Brace yourself for a long March to snow, heavy rain and gales

MARCH is supposed to come in like a lion and out like a lamb. But the opposite is likely to be true this year, according to forecasters, with the worst conditions expected in the second half of the month.

After the driest February in 30 years, Britain faces a chilly March with snow, heavy rain and strong winds.

Up to mid-March, snow showers will be mostly restricted to northern hills with drier conditions elsewhere.

Towards the middle of the month ‘there is an increasing chance of it turning more unsettled with spells of rain or snow becoming more likely’, the Meteorological Office said. In the second half of March, ‘late seasonal wintry showers are expected across the country’.

It comes after a relatively benign – while at some points bitterly cold – winter.

There was only one named storm, Otto, which brought 75mph winds and heavy rain in northern England and Scotland on February 17, leaving thousands of households without power.