Storm Goretti to hit Wales with heavy snow as amber warning issued

Wales is preparing for significant snowfall, high winds and travel disruption as Storm Goretti sweeps in from the south-west.

An amber warning for snow has been issued from 8pm Thursday to 9am Friday, covering large parts of Wales, the Midlands and South Yorkshire. The warning zone stretches from Carmarthenshire and Powys through the Welsh Marches and up to Sheffield.

The Met Office says 5–10cm of snow is likely widely across Wales, with 15–25cm possible in higher and more exposed areas. Some locations could see up to 30cm, making it the most disruptive wintry weather of the winter so far.

Forecasters warn that snowfall could cause major disruption to roads and rail lines, with delays and cancellations possible on key routes. Rural communities risk being cut off and power cuts and mobile phone outages are also possible.

A further yellow warning for snow and ice is in force across most of Wales from Thursday evening through to Friday lunchtime, meaning communities outside the amber zone could also see hazardous conditions.

Met Office chief forecaster Neil Armstrong described Storm Goretti as a “multi-hazard event”, combining heavy rain, strong gusts and snowfall.

Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said: “Storm Goretti is on its way, arriving later tomorrow and affecting us through tomorrow and into Friday, bringing some strong winds and some significant snow.”

“As the developing system pushes rain into the cold air already across the UK, we are likely to see fairly significant snow as we go through late Thursday into Friday,” he added.

Western areas are also braced for strong winds, with exposed coastlines and hills likely to see gusts of 60–70mph. The strongest winds are currently forecast across south-west England, where an amber warning is in place, but Wales is close to the highest-risk zone.

A yellow rain warning has been issued for west Wales from midday Thursday to 10am Friday, with the potential for surface water flooding in parts of Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion.

Forecasters say Wales could see some of the storm’s most challenging conditions before skies begin to clear later on Friday.