Weather LIVE: Storm Goretti danger ‘not over yet’ with cars crushed as flood alerts issued

Tens of thousands of Brits are facing widespread power cuts, travel disruption and school closures with weather warnings for snow and ice across the country. Two airports stopped a number of flights with Storm Goretti bringing up to 30cm of snow. Dozens of flights have been delayed or cancelled including from London Heathrow and Birmingham airports due to the weather conditions.[1][2] It comes as the wild, wintry weather brought 99mph winds while a rare red warning was issued by the Met Office for "dangerous, stormy" winds in the South West.

And today the weather agency says Storm Goretti "continues to cause problems" as a mixture of rain, sleet and snow batters some areas.

20:31KEY EVENT

New weather warning issued

A new warning for snow and ice has been issued across northern England and Scotland, from 2am until 3pm on Sunday. Forecasters said a spell of snow will lead to some disruption, with possible travel delays on roads, stranding some vehicles and passengers. The Met Office said passengers travelling by rail, air or buses could face delays or cancellations.

There is also a risk of injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces - and power cuts may also occur. Sharing details of the new weather warning, the Met Office said: "A band of snow will move across the warning area through Sunday morning. "Across northern England this will mostly be confined to ground above 200 metres elevation, but across Scotland this could fall to low levels during the morning, before becoming increasingly confined to higher ground through the afternoon.

"Whilst not all areas may see accumulating snow at low levels, 2 to 5cm is likely, perhaps locally 10 cm. Above 200 metres elevation 10 to 20 cm is possible, perhaps locally up to 30 cm on hills exposed to the strong southerly winds, and over the highest parts of Scotland. Strong winds will lead to some drifting of the snow, and widely icy conditions are likely."

A new warning for snow and ice has been issued for Sunday (MET OFFICE)20:07Chiara Fiorillo

National Grid's latest update on homes left without power

More than 38,000 properties were without power in the South West at about 7pm on Friday, according to the National Grid's website, along with about 5,000 in the West Midlands, more than 1,000 in the East Midlands, and about 120 in Wales.

19:38Chiara Fiorillo

More than 80 trees brought down by Storm Goretti on St Michael's Mount

Residents on a tidal island near Cornwall woke to the devastation wreaked by Storm Goretti, which felled more than 80 trees.

The head gardener of St Michael's Mount, Darren Little, said he was heartbroken to see the island on Friday morning, and the damage was 10 times worse than that caused by any other storm in the decades he has lived there. The island has a weather station which recorded winds of 111mph on Thursday evening, before a power cut which lasted until Friday morning, Mr Little, 51, said. "At about 6pm it just got louder and louder and the waves were picking up, the spray was shooting up in the air," he explained.

"There was a loud crash, a loud bang and suddenly our power went." Mr Little added: "We went out this morning and got our chainsaw equipment out and started to clear the castle path, we had to make sure it was easily accessible in case of emergencies. We started at 8.30am and finished around 4.30pm."

About 80 to 100 trees were brought down, most of the trees on the island, he said.

The extensive damage caused to St Michael's Mount after Storm Goretti (St Aubyn Estate / SWNS)18:59Chiara Fiorillo

Met Office shares latest forecast

The Met Office has shared the latest forecast for this evening. Further ran and snow is hitting some places, with icy stretches developing as temperatures fall.

Further rain, sleet and some snow in places this evening, but icy stretches also developing as temperatures fall ? pic.twitter.com/bJms2plo6y [3]

-- Met Office (@metoffice) January 9, 2026 [4]18:38Chiara Fiorillo

House damaged as trees fall on it

A home in Truro, Cornwall, was damaged after two large trees fell on it. Photos show the trees breaking through the roof of the property.

Two large trees fell on a home in Truro, Cornwall (William Dax / SWNS)18:09Chiara Fiorillo

Thousands of properties still without power

More than 30,000 properties were without power in the South West at about 5.30pm on Friday, according to the National Grid's website.

About 3,000 homes in the West Midlands, more than 900 in the East Midlands, and about 160 in Wales, also have no power.

