British Isles weather, January 2019

England and E Scotland had an air frost on the 29th; further E it turned cloudy with rain and snow moving E'wards. The snow fell initially across Scotland N Ireland, later affecting high ground in N England. As the main precipitation area passed the weather turned showery and snow showers in Ireland fell as far S as Cork. N Wales and the N Midlands had rain and snow in the afternoon, with some snow falling after sunset in parts of Cent S and SW England. Snow fell in Kent and East Anglia in the evening while the best of the sunshine (mainly later in the day) was across N Scotland and W Ireland. There were delays and cancellations at both Belfast airports and up to 9cm of snow was reported in some places and some travel disruption occurred in N Ireland and N Scotland. (Hurn 7.3C, Loch Glascarnoch -1.0C maximum, Benson -6.5C minimum, Morecambe 23.2 mm, Stornoway 4.7 h,)

Air frost was widespread on the 30th and the day was generally cold. Away rom the Channel Islands and parts of N Scotland it was a mainly sunny day. There were falls of snow, mainly showery but with more prolonged falls in places (especially in NW England). Snow showers were also frequent across Ireland and in parts of N Scotland. Heavy snowfall in Greater Manchester temporarily closed the city's runways and caused problems on the roads. Footage shows cars struggling to drive up hills and thick snow at Manchester Airport. (Isles of Scilly 8.C, Spadeadam -0.9C maximum, Balmoral -9.3C minimum, Gt Cumbrae Millport 10.2 mm, Shobdon 7.7 h.)

Overnight into the 31st there was a widespread moderate to severe frost and some freezing fog patches. The fog persisted all day in parts of E and NE England, but many places in E England and N Scotland were sunny. There were snow showers in N, and cloud increased from the SW across Ireland, Wales and the southern half of England with rain turning to snow as it edged NE'wards into S Britain during the day, reaching SE England in the evening. There was heavy snow over the moors and hills in the southwest. Temperatures stayed below freezing all day in some central and northern districts. Up to 100 vehicles became trapped on a main road in Cornwall amid heavy snow. Drivers said they were stuck on the A30 on Bodmin Moor from about 1530 GMT after "significant snowfall" hit the area. Devon and Cornwall Police said there were hazardous driving conditions across the county, with multiple accidents reported. About 400 students were left stranded at Callywith College in Bodmin. (Isles of Scilly 9.1C, Balmoral -5.1C maximum, Braemar -14.3C minimum, Culdrose 22.0 mm, Kinloss 7.6 h.)