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Winter of 2010–11 in Europe

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Meteorological history

The European winter cold snap of 2010-11 was caused by a cold weather cycle that had started in southern Scandinavia and subsequently moved south and west over the Netherlands on November 25 and in to the west of Scotland and North East England on November 26. This was due to a low pressure zone in the Baltics a high pressure over Greenland on November 24[1].

A cold front moved out of Siberia on the 24th and cold spell and snow storms also hit the Alps on the 26th befor hitting the UK on the 29th[1]. Other earlyer, but unrelated storms had dusted Northumberland and Scottish Borders Region on the 23rd and 24th before being absorbed in to the advanceing Scandinavian weather system[2]. Ireland was first hit on the 26th.

The Event

November 22–25

On November 22 forecasters Baltic nations saw snow storms expected some in parts of Sweden on the 23rd, especially in the south of the country. Snow flurries were reported by the afternoon[3].

Other earlier, but unrelated storms had moved on from Sweeden to dusted Northumberland and Scottish Borders Region on the 23rd and 24th before being absorbed in to the advancing Scandinavian weather system[2].

The Scandinavian low moved southward and broght snow and frost to both The Netherlands and the north west coast of Germany.

A low night temperature of –9.1 °C and heavy snow fell over the night of the 25th/26th, which was recorded at Redesdale Camp, Northumberland. A similar amount of snow fell in Aberdeenshire, 4.7 in (12 cm) and 4 in (10 cm) in Durham that night[1].

November 26

The number of British fatalities caused (only in 4 England as of the 30th) by the event in question.

Ireland was first hit by the snow on the morning of the 26th.


Heavy snow fall was reported across higher parts of the country on November 26 and in lowland Switzerland on the 27th. The temperatures hovered between +5 °C and –5 °C for the next 8 days with November 30/December 1 having a night time temperature of –11 °C. Similar weather was predicted for the Austrian Tyrol[4].


Met Office issued severe weather warnings for widespread icy roads and heavy snow across the North East, Yorkshire and Humber, East Midlands, the East and south-west England as well as parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales on the morning of the 26th[1].

Morning temperatures plummeted across the whole of the UK, as dawn broke on November 26. The east of the UK and parts of Ireland had 6 inches of snowfall yesterday while the south west faced freezing temperatures in the most snowy regional November snow for 17 years hit Britain. A Thomsonfly Boeing 737-800 plane with 196 passengers overshot its landing position at Newcastle upon Tyne airport due to an icy runway.[5]

While snowfalls of 30 cm were recorded in North Yorkshire and 10 cm in the City of Durham yesterday, Northumberland, with a 15 cm fall on the 26th, continued to be hardest-hit County in the UK. The traffic was struggling to cope with conditions on the A174 at Birkbrow Bank, near Guisborough, and Apple Orchard Bank, Saltburn [6].

Bold football officials were helped by 6 heroic fans and a snow blowing machine managed to clear the pitch yesterday at The Northern Echo Darlington Arena ahead of the local FA Cup derby match with York City FC [6].

The Police in County Durham praised the astute motorists for driving sensibly in the conditions leading to only a minimum number of accidents. Many drivers continue to face problems in eastern Cleveland[6].

The AA was also called out to deal with estimated to have dealt with around 15,500 on November 26[7][8].

On November 26 night time temperatures plummeted well below 0 °C, with the Welsh towns of Sennybridge and Trawscoed being among the coldest places at -10.2 °C. The town of Dalwhinnie in the Scottish Highlands saw the temperatures fall to –8.2 °C and Chesham in Buckinghamshire fell to –7 °C, and Preston in Lancashire recorded –5.8 °C. The cold snap heralded the earliest winter snow fall for 17 years[9].