17:11Chiara Fiorillo

Yellow weather warning updated

The Met Office has updated one of its yellow weather warnings. The warning for ice, in force until 12pm on Saturday, now includes areas of southern England. The warning reads: "Partially thawed snow during Friday will likely freeze overnight as temperatures fall below freezing, leading to a widespread ice risk.

"In addition, wintry showers will continue to feed into parts of Wales and southwest England at times, perhaps also into the West Midlands. "Whilst there is some uncertainty as to the extent of any precipitation, this falling onto frozen surfaces may also add to the risk of ice. "Freezing fog patches are also likely in places, posing an additional ice hazard."

The Met Office has updated its yellow warning for ice (Met Office)16:18Chiara Fiorillo

MP calls for urgent help in South West

Gideon Amos, Liberal Democrat MP for Taunton and Wellington in Somerset, has said the South West needs urgent help.

He said: "The Government's Cobra committee must urgently be convened to ensure fast help is delivered across the region. "The South West is routinely overlooked by the Government, but we cannot be ignored in this time of need."

16:04Chiara Fiorillo

Lowest overnight temperature revealed

The lowest temperature recorded overnight was minus 13.3C at Braemar, Aberdeenshire, while a peak gust of 99mph was reported at St Marys on the Isles of Scilly, the highest here since 1991, according to the Met Office.

15:27Chiara Fiorillo

150,000 customers have power restored

Downing Street has said support was being offered to homes left without power - and 150,000 customers have had their power restored so far. A No 10 spokesman said: "The latest data I have is that around 0.21% of British customers are without power.

"Engineers and staff are working to reconnect them as quickly as possible. The latest numbers I have is approximately 150,000 customers have had their power restored so far."

15:15Chiara Fiorillo

Met Office shares weekend outlook

The Met Office has said the weather will be calm and cold on Saturday, but will turn wet and windy on Sunday. You can see the latest forecast here:

Making plans for the weekend?

Calm and cold on Saturday with an icy startTurning wet and windy on Sunday with a spell of snow across the north Here are all the details pic.twitter.com/4CNGMXUAVH [5]

-- Met Office (@metoffice) January 9, 2026 [6]15:00Sam Elliott-Gibbs

Tree crashes against house

A tree has crashed onto a property in Falmouth, Cornwall. Many in the county remain without power and have been told electricty may not be restored until Sunday.

Heartbreaking images show a up against a home following 24 hours on fierce winds.

A tree has fallen on a house (PA)14:38Sam Elliott-Gibbs

Waves continue to batter Cornish coast

Huge waves batter buidings including a church as they crash on the shore after locals were told to stay away. The clip, taken by Cornish photographer James Gitto, shows the Cornish coast in Porthleven come under attack from fierce waves.

Storm Goretti is certainly making her presence known here in Porthleven.Stay safe everyone! #stormgoretti #redalert #porthleven #cornwall pic.twitter.com/CqDYo0t0jQ [7][8][9][10][11]

-- James Kitto Photography (@JamesKittoPhoto) January 8, 2026 [12]14:26KEY EVENT

More flood warnings issued

More flood warnings have been issued, with a further 104 alerts given. Flood warnings are now in place in 14 places, the Environment Agency confirmed.

It means flooding is expected, while the 'alerts' describe the chances as 'possible.' Check your area here.[13] The 14 flood warnings:

Alfriston on the Cuckmere River
Barcombe Mills on the River Ouse
Climping
Gog Brook at Warwick
North Sea coast at Bridlington - Harbour Road and Floral Pavilion
Pevensey seafront
River Alne at Chapel Lane and Church Lane in Aston Cantlow and Great Alne
River Arrow and River Alne at Alcester and Oversley Mill
River Beult from Bethersden and Pluckley to Stile Bridge
River Dene at Walton
Ruskington Beck in Ruskington
South Hayling and South Eastoke seafront
Swaton Eau in Swaton Village

13:55Sam Elliott-Gibbs

Power 'may not be restored in homes until Sunday'

People's power might not be restored until Sunday, a local MP has warned.

