Major airport suspends flights to clear ‘vital snow’ as England shivers in -11C plunge – forward of chilliest January evening in 15 YEARS

Manchester Airport stopped all flights again this morning due to heavy snow with departures and arrivals thrown into chaos as teams worked to clear the runways.

Both runways were closed for nearly an hour from about 9am with passengers delayed, stuck on planes or diverted to other airports amid ‘significant levels of snow’.

The closure marked the fourth time in five days that Manchester had temporarily shut its runways due to the snow which has caused travel chaos across Britain this week.

The airport also closed both runways on Tuesday between 2am and 5am, on Monday between 6.30am and 7.15am, and Sunday between 6.15am and 9.45am. It comes as:

• A new ice warning was issued for parts of England and Wales from 4pm today; 
• England, Wales and Northern Ireland all had their coldest night of winter so far;
• Temperatures could fall to -20C, making it the chilliest January night since 2011;
• Rail disruption from severe weather continued to hit trains in Cornwall and Wales.

Snow and ice yellow weather warnings remained in force today – while flooding continued to impact rail routes, including Great Western Railway lines in Cornwall.

Transport for Wales said some rail lines in the country were closed because of track damage following a period of ‘heavy wind, rain and snow’, with buses are replacing trains between Llandudno Junction and Blaenau Ffestiniog until at least Monday.

A fault with the signalling system also caused delays between Crewe and Wilmslow, affecting Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, Northern and Transport for Wales trains.

Significant travel chaos was caused by the snow in Devon and Cornwall yesterday, with some roads closed and even snow ploughs becoming stuck in queues of traffic.

It comes as England shivered through its coldest night of winter so far as temperatures at Shap in Cumbria dropped to -11.2C (11.8F) early this morning, while the UK minimum for today was -12.4C (9.7F) at Tulloch Bridge in the Highlands.

It was also the coldest night of winter so far for Wales, where Sennybridge fell to -7.8C (18.0F); and in Northern Ireland , where Castlederg dropped to -7.3C (18.9F).

The mercury could fall further to -20C (-4F) tonight which would make it the coldest temperature for four years and the lowest recorded in January in the UK for 15 years.

Among those impacted at Manchester Airport this morning was Sophia Loves, who is travelling to Bogotá in Colombia and had her first flight to Frankfurt cancelled.

She said Lufthansa rebooked her straight away on another flight via Madrid, but she had to leave the departure gate, collect her luggage and go through security again.

However, Ms Loves did praise Terminal 2 staff, saying their ‘organisation has been really good’, adding that she was now waiting for her 11am flight to Madrid.

A second passenger told MailOnline shortly after 10am that he was stuck on a plane that was due to leave for Boa Vista at 8.35am this morning.

He said: ‘Still sat on the plane at the gate at 10.12am. Everyone’s calm and taking the delay in their stride. Just looking forward to the sun.

‘The runway is clear but they’re clearing the taxiways and then de-icing the plane. Should be on our way by 10.30am hopefully. The snow must have come down pretty quickly as the roads were clear when we got dropped off by the taxi at 6.30am.’

The closure was announced by Manchester Airport at 9.10am – with a statement on social media saying: ‘Our runways are temporarily closed due to significant levels of snow, as our teams work hard to clear them as quickly as possible.

‘The safety of our passengers is our top priority, and we appreciated your patience during this time. Please check with your airline for the latest flight information and allow extra travel time today. We will update you as soon as possible. Thank you.’

In an update at 10am, the airport said: ‘Our runways are now open but, as a result of the earlier closure, some departures and arrivals may still experience delays. Please check with your airline for the latest flight information and allow extra time for your journey today.

‘We would like to thank our teams for their hard work in getting the runways operational again. The safety of our passengers remains our top priority. Thank you for your understanding and patience.’

The Met Office said the coldest temperatures tonight are expected in rural Scotland and northern England where there is lying snow, cloudless skies and very cold airflow.

A reading of below -14C (7F) would make it colder than the lowest temperature seen in this month last year, recorded at Dalwhinnie in the Highlands on January 17, 2024.

