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Heavy snow grounds planes as 5 fresh warnings issued across UK – with 3 motorways hit by huge delays & rail lines closed
Conditions are expected to get worse as temperatures predicted to plunge to -16C
HEAVY snow grounded planes as five fresh warnings were issued across the UK.
Manchester Airport's runways were temporarily blocked off this morning as teams desperately attempted to shift snow and ice.
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Passengers' travel plans were left in chaos as they were urged to check with airlines for updates on their flights.
At least 14 departures and five arrivals scheduled to operate at the airport on Thursday have been cancelled.
Three motorways, the M56, M60 and M62, were also hit with hefty delays causing mayhem for commuters on Thursday.
And train lines in Wales are snowed under with some suffering damages because of “heavy wind, rain and snow”.
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It comes as The Met Office issued five fresh weather warnings for Friday.
Three yellow ice warnings are in place across Northern Ireland, Wales, and southern, northern and eastern parts of England from 4pm on Thursday until 10am Friday.
Brits in south-west parts of England including Plymouth and Exeter and south Wales are being braced to expect ice from 3am Friday until 11am.
A yellow warning for snow and ice in Scotland has also been extended.
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It was originally put in place at midday on Wednesday and will now remain until 10am tomorrow.
And conditions are only expected to get worse as temperatures are predicted to plunge to minus 16C overnight.
Manchester Airport stops ALL flights to clear 'heavy snow' covering runways - as passengers warned to expect delays
The Met Office has warned the bitter drop on Thursday evening could impact parts of northern England.
A number of yellow weather warnings have been issued today - meaning there is a danger of injury from slips and falls and some disruption to travel expected.
Oli Claydon, spokesman for the Met Office, said it will be "bitterly cold" tonight.
He said the lowest temperatures will be recorded in rural Scotland and rural northern England where there is lying snow, cloudless skies and very cold airflow.
A temperature of minus 14C would equal the lowest seen in this month last year, recorded in Dalwhinnie in the Scottish Highlands on January 17 2024.
But a temperature of minus 16C would be the lowest recorded in January in the UK for 15 years, according to Met Office data.
Disruptions to railways, roads and flights are expected to continue.
Manchester Airport, which handles almost 75,000 passengers per day, said in statement today: "The safety of our passengers is our top priority, and we appreciate your patience during this time.
"Please check with your airline for the latest flight information and allow extra time today."
It confirmed the runways re-opened at 10am, saying: "As a result of the earlier closure, some departures and arrivals may still experience delays."
It urged passengers to keep in touch with their airlines for the latest information and thanked workers for their "hard work in getting the runways operational again."
It comes after the airport had to shut for three consecutive days at the start of this week.
Meanwhile British Airways revealed it has so far de-iced 543 aircraft before take-offs to ensure flights can safely go ahead.
If frost, ice or snow contamination is observed or suspected a plane must undergo de-icing before take-off.
It takes just five minutes to de-ice a BA A320 jet and takes place with passengers onboard.
Spencer Norton, manager for flight efficiency and evaluation, helps run BA’s ‘Snow Patrol’ - helping identify where de-icing needs to take place on a plane's fuselage.
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He said: “When we have bad weather, sometimes Snow Patrol is activated.
"We’re there to assist our captains to ensure that we can do a good visual and tactile check of the aircraft services to provide them with the best info to see if they need to de-ice or anti-ice in the circumstances.”
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