Thousands of homes in Cornwall have been cut off, with National Grid confirming 41,000 premises currently have no power. "It is expected that properties across Mid Cornwall will be facing electricity issues until Sunday," Noah Law, MP for St Austell and Newquay, said on social media.

Power is still out for thousands (Getty Images)12:51Sam Elliott-Gibbs

Shipping containers go overboard

A number of shipping containers have fallen from vessels off the Isle of Wight. According to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, refrigerated containers have gone overboard from two cargo vessels due to choppy waters.

An MCA spokesman said HM Coastguard is "monitoring the situation closely and has sent a fixed-wing aircraft".

12:37Sam Elliott-Gibbs

Horror pictures show tree crushing student's car

Images show the extent of the fierce storm that has battered Britain over the past 24 hours. Falmouth University student Anna Richmond's car was crushed outside her rented accommodation by fallen trees during Storm Goretti. The worst of the strong winds came in the south west, with forecasters warning that danger is not yet over.

A student's car was destroyed (Getty Images)12:24Tim Hanlon

Student finds car crushed by tree outside accommodation

Trees have come down with roads blocked and tens of thousands of properties are without power across Cornwall in the wake of Storm Goretti.

Falmouth University student Anna Richmond's car which was crushed outside her rented accommodation by fallen trees during Storm Goretti. It happened with a rare red weather warning in place by the Met Office for the south west of England with winds reaching 99mph.

Anna Richmond inspects the damage to her car (Getty Images)12:11Tim Hanlon

Overnight lows of -13.3C with 27cm of snow recorded as falling in one area

Met Office says 27cm of snow has fallen in Scotland and the coldest temperature overnight was -13.3C. The national weather agency also said that the peak gust from Storm Goretti was 99mph.

It stated: "Storm Goretti has been an impactful weather system, with significant disruption and impacts reported so far. A peak gust of 99mph was reported at St Marys on the Isles of Scilly, the highest here since 1991. "Accumulations of snow have also been reported, 15cm has been recorded at Lake Vyrnwy in Powys, 7cm at Preston Montford in Shropshire and 7cm at Nottingham.

Wider accumulations have been recorded, as well as some higher unofficial totals from non-Met Office observations. "Notable snow accumulations continue in Scotland, with 27cm at Altnaharra in Sutherland, 26cm at Loch Glascarnoch and 22cm at Durris in Kincardineshire. The lowest temperature recorded overnight was -13.3?C at Braemar, Aberdeenshire."

Storm Goretti has now cleared to the east.

The storm brought a gust of 99mph at St Mary's in the Isles of Scilly, and 16cm of snow at Lake Vyrnwy in Wales pic.twitter.com/r83TfoeSEA [14]

-- Met Office (@metoffice) January 9, 2026 [15]11:54Tim Hanlon

Full list of venues closed in West Midlands as Storm Goretti brings heavy snow and ice

Birmingham has yellow warnings for snow and ice in place and is one of the areas worst affected by Storm Goretti today. And latest closures announced due to snow in the region include: Birmingham Botanical Gardens, West Midlands Safari Park, Cadbury World, Legoland and Sea Life Centre. Legoland posted: "Important Notice: Due to Storm Goretti and severe weather conditions, we are closed today for the safety of our guests and staff."

Here is the full list of venues closed in the region:

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery
Thinktank Science Museum in Birmingham city centre
Birmingham Wildlife Conservation Park at Cannon Hill Park in Edgbaston
Lapworth Museum of Geology in Edgbaston
Dudley Zoo in Dudley
Wild Zoological Park at Halfpenny Green, near Wolverhampton
Ash End Children's Farm in Tamworth (the big barn is still open)
Shakespeare Birthplace Museums in Stratford-upon-Avon
Young Voices at BP Pulse Live at the NEC
Twycross Zoo in Atherstone
Bodenham Arboretum, near Kidderminster
Car parks at Sandwell Valley Country Park
Hockerhill Play Barn in Brewood, Staffordshire
Wightwick Manor and Gardens in Wolverhampton
Kingstanding Wellbeing Centre swimming sessions cancelled and site closing at 6pm
Warwick Castle (closed for essential maintenance until January 17)
Clent Hills (Nimmings Wood car park closed)
Dudmaston and Comer Woods
Birmingham Back to Backs closed until Thursday, February 5
Moseley Old Hall closed until Friday, February 13
Packwood House in Solihull
Baddelsey Clinton in Solihull
Carding Mill Valley on the Long Mynd
Attingham Park in Shrewsbury
Shugborough Estate in Staffordshire
Coventry Charterhouse