And -16C (3F) would be the lowest recorded in any January in the UK for 15 years, since -22.3C (-8F) was logged in Altnaharra in the Highlands on January 8, 2010.

The last time the UK had a temperature under -20C (-4F) was February 11, 2021 when Braemar in Aberdeenshire dropped to -23C (-9.4F) shortly after Storm Darcy.

This was the UK’s coldest day since December 30, 1995, when the all-time coldest recorded temperature was reached at Altnaharra with -27.2C (-17F).

This record is tied in first place with the same temperature in Braemar observed more than a decade earlier on January 10, 1982. Met Office data goes back to 1961.

The Highlands have consistently been recording the coldest temperatures this week, including this winter’s current record low of -13.3C (8.1F) on Monday at Loch Glascarnoch.

It comes as Met Office snow and ice yellow weather warnings remained in force across the UK today, after snow and sleet caused further disruption.

Hundreds of schools remained shut or partially closed today, including 173 in Bradford and 26 in Leeds.

The snow caused travel chaos in Devon and Cornwall yesterday, with motorists stationary for ‘long periods of time’, a joint statement from Devon and Cornwall Police and Devon County Council Highways said.

Snow ploughs became stuck in queues of traffic caused by ‘minor incidents’, the statement added.

Ploughs have been fitted to gritters which were working into this morning to clear routes in the area, police and highways officials said.

Travel disruption to road and rail services are likely today in the warning areas, as well as the potential for accidents in icy places, the forecaster said.

A yellow warning for snow and ice is in place for northern Scotland until midnight tonight.

And a yellow ice warning was issued this morning for eastern England, the West Midlands, North Wales and Northern Ireland from 4pm tonight until 10am tomorrow.

As icy conditions persist, motorists are being urged to stick to major roads that are most likely to have been gritted.

Car insurer RAC said it has seen the highest levels of demand for rescues in a three-day period since December 2022.

‘Cold conditions will last until at least the weekend, so we urge drivers to remain vigilant of the risks posed by ice and, in some locations, snow,’ said RAC breakdown spokeswoman Alice Simpson.

‘Black ice on rural roads can be impossible to spot, leaving very little time to react if driving at speed. Sticking to major roads that are most likely to have been gritted is strongly recommended.’

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has extended its cold weather health alert for all of England until Sunday.

Amber alerts have been extended and will now run until January 12, meaning a rise in deaths is likely, the agency said.

Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at the UKHSA, said: ‘We are extending the duration of our Cold-Health Alert, since the Met Office are forecasting that the low temperatures we are seeing will continue further into this week, with snow and icy conditions likely to persist.

The country has been hit by widespread flooding in recent days and a danger to life flood warning was issued for Barrow upon Soar in Leicestershire as firefighters had to rescue dozens of people stranded in rising water.

‘This weather can have a serious impact on the health of some people, including those aged 65 and over and those with pre-existing health conditions, and it is therefore vital that we continue to check in on friends, family and neighbours that are most vulnerable.

‘These people could be more at risk of heart attacks, stroke and chest infections as a result of cold temperatures.’

The country has been hit by widespread flooding in recent days and a danger to life flood warning was issued for Barrow upon Soar in Leicestershire as firefighters had to rescue dozens of people stranded in rising water.

While scores of flood warnings and alerts remain in place for England, hundreds have been removed and the weather is set to be drier over the next few days.

This morning, the Environment Agency had 137 flood alerts and 68 warnings in place, while Natural Resources Wales had two alerts still active.

The Met Office said: ‘Thursday night is expected to be the coldest of the week. Over any lying snow in Scotland, this could be as low as -15C, possibly -16C. We recorded -14C on January 17, 2024, at Dalwhinnie, so it is comparable to some recent years.

‘The record low for January is -27.2C on January 10, 1982, at Braemar, so we’re a way off that.’

Meanwhile the BBC reported today that ‘forecasters predicted Thursday could see the coldest January day for more than a decade with the mercury dipping as low as -20C’.