Look back at year of weather extremes
Reporter WINTER officially arrived yesterday giving us a real reason to moan about the weather.
In fact, we Brits can’t get enough of it and we never seem to be happy – it’s either too hot or too cold.
Well, there has been plenty to talk about in 2018.
The Beast from the East ground the country to a halt but, after what felt like weeks of freezing temperatures, we were rewarded with a scorching summer (in the most part).
But it all seems like a distant memory as the end of the year has seen storm after storm, bringing heavy rain, gales and cold temperatures, with the most recent being Storm Diana.
Here we look at some of the year’s most memorable weather moments.
It launched its fury on the North East at the start of the year, dumping snow and causing temperatures to plumment.
Heavy blizzards brought blankets of snow and hundreds of schools were forced to close, while commuters faced travel mayhem due to the treacherous condtions.
The A1 was shut between Alnwick and Berwick with vehicles stranded on the road, while the A690 in County Durham was shut and the A66 was also blocked.
Blizzards and heavy rainfall resulted in a series of multi-vehicle crashes on major routes.
The A19 saw 20 collisions within the space of one hour, with 11 vehicles crashing southbound at Castle Eden, and 14 vehicles colliding near the Killingworth Way junction.
There was also major disruption to the Metro service, while rail and bus passengers also faced delays.
Newcastle Airport told passengers to check flights as staff battled to keep the runways clear.
Claps of thunder of flashes of lightning could be heard across the region as temperatures dropped as low as -15C and around 40cm of snow was expected to fall in areas.
Starting near the end of February, the Beast from the East rolled through to March and felt like it was never ending.
After a chilly start to the year, the sun finally shone and temperatures hit the high 20s.