Summary

  • More than 10,000 homes are left without power in Shropshire at the peak of Storm Goretti's fallout, although the number has been steadily decreasing

  • Both amber and yellow snow warnings for the West Midlands have been lifted, but a yellow warning for ice is in place until 12:00 GMT on Saturday

  • In Herefordshire, a gritter is forced off the road by an "irresponsible" driver

  • West Midlands Railway is running a reduced timetable and urges people to check before travelling

  • Birmingham Airport has reopened its runway on a reduced basis after suspending all flights earlier

  • There have been widespread school closures across the region

  • The sky over Birmingham turned dazzling pink during the storm on Thursday night

  • Follow for live updates from emergency services, local authorities and our team of reporters

  • Listen for radio updates on BBC CWR (Coventry & Warwickshire), BBC Hereford & Worcester, BBC Radio Shropshire, BBC Radio Stoke and BBC Radio WM (Birmingham & Black Country)

Live Reporting

Written by Lee Bottomley, Alex McIntyre, and Vanessa Pearce. Edited by John Newton.

  1. A twist on the traditional snowman

    One benefit of heavy snow in Shropshire is the chance for a bit of outdoor art.

    Paul created this impressive sculpture in Shifnal..

    A large snow sculpture of a man on the pavement of a housing estateSupplied

  2. Best in snow: Dogs have fun in the white stuff

    As humans dealt with the range of challenges that come with snowfall, our four-legged best friends had a more carefree approach.

    Below are some of the dogs who have been having the time of their lives today, courtesy of our BBC Weather Watchers.

    A dog pictured in mid air after leaping from the ground, which is covered in snow.alideakin
    A white and brown dog bounds towards the camera over snow-covered ground.Stormchaser Al
    A brown and white dog runs through deep snow towards the camera.Will
    Two dogs stand next to a large snowman in the middle of the park. The snowman has a smiley face and two long, thin branches for arms.Dammo

  3. A thaw, you saw

    There appears to have been no reports of any new snowfall across the West Midlands over the last few hours.

    The Met Office's yellow weather warning for snow in the region ended at midday, after it was reduced from an amber warning this morning. However, a yellow warning for ice is in force and will be until midday on Saturday.

    In the meantime, lots of people are telling us that the snow we did get - and there was plenty - has begun to thaw, creating wet conditions underfoot.

    Sadly, people have reported their snowmen have started to melt as a result, although this one in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter is still keeping it together, just about.

    A snowman leaning to one side, with branches poking out of it, in the middle of a park, which is covered in snow and ice.

  4. Thousands still without power

    There are water supply problems too

    The number of homes without power in Shropshire this afternoon is still in the thousands.

    At the time of this update, about 7,000 properties in the county were off supply, according to National Grid.

    And here's how it's looking across the wider region:

    Staffordshire 1,087

    West Midlands 297

    Herefordshire 242

    Warwickshire 221

    Worcestershire 121

    National Grid told us that the heavy snow in Shropshire had made it difficult for teams to get to some areas to carry out repairs safely.

    Meanwhile, Severn Trent says some of its pumps have been affected by power outages, which has meant low pressure or no water supply in areas of Shrewsbury.

    It says it is working with National Grid to resolve the issues.

  5. In pictures: Birmingham blanketed in snow

    Striking aerial images show a blanket of snow covering the city centre in Birmingham.

    Gas StreetGetty Images
    Cars in a Birmingham streetGetty Images
    Canal basinGetty Images
    Snowy homesGetty Images

  6. Images show airport's snow-covered runway

    These pictures show the condition of Birmingham Airport's runway earlier this morning as workers tried to clear the snow.

    Vehicles parked up at the side of an airport runway, which is covered in snow. A vehicle can be seen moving snow away from the runway.Birmingham Airport

    The runway has since reopened and is running reduced operations, with passengers urged to check the status of their flights with their airlines.

