HEAVY snow grounded planes as five new warnings were issued across the UK.
Manchester Airport’s runways were temporarily blocked this morning as crews desperately tried to move snow and ice.
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Manchester Airport runways shown here on MondayCredit: Reuters
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Metohija also issued five yellow warnings for Friday
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 fly at the airport on Thursday were cancelled.
Three motorways, the M56, M60 and M62, were also affected with major delays causing chaos for commuters on Thursday.
Rail lines in Wales were also covered in snow with some damage sustained due to “high winds, rain and snow”.
It comes after the Met Office issued five new weather warnings for Friday.
Three yellow ice warnings are in place for Northern Ireland, Wales and southern, northern and eastern parts of England from 4pm on Thursday until 10am on Friday.
Britons in south-west parts of England, including Plymouth and Exeter and south Wales, are set to expect ice from 3am on Friday until 11am.
The yellow warning for snow and ice in Scotland has also been extended.
It was originally posted at noon Wednesday and will now remain until 10 a.m. tomorrow.
Conditions are only expected to worsen as temperatures are forecast to drop to -16C overnight.
Manchester Airport halts ALL flights to clear ‘heavy snow’ covering runways – as passengers warned to expect delays
The Met Office has warned that heavy downpours could affect parts of northern England on Thursday night.
More yellow weather warnings have been issued today – meaning there is a risk of injury from slips and falls and some travel disruptions are expected.
Oli Claydon, a spokesman for the Met Office, said it would be “bitterly cold” tonight.
He said the coldest temperatures would be recorded in rural Scotland and rural northern England where there was snow, cloudless skies and very cold air currents.
A temperature of minus 14C would equal the lowest recorded for this month last year, recorded at Dalwhinnie in the Highlands on January 17, 2024.
But according to the Met Office, a temperature of minus 16C would be the lowest recorded January in the UK for 15 years.
Disruptions to rail, roads and flights are expected to continue.
Manchester Airport, which handles almost 75,000 passengers a day, said in a 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 had reopened at 10am, saying: “As a result of the earlier closure, some departures and arrivals may still experience delays.”
They urged passengers to stay in touch with their airlines for the latest information and thanked workers for their “hard work to get the runways back up and running”.
It came after the airport had to be closed for three consecutive days earlier this week.
Meanwhile, British Airways revealed it had so far de-iced 543 planes before take-off to ensure flights could continue safely.
If frost, ice or snow is observed or suspected, the aircraft must be de-iced before take-off.
It takes just five minutes to de-ice a BA A320 jet and takes place with passengers on board.
Spencer Norton, flight performance and evaluation manager, helps run BA’s ‘Snow Patrol’ – helping to identify where de-icing needs to be done on the fuselage.
He said: “When we have bad weather, sometimes the Snow Patrol is activated.
“We’re there to help our captains to make sure we can do a good visual and tactile check of aircraft services to give them the best information to see if they need de-icing or de-icing in the circumstances.”
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The weather service has issued a number of yellow warnings for Thursday
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The airport, which burst here on Monday, was forced to close againCredit: Reuters
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