Storm Goretti brought a potentially deadly mix of violent winds, ice and heavy snow and rains<\/a> on Thursday, forcing schools to close and leaving more than 65,000 homes without power.<\/p>\n Gusts <\/a>of up to 99mph were recorded as authorities issued a rare red warning \u2013 the highest level \u2013 of winds for the Isles of Scilly<\/a> and Cornwall<\/a>.<\/p>\n Emergency alerts were sent<\/a> to mobile phones in the area and they sounded an alarm even if set to silent.<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Storm warning: Heavy weather in Guernsey (Government of Guernsey)<\/p>\n More than 65,000 properties in south-west England are without power, according to the National Grid. Over 11,000 homes in the West Midlands and 2,600 in Wales are also without power. <\/p>\n A red warning officially means \u201cit is very likely that there will be a risk to life, with substantial disruption to travel, energy supplies and possibly widespread damage to property and infrastructure\u201d.<\/p>\n The Met Office says of red warnings: \u201cYou should avoid travelling, where possible, and follow the advice of the emergency services and local authorities.\u201d<\/p>\n Rain started to turn to snow in the west country, the Midlands, Wales<\/a> and the Pennines, as part of the \u201cweather bomb\u201d<\/a> hitting the country.<\/p>\n But officials in the Midlands fear the worst of the snow is yet to come, with 30cm (11in) expected to fall on Friday – causing widespread travel disruption. <\/p>\n An amber warning for snow<\/a> on Thursday night and into Friday morning was in place across a swathe of the UK from southeast England to south Wales<\/a> and southwest England to Yorkshire and Scotland.<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Some cars were trapped in snow in Aberdeen (Beth Edmonston\/PA)<\/p>\n Yorkshire and the east of England were also under a yellow warning of rain <\/strong>overnight. <\/p>\n Winds of 99mph were recorded at St Mary’s Airport on the Isles of Scilly \u2013 a new record for the site.<\/p>\n Dozens of schools in Cornwall finished lessons early on Thursday as the storm approached, and others in the Midlands and Wales decided to close on Friday.<\/p>\n In Scotland, more than 250 schools are remaining closed for a fifth day on Friday following several days of intense snow, ice and sub-zero temperatures.<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n An officer at the Falmouth Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre monitors the progress of Storm Goretti (Getty)<\/p>\n Anyone trying to travel faced delays or disruption in the west and southwest of England. All trains in Cornwall were suspended from 6pm on Thursday, and in Devon, services on the Exeter-Okehampton and Exeter-Barnstaple routes were also suspended because of forecast high winds.<\/p>\n In Wales, six railway lines closed at 3pm on Thursday, with a reduced service on the remainder. Avanti West Coast cancelled one in three trains between London and Birmingham and Manchester.<\/p>\n Passengers were advised not to try to travel, with services disrupted again on Friday morning. Train operators offered passengers the option to postpone their journeys as far ahead as Monday.<\/p>\n No replacement buses were laid on because snow and rain were set to make road travel risky. <\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n A government red alert was sent to mobile phones in the southwest (Getty)<\/p>\n British Airways cancelled 30 flights to and from London Heathrow.<\/p>\n The RAC warned drivers of the risk of falling trees and cars being buffeted about.<\/p>\n Spokeswoman Alice Simpson said: \u201cA red weather warning<\/a> is every bit as serious as it sounds: avoid the roads \u2013 unless absolutely essential \u2013 until the storm winds have passed.<\/p>\n \u201cWith the worst conditions expected in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, we strongly urge motorists in these areas to stay safe by parking well away from trees that could be uprooted by the strongest winds the area has seen in years.<\/p>\n \u201cExposed routes and coastlines pose the greatest danger as motorists are completely exposed to the elements and risk being \u2018buffeted\u2019 across the road by sudden gusts.\u201d<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n The storm as seen from a weather satellite 36,000km above Earth (EUMETSAT)<\/p>\n![\"Storm](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/StormGoretti-Banner_(1).jpeg\")
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