    Vehicles work to remove the snow on the runway at an airport.Birmingham Airport

  7. A reminder - even treated roads can be treacherous

    Gritting crews in Sandwell treated 270 miles of road in advance of snow falling on Thursday evening, with the council saying its crews had applied a double load of salt.

    But it has reminded drivers that they should always take care in adverse conditions, saying that even treated surfaces can be treacherous.

  8. More than 150 Staffordshire schools closed

    To Staffordshire, where the snow arriving on Thursday night has resulted in 155 schools across the county being shut on Friday.

    Past midday, that's more for record than guidance, but if you fancy a look at the long list of closures, it's here.

    A snow covered road with a car with headlights on driving by

    The scene in Stafford on Thursday night

  9. Birmingham's 'winter wonderland'

    Josh Sandiford
    BBC News, West Midlands

    Two Hungarian tourists who arrived in Birmingham last night from Budapest said their flight into Birmingham International Airport was delayed for three hours.

    Elizabeth Gömböcz Szabóné, 59 and Noémi Szabó, 21, said they had come prepared with extra clothes and waterproof boots.

    "But we're now struggling to walk around in the snow," Szabó said .

    Elizabeth Gömböcz Szabóné, 59 and Noémi Szabó, 21,

    "We usually travel to warmer places, so this is our first time travelling with snow and in winter time," she said.

    "But I think it has a unique winter wonderland feeling, even if the holidays are over."

  10. Council says 'be kind' to staff

    Shropshire Council is urging the public who need to contact the authority amid an impact on services to be kind and respectful to staff.

    The county has been hit hard by snow, leading to thousands of power outages, hundreds of shut schools, and impassable routes.

    A snow covered street

    The council said snowfall had caused disruption to many of its services across the county, and staff had been "working around the clock" to deal with the impact and keep people informed about any changes.

    Workers were doing their best to help people, the authority added, and rude and abusive behaviour towards them was unnecessary and would not be tolerated.

  11. 'Please don't block gritting routes'

    Tom Cooke
    BBC Coventry & Warwickshire

    Drivers in Warwickshire are being reminded to make sure they leave enough room on main roads when they park so that gritters can get through.

    Gritting lorries preparing to leave a depot

    Simon Moseley, the Highways Systems team manager at Warwickshire County Council, asked people to park considerately if they lived on a route that was regularly gritted.

    He said teams had encountered vehicles blocking routes which then prevented them from treating other parts of the road network.

  12. Hundreds of schools shut in Shropshire

    Alongside the thousands of homes without power in Shropshire, we can tell you that almost 250 schools are closed on Friday after the county felt the impact of Storm Goretti.

    The full list of school closures in the Shropshire Council area is here

    And the full list across Telford and Wrekin can be found here.

  13. Asda staff unload stuck delivery truck

    Josh Tranter
    BBC Radio WM

    Snow and ice around Asda in Sedgley, Dudley, is having to be cleared by hand.

    Steve Hassel

    Snow is no hassle for Steve Hassel

    "The delivery truck turned up this morning, tried to pull on the car park and now it’s stuck," said worker Steve Hassel.

    "We’re having to clear the pavement now to unload the truck by hand, we’ve been on it since 6am," he added. "Nightmare”

    Steve Hassel and friends

  14. Heritage railway helps clear snow

    Whether it's crashing cars, power outages, tricky commutes, or the dangers of fallen trees and cables, we've been building a picture for you this morning of challenges being faced across the region.

    But amid it all, there are the people chipping in to help.

    Some of those, such as the firefighters and engineers we've been telling you about, are paid to do it.

    Others have given their time voluntarily, such as the tractor drivers of Much Wenlock.

    There's been similar community spirit coming from Severn Valley Railway, which helped Network Rail to clear tracks overnight.

    A blue and yellow locomotive on the train in the snowSevern Valley Railway

    The heritage attraction was asked whether it had access to snow ploughs that could be retro-fitted to engines. In turn, it was able to get in touch with a local group of rail enthusiasts who had exactly what Network Rail needed.

