Summary

  1. That's it from uspublished at 14:28 Greenwich Mean Time 5 January

    We'll be closing this live page shortly, thanks for joining us.

    You'll be able to find further updates on your BBC News app throughout the rest of the day.

    A robin sat on a bush, covered in snow. In the background is a snowy field, with a trail leading to a giant snowball.Image source, BBC Weather Watchers/Laura and Glenn
  2. What to expect in the coming dayspublished at 14:21 Greenwich Mean Time 5 January

    Steady and persistent rain is expected to spread across Birmingham and Staffordshire later today before the weather turns breezy and mild.

    Forecasters predict there could be further showers on Monday, with some of them wintry.

    Yellow warnings for snow and ice in the region run until midnight, with an amber warning for snow affecting Staffordshire until the same time.

    A yellow warning for outbreaks of heavy rain runs overnight until 06:00 GMT on Monday.

    Meanwhile, the Met Office is predicting snow and ice will continue to impact Shropshire and Staffordshire until midday on Monday.

    No weather warnings have yet been put into place from Tuesday onwards.

  3. Staying warm on a budgetpublished at 14:04 Greenwich Mean Time 5 January

    With medics warning people to stay warm as sub-zero temperatures hit, how can people on already squeezed budgets keep costs down?

    Advice includes turning radiators off in unused rooms, improvising draught excluders and drawing curtains at dusk.

    Other tips include pushing furniture away from radiators and not overfilling the kettle.

    The elderly and those with underlying health conditions are advised to keep the temperatures at 18C in their main room.

    Read more here.

    An elderly person sitting in a chair with a tartan orange, purple, blue and rust coloured blanket on their knee. The person's hands and torso are visible and they are wearing a beige jumper.Image source, Getty Images
  4. Fear of floods in Staffordshire as snow starts to meltpublished at 13:50 Greenwich Mean Time 5 January

    Simon Humphreys
    BBC Radio Stoke

    People sledging down a snowy slope lined with trees. The people can be seen in the distance, with footsteps criss-crossing the snow.
    Image caption,

    Youngsters take to the slopes in Brough Park in Leek, Staffordshire

    The leader of Staffordshire County Council, Alan White, has told us he's concerned about flooding as snow on the ground melts and turns to slush.

    "We are now moving on... to an amber warning for flooding because as that snow melts, the excess water starts to run off and we have got to keep an eye on how that water is managed," he said.

    "We are hoping to see that water run off in a controlled manner but, as always with these things, we have just got to keep an eye out."

    Councillor White said gritting teams had worked through the night and thanked local farmers for ploughing roads on the Leek Moorlands.

    Elsewhere, children have been enjoying sledging in Brough Park in Leek - a "legendary" spot according to one participant.

  5. Snow thawing across Coventry and Warwickshirepublished at 13:34 Greenwich Mean Time 5 January

    Alec Blackman
    BBC Coventry & Warwickshire

    Coventry and Warwickshire seems to have escaped the worst of the snow.

    Earlier predictions of up to 13cm (5in) of snow have proved to be over-cautious with most places reporting a light dusting instead of anything more significant.

    No major problems have been reported on the area’s roads and slightly warmer temperatures are seeing what did settle overnight now melting away.

    Snow thawing on a pedestrianised are in front of the Herbert art gallery and museum, which has a high arched glass roof and an advert for Dippy the dinosaur across its front window.
  6. Your pictures: Snowy scenes from across the regionpublished at 13:18 Greenwich Mean Time 5 January

    Two children bundled up in snowsuits or thick coat and wellies stand with a blue sledge on a gentle snow-covered slope on a golf course.
    Image caption,

    Youngsters found enough snow for a spot of sledging at Cocks Moors Woods golf course in Birmingham

    A Cockapoo wearing a coat, sitting on a snowy field next to a snowman. A thicket of trees can be seen in the background.
    Image caption,

    Chester the Cockapoo wrapped up warm to enjoy the snow at Cannock Chase

    A close up of red berries covered in snow.Image source, BBC Weather Watchers/AndyP
    Image caption,

    Frozen berries in Telford and Wrekin captured by BBC Weather Watcher AndyP

    A blue and a black sledge side by side in a snowy park. The blue sledge has two children's teddies in it. Footsteps are trodden into the snow and a bench and bins sit beyond. the skies are still brightening and lights are on in a building behind trees.
    Image caption,

