Big freeze is on its way for West Midlands
Snow is again falling across the West Midlands, leading dozens of schools to announce a second day of closures.
A blanket of snow covered the region on Friday, causing disruption throughout the area.
Temperatures were predicted to plunge to -4C (25F) on Monday night and not rise above freezing until the end of next week at the earliest.
Six inches of snow fell within 24 hours on Friday in the West Midlands, which was one of the worst affected areas in the country.
Across the UK thousands of households were left without power as heavy snow brought parts of the country sliding to a halt. Frantic scenes of panic-buying were later reported in stores across the West Country, Home Counties and south Wales as stores ran low on stock.
Meanwhile several airports – including Birmingham which suspended flights for five hours – were forced to ground flights or close following thick snow flurries and near galeforce winds of 30mph. Ice is now likely to cause further problems for motorists, who endured treacherous conditions yesterday.
Cars were abandoned by the roadside and drivers were forced to make their way home by foot as some roads became impassable.
Rush hour came early yesterday causing long bumper-to-bumper queues on the region's main routes, including the M6 and A51 in Staffordshire. In Cannock more than 50 cars were involved in a mass pile-up in Pottal Pool Road due to a jack-knifed lorry, which had a knock-on effect for hours later. There were a number of accidennts on the A38 near Lichfield.
One of a string of accidents on the M6 saw one lane blocked at junction 11 after a car struck the central reservation. Public transport also came to a standstill.
Bus services in Dudley, Stourbridge and Birmingham were called off at 7pm, with Wolverhampton and Walsall following suit an hour later. Midland Metro suspended its trams between Dudley Street and Priestfield at 7pm and the rest of the line suffered severe delays. Trains also endured delays between Wolverhampton and Birmingham.
The Met Office said snow would continue to fall throughout the weekend, with a maximum temperate of just -1C (30F) today and -2C (28F) tomorrow before a predicted low of -4C (25F) on Monday night.
