Last winter Britain ground to a halt in the snow for the second time in 12 months. From mid-December 2009 to mid-January 2010 virtually the entire country was beset by very low temperatures and heavy snowfall. It was the most widespread and prolonged spell of severe wintry weather for nearly 30 years, although there had also been heavy snowfalls across much of the UK in February 2009. The harsh winter had a serious impact on the nation’s transport system. Roads were closed and f lights and trains cancelled. Thousands of schools and businesses had to shut and several people lost their lives in weather-related accidents.
Most of Britain’s weather is associated with westerly winds blowing across the Atlantic Ocean, but the icy conditions of winter 2009–10 were brought by a predominantly easterly or northeasterly airstream. This circulation brought bitterly cold air from the Arctic and northern continental Europe. It was similar to the situation in February 2009 when freezing easterly winds also brought severe wintry conditions to Britain.
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