‘Carnage’ on motorway as wintry blast halts spring
SNOW, sleet and hail hit parts of the country early yesterday, causing a motorway pile-up amid the wintry blast.
The Met Office issued a weather warning for an area of northern England and southern Scotland, while snow flurries were also seen in the Midlands in the early hours. Temperatures dipped below freezing overnight and remained in single figures in many areas for most of the day.
A warning of snow is in place today over a large area of Wales.
A “sudden microburst” of hail and snow caused a 24-car pile-up on the M55 near the M6 interchange late on Tuesday, according to Lancashire Police. The motorway was closed in both directions between junctions one and three into the early hours.
No one was seriously injured but the crash caused “carnage”, the force said.
Forecasters blamed a deep area of low pressure centred on the UK, bringing changeable conditions with heavy showers. More snow was expected to fall on higher ground overnight, with frost and patchy fog hitting some areas this morning. Sunshine and showers are expected across most of the UK today, with showers most frequent in the South West and longer spells of rain across northern Scotland.
The picture is expected to improve, with brighter, drier and warmer conditions forecast for many parts of the country tomorrow and into the weekend. However, those living on the east coast are likely to be still feeling the chill under heavy clouds.
After a soggy March, the Met Office is predicting temperatures will be near the seasonal average to rather warm in the South and West, but it will feel cold in many eastern areas. It is expected to become more settled midway through the month.
The Met Office confirmed this March was among the wettest on record. Provisional figures show the UK had an average 132.9mm (5.2in) of rainfall – the fifth wettest since 1910.