UK weather: Manchester airport reopens runways but warns of flight delays | UK weather

The number of people in hospital with flu in England continues to rise, with staff reporting they are under the same pressure as at the height of the Covid pandemic, the NHS medical director has said.

According to the PA news agency, data from NHS England shows there were an average of 5,408 flu patients in beds in England each day last week, including 256 in critical care. This is up 21% from 4,469 the previous week, when 211 were in critical care.

It is also nearly five times the number on 1 December, when the total stood at 1,098.
Prof Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said it was hard to quantify “how tough it is for frontline staff at the moment – with some staff working in A&E saying that their days at work feel like some of the days we had during the height of the pandemic”.

The PA news agency reports that the average number of flu patients in hospital in England each day last week was much higher than at this point last winter, when the average was just 1,548. It is also higher than this stage two years ago.

About 20 NHS trusts across England declared critical incidents and said their services are experiencing very high demand.

Powis said:

It is clear that hospitals are under exceptional pressure at the start of this new year, with mammoth demand stemming from this ongoing cold weather snap and respiratory viruses like flu – all on the back of 2024 being the busiest year on record for A&E and ambulance teams.

I never fail to be impressed by the remarkable job that NHS staff across a range of services [are doing] in the face of current challenges, remaining compassionate, professional and doing everything they can to see patients as quickly as possible while often working in hospitals that are full to bursting.

It is hard to quantify just through the data how tough it is for frontline staff at the moment – with some staff working in A&E saying that their days at work feel like some of the days we had during the height of the pandemic.”

Powis urged people to only use 999 and A&E in life-threatening emergencies and to use NHS 111 and 111 online for other conditions, as well as using GP and pharmacy services.

Temperatures in parts of Ireland dropped to -7.5C overnight while weather warnings remain in place, reports the PA news agency.

The lowest temperature was recorded by Met Éireann in Mullingar, County Westmeath, in central Ireland, while -7C was recorded in Athenry, County Galway, and -6.7C in Oak Park, County Carlow.

Work remains ongoing to restore power, with about 500 homes, farms and businesses said to be affected, while about 4,500 customers – mainly in counties Tipperary, Limerick and Kerry – are without water.

An orange weather warning for low temperatures and ice for Leinster, Cavan, Monaghan, Munster and Connacht was in place until 11am on Thursday.

Another orange weather warning for low temperatures and ice was issued on Thursday morning for counties Carlow, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Longford, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Cavan, Monaghan, Galway, Roscommon and Tipperary. Travel disruption and delays and poor visibility are expected in affected areas for this warning which applies from 7pm on Thursday to 8am on Friday.

A yellow warning for low temperatures and ice covers all of Ireland until midday on Friday, with widespread frost, ice, lying snow and some patches of freezing fog expected. Potential travel disruption and poor visibility are also possible.

Meanwhile in Northern Ireland, a yellow warning for snow and ice is in place for counties Antrim, Derry and Fermanagh until 11am on Thursday, while a yellow warning for freezing fog expired at 9am.

Manchester airport have reopened its runways, but have warned passengers that, due to the earlier closure, some departures and arrivals may experience delays.

The airport advises passengers to check with their airline for the latest flight information and to allow extra time for their journeys.

Denis Campbell

An NHS trust is preparing to cancel operations, urgently discharge 140 patients and restrict admissions to help it cope with “extreme winter pressures”.

The Gloucestershire acute trust declared a “critical incident” on Wednesday as hospitals in England asked patients seeking medical help to come alone to reduce overcrowding in A&E.

Doctors and nurses should try to free up as many of the beds in the hospitals it runs in Gloucester and Cheltenham as possible by doing what they could “where clinically appropriate to maximise the opportunity for discharge and minimise the need for admission”, it told staff in a circular.

The trust is also asking staff to wear a surgical mask in many areas of care in response to the UK-wide rise in flu, which a senior NHS doctor warned would not peak for another week or two.

Manchester airport said it has closed both its runways “due to significant levels of snow”.

In an update posted at 9am, the airport added that its teams are working to clear the runways “as quickly as possible”.

Passengers are being advised to check with their airline for flight information.

Share your experience

Rachel Obordo

If you have been affected by the snow, ice and fog the Guardian community team would like to hear from you.

How has it affected your commute? We’re also interested in any photos you have taken of the snowy weather.

You can share your experience using the form at this link:

Ice and slippery roads may affect your journey to work on Thursday morning, say the Met Office, with a particularly severe frost in northern areas of the UK.

The forecaster says that freezing fog is possible too, with this being most widespread in Northern Ireland. Northern and western areas of the UK can expect wintry showers, it adds.

Here is the Met Office’s visulisation of how the weather could play out this morning:

Robyn Vinter

Here is a snippet from Robyn’s latest dispatch:

It was the moment they had been waiting four days for. A tractor appeared on the horizon, which signalled a possible final escape for the majority of the 33 people snowed in at the Tan Hill Inn, Britain’s highest pub.

Hugs were shared, phone numbers swapped. But in the end, there was not much time to say goodbye as those in 4x4s and those with snow chains on their tyres scrambled to leave in the wake of the snowplough, driven by the local farmer.

The urgency was necessary – strong winds across the tundra-like landscape meant the cleared roads were covered in snow drifts moments later and completely impassable in a couple of hours. Time was of the essence if the convoy of vehicles was to get out – and there was no guarantee they would do so on the steep and winding North Yorkshire roads.

Weather warnings remain in force across the UK as Britons are braced for temperatures to plummet as low as -20C.

Snow, ice and fog yellow weather warnings are in force across the UK on Thursday, after snow and sleet caused disruption on Wednesday.

The BBC’s weather forecaster, MeteoGroup, is predicting Thursday night to reach -20C in remote parts of northern England and Scotland, while the Met Office is forecasting –16C.

Overnight on Wednesday, temperatures fell to as low as -12C at Tulloch Bridge in Scotland, while it was below freezing across much of England and Wales.

Travel disruption to road and rail services are likely on Thursday 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 on Thursday and another snow and ice warning is in force for Northern Ireland until 11am on Thursday as sleet and snow showers are set to continue.

A yellow fog warning is in place for Northern Ireland until 9am on Thursday.

A further yellow warning for snow and ice affecting Cornwall, much of Wales and parts of north-west England has been issued until 11am on Thursday. A yellow ice warning has been issued for parts of southern England and south-east Wales until 10.30am on Thursday.

Here are some of the latest updates related to the UK’s freezing weather:

• 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.

• Oli Claydon, spokesperson for the Met Office, told the PA news agency it will be “bitterly cold” on Thursday night. 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.

• 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 12 January, meaning a rise in deaths is likely, the agency said.

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