The UK’s Police haved urged people in several places to stay indoors amid warnings that the heavy snow and plunging temperatures will last for several more days as snow as snow heaped down in costal Ireland, Northern Ireland, the Grampian Mountains the Pennines, Wales, the English West Midlands, Norfolk, Northumbria, Lancashire, Buckinghamshire, Newcastle, Middlesbrough and Aberdeenshire. and Cornwall, Great Ayton in North Yorkshire and Oxfordshire all through the early morning and well in to midday. The temperatures hovered at about 0C all across the UK and Ireland that day and were predicted to fall to –4 °C overnight in Northern England. Police warnings were also issued for icy roads in Northern England and Scotland. Northumbria Police urged motorists to stay off the roads and only venture out if necessary as Sky News predicted a Northumbrian night time temperature of –15 °C. Two had earlier been hurt in a multiple vehicle pile-up on the M1 near Sheffield just before 8:00 am leading to three lanes of the southbound carriageway between junctions 34 and 33[9].

The Met Office had issued severe weather warnings for Scotland, Northern Ireland, the North East, Yorkshire and Humber, the East Midlands and the South West, with London and the South East also under threat. Their experts said the worst trouble was in is Northumberland where blizzards have dumped up to 40 cm of snow. Ice warnings were later extended to cover the whole of the British Isles, with snow also predicted for Kent and Sussex. The weather expert Jim Bacon, told Sky News the blizzards were being caused by a unseasonably early cold weather system that had emerged over Scandinavia the day before and was moving towards North East England and Scotland . He also predicted this sort of event could become earlier and more common in the future[9]. weatherforcaster John Hammond, Met Office forecaster, said heaviest widespread snow since the November of 1993[1].

The East of England Ambulance Service had recorded several accidents with cars and vans skidding into ditches, lampposts, fences and fields. They warned motorists to “Remember your safety is paramount, drive safely and please take care over the weekend!” The AA also said it had attended a total of 10,400 breakdowns by mid-afternoon, which is up 80% above the norm for a Saturday in November. Both flat batteries and lots of people failing to get out of the driveway due to snow and/or ice were becoming commonplace in Northumbria, Newcastle, Middlesbrough and Aberdeenshire [9].

A man died in at Lancaster Hospital after jumping into River Lune at Halton to save his springer spaniel dog earlier in the day[9][10].

At some airports, flights have been delayed including those at Jersey airport after lightning hit the radar system overnight and heavy snow closed runways at Luton, Newcastle upon Tyne and Inverness airports[9]. That night roads were salted and gritted in most of Staffordshire, Cumbria, Leicestershire, Oxfordshire, Banburyshire and Warwickshire.

Many schools were closed and many roads were impassable in Scotland and the north east of England with up to 30 cm recorded in the Scottish Highlands, North Yorkshire, Wales and the South West. Some 10 in (25 cm) are expected to fall over higher ground on Saturday and parts of the Midlands and London will not remain unscathed[1].

Aisling Creevey, of MeteoGroup, predicted the cold snap was set to tighten its grip, in to the middle of next week. It would last at least 10 days as biting winds swooped in from the North Sea and night-time temperatures plummeted. The police and AA warned of warnings of black ice and snow drifts.[1].

Police said all roads in the Grampian region were covered in snow and ice this morning while the A93 at Glenshee, the A939 to Ballater and the A957 Crathes to Stonehaven, at the Slug Road, were also blocked by snow andf ice in places. The AA later said said it was called out to 12,000 breakdowns by 4:30 pm[1].

Due to the snow related chaos in Aberdeenshire, Aberdeenshire council said 121 schools in the area were closed or partially closed because of snow while some children in Durham were also turned away from classes.[1]

Several forthcoming sporting fixtures could be at risk with racing at Newcastle on Saturday becoming one of the first of the weekend's casualties and Bad weather could also hit tomorrow's FA Cup second round matches[1].

The earning of the 26th saw a woman die in a vehicle collision on the A394 road in west Cornwall. A 4 vehicle pile-up on the M1 near Sheffield, during horrendous weather left 2 people injured and in need of hospital treatment[11].

The night of the 26th/27th saw a thunder storm last night damage electrical systems and flood roads, causing disruption transport services on the 27th with trains in Dublin worst hit[12].

November 27

The M4’s westbound lane in south Wales saw a 26-mile tailback that night of the 26th/27th, with both the M25 and M40 also badly hit by the snow[13][14].

