The snow that fell overnight and this morning took all of us by surprise because there was no indication in the forecasts on Friday evening, writes Ian Thomas.
At around 5.30 this morning (Saturday, March 2nd) I jumped out of and I could see through the window, the white road and lawns outside. Indeed, a blanket 40mm (1.5 inches) deep awaited the folk of Gloucestershire. I immediately got dressed and went out and took a few pics before the world and his wife stirred and the snow lay untouched.
Back to bed and then shortly after, I was thinking that it is six years since the so-called Beast from the East of 2018 affected the country and brought deep snow and huge drifts, particularly to the higher moors of the south-west, the Peak District and Pennines. That spell of weather did not last all that long but in reality was the deepest snowfall since January 1982 and the worst in southern England in March since the blizzard of March 3rd-4th 1965.
In fact, you would have to go back to March 1947 to see extensive blizzards across northern England. That year saw a full 13 inches fall in the first week of March and the blizzard of March 3rd-4th 1965 saw a full nine inches level snow with huge drifts. Many towns and villages cut off all over Britain, and transport dislocation. Temperatures dropped to -13c (9f) on March 6th-7th 1947, -8c (18f) on March 2nd-3rd 1965 and -7c (19f) on February 2th-March 1st 2018.
The 2018 blizzard conditions were brought about by the arrival of Storm Emma from the south-west. This is a classic situation from past winters such as 1947,1962-63, 1978-79 and 1981-82 whereby moisture-laden tropical maritime air from an Atlantic low pressure system meets the bitter polar continental air already established over the British Isles.
Pictures by Ian Thomas