11:45Tim Hanlon

Tens of thousands of homes without power as Storm Goretti continues to batter UK

More than 44,000 properties are now without power in the South West, according to the National Grid's website. There are also about 14,000 that have no power in the West Midlands, more than 700 with no power in the East Midlands and more than 500 without power in Wales. While as of 8am, 147,983 properties had been restored across the South West, Midlands and South Wales.

11:27Sam Elliott-Gibbs

Storm Goretti 'continues to cause problems'

Storm Goretti will "continue to cause problems" today as it targets other parts of Europe, the Met Office said.

Meteorologist Alex Deakin said the storm will begin clear throughout the afternoon but many will face a "wet, cold, miserable day". He said: "Storm Goretti continues to cause problems through Friday morning, particularly across parts of eastern England, where we are seeing a mixture of rain, sleet, and still some snow falling. "The heavy snow over the West Midlands and Wales has now eased but of course, is still lying on the floor and still causing some disruption.

"Gradually, through the day, the storm will continue to clear away, but it's going to still be a wet, cold miserable day across much of eastern England, and still icy across parts of northern Britain as well."

Storm Goretti continues to batter the UK (PA)11:02Sam Elliott-Gibbs

Flood alerts put in place for London

Flood alerts have been issued for London and the south east. Heavy rain brought by Storm Goretti means river levels remain high. The Environment Agency says further rainfall could lead to flooding of low-lying land, roads and footpaths in affected areas.

The flood alerts currently in place:

Chertsey Bourne
Lower River Medway
River Bourne from Hadlow to East Peckham
River Darent from Westerham to Dartford
River Mole and its tributaries, from Kinnersley Manor to South Hersham
Rivers Eden and Eden Brook
The Rivers Wid and Can
Upper River Colne and Radlett Brook

10:56Sam Elliott-Gibbs

Dozens more flights cancelled

More flights in and out of Heathrow airport have been grounded. At least 69 flights scheduled to operate to or from London on Friday are cancelled as Storm Goretti rages. This is likely to have disrupted more than 9,000 passengers.

The majority of the cancellations are short-haul flights by British Airways, which is the largest airline at Heathrow.

10:50Sam Elliott-Gibbs

'My home was hit by Storm Goretti... I've never seen weather as wild as this'

A resident left without power has shared their experience of being caught in the midst of the storm. Perrin Hooper, 24, who has a following of 396,000 on social media, filmed themselves saying: "The storm last night was wild.

"I hope everyone's okay... any of my fellow Cornwall people." Sharing the video at 7:50am on Friday, Perrin revealed: "I've got no power, we've got no power and there are trees down everywhere. "There were 123mph winds somewhere near us, I believe.

But I must say, they've done a very good job of getting the power back up pretty quickly for most areas. So well done." Read the full story here.[16]

@persworld I've never seen weather like that, hoping everyone is okay and make sure to check in on anyone you know in Cornwall who is vulnerable and you loved ones! #stormgoretti #cornwall #storm #uk #redweatherwarning original sound - Perrin Hooper [17][18][19][20][21][22][23]10:39Sam Elliott-Gibbs

In pictures: Morning snow arrives as hundreds of schools shut

Millions woke up to snow this morning after overnight wintry showers.

Tens of thousands of homes are without power with fresh weather warnings issued this morning. Some have been out enjoying the snow with hundreds of schools again closed.

