Cold weather to ring in New Year as amber health alerts issued

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued two amber health alerts for parts of the country as cold weather is set to ring in the new year.

The alerts, which warn of a rise in deaths particularly among elderly and vulnerable people, cover the North East and North West of England from 20:00 GMT on Sunday to 12:00 on 5 January.

Temperatures in these regions are expected to fall to around -4C, with snow predicted in the North West on 3 and 4 January. The low temperatures are likely to affect health and care services, the agency added.

Overnight into Monday, temperatures are expected to fall to as low as -1C in Penrith, with northern areas of Scotland set for temperatures of -6C.

Other impacts include temperatures inside hospitals and care homes dropping below the levels recommended for assessing health risks, and challenges for people keeping indoor temperatures at the recommended 18C, the UKHSA said. Staffing issues, due to travel delays, may also arise from the cold spell.

Most of England will be cloudy overnight, and there will be patches of frost and fog which could mean "tricky travelling conditions" on Monday morning, the forecaster said.

Brisk northwesterly winds could bring wintry showers to the areas of northern England and drizzle in the lead up to New Year's Day.

Between 2 and 11 January, cold northerly winds in Scotland are expected to become dominant across the UK, bringing snow showers mainly to coastal areas that will work south, the Met Office said.

Inland locations across central and southern areas will remain mostly dry but cold.

On Friday, temperatures in the the North East and North West will feel colder due to the wind chill - a temperature of -4C could feel more like -8C, the Met Office said.

The agency also issued less serious yellow cold health alerts for the rest of England, covering the East Midlands, West Midlands, South East, South West, East of England, Yorkshire and the Humber, and London.

Temperatures in areas covered by the yellow warning are expected to fall to around highs of 6C and lows below freezing from New Year's Day.

Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at UKHSA, said it was "vital" to check in on friends, family and neighbours that are vulnerable.

The predicted temperatures can have a "serious impact" on the health of some people, leading to increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and chest infections, particularly for individuals over the age of 65 and those with pre-existing health conditions, he warned.

Warning of snow and gale-force winds on New Year's Day in Scotland

Heavy snow and gale-force winds have been forecast for north and north-east Scotland at the start of the new year.

The Met Office has issued a yellow "be aware" warning from 06:00 on Thursday - New Year's Day - until midnight on Friday.

It said there could be up to two inches (5cm) of snow at low levels by Friday, with four inches (10cm) in some places.

Up to eight inches (20cm) of snow could accumulate on higher ground, with as much as 12 inches (30cm) on the hills. There is a warning of "significant" drifting of snow due to the high winds.

The warning includes the Northern Isles, Hebrides and parts of Argyll and Bute.

The Met Office said it was likely that frequent and heavy snow showers would disrupt travel.

In England, two amber health alerts have been issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

The alerts, which warn of a rise in deaths particularly among elderly and vulnerable people, cover the North East and North West of England until 12:00 on 5 January.

Temperatures in these regions are expected to fall to around -4C, with snow predicted in the North West on 3 and 4 January.

Snow alerts upgraded to amber as Scots warned of blizzard conditions

Amber snow warnings have been issued for parts of northern Scotland as the country braces for several days of wintry weather.

Parts of the north east, Highland, Perth and Kinross and Angus are expected to be blanketed with up to 20cm (7.9ins) of snow in low levels, with blizzard conditions forecast from 12:00 on Friday until 12:00 on Saturday.

Ferry services have already been disrupted as snow begins to dust the north of Scotland and police have urged motorists to plan ahead before travelling.

A less severe yellow warning is already in place for most areas north of Dundee throughout New Year's Day, lasting until midnight on Sunday.

CalMac has said that services leaving Stornoway and Ullapool on Friday had been cancelled due to strong winds forecast and that other sailings were likely to be disrupted at short notice.


Choppy waters earlier at Kirkwall harbour on Orkney

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Weather warnings extended as ice and snow blanket parts of UK



Snow and ice blanketing the UK could last into the weekend and beyond as the Met Office extends weather warnings.

The most severe conditions will be seen in Scotland, where amber snow warnings came into effect from midday Friday. Yellow snow and ice warnings are in place elsewhere until Monday.

Up to 40cm (15in) of snow could hit parts of Scotland on Friday, while the Met Office predicts as much as 5cm in areas across England and Wales.

Delays and cancellations to rail and air travel, disruption on the roads and power cuts are all expected as a result of the wintry conditions, the weather service added.

