Wild weather as Beast returns
THE persistent ‘Beast from the East’ returned to town at the weekend causing yet more havoc - and forecasters suggest more may be to come.
The cold weather front dubbed the ‘ mini beast from the east’ arrived just as the previous week’s snowfall was beginning to melt.
Macclesfield Police issued warnings to drivers on Saturday (March 17) after snow fell leaving many roads impassable due to the thick snow and ice.
All three routes over the Pennines - The A537 Cat and Fiddle, The A54 and the B5470 - were all closed, and Church Street, Roe Street and Jordangate in Macclesfield were impassible due to the drifts, as well as roads in Rainow and Bollington.
Sgt Simpson, from Macclesfield Police, was compelled to issue a warning to drivers considering crossing the Pennines. He tweeted: “Please stop ignoring ROAD CLOSED SIGNS. This is Bull Hill #Rainow at the moment. Cars stuck in the drifts. Please don’t add to the problem by joining us!”
A second tweet from Macclesfield Police said: “There is currently no route to safely cross the Pennines into Cheshire. The A54, A537 (Cat and Fiddle) and B5470 are all closed/ impassable. Do not attempt it because we can’t get close enough to rescue you.”
And despite British Summer Time officially beginning on Sunday (March 25), forecasters warn more snow could be on the way, with below-average temperatures set to return over Easter Weekend.
A forecaster on the Met Office website said: “There remains some uncertainty in the forecast for the Easter Weekend, but we are likely to see slow moving weather systems across the UK, with wetter weather more probable in the south and with drier, colder conditions in the north albeit with a risk of snow at times.
“There is significant uncertainty in the forecast detail during this period, but it does look as though slow moving weather systems will affect the UK. There will most probably be a balance between Atlantic frontal systems affecting the south and west at times, with perhaps colder and perhaps drier conditions in the north. However, further snow is possible at times, more especially in the colder north.”