How the Beast from the East compares with Britain’s worst winters

1947

With snowdrifts of up to 23ft, thousands of people were stranded indoors for days. Snow fell every day somewhere in the country for 55 straight days between January and March. The mean maximum temperature for February was 33F (0.5C).

1963

Temperatures dropped to -4F (-20C), making it the coldest winter in more than 200 years. Animals starved as a foot of snow left some farmers unable to feed their livestock.

1981-2

December 1981 was the coldest since 1890. The cold snap – from Dec 8 to Jan 27 – left transport services in chaos and shut down London for two days for millions of commuters. In Gloucestershire, Monmouthshire and Glamorgan, snow lay 2ft deep with drifts up to 20ft high.

2009

Snow gripped London and the South East, with conditions that would have triggered a red warning with today’s system. The deepest snow was 29cm (11.4in) in Mickleham, Surrey. On Feb 2, London bus services were cancelled and all state schools in Surrey closed for the day along with 90 per cent of schools in the capital.

2010-11

December 2010 was even colder than in 1981 at 23F (-5C). It was estimated that 19 people died in accidents related to the cold. More than 7,000 schools were closed on Dec 2 due to the snow and ice.