news Gatwick airport shuts down runway due to ‘unforecast snow’ as up to 10cm could hit South East | UK News

Gatwick Airport was forced to shut its runway because of "unforecast snow" as up to 10cm could hit London and the South East tonight.As much as 15cm is forecast for some parts of

Essex. A Gatwick Airport spokesperson said: "Gatwick temporarily closed its runway at 5.55pm due to unforecast snow."The airport's snow-clearing teams expect to be able to reopen

the runway again shortly."Responding to customers, it added: "Some flights were delayed due to a shortage of 'de-icing rigs'. "This situation has improved, however continued

freezing weather is causing further delays and some cancellations."The runway has since reopened.Traveler Rachel Lenney said: "Gatwick, we've literally just been told the airport

is closed?? Sitting here on the runway at Shannon."The live departure board showed a number of flights delayed or cancelled. Areas of Scotland, southwest England, the Midlands,

northwest England and Wales have already had snow this weekend, causing travel disruption.Ellie Wilson, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said: "Today's been a bit more snow than

we were originally thinking."Up to 5cm forecast 'quite widely'The Met Office has updated its yellow weather warning, forecasting a band of sleet and snow to hit the South East,

with possible snowfall of between 2cm and 5cm quite widely.The warning is in place until 9am on Monday.Forecasters say some areas of the UK could have more snow on Monday, with a

small chance that rural communities could be cut off.The cold snap is expected to remain through next week, with overnight frosts and daytime temperatures dipping below

freezing.Check the forecast in your areaParts of Essex may get between 10cm and 15cm over higher ground, with the Sky News weather team predicting an impact on early traffic on

Monday morning and that the yellow warning may be "escalated later".Temperatures will fall overnight to between -4C and -6C for many.Over the snow fields of Scotland, it may fall

as far as -15C.Residents in Cornwall are being advised not to travel on Sunday or Monday due to the treacherous weather.The county's fire department said it dealt with more than

300 reports of road traffic accidents linked to ice over the weekend.There are also yellow warnings for ice and fog, one of which covers large parts of the South West, rising to

Birmingham and Merseyside. Others cover the North East and Northern Ireland. They last until 11am on Monday. Image: Snow has begun falling in Brighton this evening. Pic: David

Baynes Image: The seafront at Whitley Bay in Northumberland Arctic flow to continueSky News weather presenter Jo Edwards said: "The weather is set to remain very cold over the next