Storm Goretti live updates: 65,000 homes are without power as 100mph winds batter the South West – as snowfall hits middle England

By ELEANOR MANN, JUNIOR NEWS REPORTER and JAMIE BULLEN, LIVE COVERAGE EDITOR

Updated: 19:54 EST, 8 January 2026

Storm Goretti has left 65,000 homes without power as winds, snow and unrelenting rain are hitting South West England. 

Residents in Cornwall have caught huge waves and sparking power outages in the county and are battling 100mph winds during a rare Met Office red weather alert for wind. 

A record gust of 99mph was recorded on the Isles of Scilly on Thursday night, as engineers battle the conditions to restore power to homes badly affected along the south coast. 

The fierce weather is also hitting the middle of England particularly hard overnight, as Birmingham Airport closed its runway and drivers battled the Belgrave Middleway ring road in Birmingham in blizzard-like conditions. 

Cornwall’s council leader said they were ‘preparing for the worst’, as a rare red wind warning – meaning there is a ‘danger to life’ – issued by the Met Office remains in place for the region until 11pm. 

Emergency alerts were issued in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly at 5pm on Thursday and residents were urged to stay indoors ahead of the storm, which gripped the UK at around 8pm last night. 

There are growing fears that some English villages could be cut off by heavy snowfall overnight after communities across Scotland were trapped and unable to leave their homes. 

An amber warning for snow covering the Midlands, South Yorkshire and Wales comes into force from 8pm, three hours after the first snowfall is expected, and will remain in place until 9am on Friday. 

Flights and trains have been cancelled as forecasters warn up to 30cm (1ft) of drifts is expected in some higher ground areas across the Peak District. 

It comes as villages in Scotland were left buried under more than 1ft of snowfall in what rural residents described as ‘one of the worst winters in 25 years’. 

Snow drifts have been 50cm (1ft 8in) deep in Insch, with residents comparing the situation at the local supermarket to food shortages during the pandemic. The disruption follows Aberdeenshire Council declaring a major incident on Tuesday. 

Follow the latest Storm Goretti updates below 

Dramatic footage shows bright flash as power outages cut off homes in Cornwall

Dramatic footage has captured the moment that bright flashes lit the night sky in Truro, Cornwall, as electricity mains went down in Storm Goretti.

The National Grid has confirmed that power went down in Monesk Road, Truro, near where the electricity sparks were seen, as many homes in the area are without power.

More than 65,000 homes are now without power, National Grid confirmed.

The energy provider said: ‘We can confirm there is a power cut in the Moresk Road area caused by a fault on the low voltage network.

‘Our engineers are aware and working to restore power as quickly as possible.’

Pictured: People brave heavy rain during Storm Goretti

Some people haven’t let the storm’s blistering snow, wind and rain stop them from going about daily life.

A pair were pictured braving the cold in Northampton tonight as they used an umbrella to shield them from extreme conditions.

Strong winds across the south of England

The Met Office tonight revealed the highest wind gusts recorded across the UK on Thursday:

• Scilly St Mary’s – 99mph
• Culdrose, Cornwall – 90mph
• Camborne, Cornwall – 82mph
• Cardington, Bedfordshire – 76mph
• Needles Old Battery, Isle of Wight – 74mph
• Plymouth – 73mph

Met Office recaps ‘extremes’ for ThursdayMore than 65,000 properties are now without power

More than 65,000 properties are without power, the National Grid has said.

Most of these properties are in south-west England, but there are also 11,000 affected in the West Midlands and a few thousand in Wales.

Pictured: Heavy snow at Birmingham Airport

New photos show the extent of snow at Birmingham Airport tonight after it was forced to close its runway.

The airport urged passengers set to travel to contact their airline regarding the status of their flights.

They added the ‘safety of our colleagues and customers is our number one priority’.

The photos show snow blanketing the ground as plane windows and wings are also covered.

Lorries slide along the M5 as Storm Goretti causes highway chaos

Lorries appeared to slide on the M5 as drivers battled the dreadful conditions to plough on to their destinations.

