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Britain and Europe are currently facing the wrath of a massive Arctic storm, leading to public safety warnings and significant transport disruptions, as temperatures plummet to an astonishing -33°C in certain regions.
The UK Met Office, the official national weather service, has issued an uncommon top-tier red alert for southwest England late Thursday (Friday AEDT), highlighting the severity of the situation.
Additionally, a yellow alert has been announced for heavy snowfall and rain across northern England, Wales, and the Midlands, with some areas bracing for up to 30cm of precipitation.
Forecasters have cautioned that Storm Goretti, advancing from the Atlantic Ocean, is set to unleash “violent gusts” reaching speeds of up to 160 km/h, particularly impacting Cornwall and the remote Scilly Isles.
Residents have been advised to prepare for potential threats, including damage to structures, school shutdowns, flying debris, and widespread power outages.
Meanwhile, several airports have been closed and flights cancelled due to the severe weather.
Birmingham Airport in the English Midlands suspended the use of its runway due to heavy snow, while the Channel Island of Jersey and Guernsey closed their airports.
Train travel has been severely impacted, with all services in Cornwall cancelled.
“This multi-hazard event will bring significant disruption to many,” said Neil Armstrong, chief forecaster at the Met Office.
“This is a complex spell of severe weather.”
Europe bracing for storm impact
Storm Goretti is expected to sweep into north-west Europe after it leaves the shores of the UK.
This week many countries have recorded frigid temperatures, snow and ice.
The severe weather disrupted services at one of the continent’s biggest airports – Schiphol in the Netherlands, causing the cancellation of about 700 flights.
French media also reported disruption at a major airport.
Heavy snow forced the cancellation of about 100 flights at Paris’s Charles de Gaulle airport and a further 40 at the French city’s smaller Orly hub on Wednesday, reports France24.
In the far north of Europe, the mercury plunged below -30 degrees.
The Finnish Meteorological Service recorded a mid-week temperature in northern Finland of -33 degrees.