Britain is experiencing widespread wintry chaos as Storm Goretti continues to affect the nation, prompting the Met Office to upgrade a snow and ice warning to amber for parts of Scotland. This amber alert, in effect from 3 am to 2 pm on Sunday, covers the North East of Scotland into Tayside and Central Scotland, with forecasters warning of up to a foot (30cm) of snow on higher ground and 2-5cm at lower levels. These conditions are expected to lead to severe travel disruption, power cuts, and a potential risk to life and property.

Alongside the amber warning, numerous yellow warnings for snow, ice, wind, and rain are in place across much of the UK. These include north-east and north-west England, the East and West Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber, and Northern Ireland, with varying timings throughout the weekend. Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud described the weekend weather as "unsettled and cold," with wintry showers expected to continue, particularly in northern and eastern coastal areas, and frost lingering across parts of the country. Sunday will see rain moving steadily eastwards from the West, turning to snow inland across the North Midlands and further North before temperatures rise, confining snow to higher ground by the afternoon. Strong winds and coastal gales, with the potential for severe gales in the north west, are also forecast.

The severe weather has already caused significant disruption. National Rail has warned of widespread travel issues across England, Wales, and Scotland. Power outages initially affected around 28,000 properties in the South-West, nearly 1,700 in the West Midlands, and approximately 150 in the East Midlands, though power has since been restored to all homes in Wales, with Downing Street offering support to affected households. Furthermore, a Government minister, Mary Creagh from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, deemed "entirely unacceptable" the water supply issues experienced by residents in several areas of the South East and South West following the cold weather and Storm Goretti. She chaired a meeting with water companies and local resilience forums to expedite supply restoration, prioritizing vulnerable customers and essential public services, noting that government action has increased compensation rates for affected customers.

Storm Goretti has also tragically resulted in a fatality, with a man in his 50s dying after a tree fell onto his caravan in the Mawgan area of Helston, Cornwall, amidst hurricane-force winds. Cornwall itself was lashed by gusts up to 100mph. The Met Office also warned that a dangerous combination of melting snow and heavy rain could significantly increase flood risks in the coming days. Recorded snowfall totals include 15cm at Lake Vyrnwy in Powys, 7cm at Preston Montford in Shropshire and Nottingham, and in Scotland, 27cm at Altnaharra in Sutherland, 26cm at Loch Glascarnoch, and 22cm at Durris in Kincardineshire. The heaviest rainfall was logged in Cornwall (61.8mm at Colliford Dam), followed by Ddolwen Bridge in Dyfed (57mm) and White Barrow in Devon (54mm).

Compounding the challenges, police have criticized tourists for irresponsible behavior in affected areas. In Snowdonia, North Wales, "Instagram-loving tourists" were admonished for "ridiculous parking" on snow-covered mountain roads, which put others at risk of "serious" injury and into the path of oncoming vehicles, with warnings that dangerously parked vehicles could be towed. Brazen hikers were also pictured attempting to climb Snowdon despite an avalanche warning issued by the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team. Looking ahead, the unsettled but increasingly milder theme is expected to continue into next week, bringing persistent rain at times in northern and western areas, along with strong to gale force winds, though temperatures will return to near-normal values, making it feel much milder than recently.