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If you are affected by the rather inclement weather, and choose to stay at home rather than venturing out, you may find some idle amusement in tracking the many gritter lorries in Scotland.

No, really: they all have some rather apt names, and you can see where each of them is, realtime, at https://www.traffic.gov.scot/gritter-tracker .

Well, it kept me quiet for a few minutes. 

Trains cancelled and roads treacherous as heavy snow hits Scotland


This snow plough got stuck on a hill outside Beauly in the Highlands

Mary McCool
BBC Scotland
1 January 2026
Updated 2 January 2026

Trains have been cancelled and driving conditions have turned treacherous as heavy snow blankets several parts of northern and central Scotland.

Amber snow warnings are in force until 12:00 on Saturday in the north east, Highland, Perth and Kinross and Angus - where up to 20cm (7.9ins) of snow at low levels and blizzard conditions have been forecast.

Shetland is also covered by an amber alert for a 12-hour period until midday on Saturday.

ScotRail has been unable to run trains to or from Thurso due to heavy snow and could not provide replacement buses due to the road conditions.

Some vehicles, including campervans and a snow plough, have been getting stuck in the snow and ice.

Ferry services have also been disrupted by high winds.

A less severe yellow snow and ice warning is already in place for most areas north of Dundee, lasting until 12:00 on Monday.

Forecasters said some delays and cancellations to rail and air travel were likely, as are power cuts and disruption on the roads.

(BBC article continues)

Man who died trying to save people from sea named


Mark Ratcliffe was pulled unconscious from the sea on Friday

A man who died trying to save two people from the sea in East Yorkshire has been named as Mark Ratcliffe.

In a tribute, his family said the 67-year-old was "a true selfless hero with a heart of gold, who was so cruelly taken trying to save others".

Mr Ratcliffe was pulled unconscious from the water and died at the scene at Withernsea on Friday, Humberside Police said.

Police said another body recovered on Friday evening was that of a 45-year-old woman. Officers are continuing to search for one remaining missing person.

Mr Ratcliffe's family said: "So many lives are now shattered that you're gone. You were loved by so many people, and we will all miss you forever. A loving husband, father, son, brother and the best grandad anybody could ever wish for. Sleep tight, we love you, we miss you."

Mr Ratcliffe's son, in a Facebook post, thanked the RNLI, HM coastguards and the emergency services who had done "all they could" and worked tirelessly and relentlessly in awful weather conditions. "Bye Dad, I miss you and I will never forget the true hero and role model you were," he wrote.

At 15:10 GMT on Friday, the coastguard responded to reports of "a number of people in difficulty" in the water. Eyewitnesses said they had seen people rushing into the sea to rescue a young woman who had fallen in.

What followed was a huge search and rescue operation involving about 100 emergency workers, a rescue helicopter, air ambulance and RNLI crews from Withernsea, Bridlington and Hornsea Inshore Rescue. The search was paused at about 00:30 on Saturday and resumed at first light but was stood down at 16:00.

Mother and daughter named as sea tragedy victims


Grace Keeling and Sarah Keeling went into the sea off the East Yorkshire coast on Friday with passer-by Mark Ratcliffe

A man who died trying to save two people from the sea in East Yorkshire on Friday was attempting to rescue a mother and her teenage daughter, Humberside police said.

Officers said 67-year-old Mark Ratcliffe entered the water at Withernsea to try and save 45-year-old Sarah Keeling and 15-year-old Grace Keeling.

In a tribute, Mr Ratcliffe's family said he was "a true selfless hero with a heart of gold, who was so cruelly taken trying to save others".

Police said the bodies of Sarah Keeling and Mark Ratcliffe were recovered on Friday evening, and officers were still searching to locate Grace.

Mr Ratcliffe's family said: "So many lives are now shattered that you're gone. You were loved by so many people, and we will all miss you forever. A loving husband, father, son, brother and the best grandad anybody could ever wish for. Sleep tight, we love you, we miss you."

Mr Ratcliffe's son, in a Facebook post, thanked the RNLI, HM coastguards and the emergency services who had done "all they could" and worked tirelessly and relentlessly in awful weather conditions. "Bye Dad, I miss you and I will never forget the true hero and role model you were," he wrote.

Police said both families were being supported by specially trained officers.

(BBC article continues)

ScotRail said "route proving" was under way on Monday morning but some services are unlikely to operate until Monday afternoon.

The operator said services along the Highland Main Line, between Inverness and Perth, was running.

But those between Aberdeen and Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness and the Inverness - Kyle of Lochalsh/Wick routes were likely to be affected, it said.

