Spring off to a frosty start with snow falling across the UK

Spring weather March 2nd 2024

The first weekend of spring has seen snow falling across parts of the UK and the Met Office issuing weather warnings.

Temperatures in the west of the UK were narrowly above freezing on Friday night and the Met Office said four to five centimetres of snow fell around Bristol.

Yellow warnings were in place from 6am until 10am on Saturday morning for Gloucester, Worcester and parts of Wiltshire, and a Met Office forecaster said this was in part to flag to the emergency services and the public that snow was predicted where major transport routes, the M4 and M5, meet.

Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said “we had a little more snow than expected” after it arrived in the coldest part of the night and low pressure gave it “more energy” than computer models predicted.

He added: “It’s not unusual for this time of the year, we often do get some snow in March – it’s the old adage that it is more likely to snow in Easter than it is in Christmas, and there is a bit of truth to that.”

On Friday, it was announced that February was one of the wettest on record and Mr Partridge said the morning’s snowfall shows “the unsettled weather is continuing”.

He added some people saw heavy rain instead of flurries.

Snow is still moving snow across the high hills of Wales but overall the week will be drier, he said.

People shared images of their pets enjoying the Spring snow to X, formerly Twitter.

In Monmouthshire, south-east Wales, a dog owner posted photographs of his Irish terrier, Cleo, experiencing snow for the first time in her life.

Charles Crundwell told PA news agency: “Went to bed last night with not a hint that it might snow, so was surprised and delighted when I opened the curtains.

“My previous Irish Terrier loved snow so was keen to get my new one out to experience it, it took her a few seconds and then she was off full-on joy into this new white paradise, put a smile on my face”.

A motorist shared a video driving along slush-covered roads with snow on the verges, by Chipping Sodbury Rugby Club in Bristol.

The video was posted to the Instagram account Dodd1e’5 Gr4nd S7am Team, a group cycling to raise money for motor neurone disease.

Administrator Ian Archard, 55, posted a photo of his snow in his garden in Mangotsfield, near Bristol.

He told PA: “It’s still exciting to wake up and see snow in the morning. Takes me back to childhood”.

Footage was also shared of snow falling this morning in Tintern, Monmouthshire.

Amanda Holland posted a video and a photo of snow-covered trees with the caption “Welcome to a snowy morning in Tintern”.

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