Traffic camera caught heavy load vehicles swerving across multiple lanes during the heavy snowfall tonight.

There was also significant disruption near Dowlais in Wales as snow covered much of the roads and long traffic queues built up in the treacherous conditions.

Meanwhile, bridges connecting Devon and Cornwall are closed to all vehicles, as an online update states that the bridge is ‘no longer safe for any vehicles to cross’.

The Tamar Bridge – connecting Devon and Cornwall – is temporarily closed as drivers are being urged to seek alternatives routes for essential travel.

Reporters battle winds and rain as they go live from storm hotspots

Footage shows journalists from the BBC, ITV and Sky News bravely battling Storm Goretti as they report to viewers at home from some of the worst hit areas in the UK.

Several reporters in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly struggling to speak and stand as they worked through blistering conditions.

Stephen Murphy, of Sky News, had to hold onto his hat as he rocked from side to side while reporting on the weather from Newquay, Cornwall.

ITV‘s Sangita Lal struggled to talk and had to hold onto something to stand as she was hit by torrential rain in St Ives.

Storm Goretti brought gusts of up to 100mph on Thursday evening, with a rare red weather warning for ‘dangerous, stormy’ winds issued in Cornwall.

The Met Office said ‘violent gusts’ will hit parts of the county and the Isles of Scilly over the next few hours, threatening 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.

The warning, in place from 4pm to 11pm on Thursday, states people should expect damage to buildings and homes, very large waves, flying debris resulting in danger to life, power cuts and public transport cancellations.

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Dramatic video footages shows Storm Goretti rocking Cornwall

Cornwall residents have shared dramatic video footage on social media of Storm Goretti rocking the county.

Footage shows strong winds and rain, fallen trees, and power outages as a red weather warning for 100mph winds remains in place in the area.

Residents are being asked to stay indoors, as the Met Office’s warning states that people should expect damage to property, large waves, and flying debris.

Watch below:

Read the full story here.

More than 250 schools to stay closed in Scotland

Over 250 schools in Scotland are set to stay closed on Friday – meaning many pupils will have had a full week off at the start of a new term after the Christmas break.

More than 150 schools in Aberdeenshire, dozens in the Highlands, and some schools in Moray are to remain closed for the rest of the week, the BBC reported.

Some pupils will have been provided with remote learning.

The number of school closures is also down from 440 closures on Wednesday, January 7.

Snow settling in west Midlands as Birmingham Airport suspends runway

Snow has been pictured settling in the west Midlands, an area under a Met Office yellow weather warning until midday tomorrow.

Heavy snow in the region has led to Birmingham Airport closing its runway and other operations.

The airport said in a post on X: ‘Due to heavy snow runway operations have been suspended.

‘Passengers due to travel should contact their airline regarding the status of flights.

‘The safety of our colleagues and customers is our number one priority and this decision has been made with this in mind.

‘We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.’

Pictures below show Belgrave Middleway in Birmingham covering the roads in heavy snowfall tonight, as well as Birmingham Airport covered in snow.

The storm has reduced visibility and snow ploughs are being used constantly in an effort to clear the snow. Around two inches has already fallen in the space of two hours.

Drivers along part of the city’s ring road are battling Storm Goretti, as the storm’s strong winds are creating a blizzard-like condition.

One family’s anger over council’s ‘ungritted’ pavements after schoolgirl breaks wrist falling from bike in icy conditions

A teenage girl broke her wrist falling off her bike on an icy pavement, leaving her family enraged with the council who they claim ‘aren’t interested’ in gritting the pavements.

Ruby Jane, 13, broke two bones in her wrist when she came off her bike onto the icy path while travelling to school in Oxford yesterday morning.

The Year 8 pupil was taken straight to the hospital, where she was told she may need surgery following the nasty fall on the subway that goes underneath Marston Ferry Road.

Her father, Guy Jane, claimed that the council ‘hadn’t gritted [the path] at all’, describing it as being ‘extremely dangerous’.

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Storm Goretti live updates: 65,000 homes are without power as 100mph winds batter the South West – as snowfall hits middle England