Storm Goretti continues to batter the UK, with tens of thousands of Brits across the country facing power cuts, travel disruptions, and school closures on Friday (January 9).
Amber and yellow weather warnings, issued by the Met Office, remain in place across the UK as Storm Goretti brings with it snow, ice, heavy rain, and strong winds.
It comes after a rare red weather warning was put in place on Thursday (January 8) due to “dangerous, stormy” winds in the South West.
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.
UK weather warnings explained
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 Met Office said.
More than 50,000 properties without power
More than 43,000 properties in the South West remain without power (as of 6am on Friday), according to the National Grid’s website.
A further 14,000 had no power in the West Midlands, and 530 were without power in Wales.
More than 450 addresses in the East Midlands were also without power heading into Friday morning, with National Grid telling customers in the south west of England that it was aiming to have services restored by 8am.
Delays expected at UK airports following closures
East Midlands Airport said its runway has now reopened after being closed overnight due to heavy snow on the runway.
Passengers have been warned that delays may linger throughout the day.
Birmingham Airport has also re-opened its runway, however will be operating on a “reduced basis”.
09/01/2025 07:15 Our runway has reopened on a reduced basis, and our teams are working to get passengers away as efficiently as possible.
Whilst we apologise for any inconvenience Storm Goretti has caused, the safety of our colleagues and customers is our number one priority… pic.twitter.com/ta9lhBoIO0
— Birmingham Airport (@bhx_official) January 9, 2026
This comes after operations were suspended overnight, also because of heavy snow on the runway.
Travel disruptions expected on Friday
All trains in Cornwall were suspended from 6pm on Thursday, Network Rail said.
In Devon, trains on the Exeter-Okehampton and Exeter-Barnstaple routes were suspended from the same time because of forecast high-wind speeds.
Rail services across England, Wales and Scotland may be affected until the end of the day on Friday due to the weather, National Rail added.
West Midlands Railway warned customers not to travel until at least Friday afternoon, while London Northwestern Railway said all morning services between Birmingham and Liverpool Lime St have been suspended.
National Highways said the A30 in Cornwall is closed in both directions between the A394 at Longrock and the A3074 at St Erth “due to a large number of trees that have fallen and are blocking the road”, with Devon and Cornwall Police assisting at the scene.
❄️🌨️ #WintryWeather – The Met Office have issued yellow and amber weather warnings for snow, ice, wind and rain that may affect services across England, Wales and Scotland until the end of the day
⚠️Additionally, #StormGoretti will bring strong winds and snow to some parts of… pic.twitter.com/6Zc5bIlmKZ
— National Rail (@nationalrailenq) January 9, 2026
Weather warnings in place for Storm Goretti
The storm, named by French weather forecaster Meteo France, has been described as a “multi-hazard event” by the Met Office, with as much as 30cm of snow possible in parts of the UK.
Weather warnings were issued for snow, wind, rain, and ice across the country, ahead of likely “disruption and dangerous travelling conditions”.
A wet and windy start to Friday for much of England and Wales, with snow in places ⚠️
In Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of NW England, a bright but cold start with frost and ice ❄️
Rain persisting for parts of east and southeast England, with wintry showers elsewhere 🌦️ pic.twitter.com/87nZByuagk
— Met Office (@metoffice) January 8, 2026
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.”
Several yellow weather warnings will be in places across the country on Friday due to snow, ice, rain, and wind.
Meanwhile, an amber warning for snow will be in effect until 9am, covering parts of Wales, the Midlands, and Yorkshire.
⚠️⚠️ An amber snow warning is now in force ⚠️⚠️
Rain associated with Storm Goretti will turn readily to heavy snow this evening, initially on hills and then to lower levels
Accumulations of 10-15 cm are possible, with perhaps as much as 20-30 cm on some hills pic.twitter.com/HIgE2y7H2t
— Met Office (@metoffice) January 8, 2026
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.
You can see all the weather warnings currently in place on the Met Office website .
RECOMMENDED READING:
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How to check for power cuts in your area and when they will end
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Storm Goretti travel advice and closures amid heavy snow and wind warnings
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Why it’s called Storm Goretti and when the snow and 90mph winds will hit the UK
Snow to cause more school closures
Dozens of schools across the Midlands and Wales have announced they will be closed on Friday as a result of the amber weather warning issued by the Met Office.
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, plus a number in Moray.
