The West Midlands was brought to a grinding halt on Friday, January 9, 2026, as the fierce blizzard conditions of Storm Goretti blanketed the region in snow, triggering widespread school closures and severe transport disruption.
Widespread School and University Closures
Hundreds of primary and secondary schools, along with colleges and universities, took the decision to shut their doors for the day citing safety concerns. Many made the proactive call to close on Thursday evening as two inches of snow rapidly settled across Birmingham and surrounding areas from around 7pm.
The closures left parents scrambling for childcare and highlighted the extensive impact of the severe winter weather on daily life.
Transport Networks Paralyzed
The storm's impact on travel was profound and multi-faceted. Birmingham Airport suspended all flights on Thursday night, only managing to reopen its runway on a reduced basis at approximately 7am on Friday.
On the roads, drivers faced treacherous conditions. The A5 was closed in both directions near Tamworth, leaving around 50 motorists stranded until they could be safely released. Numerous other routes were also forced to close, and bus services across the region were axed.
The rail network suffered equally. CrossCountry cancelled all services between Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham, and Cardiff. The operator reported that several of its trains had been left stranded by the heavy snowfall.
"The past 24 hours have been extremely challenging," said Nick Westcott, CrossCountry's Service Delivery Director. "Heavy snowfall in the Birmingham area resulted in several trains being stranded and prevented access to our depot, meaning many trains were unable to refuel overnight."
Council Response and Ongoing Clean-Up
In response to the chaos, Birmingham City Council suspended all bin collections and urged residents to only make essential journeys. The authority confirmed its gritter crews had been working throughout Thursday and into the night, with plans to continue treating priority roads and footpaths into Friday.
A council spokesperson stated: "Following the heavy snow, and continued icy conditions, our gritters will be treating the city’s priority roads at 2pm, and footpaths at 4am tomorrow."
The Met Office forecast for the region warned of a cold night ahead with a risk of frost, ice, and patchy freezing fog, indicating that the challenging conditions were set to continue.