Network Rail, which maintains the infrastructure, said trains could not run safely in snow depths exceeding 30cm (12ins) unless fitted with snow ploughs.

Appealing for patience, its route director Ross Moran said: "Safety of our passengers and our colleagues is our top priority.

"We'll only reopen lines and return to normal operations once we're confident it's safe to do so".


Network Rail posted this image of the line at Achnasheen on Sunday to explain why the Kyle of Lochalsh line was closed.

Network Rail, which looks after rail infrastructure, said heavy snow had seen snowplough locomotives dispatched in areas such as Kintore in Aberdeenshire as well as further north on the line to Wick.

One of its snowploughs encountered drifts up to 1.2m (4ft) deep near Laurencekirk.

Train operator ScotRail said it would be unable to resume some services until Monday afternoon.

Aberdeen – Dundee, Aberdeen – Inverness and Inverness – Wick/Thurso and Kyle of Lochalsh routes were most likely to be affected.

Service delivery director Mark Ilderton said: "Safety is our number one priority so it's very important we make sure all routes that have been affected by the heavy snowfall and low temperatures are safe before we run any passenger services."


The railway tracks were barely visible at Insch in Aberdeenshire


The Far North Line locomotive stopped at Helmsdale on the way to Wick

Rail replacement transport is running on the following routes:

    Between Inverness and Aberdeen (operated by D&E Coaches and RS Coaches)

    Between Dundee and Aberdeen (operated by RS Coaches, Bay Travel, and Dochertys Coaches)

Coaches will aim to depart as close to the train times as possible.

Council shares 'gritting mythbuster' after confusion

A council has shared a "gritting mythbuster" after many motorists complained that some roads appeared to have not been prepared for snow and ice.

Liverpool City Council has been accused of failing to grit some main roads in time for the recent icy blast. However, in a statement, the authority said 372 miles (600 km) of roads had indeed been gritted over the past two days - but shared a list of reasons for some of the potential confusion.

It also posted details of common myths about gritting and how it actually works on X and said it would continue over the coming days. "Once grit salt is laid on the road, it requires the movement of traffic to help work it into the ice," the council said. "When there are low traffic levels, roads can remain icy for some time."

The council said common misbeliefs included that adding salt to the road means the ice instantly melts. It explained how gritting is only the start of the de-icing process and that traffic moving over it is needed to make help clear the snow and ice.

It said another myth was that salt on the road stops new ice forming. The council said salt lowers the freezing point of water and does help prevent ice from forming on roads when temperatures drop below 0°C. However, it loses its effectiveness at -5°C and stops working at -10°C.

Neighbouring Sefton Council had also faced accusations of not gritting but confirmed it had gritted about 290 miles (470 km) of roads across the area. A spokesman echoed the Liverpool advice and explained how gritters are deployed when the road surface temperature drops below 0°C. "We have been out gritting on a number of occasions over the weekend, including three times on Sunday, and have spread over 150 tonnes of grit. We have also been out again today," he said.

"Gritting helps prevents the formation of ice at 0°C, but doesn't prevent snow from settling on the road, and during extended periods of sub-zero temperatures and snowfall the effectiveness of the grit can be diminished. Last night some Sefton roads reached as low as minus 7°C, below the temperature at which grit works best, which is down to minus 5°C." He added that weather conditions were being monitored "24 hours a day, seven days a week" as part of its Winter Maintenance Policy.

Liverpool City Council also responded to claims some community grit bins in the city had been empty. Community grit bins are large yellow containers on public roads and footpaths which are provided to help local people keep public areas safe from ice and snow.

"There are 191 grit bins across the city, which are refilled twice over winter," it said. "If they run out of grit salt between refills, people can report it to us, and we will refill them as soon as possible. This should only be used for pavements and other public footways."

The authority said crews also grit pedestrian parts of the city centre and hand grit key footpaths.

Storm Goretti likely to bring heavy snow leading to disruption and difficult travelling conditions.

A deep area of low pressure will move across the south of the UK during Thursday and into Friday bringing a mixture of rain, snow and strong winds.

A spell of heavy snow is likely to develop over higher ground in south Wales later on Thursday before rain turns to snow more widely over parts of England and Wales during Thursday night. In some areas, 5-10 cm of snow may settle with the potential for up to 20 cm in some locations, especially over higher ground. Strong winds may lead to some drifting of snow. Rain and snow will then clear eastwards during Friday.

This system has been named by Meteo France as the strongest winds associated with Storm Goretti are most likely over northern France.

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