WORST IN A GENERATION
Heaviest snow for 35 years on Llŷn villages as region battered by Storm Emma
PARTS of North Wales suffered their heaviest snowfall in a generation this weekend in the aftermath of Storm Emma.
Some parts of Flintshire and Gwynedd, including low-lying villages such as Abersoch and Aberdaron were covered with up to two feet of snow. Aberdaron at the end of the Llyn Peninsula in Gwynedd usually avoids snow but Storm Emma brought the heaviest dump in more than 35 years.
John Williams, 61, who has lived in the village all his life, said: “The last time we have had weather like that was in 1982. It started snowing at about 2pm on Friday and didn’t stop until the early hours of this morning (Saturday). I reckon there is about two feet of snow outside my house.”
The heavy, drifting snow made several roads impassable on Saturday across the Llyn Peninsula, with Llithfaen and Llanaelhaearn badly hit. There was also snow in Abersoch. Around 400 homes were left without electricity for two days, with Llanberis, Bethesda and Dinorwig the worst affected villages and Red Cross volunteers handed out hot drinks and food to householders over the weekend.
Scottish Power engineers worked around the clock in near-freezing temperatures and high winds and power was restored by Saturday night. A few roads were still closed due to the snow going into the weekend – including the B4391 in both directions between A4212 (Arenig) and A470 (Ffestiniog), in Gwynedd – but all the major routes reopened and train and bus services were running normally.
Schools returned to normal at the beginning of the week after more than 100 were shut on Friday. There have been several burst water mains on Anglesey and Conwy, affecting supplies to properties and Dwr Cymru is working to repair the damage as the worst of the cold weather recedes.
The Met Office has said the outlook for this week was unsettled but becoming less cold