January Ice Age

This years New Year marked the start of a new decade, of a new era. But for some, it seemed more like the start of an ice age. December and January have been the coldest since 1981/1982 so with temperatures plummeting below freezing, the question is why did it happen?

The reason for the snow in January was because of cold Scandinavian winds pushing down from the north, mixing with rain drifting from the west. This mixed together freezes the wind, which turns to snow. Another question hot on the minds of workers, students and parents is will the ‘Big Freeze’ continue into February?

According to BBC Weather, the next fortnight should be almost an average February, with no snow predicted for the South, but maybe some further north and on higher grounds. But after that, the cold snap seems to be returning, with overnight frost and chances of more snow. We may experience some cold sunshine, but towards the end of the month, it seems to be remaining cold.

During the past months snow, many travel networks and schools came to a complete standstill. People were finding it hard to get up hills, or even out of their drives, so they could go to work, to the supermarket or do the school run. If more heavy snow does fall, the country could well be at a standstill again. So lets just hope that if more snow does come, that it isn’t heavy so we can continue with our normal lives (although many school children will wish for heavy snow so they can miss a day of school!)