The Met Office has said that another storm could be on its way to the UK between Christmas and New Year.
And it’s got one of the most Mancunian names ever.
Storm Corrie.
2021 has certainly brought with it its fair share of unpredictable and harsh weather conditions of all kinds throughout the year, and by the sounds of it, with the potential arrival of a storm with the same name as the nickname of the iconic Manchester-set TV soap, the final week of the month looks set to be no different.
Following recent reports that said ‘a snowbomb’ could drop be dropping up to 1cm of snow in the North West within just an hour on 27 December, some weather forecasters are now predicting that this new storm could also batter the UK shortly after Christmas.
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Although not officially declared by the Met Office as of yet, Storm Corrie would be the third storm of the winter season, following the recent Storm Arwen and Storm Barra.
Storm Corrie would potentially bring with it rain and snow.
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Turning #colder over the coming days but how long will the cold theme last in the run up to #Christmas? 🌡️📉🎄
The Met Office has confirmed there is a signal that we will transition to more unsettled conditions towards the end of next week.
But there is nothing currently in the forecast that indicates 27 December as a focus for storm which would cause particularly high impacts, so we will just have to wait and see for now.
But one question still remains though – will we actually have a white Christmas?
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Well, according to the Met Office, while there is “still a lot of uncertainty”, in some places – especially in Northern areas of the UK – it is entirely possible that we could be given a covering of snow on the big day itself, as temperatures plummet into biting cold and unsettled conditions.
Other regions across the UK, however, will likely just experience some cold and bright weather conditions instead of snow.
“There is still a lot of uncertainty in the forecast for the Christmas period,” explained Dan Rudman, expert meteorologist at the Met Office.
“Whilst there is certainly a risk of wintry conditions for many places, other outcomes are still possible such as warmer air to move across the UK bringing rain widely with any potential snow being restricted to higher ground and the far north.”
So, it all remains to be seen once the big day arrives.
Manchester Airport issues update for anyone flying today after hundreds of cancellations yesterday
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Airport has issued an update for anyone catching a flight today after hundreds of cancellations yesterday.
In case you hadn’t heard, hundreds of flights at several major UK airports – including Manchester Airport – were disrupted by a technical fault at air traffic control provider National Air Traffic Services (NATS) yesterday (8 September 2026), with the incident grounding planes and resulting in numerous cancellations.
According to Flightradar24, more than 1,000 flights were cancelled nationwide, and many passengers were told to expect disruption for the rest of the day.
One of the worst-affected airlines was said to be Ryanair, with around 65,000 passengers affected by the cancellations and delays.
Manchester Airport issued its first statement addressing the matter at 3:15pm yesterday, stating: “We are aware of an issue affecting NATS’ air traffic control service at UK airports, which may result in delays to some departing flights from Manchester Airport today.
“Passengers due to travel are advised to check the latest status of their flight with their airline. We will continue to monitor the situation and share further updates as more information becomes available.”
Now, although the issue has been resolved, Manchester Airport has issued further statements informing anyone travelling today what they can expect.
The airport started off by saying that it is ‘operating as normal’ today, but that passengers are advised to ‘check with their airline for the latest information’.
“A full flight schedule is expected to operate [today] but the airport may be busier due to rescheduled flights,” it added.
Passengers were then thanked for their ‘patience and understanding’ over the past 24 hours.
Featured Image – Ivan Shimko (via Unsplash)
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Hundreds of staff at four Greater Manchester hospitals to strike AGAIN next week
Emily Sergeant
Another round of strikes has been called at a handful of major Greater Manchester hospitals.
Amid ongoing disputes following the first set of strikes at the end of last month, it has now been announced that more than 350 Northern Care Alliance Foundation Trust (NCA) employees – including nurses, clinical support workers and housekeepers – who are members of the union UNISON will once again walk out for three days next week.
According to the union, the dispute centres on the NCA’s use of an outside agency called NHS Professionals (NHSP) to manage overtime.
When covering staff shortages, workers are entitled to time-and-a-half pay – however in some cases, staff earn less than they would on a normal shift, and some have even been missing out on more than £80 per shift, the union added.
Operating theatre staff were previously on picket lines in June, and although an option to resolve the row was initially tabled by NCA bosses, this has now fallen through.
Hundreds of staff at four of Greater Manchester’s hospitals are set to strike next week / Credit: Stephen Andrews (via Unsplash)
This means that staff at Salford Royal Hospital, Royal Oldham Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary, and Fairfield Hospital in Bury are walking out next week on Monday 14, Tuesday 15, and Thursday 17 September.
The union’s North West regional organiser, Kevin Dolan, said the trust had given ‘no indication’ that it’s willing to re-enter negotiations, adding that operating theatre services were ‘chronically under-staffed’ and staff were choosing to work extra shifts to cover shortages.
Ahead of the August strikes, the trust declared a critical incident to help it secure extra support and keep urgent surgery running, while also announcing that some procedures would have to be postponed.
Understandably, some disruption is expected at each of the hospitals on strike days.
But Gertie Nic Philib, who is the chief people and strategy officer at the Northern Care Alliance, said that the trust will do ‘everything we can to minimise the impact on patients’ and ‘maintain high standards of care and quality at all times.’
“We also have contingency plans in place for emergency situations,” they concluded.
Emily Sergeant -
22nd December 2021 
