Heavy snowfall and freezing rain overnight across most of the UK and Europe on Saturday, 4 January 2025 (local time) has caused travel disruption to airports, rail services and roads as severe weather warnings remain in place for rain and flooding.
The heavy snow and freezing rain aka sleet has particularly impacted the UK and Germany. The Met Office, the UK’s main weather forecaster, predicts the snow and sleet will move north, affecting northern England and Scotland.
Flood warnings are currently in place for 18 areas across southern England, including Taw and Avon rivers, along with 176 flood alerts, due to heavy snow in the UK.
UK flights, rail and roads affected
Several major airports, suspended flights, roads were preemptively closed and some UK cities, such as Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff, have experienced power outages amid freezing conditions.
The heavy snow in the UK has led to disruption at major airports with Manchester, Liverpool, Bristol, Leeds Bradford and others all closing their runways at some point on Sunday.
While all airports have now reopened, travellers are warned to expect delays due to the flight backlog.
Roads have seen stranded vehicles and collisions due to many UK residents returning to work and university from the Christmas and New Year break.
National Rail cancelled many services and warned passengers of delays continuing into this week with major disruptions between Cardiff and Swansea in Wales. It has issued ‘do not travel’ warnings for Northern and TransPennine Express services through to Monday local time due to “poor weather”.
Weather impacts in Europe
In Germany, Frankfurt Airport cancelled most of its scheduled departures on Sunday while only one runway remained open at Munich Airport. Passengers are advised to check their flight status before travelling to the airport and allow extra time for travel.
Amsterdam Airport Schipol also saw cancellations and delays on Sunday morning due to snow.
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