Heavy snow disrupts travel in England and Wales as airports close runways

Heavy overnight snow in Wales and northern England is causing travel disruption as the new year gets off to a frosty start, Report informs via The Guardian.

Two amber weather warnings from the Met Office have been put in place in England and Wales. Snowfall of 3cm to 7cm is predicted, with freezing rain likely to follow, creating treacherous conditions.

The Met Office said Bingley, West Yorkshire had seen 12cm of snow up to 7am on Sunday, with Shap in Cumbria and Capel Curig, Gwynedd both seeing 10cm.

One amber warning for snow and freezing rain, which covers much of Wales and the Midlands and as far north as Manchester, is in place until midday on Sunday. Higher ground in Wales and the southern Pennines could see 15cm to 30cm of snow, the forecaster said, with milder air leading to a rapid thaw in the south of the warning area through Sunday.

The second amber warning for snow, covering most of northern England including Leeds, Sheffield and the Lake District, is in place until midnight on Sunday. The Met Office said some rural communities could be cut off, with up to 40cm of snow on ground above 300 metres before conditions ease later on Sunday.

Manchester and Liverpool John Lennon airports both closed their runways on Sunday morning due to heavy snow. Manchester said its teams were working to clear them as quickly as possible after heavy snow around 7am.

Birmingham airport suspended operations for several hours overnight “for snow clearing and safety reasons”, but started the morning on schedule. Bristol airport reopened around 11pm after an earlier closure but warned of delays on Sunday morning. All the affected airports, and Belfast international airport, urged passengers to check with their airline.

National Highways warned up to 25cm of snow could hit roads in northern England, resulting in closures and a risk of ice, while National Rail said the line between Leeds and Halifax via Dewsbury was closed in both directions, with disruption on northern routes expected into Monday.