Manchester Airport closes both its runways due to heavy snow

Manchester Airport has temporarily closed both its runways due to heavy snowfall.

The airport said health and safety is its “top priority” and advised passengers that it will resume flights “at the earliest opportunity”.

Anyone due to travel from the airport is advised to contact their airline for the most up-to-date flight information.

In a further update posted on Twitter this morning, the airport said: “Our runways remain closed as we continue to clear the airfield following a fresh deposit of snow in the last hour.

“Health and safety will always be our top priority and operations will resume at the earliest opportunity. Passengers are advised to contact their airline for the most up-to-date flight information.”

It comes as temperatures plunged below -10C (14F) in parts of the UK overnight amid warnings of snow, ice and travel disruption. Drumnadrochit near Inverness in the Highlands hit -10.4C (13.28F) in the early hours of Thursday, making it the coldest recorded temperature of the year so far, while Topcliffe in north Yorkshire saw temperatures drop to -7.4C (18.68F) - the coldest in England.

The Met Office is warning people to brace for several days of travel disruption as snow, ice and bitterly cold conditions grip the country. Yellow weather warnings covering northern and south-west Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales suggest there may be “further wintry showers bringing disruption from ice and snow”, while an ice warning is also in place for the south west of England.

It is set to be a cold and frosty start to many places on Thursday morning (19 January) when temperatures could dip to -4C or -3C in towns and cities or even -8C in rural spots where snow may lie on the ground. Many areas will go on to have a cold, dry, bright winter’s day with temperatures of around 3C but a “brisk cold wind” persists in northern Scotland.

A level three cold weather alert has been issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), warning of conditions that “could increase the health risks to vulnerable patients and disrupt the delivery of services”. This alert is in place until 9am on Friday (20 January).

The yellow weather warnings which are in place across western parts of the UK, Wales and the north of Scotland run until noon on Thursday, while the ice warning for the south west of England lasts until 10am on Thursday.

Met Office forecaster Marco Petagna said: “Parts of north-west Scotland still have 34cm of snow lying, elsewhere this is around 9cm, and in sites across Northern Ireland we’ve got 7cm, and in Wales as well.

“The main thing elsewhere is frost and ice, showers are focused towards the north and west of the UK, so elsewhere a frosty and icy, but dry start. Lighter winds in the south on Thursday, so it’s not going to feel quite as raw, even though temperatures are still cold, there will be less of a wind chill effect.

“Gradually it will turn less cold over the next few days, we hold onto it generally today and tomorrow, but into the weekend Atlantic air starts to come in, bringing temperatures up to double figures.”