Storm Arwen, snow days and Omicron – the things we were all talking about this weekend

It’s been another busy weekend for news here in Greater Manchester – here are the top five stories we were all talking about over the last couple of days.

Storm Arwen

We’ve all been talking about the weather. All of us.

The weekend started with Manchester getting battered from all angles by Storm Arwen.

Overnight on Friday and well into Saturday, gale-force winds caused havoc across the region.

The massive storm saw the M62 closed as lorries got stuck, trees ripped up from their roots, and Erst in Ancoats closed as water flooded into the restaurant.

Omicron

A new variant of concern that has emerged in South Africa, putting six countries onto the red list and triggering new rules from the UK Government.

Three cases of the new Omicron variant have now been found in England, with a further six in Scotland – contact tracing is underway.

From Tuesday November 30, face masks will once again be mandatory in retail and on public transport, though hospitality settings will be exempt.

All people arriving in the UK will now need to take a PCR test too.

Suspected contacts of Omicron cases will have to isolate for 10 days, regardless of vaccination status.

There are also plans to speed up the booster jab programme.

Snow day

It’s the weather again!

Manchester spent most of yesterday in a flurry of snow and woke up on Monday to a blanket of white.

It’s made the roads a little tricky and closed a few schools.

Don’t expect it to stick around for long though – there’s rain forecast this evening and much milder temperatures of 10C from tomorrow.

I’m A Celebrity

Thanks to the wild weather brought by Storm Arwen, I’m a Celebrity has dropped off air.

The live portion was called off on Friday and over the weekend, highlights reels have been broadcast on ITV instead.

The channel confirmed that the production site at Gwrych Castle has been badly damaged.

The celebrities – including Frankie Bridge, Naughty Boy and David Ginola – were all removed from the castle.

It’s hoped that the live show will return tonight.

Virgil Abloh

On Sunday night, there was sad news from the world of fashion, as the death of influential designer Virgil Abloh was announced.

Virgil, a ‘genius and visionary’ designer and father of two, was the founder and CEO of Off White and artistic director at Louis Vuitton.

He was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer in 2019, which he battled privately.

Tributes from the likes of Kanye West, Pharrell Williams and Venus Williams have been pouring in.

Featured image: Instagram @bee_manuk