The Met Office Severe weather warnings remain in place across much of the UK, with Scotland and north-east England predicted to have the heaviest snowfalls, with new warnings are also in place for icy roads in Northern Ireland and Wales as forecasters recon it could remain cold and snowy for up to 2 weeks[15]. There were snowfalls of up to 30 cm recorded in the Scottish Highlands and North Yorkshire [12].

The day’s temperatures were predicted to barely rise above freezing, except in the South West set to be the warmest at around 3C, as snow was also drifting across Wales and the South. At Cottesmore near Oakham town in Rutland saw the cold fell to -3.1C while Woodford in Greater Manchester recorded a near record local temperature of 12.6C. The snow covered town of Leek in Staffordshire were among the coldest places at -2.5C[13][14].

A road crash on a n icy road in Erdington, Birmingham killed a cyclist that morning of November 27[7][8].

More than 30 schools in Northumberland were closed on the 27th and the A1 was blocked between Morpeth and Alnwick, was like many other routes made hazardous by the weather[6].

The AA said the North East and Wales were busiest in the UK for breakdown related call-outs[6].

Several toilets had frozen solid and water pipes burst in Leicestershire according to the local plumbers’ confederation. Light snow fell in parts of Leicester all day.

The severe winter weather resulted in school closures as Northern Scotland, North East England and parts of North and East Yorkshire were blanketed in up to 6 inches of snow. Sub-zero overnight temperatures were recorded across the country, with the t 2 of the coldest place being at Carterhouse in the Scottish Borders at -7.8C while Benson in Oxfordshire fell to -7.6C. New Met office alerts were put out for heavy snow warnings in the English East Midlands, the East of England, South West England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Ireland also faced a day of cold weather to [16].

Some FA Cup second round matches, could be affected with the day's racing at Newcastle upon Tyne the first to be called off.[16]

Tony Armstrong, chief executive of the Living Streets charity, called for local authorities to create a winter contract with their community to work together because of the weather and to guarantee gritting, coordinate volunteer ice wardens, to keep communities moving, and redeploying council staff who are unable to do their usual jobs in icy weather to grit pavements and avoid a repetition of last year’s 7,000 snow and ice-related hospital admissions[16].

A recent survey by the OnePoll organisation suggests that someone living in Britain will experience seven ‘white’ Christmases‘ during their lifetime. The best chance of seeing snow on December 25 is given as Glasgow followed by Edinburghand Aberdeen[16].

Later that morning, the Scottish Justice Secretary, Kenny MacAskill, bragged that Scotland was prepared for the severe weather and that the Scottish Government’s Resilience Committee to ensure contingency plans, boasted that local authorities had record levels of salt to keep most roads open. His ill-founded assessment came after the weather brought parts of the country to a standstill. The Met Office was updating Transport Scotland and helping them in their preparedness[17].

More than 150 schools were closed yesterday, of which a total of 158 Aberdeenshire schools were either fully or partially closed. Many roads were impassable after a foot of snow fell in the Scottish Highlands 8 inches fell overnight yesterday in the Grampian region and as road gritters boldly attempted to keep roads open for as possible[17]. Dozens of schools were also closed in Northumberland, East Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and Wales were closed and many roads left impassable[13][14].

The Scottish roads were in total weather related chaos as A939 Ballater to Corgarff road was shut, as were the A939 Cockbridge to Tomintoul, the B976 Crathie to Gairnside and the B974 Cairn o’Mount. One incident ivolved a jack-knifed lorry between Huntly and Dufftown. The total number of UK callouts yesterday to the AA was expected to surpass the 15,000 mark as varicose axidents and flat batteries took their toll on motor vehicles[17]. Grampian Police said all roads in the Grampian region were covered in snow and ice yesterday morning while the A93 at Glenshee, the A939 to Ballater and the A957 Crathes to Stonehaven, at the Slug Road, were also blocked in places[13][14]. People were being urged to log on to the Scottish devolved Government’s Ready Winter webpage[17].

Scottish ski centres said conditions pleased with the heavy snow at Glenshee and the Lecht in the Cairngorms. The Nevis Range will be closed while the gondola undergoes maintenance after the heavy snow had taken its toll on it[17].

