Storm Bert hit the UK with snow, heavy rain and strong winds today, causing disruption on roads and public transport.

Here in the North East, roads were closed, buses struggled to run and flights were even cancelled.

Newcastle Airport Disruption

At Newcastle Airport this morning, online departure boards showed many flights set to depart were delayed, while the 9.30am British Airways service to Heathrow was cancelled.

The airport said: “Due to Storm Bert, the airport has had continuous, heavy snow this morning.

“Our snow team is operational and are working hard to keep any disruption to a minimum and we will provide a further update later this morning.

“Passengers are advised to visit our website for the latest flight information and to contact their airline directly if they have any queries.”

Met Office Weather Warnings

An amber weather warning was issued for snow and hail and a yellow warning for wind covering coastal areas today.

The amber warning highlights how there will be a “spell of snow across parts of northern England”

The amber warning sees Met Office experts say: “Outbreaks of rain will spread northeastwards on Saturday, preceded by a spell of snow across parts of northern England and Scotland.

“Whilst snow will become increasingly confined to higher elevations with time, there is the chance of a transient period of snow to low levels in some areas, with perhaps as much as 5-10 cm accumulating in places, especially the Vale of York, before turning back to rain. Temporary snow accumulations of 10-20 cm are possible on ground above 150m, with perhaps as much as 20-40 cm above 300m.”

Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon said Storm Bert was a “multi-hazard event”. “We’re looking at strong winds, some high snowfall accumulation, heavy rain, all in various different parts of the UK,” he said. So it’s quite a complex weather set-up for the weekend. Generally speaking, it’s a very unsettled weekend of weather ahead. Because of the different nature of the weather across the UK, people really need to have an idea of what the forecast is for them specifically.

Beamish Museum Closure

Beamish Museum closed due to the heavy weather conditions, with the team taking to social media to share the news. The Museum is set to re-open on Sunday 23rd November.

Taking to social media, the museum said: “It’s with a heavy heart we’ve had to make the decision to not open the museum today due to the heavy snow (23/11/24).

Our staff have been very hard at work clearing snow over the past few hours, but with snow continuing to fall, we must put the safety of our visitors, staff and volunteers first, and we will be unable to open.

For anyone with a Grotto booking today (23/11/24), we will be in touch about alternative arrangements for your booking.

We aim to open the museum as planned tomorrow (24/11/24) for Christmas at Beamish and will be keeping everyone updated on our website and social media.

Thanks again for your understanding and patience during these difficult weather conditions.”