    Children were up early to sledge in Priory Park, Great Malvern

    A watering can on its side and plant pots, both with a dusting of snow. A snowy field can be seen beyond.Image source, BBC Weather Watchers/Les at Large
    Image caption,

    Gardening was abandoned in Wolverhampton

    The inside of Coventry's ruined Cathedral, lightly covered in snow. The remains of ruined columns dot a courtyard that was once the church interior.
    Image caption,

    Coventry Cathedral got away with a light dusting of snow

  7. Hazardous rural roads and power cuts in Shropshirepublished at 13:00 Greenwich Mean Time 5 January

    Thomas Berrington
    BBC Radio Shropshire

    A snowy rural road, with human and animal footprints going up and down it. Snow covers hedges on each verge and a field to the left. The roof of a traditional timber house in the distance is covered with snow.Image source, BBC Weather Watcher/Peter Steggles

    In Shropshire there was some snow overnight but a lot of it has since melted away.

    However, callers to BBC Radio Shropshire have been telling us rural roads are still pretty bad.

    For a time in the morning, 152 homes were without power in Easthope, near Church Stretton, but this is now down to 48.

    Ten properties in Shifnal have had no power all morning – the National Grid originally said it should be back on by 11:00 GMT but that’s now been pushed back to 14:00.

    Despite conditions being worse further north, the train services between Shrewsbury and Crewe/ Manchester have had little to no delays.

  8. Power outages continuepublished at 12:41 Greenwich Mean Time 5 January

    More than two hundred households are without power in the West Midlands, according to the National Grid, external.

    In Wolverhampton, 109 properties near New Cross Hospital are expected to be affected by outages until about 17:00 GMT, with a further 72 affected in the Birchills area of Walsall.

    Residents in parts of Birmingham, Easthope and Shifnal in Shropshire, Penkridge in Staffordshire and Hartshill and Bishops Tachbrook in Warwickshire are also impacted.

  9. How to drive in snow in icepublished at 12:24 Greenwich Mean Time 5 January

    A red car driving on a snowy roadImage source, PA Media

    With National Highways warning of ice on the roads, drivers are advised to check local forecasts before thinking about setting off.

    Here's a reminder of some tips, including using second gear to avoid wheel spin and not to splash boiling water onto iced-up windscreens.

    Stopping distances can be up to 10 times greater in snow and ice, so leave more space than usual.

  10. Less disruption than expected in Birminghampublished at 12:03 Greenwich Mean Time 5 January

    Lara Davies
    BBC Radio WM

    Snow and ice in Birmingham has not been as bad as expected, although about 5cm (2in) fell across Birmingham and the Black Country and up to 20cm (8in) in more hilly areas of the region.

    Birmingham Airport temporarily suspended operations for a few hours overnight but said it was on schedule for "business as usual" this morning.

    The Met Office has reduced Birmingham and the Black Country's amber weather warning to a yellow one for snow and ice.

    A lot of what the weather office expected to fall as snow fell as rain instead, as the temperatures were milder than predicted.

    A garden gnome on a patio with a big grin partially hidden under snow on its hat and face. Snow also covers plants in pots around the gnome.Image source, BBC Weather Watchers/Ell B
  11. BBC Weather Watchers snap snowy scenespublished at 11:44 Greenwich Mean Time 5 January

    BBC Weather Watchers have been sending in their wintry wonderland snaps.Matt has captured livestock looking a bit soggy in a snow-covered field in Leek Wootton, Warwickshire.

    Sheep and a goat stand in a snowy field, with trees growing around the edges and in a line through the centreImage source, BBC Weather Watchers/Matt
    Image caption,

    Sheep in a snowy field in Leek Wootton, Warwickshire

    If you want to share photos of your own, visit the BBC Weather Watchers site for more information.

  12. What do weather warnings mean for you?published at 11:23 Greenwich Mean Time 5 January

    There's an amber warning for snow in Staffordshire until midnight on Sunday.

    This means the Met Office thinks there is a high likelihood of residents seeing more widespread power cuts, transport delays and cancellations.

    It also means some rural communities are likely to be cut off.

    Parts of Shropshire, Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Telford and Wrekin and Warwickshire are also under an amber warnings of snow and ice, meaning driving is likely to hazardous.