The Lecht said six lifts would be open. A spokeswoman said: “They’ve all got good coverings of fresh snow and it’s looking perfect[17].

By the middle of the 27th Up to 1.5 inches of snow fell in parts of Staffordshire overnight while residents in the Black Country also woke up to a covering today with warnings of way with blizzards expected in the region with a predicted snow fall of 8 inches over the next few days[7][8].

Snow was causing problems on the M6 through Staffordshire, so variouse agencies's road gritters were out in force as temperatures dipped to -3 °C (27 °F)[7][8].

The Met Office warned that most of the snowfall during last night was in Staffordshire, but with showers in the West Midlands and Shropshire at around dawn[7][8].

By the afternoon AA had faced a up 40% rise on a normal Saturday in November,” a spokesman said. The worst affected areas were around Newcastle upon Tyne, Mid Wales, North Wales, Norwich, Leeds and Bradford[18].

Cars drove awkwardly on both sides of the road as they struggle to climb the hill on Penrhiwfer Road, Tonyrefail, Wales. As Britain began to feel the big chill fewer robins will be keeping gardeners company this winter 27. Motorists in Wales and Northern Ireland struggled with icy roads while Scotland was facing more heavy snow and drifts thanks to a biting wind[18].

The Met Office warned of icy roads in Greater London and the South East, the South West, East Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber and the north east of England and of heavy snow North East, Yorkshire and Humber, East Midlands and the South West were also braced for heavy snow. About 10 inches of snow was expected over the higher parts of the country, with a light dusting in Greater London and lower lying parts of the English Midlands. They reckoned that the cold snap would continue, with snow blanketing swathes of the country by the middle of this week[18].

Ocado online supermarket had seen a surge in demand for de-icer with sales while the cold weather had also brought a 42% increase in sales of cough medicine. Tescos had also seen a rise in the sails of de-icer and table salt.[18]

During the eavning of the 27th of November 2010 Travel plans were disrupted for many people and children had fun playing as 40cms (16 inches) fell in parts of North East England and Scotland on Saturday, with more being predicted to come on come on Sunday. Forecasters said It was the most widespread snow at this time of year since 1993[2].

The thermometers at Llysdinam, near Llandrindod Wells, Powys, recorded a seriously low -17.3C, the coldest temperature for the month of November in the UK since 1985, and Wales's coldest November night on recorded. Shawbury, in Shropshire was hit withh -12.5C; Lough Fea, in Northern Ireland was left hopping with -9.2C; and Church Fenton in North Yorkshire chilled out with a nocturnal low of -11.9C[19].

Michael Dukes, of the forecasters MeteoGroup said "You are seeing some ridiculously low temperatures – it has been a bit like it is in the middle of Scandinavia." and that -20C in many Scottish glens was likely. The UK's lowest ever November temperature recorded was in -23.3C, recorded in Braemar, in the Scottish Highlands, on 14 November 1919[20].

More than a foot of snow has already fallen in several places in parts of Scotland and northern England, with around a third of that amount seen in areas of central England and Norfolk. More snow, mixed with sleet and rain, is due later in the week[21].


Saturday, November 27, saw Ireland freezing in what could be a rather costly cold snap as it emerged that the extreme weather earlier this year cost a colossal €297m in insurance payouts due to the snow causing damage was also caused to homes and other buildings all over the country. The Irish Insurance Federation revealed there were 22,450 claims from the public, the vast majority of which involved snow or ice damage to peoples’ homes[12].

Road conditions in the Dublin area were made dangerous after freezing temperatures and snow led to icy surfaces and paths were made Icy by frost[12].

A prolonged freeze disrupted businesses and schools as travel was made hazardous. Hard-pressed retailers feared that today's bitterly cold temperatures combined with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) march would deter many families from beginning their Christmas shopping in the city centre. As retailers and restaurants head into the vital Christmas period, shoppers were expected to stay away from Dublin city centre in their drove[12] s.

The DART and the northern commuter and Maynooth commuter lines were not running and Belfast andRosslare train services out of Dublin were also affected. The main runway at Dublin airport due to snow and ice for most of the day[12].