    Gus Dunster from Severn Valley, said a plough went out at 23:00 yesterday and came back at 08:00 this morning, after clearing tracks all over the West Midlands.

  15. Pair 'dreading' commute home from Birmingham

    Rachel Oley and Sharon Willetts walked arm-in-arm earlier as they tried to carefully make their way to work at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Birmingham.

    Two women wearing bobble hats and large black coats, smile as they stand on a pavement with their arms linked.

    They managed to get a train to the city from Marston Green, Solihull, but told BBC Radio WM it had taken them a long time just to get a short way up the road to work from Birmingham New Street station.The pair described walking on the sludge, ice and snow as a "struggle" and said they were "dreading" the rest of their walk - as well as the commute home later today.

  16. 'Significant' rail disruption on CrossCountry services

    The weather has had a "significant impact" on CrossCountry network services particularly across the West Midlands, the company said.

    Nick Westcott, CrossCountry's Service Delivery Director, explained: “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."

    Canley Railway station

    This was the scene at Canley Railway station in Coventry earlier

    He added: “As a result, services today are severely disrupted. There are currently no services operating from Birmingham towards Manchester, Nottingham or Cardiff, with only a limited service running on other routes.

    "Our teams are working around the clock with Network Rail to manage the impacts of the storm while maintaining a safe service.

    "Customers are strongly advised to check before travelling. Tickets dated for travel [on Friday] can be used on CrossCountry services up to and including Monday 12 January.”

  17. Fire crews busy with 'variety' of incidents

    More context now from Shropshire where, as we told you a moment ago, the brunt of power outages were being felt...

    Shropshire Fire Service had a busy night on Thursday, saying at the peak of the storm it was dealing with "high call volumes" for a range of problems.

    A rear view of two fire fighters in hi-vis uniform walking up a suburban street in heavy snow.SFRS/Amber Watch Wellington

    Most of the jobs listed on its incident log related to fallen cables - one of which set fire to a tree in Ketley, Telford, while another came down on the A488 at Wagbeach near Minsterley.

    Retained (part-time) crews in some parts of the county based themselves in fire stations to ensure cover, including Amber Watch in Wellington.

  18. Power outage figures - latest

    Let's bring you some more data.

    We're revising the picture we shared for Shropshire about an hour ago to say nearly 10,000 homes are without power at the time of this post.

    As we reported earlier, power has been restored to homes throughout the day, but snow is hampering repair efforts.

    Cables drape low between houses on a snowy streetSupplied

    Cables down in Shrewsbury on Thursday evening

    Across the wider West Midlands, the number of properties without power currently looks like this....

    Staffordshire 891

    Herefordshire 635

    Worcestershire 469

    Warwickshire 125

    West Midlands 307

  19. The ups and downs of waiting for a bus

    Dawn Timmins and Vicky Gatehouse met at a bus stop in Sedgley, Dudley, where they were hoping to catch a service to work.

    A woman with blonde hair and light brown fluffy coat stands next to a woman with brown hair and a black coat. They're both smiling while they stand under a bus stop shelter. A snow-covered road is visible behind them.

    Vicky Gatehouse, left, and Dawn Timmins, right, have been waiting at a bust stop for more than an hour

    When we spoke to them, they had been waiting for more than an hour as services experienced delays amid the snow and ice.

    They were trying to remain upbeat, however, despite the inconvenience.

    Gatehouse told BBC Radio WM she quite enjoyed her walk to the bus stop from her home in Gornal this morning, adding: "It was just me and the snow, it was lovely."

  20. School closures in Warwickshire

    The severe weather has closed 89 schools across Warwickshire, although, by now, we're sure most parents will know whether their children are affected.

    But let's do the housekeeping, and add that county to the schools closure pot, the lid of which we opened some hours ago.

    You can keep up to date with any other emergency closures here.