It seemed too surreal to believe — a large swathe of southern Britain woke up yesterday to snowflakes falling thick and fast and settling on the ground in a scene that could have come from a Christmas card. It did not last long before the morning sunshine got to work, though, and the winter wonderland melted away, leaving behind only puddles and slush. It remained uncomfortably chilly.
As unusual as this weather may seem, there have been far worse snowfalls in Aprils gone by. One of the most astonishing episodes was 40 years ago. April 1981 started off blissfully warm and sunny and all seemed set for a glorious spring but the weather nosedived on Easter Monday, April 20, when Arctic winds swept the country. Temperatures tumbled further in the following days before a great blizzard blew up on April 23, sweeping through Britain from the Highlands down to the south coast.
To add to the unreality of it all, thunder and lightning broke out in the snowstorm and lightning strikes knocked out power lines. Howling winds brought down even more power cables and phone lines but most damage was done by heavy, wet snow that buckled electricity pylons, which crumpled like pieces of paper. The snow snapped branches off trees just as they had come into leaf.
There was chaos on roads as the suddenness of the storm took motorists by surprise. Hundreds of cars were stranded in snowdrifts up to 1.5m deep, with many people trapped inside their cars. By April 26 the only road open in Gloucestershire was one lane in each direction on the M5, while the M4 was completely blocked. At Harrogate in North Yorkshire a spring flower show was abandoned when a marquee for the exhibits collapsed under the weight of snow.
“Britain’s weather achieved new levels of perversity” The Times wrote. To add insult to injury, after four days of snowfall there was a rapid thaw that set off serious flooding.