The extreme weather was reminiscent of the winter storms of 2009/2010, which were the worst in resent Irish history[12].

The bitter cold and snow did not deter thousands of pro-democracy protesters who took to the streets of Dublin in an ICTU organised march to protest against the country's austerity budget and the horrific 4 year National Recovery Plan[12].

Met Eireann said the areas worst affected by the overnight snow were eastern parts of Leinster, Donegal and Connacht and said the bad weather was expected to last for up to a week, with depths of up to 10 cm in places. Met Eireann, put a weather warning in place and more snow for the counties in the east, north and north west. The also put a gale and small craft warning in effect[12].

November 28th

Both Oxford and Banbury was hit by a heavy frost and winds between 5:00–6:00 am UTC. Heaavy snow fall occered through out the night of November 27/28 on the high ground of the UK and Ireland, but was easing off in Staffordshire by 7:00 am GMT.

That morning white-out blizzard conditions hit several main roads in most of Scotland, parts of Tyne and Wear, Northumberland and Staffordshire, including the A9 between Perth and Dunblane [22]

So far Scotland and the North East had been worst hit by snow by the morning of the 28th, with more than 40cm in parts, and police have advised people to stay indoors for all but essential travel[23].

Aisling Creevey, of MeteoGroup, forecast that London would have heavy snow falling overnight, with the severe conditions could also last well into next week, with rain, sleet and snow. The South East, at a balmy 2C[24].

Both the blizzard conditions, jack-knifed lorries and dozens of abandon cars forced authorities and Central Scotland Police to shut the A9 between Dunblane and Perth indefinitely. The road is one of the busiest roads in Scotland, last night[25].

The M62 between junction 34 at Selby and junction 38 at North Cave was described as hazardous, with the Sheffield Parkway being particularly treacherous that morning.

In East Yorkshire, police urged motorists to take extra care and drive according to the weather conditions following another night of snow leaving a number of roads across the region difficult to drive on. A Humberside Police spokesman said: "So far we have not experienced a high volume of incidents on our roads this morning[26].

Police said the B1248 at Lund was closed following a single-vehicle collision and that a car hit a telegraph pole but the driver was not injured, Humberside Police said. [27]

A Highways Agency spokesman said the A66 near Bowes was closed while snowploughs cleared the road. The M4’s Severn Crossing, he said, for 1 hour as a precaution after ice started to form on the bridge supports causing slight damage to them and that a section of the A1 near Berwick last night after a lorry overturned[28].

In Cornwall, 44 schools were closed because of the weather, with another 12 opening later in the morning, Cornwall Council said[29].

Llysdinam, which saw Wales's chilliest ever November night reading on 27th at -18C /- 0.4F), was a bit warmer in the day of the 28th today at - 12.9C/-8.8F. The temperature in Northolt in London recorded at -2.2C/28F and North Dartmoor reached - 7.9C/17.8F[30].

The Met office issued a severe weather warning for areas across Scotland with snowfalls of five to 15 cm forecasts [22]. The Met Office said that the snow showers would be heavy and prolonged at times throughout the day giving falls of five to 15 cm, with up to 25 cm on higher ground[22].

Scotland saw the tempriture of the day at Loch Glascarnoch, between Ullapool and Inverness, saw temperatures fall to -15C (4F), a new record low for a Scottish November[22].

Tayside Police said a lightning strike on the telephone network in the Dundee area had shorted out all non-emergency phone lines[22].

Police told drivers not to travel unless absolutely necessary as motorists getting stuck behind jack-knifed lorries. This was one of the things that resulted in The M8 was open on lane in both directions A82 by Loch Lomond being at standstill for a while. Central Scotland Police said M80, A9 and A84 were in snow related chaos to. In the Highlands the following roads have been closed: B9007 Ferness to Carrbridge, A836 Lairg to Tongue, A837 Rosehall to Ledmore, and the A897 Kinbrace to Melvich. The A939 Tomintoulto Cockbridge is closed. Other roads forced to shut due to snow include: A93 Spittal of Glenshee, M9 J10 Craigforth - J11 Keir, A68 at Carter Bar, and the A68 (s) at Jedburgh [22]. ScotRail Services to and from Glasgow Central were disrupted, and many other routes having delays and cancellations[22]. All flights were suspended indefinitely at Edinburgh Airport and temporally at Glasgow airport. Stirling bus station was shut due to heavy snow [22]. Aberdeen Airport had several flights were cancelled and was closed for an hour due to heavy snow and Prestwick Airport handled some diversions fro, Glasgow airport before it reopened at 15.00GMT. Calmac had no trouble with any of it’s ferry services [22]. Perth and Kinross Council said it had set up a special winter related telephone help line [22].

