Big freeze delays traditional snowdrop display as February starts with more snow and temperatures of -7c

This image shows that winter can be beautiful too as student Lucy Moir,19, lies amongst snowdrops at Painswick Rococo Gardens in Gloucestershire
Usually the snowdrops begin to surface from the first week of January but the exceptionally biting weather made them reluctant to pop up.

One of Britain's largest collections of snowdrops has finally burst into life after the cold snap caused a record delay in the blooms' arrival.

Hundreds of thousands of white flowers at Painswick Rococo Gardens in Gloucestershire have shown their heads above the soil a fortnight late.

The snowdrops cover acres of ground among the fantastical follies and trees near Stroud, but even now only half are out.

Director Paul Moir said: 'It is much later this year. I can't remember them starting to come out as late as this.

'It is the cold weather. December was so cold, as was much of January, that they have been snuggling in the soil.

'The early ones have come out but the progress is very very slow because it has remained cold. I would normally expect the bulk to be out by now.

He added: 'It is amazing what a bit of sunshine can do not only to our spirits but the snowdrops as well.'

The Rococo garden, near Stroud, was rebuilt in the 1970s based on a design dating back to the 18th century.

Britain is braced for more snowfall this week as forecasters predict a return to the arctic conditions which brought chaos to the UK in January.

Up to 2inches (5cm) could settle in northern Scotland and in northern and western Wales today and tomorrow, with lighter snow showers expected in Merseyside, Shropshire and Derbyshire.

Temperatures dropped well below freezing overnight with a low of minus seven degrees Celsius recorded in Benson, Oxfordshire, bringing warnings of icy roads.

The new wave of freezing winter weather came amid figures which showed that January was the coldest for 20 years.


Snow and high seas batter the North East Coast at Whitley Bay yesterday, as fresh snowfall is forecast


A monthly review by climatologist Philip Eden showed that overall it was both drier and sunnier than an average January, but most of the sunshine came during the first and last weeks.

He said: 'Although the second half of the month was unremarkable temperature-wise, the severity of the cold period during the first half was such that January turned out to be the coldest since 1987, and the ninth coldest in the past 100 years.

'Snow fell frequently and sometimes heavily during the first fortnight, notably on the 4th/5th when depths of 25-35cm (10-14ins) were measured across a large area from the Cotswolds to the Weald.

'Accumulated depths of 40-60cm (16-24ins) were noted in upland parts of eastern Scotland and North-East England and here snow on the ground lasted throughout the month.

Temperatures dropped to minus 22.3c (minus 8f) at Altnaharra, Sutherland, overnight on January 7-8 - the lowest temperature recorded in the UK since late December 1995, Mr Eden said.


Snow by the sea at Whitley Bay yesterday: Temperatures dropped to -22.3C at Altnaharra, Sutherland, overnight on January 7-8 - the lowest temperature recorded anywhere in the UK since late-December 1995


A car driver clears his vehicle of snow in Tynemouth, North Tyneside, on Saturday morning, following a heavy overnight snowfall


The lowest daytime maximum occurred on January 10 when the temperature failed to climb higher than minus 13.5c (8f) at Altnaharra.

A peak daytime high of 12.4c (54f) was recorded in Exeter on January 16 while the warmest night was 9.2c (49f) at St Mary's in the Isles of Scilly on January 14-15.

According to Mr Eden, the Central England Temperature of 1.1c (34f) was 3.1c (38f) below the 1971-2000 mean, the lowest since 1987.

The CET in January 1987 was 0.8c (33f). The month started off as normal, but within a week virtually the whole country was covered in snow with temperatures below zero.


A women is seen training her horse on a snow-covered field in Jarrow, north-east England on Saturday


A couple are seen walking their dogs in the heavy snow, on the beach at South Shields, on Saturday, as the severe weather returns to Britain


Up to two inches could settle in northern Scotland and in northern and western Wales, with lighter snow showers expected in Merseyside, Shropshire and Derbyshire.


Temperatures dropped well below freezing over the weekend with a low of -7c recorded in Benson, Oxfordshire.

The Met Office warned of widespread icy roads in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, north-west and south-west England and the West Midlands.

But the chilly spell will be replaced by warmer weather as bands of rain move in from the West, forecasters said.

Heavy snow in some parts over the weekend caused disruption to motorists and forced the cancellation of several sports fixtures.

The worst-hit areas were the east and west coasts of England, northern Scotland and south-west Wales.

Drivers had to battle icy conditions and road closures as snow hit parts of the North East on Friday night.

There were five separate crashes on Bonemill Lane in Sunderland on Saturday morning and police were forced to close the road for an hour-and-a-half.

And an icy road surface led to a three-vehicle collision at a roundabout near Crowther Road in the city.

Nobody was injured in any of the incidents, police said.


source: dailymail