Pics: Heavy snowfall in UK; wildfire rages in California

The heaviest snowfall to hit Britain in four years caused widespread disruption on Sunday, with roads becoming hazardous and flights grounded following runway closures.

Birmingham Airport, serving the country's second-biggest city, suspended flights for all of Sunday morning, as staff worked to clear the runway amid heavy snow.

A spokeswoman told AFP they expected it to reopen early afternoon.

The airport, which typically handles around 30,000 passengers and 200 flights a day in December, diverted 11 flights elsewhere and expected to cancel more than that, she added.

Meanwhile, London Luton Airport closed its runway for two hours before reopening around 1130 GMT to departing aircraft, according to a spokesman.

It had opened to incoming flights by early afternoon.

"All flights (are) subject to delay or cancellation," he said.

Delayed passengers took to Twitter to complain, with one frustrated traveler describing the airport as "like a war zone".

Police forces in worst-hit Wales and central England urged motorists not to travel unless "absolutely necessary" as they dealt with surging calls.

A spokesman for the Highways England agency said there had been road incidents "all over the place".

The flurries continued to fall into the afternoon, raising the prospect of roads becoming impassable.

Swathes of Britain were hit by the snowfall Sunday, with significant accumulation in central and western regions, according to the Met Office, the country's official weather service.

Sennybridge, in Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales, topped the records with 30 cms, while Coleshill, close to Birmingham, received 10 cms, it reported.

Meanwhile, light snow and sleet fell through the morning in London, leaving Northolt, on the outskirts of the capital, with a covering of 2 cms, the Met Office said.

"We've gone through the worst of it," said Oli Claydon, a spokesman, early afternoon.

Most areas impacted would have a "bright, sunny start to Monday," he added.

Claydon said the last time Britain saw this much heavy snow nationwide was March, 2013, and during the winter of 2010.

Conditions remained very dry in southern California, according to the National Weather Service, but strong winds that have fueled the fires for much of the week have eased significantly.

It said "critical fire weather conditions will wane Sunday night" but that danger would persist through most of the coming week.

"Firefighters continue to improve and increase the containment lines," helped by the weather, said the state agency Calfire.

"Praying for my town. Fires closing in. Firefighters making brave stands. Could go either way. Packing to evacuate now," the actor Rob Lowe, who lives in Santa Barbara, wrote on Twitter.

A photo posted by Santa Barbara police on Sunday morning showed a wall of flames several yards (meters) high very close to buildings in Carpinteria.

Evacuation orders were issued overnight for some parts of Carpinteria close to Los Padres National Forest, where the fire was raging.

A fierce wildfire raged on the north of Los Angeles Sunday, threatening other towns after already charring vast swaths of land, but other blazes were largely contained after burning for days.

The so-called Thomas fire is only 15 percent contained, now threatening the city of Santa Barbara and the nearby coastal town of Carpinteria, making it one of the worst wildfires in California history.

It has already destroyed 600 structures and scorched 173,000 acres (70,000 hectares), the authorities say, with the state's governor saying the fires had already caused unprecedented damage in the most populous US state.

After a five-day siege, some Californians were finally able to return home to inspect the damage wrought by the wildfires, which together have forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee and destroyed more than 850 structures, including multimillion-dollar mansions.

Cindy Nava, from the town of Sylmar, was one of those returning home -- or to what once was her home.

"Oh, my God, there's nothing, nothing, nothing," she sobbed, according to the Univision website. "What are we going to do?"

Despite the intensity of the fires that raged on multiple fronts -- stretching from areas north of Los Angeles down to the San Diego region -- authorities have reported only one fatality.

US President Donald Trump has issued a state of emergency for California, authorizing the release of federal funds.

The week's infernos capped California's deadliest year ever for wildfires. More than 40 people died in October when fires swept through the state's wine-producing counties north of San Francisco.

In a television interview on Sunday, California Governor Jerry Brown said that climate change meant that the state was becoming increasingly vulnerable and that wildfires were becoming the new normal in some parts.

"The fire season used to be a few months in the summer, now it's almost year-long. These fires are unprecedented. We've never seen anything like it.

"Scientists are telling us: 'This is the kind of stuff that's going to happen'. And we got to deal with it".