The Forth HMS Coastguard managed to keep operations running after staff, based on the Fife peninsula at Anstruther, dug their way into work in snow drifts of 30 cm (12 in) deep.[22]

The NHS Winter Health website warned older people of the risks of exposure to cold weather [22].

Bear Scotland said it had sent five gritters on the A9 and hoped to open it as soon as possible other roads were passable with [22].

National Express coaches said its last bus services from Dundee city centre would leave at 1700 GMT and there would be no more services until the morning [22].

The soccer matches between Dundee United and Rangers at Tannadice and Motherwell against Hearts at Fir Park. The nativity party Glasgow's George Square was cancelled, as was a nativity carol concert in Edinburgh's St Andrew Square. The Lecht snow centre in the Cairngorms had to close due to snow drifts. A nativity play was cancelled in Morpeth, Northumberland due to the heavy snow [22].

By miday the snow was causing havock in the Scottish Central Belt and Ullapool.

By the afternoon it had reached Fife and costal Normandy, while white-out hit Staffordshire, but snow fall had decreased in Warwickshire.

Northern Ireland and Stirlingshire we're in white-out conditions by the afternoon of the 28th[10].

Northern Ireland and Wales hit a new low of -9.5C (15F) at Lough Fea, Co Tyrone, in Wales, a record minimum of -18C (0F) was reached at Llysdinam, in Powys and Scotland set a November record at Loch Glascarnoch, with -15C as snow is fell in Scotland, Northern Ireland and North East England[10]. Topcliffe in North Yorkshire, saw a temperature of -13.5 °C (8F) [10]. The lowest ever recorded British temperature was -27.2C (-17F) in Altnaharra, in the Scottish Highlands during in 1995. England's record lowest was -26.1C (-15F) in Newport, Shropshire, in 1982. The record lowest in Wales was -23.3C (-10F), recorded in Rhayader, Powys, in 1940, and in Northern Ireland it was -17.5C (1F) in Magherally, Co Down, in 1979[10].

Both Edinburgh, Glasgow and Derry airports have been closed by then[10]

The Met Office severe weather warnings for eastern and central Scotland, and eastern England from the Borders down to the East Midlands continued BBC weather forecaster Alex Deakin said that 10 cm (4 in) had fallen in Aberdeenshire in 2 hours on that morning, with a predicted 15–20 cm (6–8 in) for Fife, Perth and Kinross and Angus during the rest of the day. Snow depths had already hit 40 cm (16 in) in parts of North East England and Scotland in the heaviest and most wide spread snowfall in a November since 1993. The British AA breakdown servace said it had received 10,500 call-outs by 1430 GMT - compared with about 7,500 for the whole of an average November Sunday[10]. A cold front that formed in Siberia on the 24th was forecast to hit the UK on the 29th after hitting Switzerland on the 26th and the Baltic states on the 25th. It was reckoned that the week-long easterly winds showed no sign of letting up, with the cold weather being expected to last until next week at least.[10].

Both the Police and AA organisationurged divers to take care in across the country, with M9 in Stirling and the A1(M) in County Durham are particularly hazardous. A car skidded on the M1, hit another car and seriously injured both the occupants. Newcastle upon Tyne, Durham-Tees Valley and Jersey airports[10].

Ian Mercer, who runs a company which supplies salt for gritting to schools, hospitals and shopping centres, noted that his firm already sold twice as much salt than in 2009. They had import the last socks of salt from Russia, Egypt and Sardinia [10].

