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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
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| Snow blows spring back as icy weather returns to UK | Snow blows spring back as icy weather returns to UK |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| Snow and icily low temperatures have returned to the UK in force, with blizzards in southern parts of England and the freezing weather threatening even the Channel Islands. | Snow and icily low temperatures have returned to the UK in force, with blizzards in southern parts of England and the freezing weather threatening even the Channel Islands. |
| Ferries have been interrupted between Jersey and St Malo, in France, as stormy weather moves along the Channel, possibly bringing snow to all parts of the country by nightfall. | Ferries have been interrupted between Jersey and St Malo, in France, as stormy weather moves along the Channel, possibly bringing snow to all parts of the country by nightfall. |
| The best of the morning weather has brought bright sunshine to northern England but with snow flurries lending an Alpine feel. Further south, the picture has been far more disrupted, with a spate of accidents on the M40 as blizzards began snowfalls that are expected to reach 10cm (4in) by the evening in the worst-affected areas. | The best of the morning weather has brought bright sunshine to northern England but with snow flurries lending an Alpine feel. Further south, the picture has been far more disrupted, with a spate of accidents on the M40 as blizzards began snowfalls that are expected to reach 10cm (4in) by the evening in the worst-affected areas. |
| On the Meteorological Office's map of weather warnings, the country is wearing a large yellow shawl, signifying the third, "be aware", level of the standard four alerts. | On the Meteorological Office's map of weather warnings, the country is wearing a large yellow shawl, signifying the third, "be aware", level of the standard four alerts. |
| Jersey airport has been closed by snow that also caused long delays to local and London commuter trains in Sussex and Hampshire. Strong winds have caused traffic problems and road closures from Cumbria to Wales and the West Country, with the winds reaching gale force in some parts of the UK's western seaboard. One lane of the M48 Severn bridge has been closed. Other areas affected include Newquay in Cornwall, Lynton in Dorset and the A353 through Dorset. | Jersey airport has been closed by snow that also caused long delays to local and London commuter trains in Sussex and Hampshire. Strong winds have caused traffic problems and road closures from Cumbria to Wales and the West Country, with the winds reaching gale force in some parts of the UK's western seaboard. One lane of the M48 Severn bridge has been closed. Other areas affected include Newquay in Cornwall, Lynton in Dorset and the A353 through Dorset. |
| No one has escaped scot-free, including the Scots, who have suffered signalling problems to trains in the Carstairs area. The new Arctic spells inflicted the same blow to services run by CrossCountry, East Coast, First TransPennine Express, ScotRail and Virgin Trains. | No one has escaped scot-free, including the Scots, who have suffered signalling problems to trains in the Carstairs area. The new Arctic spells inflicted the same blow to services run by CrossCountry, East Coast, First TransPennine Express, ScotRail and Virgin Trains. |
| Other ferries affected include TransEuropa, which is running a reduced service between Ramsgate and Ostend, and Stena, which has scaled down sailings between Holyhead and Dublin and cancelled the 9am Rosslare-to-Fishguard run. | Other ferries affected include TransEuropa, which is running a reduced service between Ramsgate and Ostend, and Stena, which has scaled down sailings between Holyhead and Dublin and cancelled the 9am Rosslare-to-Fishguard run. |
| Forecasters said Monday would be the coldest day of the current shift in temperatures, which was expected to continue until Thursday at least. There was an outside prospect of snow at Easter, but the Met Office goes no further than predicting unsettled conditions, with snow on its radar as far as 24 March and colder-than-average conditions into April. Ladbrokes has evens on snow falling in any major UK city on Easter Sunday, and 4/1 against it being the coldest Easter on record. | Forecasters said Monday would be the coldest day of the current shift in temperatures, which was expected to continue until Thursday at least. There was an outside prospect of snow at Easter, but the Met Office goes no further than predicting unsettled conditions, with snow on its radar as far as 24 March and colder-than-average conditions into April. Ladbrokes has evens on snow falling in any major UK city on Easter Sunday, and 4/1 against it being the coldest Easter on record. |
| Julian Mayes, of MeteoGroup, said temperatures would struggle to top 0C (32F) on Monday before climbing back up for the weekend. | Julian Mayes, of MeteoGroup, said temperatures would struggle to top 0C (32F) on Monday before climbing back up for the weekend. |
| "Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights are all expected to be very cold and frosty, with overnight temperatures as low as -6C in places," he said. "But by Friday the wind will have eased off and temperatures could reach 7C. That is still below average for the time of year, but will seem much warmer after this cold snap." | "Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights are all expected to be very cold and frosty, with overnight temperatures as low as -6C in places," he said. "But by Friday the wind will have eased off and temperatures could reach 7C. That is still below average for the time of year, but will seem much warmer after this cold snap." |
| The cold weather came as an unpleasant surprise for burgeoning spring bulbs and migrant birds, which return from Africa and the Mediterranean to breed in the UK in March and April. House martins, usually the earliest arrivals, have been seen in southern England, where conditions will make their foraging for insects difficult. | The cold weather came as an unpleasant surprise for burgeoning spring bulbs and migrant birds, which return from Africa and the Mediterranean to breed in the UK in March and April. House martins, usually the earliest arrivals, have been seen in southern England, where conditions will make their foraging for insects difficult. |
| Grahame Madge, of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, said the martins and the related sand martins were certain to face problems: "There's a limit to the amount people can do, but we would ask people to carry on putting food out." | Grahame Madge, of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, said the martins and the related sand martins were certain to face problems: "There's a limit to the amount people can do, but we would ask people to carry on putting food out." |
| Forty other new arrivals in the UK were more sanguine about the dip in temperatures. They are Royal Marine Commando reservists, who have been taking part in an Arctic exercise, Operation Hairspring, in northern Finland, in temperatures as low as -50C. | Forty other new arrivals in the UK were more sanguine about the dip in temperatures. They are Royal Marine Commando reservists, who have been taking part in an Arctic exercise, Operation Hairspring, in northern Finland, in temperatures as low as -50C. |
| The horseracing world was concerned about the effects of the weather on this week's Cheltenham festival, however, and the RAC and other road services were on standby to deal with a 20% rise in callouts over the next three days. The Highways Agency said it was "well prepared", with more than 500 salt spreaders, snowploughs and blowers deployed at 100 depots on the main road network. | The horseracing world was concerned about the effects of the weather on this week's Cheltenham festival, however, and the RAC and other road services were on standby to deal with a 20% rise in callouts over the next three days. The Highways Agency said it was "well prepared", with more than 500 salt spreaders, snowploughs and blowers deployed at 100 depots on the main road network. |
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