UK Braces for Snow, Ice as Power Outages Hit Tens of Thousands

On Friday 9 January 2026, Storm Goretti unleashed heavy rain, snow and gusts that produced a record low of –12.3 °C in Braemar. The Met Office issued yellow alerts for snow and ice across Scotland and large parts of England. By 6 am on Saturday, around 28 000 homes in the South West, 1 700 in the West Midlands and 150 in the East Midlands had lost power, according to the National Grid. Temperatures on Saturday will hover between 2 °C and 3 °C, rising to 10 °C in some areas of the west and Northern Ireland on Sunday, raising the risk of localised flooding. Snow is forecast to fall 10–20 cm in high‑ground Scotland, with lighter showers elsewhere, as the cold front settles. Residents are urged to secure supplies and avoid unnecessary travel.