Monday's horse racing event at Ffos Las, in Carmarthenshire. Scotland's Alba Cup final, Dundee United's Premier League game against Rangers, and several FA Cup second round fixtures were also postponed. The Newcastle United's game against Chelsea will go ahead after extra staff were drafted in to clear the pitch of snow[10].

Many schools remained closed in Caerphilly, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Flintshire and Neath Port Talbot due to over 1ft of show, as Rhondda Cynon Taf also cancelled all recycling and refuse collections.. A road accident on the A470 south of Builth Wells, Powys, caused delays for people travelling to the Royal Welsh Winter Fair in nearby Llanelwedd, as a 2 -mile tailback for traffic occered.This happened as Dyfed-Powys Police were also called to a two-car crash on the A458 at Cyfronydd, near Welshpool in which but there were no serious injuries[31].

First Cymru said some of its bus services in Carmarthenshire would not run on Monday because of icy road conditions. Also in Carmarthenshire, Llandeilo community education centre was closed due to frozen pipes and thick ice in the car park. The mercury fell to – 5C in Carmarthenshire for most of the day[32].

BBC Wales meteorologist Derek Brockway warned that tempritures will fall to about -5C to -10C, a couple of inches of snow on the high ground and an increased risk of water frozen pipes [33].

The evening saw a bitter frost hit Staffordshire, West Midlands County, Warwickshire and Oxfordshire.

November 29th

The early morning saw freezing fog settle over the West Midlands and South East England, a fog that was still in situ by 9.30GMT, lifted by mid day and came back by 16.00 GMT.

In the morning forecasters have warned there is no sign of a let-up in the icy conditions[34]. In Scotland, more than 600 people were offered emergency accommodation at a sports hall in Perth after they were stranded overnight on Sunday on the A90, M90 and A9 amid blizzard conditions. All the schools in Dundee, West Lothian and Shetland are closed on Monday. Across York and North Yorkshire, around 50 schools were forced to shut, with several schools in East Yorkshire also closed for the day.[35]. A tramp was reported to have frozen to death in Leeds[36].

The coldest place overnight in the UK was Altnaharra in Northern Scotland, which recorded a low of minus 16.1C. Llysdinam, which saw Wales's chilliest ever November reading on Sunday at minus 18C, was a bit warmer on Monday at minus 12.9C[37].

Forecasters warned that the rest of the country is likely to be blanketed this week. Brendan Jones, senior forecaster with MeteoGroup, said snow would be moving south across the UK with many areas starting on Tuesday morning with a covering of snow and reckoned the severe conditions could also last well into next week, with rain, sleet and snow. The only exception is the far south-west tip of Cornwall which is seeing some hail and snow[38].

669 motorists were left stranded overnight in freezing conditions in Scotland until what is thought to have been the largest rest centre ever set up in Scotland was organised to help people stuck on roads around Perth [39].

There are warnings that temperatures could fall as low as -20C later this week, the same temperature as Tomsk in Siberia [40].

All the schools in Dundee, West Lothian and Shetland, with some 800 schools are closed in Scotland, whilst are closed while across about 50 were shutin York, 135 North Yorkshire, with 78 shut in Cornwall [41].

Motorists said some people were stuck for nearly 12 hours in Dundee as heavy snow halted traffic on the A90, M90 and A9 , where cars regally broke down and lorries bravely struggled with the ice [42].

The AA said there had been 12,400 calls for assistance with about more than 2,100 every hour during the peak period. On the trains, the East Coast Main Line was facing delays. A revised timetable was issued for journeys between London King's Cross, Scotland and the North of England [43].The 14.51 train from Banbury to Manchester Piccadilly was delayed by 1 hour and 43 minutes and the 15.51 train from Banbury to Brighton was delayed by 1 hour and 3 minutes, with others horrifically delayed up until 15.30 after a lorry struck a bridge north of Banbury at mid-day and the weight of snow partly collapsed one to the south of Banbury and another north of Oxford at about 13.00UTC[44][45]. Further disruption occurred when a bloke slipped and hurt himself on some ice at a mostly gritted Heyford station and signalling equipment failed in the extreme cold (-12C) at Tilehurst, which needed emergency engendering work due to the totality and severity of the fault[46]. The busses were running with only minor delays in Banburyshire[47].

