Residents are advised that the Met Office has issued an AMBER weather warning for Storm Goretti, covering the period from Thursday evening into Friday morning (January 8-9). While there is uncertainty about the weather conditions that will arrive, there is the possibility for heavy snowfall, and we have a responsibility to prepare for this.
The impact of any snow will likely be in northern areas of Rhondda Cynon Taf and on mountain roads.
Our gritting crews are continuing to work around the clock, to ensure our main routes and car parks are treated in advance of forecasted cold weather – they are following our established salting route network.
It is also very important that vehicles are parked considerately in residential areas, to ensure our gritting crews can pass. If a road is blocked, it could result in a local street or an area being inaccessible to gritters or snow ploughs.
Please be assured that the Council is monitoring the forecast closely, and is making key preparations. These include readying our own crews and vehicles, along with those from trusted contractors. This means the Council has a fleet of snow ploughs, tractors, JCBs and gritting vehicles on standby, ready to deploy across the County Borough, if and when they are needed.
The Met Office forecast at the time of publishing (Wednesday evening, January 7), is for a YELLOW weather warning for heavy snow to come into effect from 5pm on Thursday, January 8.
An AMBER warning will then start from 8pm on Thursday January 8, until 9am on Friday, January 9. The Yellow warning then concludes by midday on Friday.
For the Amber warning, the Met Office advises that snow accumulations could reach 10-15cm fairly widely, with a potential for 20-30cm in some elevated locations. Travel delays on road and rail are likely, along with power cuts. Keep up with the changing Met Office weather warnings through its website.
Further key information about self-help grit bins, waste collections, school closures, Safe and Warm Spaces, and our You Neighbours Need You campaign, is included at the bottom of this news item.
Councillor Andrew Morgan OBE, Leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, said: “The latest update for the weather forecast is still giving some uncertainty on the level of rain, sleet or snow that is going to fall across the County Borough. While it is possible for the majority of the County to have rain rather than snow, forecasters are warning that higher elevations in the County could potentially see in excess of 20cm of snow.
“Significant additional resources will be deployed with our Highways teams from Thursday afternoon into Thursday night, however, if the very heavy snow does materialise – especially in the higher parts of the County – transport disruption is inevitable and I’d urge residents to plan ahead.
“A significant number of additional resources to support Highways will again be deployed on Friday morning to clear snow in as many communities as possible. In addition to our fleet of Highways gritters and snow ploughs, we have a number of JCBs, tractors and tow-along gritting units being made available.
“The Council will be looking to issue a further update on Thursday, based on the latest update forecast at that time.”
Our crews are also busy filling self-help grit bins in your community. To request that a grit bin is filled, please complete this quick and easy function on the Council’s website.
At this moment, waste and recycling collections are unaffected, but this is subject to change. Residents should put their waste/recycling out for collection as normal. If we can’t reach you due to the weather, we’ll try again very soon – so please keep your waste/recycling stored at your usual collection point.
The need for school closures is assessed by headteachers and governing bodies, rather than the Council. There is a dedicated school closures page on our website, which individual schools will update if they need to close.
Safe and Warm Spaces remain open in our communities – to bring residents together, provide a warm and welcoming environment, and ensure no one has to face the long winter days alone. Find out more, including a list of all the Safe and Warm Spaces locations, on our dedicated homepage.
Finally, our Your Neighbours Need You campaign gives advice to residents about how they could help if severe winter weather arrives. This ranges from checking in on an elderly or vulnerable neighbour, to spreading salt from grit bins and clearing snow safely. Further information can be found here.
Posted on 07/01/2026