The West Midlands is braced for a severe blast of winter weather as Storm Goretti is set to sweep across the region, triggering a rare amber weather warning for snow.
Timeline of Disruption
The Met Office has warned that heavy rain will turn to snow from around 5pm on Thursday, 8th January 2026. A yellow warning will be in force at that time, before being escalated to the more severe amber alert by 8pm.
Snowfall is forecast to intensify throughout the evening and overnight, with the most disruptive conditions expected into Friday morning. The snow is predicted to ease during Friday, turning to rain or sleet at lower levels, but significant travel disruption is likely to persist.
Expected Snow Accumulations
Substantial accumulations are expected across the Midlands. The Met Office states that 10-15cm (4-6 inches) is likely quite widely, with a strong possibility of 20-30cm (8-12 inches) in some locations.
These higher totals are most probable on hills above 200 metres, particularly in areas like the Peak District and Wales. Across the wider Midlands region, up to 25cm could be dumped in the hardest-hit spots.
Warnings of Widespread Impact
The forecaster has been clear about the potential for significant disruption. The heavy snow is expected to cause difficult and dangerous travelling conditions, with road and rail networks likely to be severely affected on Friday morning.
"Storm Goretti is likely to bring heavy snow leading to disruption and difficult travelling conditions later Thursday and into Friday," a Met Office spokesperson said. They also noted some uncertainty in the storm's exact track, meaning the warning area and predicted accumulations could be updated.
It is important to note that Storm Goretti was named by Meteo France, as the strongest winds associated with the low-pressure system are anticipated over northern France.
