Hundreds of schools shut in UK due to harsh weather conditions

Hundreds of schools have either closed or partially closed in the UK due to severe weather on the first day back for pupils. 

Bradford Metropolitan District Council reported that 175 schools were closed, while nearly 100 schools in Leeds either remained closed or opened late, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media. 

Lancashire City Council listed 50 schools that would either stay closed or open later, and North Yorkshire Council confirmed the closure of 11 schools. 

Moreover, the first major winter storm of the new year in the US is expected to bring some of the heaviest snowfall in a decade to certain areas. Temperatures in parts of Kansas dropped as low as -32C overnight, and the US National Weather Service forecasts up to nine inches of snow in Washington DC. 

Despite the storm, US Congress will still meet to formally certify Donald Trump’s election as president, according to House Speaker Mike Johnson, although government offices in the capital will be closed. Hundreds of schools, including public schools in Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Philadelphia, have already announced they will remain closed due to the storm.

The storm has also caused power outages, affecting more than a quarter of a million homes and businesses in the central and southern US.

By Naila Huseynova