The City of Edinburgh, had 7 inches of snow fall. As a reult of the chaos causee the city's airport was closed. It was also reported that around 3,000 homes in the Tayside and Perth areas were without power [48].

A local rescue operation was launched in Lincolnshire free up to 60 cars stuck on the A153 near Louth. A train traveling from London to Kent was stranded on a train for over 2 hours with no power supply after the tracks froze on Monday night. The 23.07 GMT service from London Victoria to Kent became stuck between Borough Green and West Malling before being towed to safety by another train[49].

Severe blizzards hit Southern Sweden and Denmark, affecting flights at Copenhagen Airport. Over 30 cm of snow fell. Helsinki and Stockholm recorded their coldest November nights on record, at -20C and -14C respectively.

November 30th to date

The morning of the 30th saw about 1foot of snow hit Banburyshire and Oxfordshire.

The morning of the 30th saw 2 to 5 cm snow falling many more parts of the UK, but much less fall in Scotland and Northern Ireland[50].

Over 1,000 schools were closed across the Kingdom, mostly in Scotland and the north of England with, 50 schools in Northumberland, County Durham, and Tyne and Wear closed[51].

Both North Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Merseyside had the worst of it, but new stuff fell in Birmingham, Sussex and parts of Gloucestershire. Inverness recorded a nigh time low of -13C in Inverness and a day time high of 0C[52]. The Met Office then issued severe weather warnings for almost every part of the UK[53].

Edinburgh Airport reopened, but Newcastle International Airport closed. The Main roads are impassable in Barnsley (in which several cars had skidded on the snow), and the M18 was closed overnight after a snow-related accident and in Cumbria the A66 remains closed. Speed restrictions also applied to trains to avoid skidding on the icey tracks[54].

The Local Government Association said that births local government body’s had increased stockpiles of salt and grit, but Aberdeenshire was caught unprepared and rationing supplies of salt. Over 12,000 tonnes of salt so far , unlike the 3,500 tonnes during the same period in 2009[55].

Motoring organisations the AA and the RAC warned commuters to continue to take great care due to the conditions. They warned of ice and heavy snow on even the treated roads. The AA said the 29th was one of its busiest times in its entire 105 year history as they were called to more than 200,000 broken down women drivers[56].

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Snow brings parts of Britain to a standstill - Home News, UK". The Independent. Retrieved 2010-11-29.
  2. ^ a b c "BBC News - 'Beautiful but bitterly cold' weather". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-11-29.
  3. ^ http://stockholmnews.com/more.aspx?NID=6313
  4. ^ "Geneva, Switzerland Forecast : Weather Underground". Wunderground.com. 2010-11-17. Retrieved 2010-11-29.
  5. ^ DAVID DERBYSHIRE. "Plane slides off runway at Newcastle Airport as snow sweeps across UK". Associated Newspapers Ltd. Retrieved 27 November 2010.
  6. ^ a b c d e http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/8706667.Region_bearing_the_brunt_of_fresh_snowfall/
  7. ^ a b c d e "Snow hits West Midlands « Express & Star". Expressandstar.com. Retrieved 2010-11-29.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Snow hits West Midlands « Express & Star". Expressandstar.com. Retrieved 2010-11-29.
  9. ^ a b c d e f "UK On Snow Alert: Severe Weather Warnings In Place For Most Of UK With Heavy Snow Forecast | UK News | Sky News". News.sky.com. Retrieved 2010-11-29.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "BBC News - Coldest November night on record in parts of UK". Bbc.co.uk. 2010-11-24. Retrieved 2010-11-29.
  11. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/nov/28/cold-weather-snow-winter
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i Breastfeeding. "and it's Novembrrr as snow blankets the city - National News, Frontpage". Herald.ie. Retrieved 2010-11-29.
  13. ^ a b c d http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2010/11/27/wales-on-snow-alert-as-mercury-plunges-91466-27727187/
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  22. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "BBC News - Chaos as heavy snow hits Scotland". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-11-29.
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  56. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11871708
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