Thick snow and huge hailstones in the UK as ‘crazy’ weather hits northern England
- In the north-west of England, people marvelled as conditions lurched from one extreme to another in minutes, with the rainiest place also the sunniest
Snow and extreme hail the size of after-dinner mints closed roads across England’s Peak District and Pennines on Sunday night and Monday morning, with accidents causing difficulties for rescue teams. Four roads were closed in the High Peak with gritters working through the dark to reopen them by lunchtime.
It was the fifth time this winter that Snake Pass, which rises nearly 520 metres (1,700 feet) at its exposed summit between Glossop and Sheffield, has been closed by Derbyshire county council due to hazardous conditions.
In Greater Manchester on Sunday night, a series of hailstorms carpeted roads with ice balls “the size of mint imperials”.
Across the north-west of England, people marvelled at the “crazy” weather which lurched from one extreme to another within minutes. The rainiest place in the region was also the sunniest: 14mm (half an inch) of rain fell in Rostherne in Cheshire over 24 hours, but the town also enjoyed 3.2 hours of sunshine.
Earlier in the day there was a massive pile-up on the Kirkstone Pass in the Lake District following a heavy snow shower.