Ice warning as Storm Goretti impact lingers in Wales

Wintry conditions continue to cause some disruption after snow and ice hit Wales this week.

Parts of the country are still reeling from Storm Goretti, which caused school closures, left homes without power and caused widespread travel disruption.

A yellow warning for ice covers large parts of Wales until midday on Saturday as partially thawed snow refreezes, accompanied by wintry showers and freezing fog.

Some disruption to rail services is also expected to continue into Saturday.

Hundreds of homes were still without power on Friday, according to the National Grid, and least 150 schools were closed, with Powys, Blaenau Gwent and Wrexham the worst affected areas.

The exam board WJEC confirmed that 129 students had their Welsh Literature GCSE exam moved to the summer term, because of two of the school closures.

The FAW cancelled all Welsh Premier League matches for Friday evening, saying all fixtures in the league needed to start simultaneously “to protect sporting integrity and mitigate against the risk of betting market manipulation”.

Transport for Wales said on Friday evening that some lines remained closed and some services could still be delayed, amended or cancelled at short notice, but added many routes had reopened.

Disruption on the Heart of Wales line and between Shrewsbury and Birmingham was expected to continue into Saturday, it added.

Storm Goretti also brought with it a rare sighting of thundersnow – heavy downpours of snow accompanied by lightning.

A dramatic video shared online showed bright flashes as thundersnow struck amid blizzards in the village of Crymych in Pembrokeshire.

While the snow caused chaos for some, it did not stop others from having a little outdoor fun.

Many people took the opportunity to build snowmen and enjoy a day of sledging, transforming hills across the country into tobogganing slopes.