Spring postponed as snow forecast in parts of UK (28 March 2010)

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

A blast of wintry weather is expected to hit parts of the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) later this week, dashing hopes for some sunshine as British Summer Time gets under way.
The Met Office has issued an early weather warning for Tuesday as heavy rain and snow is expected to fall over northern England and southern Scotland.
BBC Weather's Liam Dutton said hilly areas could see up to 50mm (2ins) of rain or 20cm (8ins) of snow.
Meanwhile, temperatures may drop to close to freezing in some parts.
Areas expected to be worst hit include Darlington, Durham, Tyne and Wear, Northumberland, Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish borders.
Forecasters are warning snow may fall on some low-lying areas, as well as on higher ground, but is unlikely to settle.
There is also a small risk that the Midlands and Northern Ireland may experience similar weather.
Liam Dutton said the wintry weather was expected to return on Monday night into Tuesday, and continue throughout the day.
He said it would slowly ease northwards through Tuesday night into Wednesday.
Snow in late March was not particularly unusual, he added.
In the first week of April in 2008, people up and down the country woke up to wintry scenes after snow fell overnight.
Flights had to be cancelled out of Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham and Bristol airports and temperatures in large towns and cities fell as low as -2C.
This Easter weekend, there is an unsettled picture.
The Met Office warns Easter weather is rarely fine, no matter when the holiday falls.
Statistically, snow is more likely at Easter than Christmas, according to the Met Office website.
Over the past half a century, snow has fallen across low-lying areas of the UK during 12 Easter breaks - the last time was the Easter of 1998.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Update, from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Snow warning as homes lose power

Blizzard warnings have been issued for most of Scotland after severe weather caused major disruption.
Scottish Power said electricity supplies to about 22,000 homes had been cut during the day.
Most had power restored by early evening but Scottish Power warned it would not be able to reconnect about 150 homes in Ayrshire until Wednesday.
Scottish Hydro Electric said about 100 customers in the north east, Tayside and Argyll were without power.
The Met Office has warned heavy snow will affect most parts of the country on Tuesday evening.
It said conditions would worsen in parts of the Highlands and an area stretching from the north east down through central Scotland and into Edinburgh, the Lothians and the Borders on Tuesday evening, with heavy snow falling through the night.
Strong to gale force winds are also expected to lead to widespread blizzard conditions in the west.
The Met Office warned of drifting snow in some areas and said: "Many roads are liable to become impassable and some interruptions to power supplies are possible."
The north of Scotland was worst affected on Monday night, with temperatures plunging to -5C at Cairnwell, near Braemar.
Snow fell in many parts of the country and heavy rain led to the River Esk bursting its banks in Musselburgh.
Forecasters have warned the cold snap is set to continue for the next two days, but temperatures will rise slightly by Thursday, when snow will retreat to higher ground.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Update, from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Easter holiday 'wet and windy' in UK^▸ (United Kingdom), say forecasters

Miserable weather is likely to mar the Easter weekend, despite the passing of snow storms which have hit UK areas.
Forecasters say rain will spread across the country on Friday, while 10,000 homes in Northern Ireland and 400 in Scotland remain without power.
About two million people are expected to flee the UK in search of sun, according to travel organisation Abta.
Motoring organisations predict 20 million people will take to UK roads, while rail travel is hampered by works.
Traffic analyst Trafficmaster said congestion on the roads was usual for a bank holiday, with heavy traffic on routes out of London.
The southbound M5 near the M4 junction at Bristol and the M3 southbound toward Southampton were also badly hit.
Traffic in Kent was compounded on Friday by the unexpected French ferry workers' strike at Dover. The 48-hour industrial action prompted the traffic mitigation measure known as Operation Stack, with lorries unable to cross the Channel parking on the motorway.
The M20 was closed on Friday morning between junctions 11 and 12, and operators SeaFrance urged passengers to stay away from the port.
The Highways Agency said 74 sets of road works on England's major routes would be completed by Easter, with work on a further 60 suspended over the weekend. However, restrictions remain at 40 locations, including a section of the M25 around Maple Cross in Hertfordshire and a stretch of the M4 near Maidenhead in Berkshire.
Network Rail engineering work will result in longer journey times for some train passengers. There will be reduced services on both the West and East Coast main lines, with rail-replacement buses in some areas.
Some First Great Western and South West Trains services are also affected by works, with buses replacing trains on some routes.