    A yellow warning of snow and ice means areas are less likely to be impacted by widespread disruption, but should still check the forecast and take necessary steps.

  13. Swans-a-swimming in Shropshirepublished at 11:03 Greenwich Mean Time 5 January

    BBC Weather Watcher Laura445 sent in this snap of two swans-a-swimming in the village of Horsehay in Telford and Wrekin, Shropshire.

    Temperatures in the area are expected to peak at 4C (39.2F) today.

    Rather them than us!

    Two swans swimming near a wooden pier. On the other side of the water a white house is visible under a blanket of snow. Shrubs on the water's edge are also dusted in snow.Image source, BBC Weather Watchers/Laura445
  14. Birmingham and Black Country bus journeys divertedpublished at 10:53 Greenwich Mean Time 5 January

    National Express West Midlands has put out a list of bus routes, external in Birmingham and the Black Country affected this morning by "difficult road conditions and low temperatures".

    • 3 West Bromwich to Merry Hill Buses are diverting from Powke Lane island
    • 12A Dudley to Birmingham Buses will use City Road in both directions
    • 18 Yardley Wood to Bartley Green Buses are using Bell Hill and Long Nuke Road
    • 35 Birmingham to Hawkesley Buses are using Parsons Hill, Masshouse Lane and Shannon Road in both directions
    • 49 Solihull to Rubery Great Park Buses are using Parsons Hill, Masshouse Lane and Shannon Road in both directions
    A teenage girl with long brown hair in a high ponytail sitting on a bus and looking out a steamed-up window. She is holding her phone in her hand.Image source, Getty Images
  15. Power outages reported across regionpublished at 10:33 Greenwich Mean Time 5 January

    The National Grid says it's working to restore power after outages across the West Midlands.

    The company's live map, external shows power cuts around central Birmingham, Atherstone, Shifnal and Bromsgrove this morning.

    Customers are facing disruptions to their supplies until after midday.

  16. Drivers advised to take extra carepublished at 10:13 Greenwich Mean Time 5 January

    There are no major delays to bring you yet this morning.

    However National Highways has warned motorists rain falling on frozen routes could lead to ice, particularly on high ground.

    A snow covered rural road, with trees, grass and shrubs on the verge covered in snow.Image source, BBC Weather Watchers/videoman
    Image caption,

    National Highways has warned drivers about icy conditions

    Staffordshire Police advised drivers to take precautions, particularly in the Moorlands area, including allowing extra distance and braking time.

    "Clear your car of ice and snow, including the windscreen, rear window, wing mirrors and roof, before driving," said Scott McGrath from the road crime team.

    "Don’t start driving until the windscreen is fully defrosted and avoid driving altogether if weather conditions are extreme."

  17. Snow falls across the West Midlandspublished at 09:51 Greenwich Mean Time 5 January

    You’re waking up to a scattering of snow across the West Midlands.

    Weather warnings from the Met Office remain active in the region until midnight.

    An amber warning forecasts snow and ice across parts of Shropshire, Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Telford and Wrekin and Warwickshire.

    Here, the Met Office is predicting 3cm to 7cm of snowfall, mixing with rain in lower-lying spots.

    Elsewhere, a yellow weather warning is still in place for areas in Birmingham, Wolverhampton and the Black Country, Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

    Forecasters say further sleet and snow is likely in these places, with some also getting a spell of freezing rain.

    A black dog stands on a snowy path through trees.Image source, BBC Weather Watchers/Buggsy77
    Image caption,

    A snowy dog in Halesowen, Dudley

  18. Birmingham Airport aiming for 'business as usual' after closurepublished at 09:39 Greenwich Mean Time 5 January

    Birmingham Airport has warned passengers to allow for extra travel time after it shut overnight.

    Posting on X, the airport said it closed for two hours, external to clear heavy snow off the runways.

    It warned passengers on Sunday that while the start of the flight schedule remained normal, people travelling to the airport should allow plenty of time.

    A statement from the airport said: "As a result of resilience teams working throughout the night, the start up to the schedule remains business as usual."

  19. Good morning from a snowy West Midlandspublished at 09:26 Greenwich Mean Time 5 January

    There's been flurries overnight in most parts of our region - we'll keep you up to date here with any travel disruption.

    Please get in touch if you want to share any information. We've already had lots of pictures sent in and we'll share some of these on this page too.