flooding in some areas in the coming days.