It’s official... spring is here for region in grip of snow and ice, with more on way

The unrelenting cold weather is showing little sign of slowing this week with heavy snow expected to hit the region again tomorrow.

Snow covered Blakey Ridge on the North York Moors yesterday as wintery weather maintained its grip on northern parts of the region.

The snow showers had cleared by the afternoon but forecasters warn that more is on its way. Temperatures overnight were expected to drop well below freezing with a widespread frost around Yorkshire.

Today’s forecast is for a clear day with some sunny spells but the snow will return to the region on Friday and carry on into the weekend.

A Meteogroup forecaster said: “Rain coming up from the South West will turn to snow when it hits the colder air in Yorkshire.

“Snow will settle, especially on areas of higher ground with drifting expected.

“It will continue overnight with some heavy snow expected in some areas and this will continue into Saturday before it starts to clear up in the afternoon. There will be a strong Easterly wind on Friday too so it is going to feel very cold in Yorkshire on Friday and Saturday.”

The Midlands and Lincolnshire could also be hit by snow on Friday, forecasters said.

The Met Office has warned the public to take care in potentially icy conditions because of the low temperatures.

Will Lang, chief forecaster at the Met Office, said: “While it is not unusual to see snow in March, the cold weather we have seen has been quite prolonged. The next period of wintry weather has some uncertainty at this stage regarding where the worst of the snow will be so it is essential to watch for updates to severe weather warnings.”

He added: “People should be prepared for further disruption as we head through the next few days.”

Blizzards which hit Scotland on Tuesday closed dozens of schools and caused hazardous conditions on the roads.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Though we were enjoying record high temperatures around this time last year, we know that March normally brings us challenging weather conditions and this year is proving much more like the norm.”