A young boy enjoys the snow in Harbourne, Birmingham (Anita Maric / SWNS)

09:51KEY EVENT

Met Office issue more weather warnings

Further weather warning have now been issued for tomorrow. The Met Office has announced a Yellow snow and ice warning for Northern Ireland, Scotland and the Midlands.

The region will be approached by wintry showers, which are predicted to start impacting the area on Friday at around 5pm before clearing at 11am on Saturday. A Yellow ice warning covers parts of East Midlands, London and South East England, North West England, South West England, Wales, West Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber. A Met Office forecast said: "Clear spells on Friday evening and overnight will allow temperatures to quickly fall below freezing, leading to the development of icy stretches, especially on untreated surfaces.

A scattering of wintry showers are also expected, these falling as snow over hills above 200 m, where further small accumulations of 1 to 3 cm are possible in a few places."

09:48Sam Elliott-Gibbs

Incredible view of the storm

A BBC weather map shows the storm's path overnight. Goretti crossed the UK overnight and is expected to hit other parts of Europe within hours.

Incredible view of #StormGORETTI [24] as it crossed the UK overnight. Strongest winds. wrapped around the hook, brought a record gust to the Isles of Scilly of 99mph.

Good news is that the worst of the weather is over as Goretti moves into Central Europe @BBCBreakfast pic.twitter.com/nzDJq1bcor [25][26]

-- Matt Taylor (@MetMattTaylor) January 9, 2026 [27]09:25Sam Elliott-Gibbs

Around 65,000 homes without power

Approaching 65,000 homes across England and Wales are currently without power, according to the National Grid. Most of the properties are in south west England, where a total of 47,592 are cut off. The Met Office warned "violent gusts" hitting Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, bringing a potential danger to life.

Winds of 99mph have already been recorded at St Mary's Airport on the Isles of Scilly, which is a new record for the site, the forecaster said.

Storm Goretti has caused chaos (Getty Images)09:12Sam Elliott-Gibbs

Video shows force of wind

A social media video lays bare the incredible force of the wind as Storm Goretti swirls. The clip, taken this morning at Hayle train station in west Cornwall, sees the sky flash as lightning strikes. The storm is hitting the UK and schools have already decided to close with winds of up to 100mph predicted in some areas.

Absolutely exceptional force of wind from #StormGoretti - easily without doubt, recency bias or excitement - the most violent wind gusts I've ever experienced.

Constant power flashes in the first hour, many in the distance and then eventually over Hayle with the power going. pic.twitter.com/8BVnpPRiJX [28][29]

-- Official Weather UK (@Official_WXUK) January 8, 2026 [30]

References

^ Storm Goretti bringing up to 30cm of snow. (www.mirror.co.uk)
^ weather conditions. (www.mirror.co.uk)
^ pic.twitter.com/bJms2plo6y (t.co)
^ January 9, 2026 (twitter.com)
^ pic.twitter.com/4CNGMXUAVH (t.co)
^ January 9, 2026 (twitter.com)
^ #stormgoretti (twitter.com)
^ #redalert (twitter.com)
^ #porthleven (twitter.com)
^ #cornwall (twitter.com)
^ pic.twitter.com/CqDYo0t0jQ (t.co)
^ January 8, 2026 (twitter.com)
^ Check your area here. (check-for-flooding.service.gov.uk)
^ pic.twitter.com/r83TfoeSEA (t.co)
^ January 9, 2026 (twitter.com)
^ Read the full story here. (www.mirror.co.uk)
^ @persworld (www.tiktok.com)
^ stormgoretti (www.tiktok.com)
^ cornwall (www.tiktok.com)
^ storm (www.tiktok.com)
^ uk (www.tiktok.com)
^ redweatherwarning (www.tiktok.com)
^ original sound - Perrin Hooper (www.tiktok.com)
^ #StormGORETTI (twitter.com)
^ @BBCBreakfast (twitter.com)
^ pic.twitter.com/nzDJq1bcor (t.co)
^ January 9, 2026 (twitter.com)
^ #StormGoretti (twitter.com)
^ pic.twitter.com/8BVnpPRiJX (t.co)
^ January 8, 2026 (twitter.com)