Schools Close As Week-Long Arctic Storm Takes Hold (UK - 1st Day Of Spring)

The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 2-1-2006 | Auslan Cramb

[blam]

Schools close as week-long Arctic storm takes hold

By Auslan Cramb Scottish Correspondent
(Filed: 01/03/2006)

More than 150 schools were closed yesterday and dozens of roads were blocked by snow as Arctic weather hit parts of Britain.

Walkers brave the elements at Scarborough, North Yorks, where a severe weather warning had been issued

While many central areas enjoyed uninterrupted winter sunshine, the north of Scotland and the East Coast experienced some of the heaviest snowfall of the winter.

The northerly air stream, which is expected to last for most of the week, hit Orkney and Shetland, where all schools were shut, Aberdeenshire, the North-East of England, north Wales and Northern Ireland.

The weather also hampered efforts to recover an RAF helicopter which was abandoned during a rescue operation in the Cairngorms on Monday night.

The aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing after its rotors iced up during blizzard conditions. The crew of five had to walk off the hill, while a mountain rescue team went to the aid of a climber who had broken his ankle.

Michael Mulford, a spokesman for RAF Lossiemouth, said conditions during the attempted rescue were "utterly horrendous" with the helicopter being buffeted by 60mph winds as it approached Corrie an Sneachda, above Aviemore.

He said: "The 10-ton helicopter is now basically posing as a huge ice sculpture. It is too early to guess when, or if, it will get back to flying.

"We have alpine-trained mountain rescuers who are checking the helicopter, but conditions are currently too bad to mount a rescue operation. The helicopter is picking up more ice and snow so, when the time comes, it will need to be dug out and de-iced."

Severe weather warnings were issued yesterday for Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, with several inches of snow expected on the North York Moors, and up to eight inches of snow on high ground in Scotland.

In Aberdeenshire, 122 schools were closed or partially closed by 11am, and main roads including the A93 Braemar to Cairnwell, and the A939 Cockbridge to Tomintoul, were blocked by drifting snow.

In Yorkshire, there were sporadic snowfalls in the Scarborough and Whitby areas.

The Thames Barrier was closed during the day as the weather combined with high spring tides to create a 20in surge.

Andrew Batchelor, the tidal flood risk manager, said the move was standard procedure "when strong winds on the East Coast combine with high spring tides".

The Met Office said there would be no let-up in the cold weather today, with more snow forecast and temperatures expected to plunge below freezing later in the week.

A second weather front could bring snow to the southern half of the country towards the end of the week and into the weekend.

Bookmakers responded to the icy blast by cutting the odds on a white Easter to 16-1.

[wyattearp]

But a good one! LOL!