Bookmakers slash the odds on a white Easter as snow sweeps into Britain from the south and biting 50mph winds make it feel like -12C
- Freezing conditions will last until Friday - when a week ago it was 17C
- Up to 4ins of snow to fall today across large parts England and Scotland
- Temperatures expected to drop to -7C in some areas of Britain today
- Met Office 'feels like' temperatures show Swindon will fall to -12C tonight
- Cheltenham organisers say 'no danger' racing festival will be cancelled
Britain faces a week of Siberian weather as the odds of a white Easter fall as fast as the temperature.
The freeze that struck Britain at the weekend after a spell of warm sunny weather will continue today, with temperatures expected to plunge as low as -7C and winds reach up to 50mph in the South West.
A band of light sleet and snow falling from East Anglia to Lancashire yesterday is expected to become heavier today, with the whole of the South Coast facing snowy conditions.
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Battling on: A mother pushes her child in Colchester, Essex, today in the middle of blizzard-like conditions
Accident: A car lies on its side on the snowy A90 at Inchture, between Perth & Dundee, causing big tailbacks
Cold for commuters: Spring snow was seen today at Petts Wood train station near Bromley in Kent
Tricky on foot: Commuters were forced to battle through snow to their offices in central London this morning
Commute: The number 26 double-decker bus makes its way through central London towards Hackney Wick
Cold: This Met Office 'feels like' temperature map shows Swindon, Wiltshire, will drop as low as -12C tonight
The worst affected areas today will be Devon, Kent, Sussex and Hampshire, as well as over higher ground like the Pennines, where up to four inches are expected.
TRAVEL DISRUPTION UPDATE (12:00)
DELAYS ON TRAINS
- Edinburgh - Glasgow, Scotland
- Kirknewton - Edinburgh, Scotland
- Newcastle - Carlisle, Tyneside/Cumbria
- Peterbo' - Kings Cross, Cambs/London
- Moorgate - Finsbury Park, London
- Horsham - Barnham, Sussex
- Shanklin - Ryde Pier Head, Isle of Wight
- Eurostar: Speed limit in northern France delaying trains by up to 30 minutes
DELAYS ON ROADS
- M74 South Lanarkshire (J13-12)
- M6 Cumbria (J41)
- M60 Greater Manchester (J27)
- M18 South Yorkshire (J3-2)
- M18 South Yorkshire (J1-2)
- M4 Berkshire (J13)
- M180 Lincolnshire (J2-1)
- M48 Monmouthshire (J2-1)
DISRUPTION AT AIRPORTS
- Jersey: All flights cancelled
- Guernsey: All flights cancelled
- Land's End: Delays
- Newquay: Delays
But there is potential for a dusting of snow in all areas, bringing with it a risk of travel problems for morning and evening rush hour. Met Office 'feels like' temperatures, which take into account wind chill and humidity levels, show Swindon, Wiltshire, will drop as low as -12C tonight.
Now bookmakers are slashing the odds of a first white Easter Day - which is on March 31 this year - since 2008.
Icy weather has been swept in by winds from Siberia, with forecasters predicting some of the coldest conditions of the winter. Snow will continue to fall well into this week, with rain replacing it on Friday.
There were fears for the Cheltenham Festival, which is due to start tomorrow, but organisers said there was 'no danger' of it being cancelled.
'We have frost covers over the entire racecourse and there is nothing in the forecast that gives us any cause for concern,' a spokesman said.
MeteoGroup forecaster Julian Mayes said temperatures would struggle to reach 0C today anywhere in Britain, adding: 'The cold weather is set to continue until Thursday but today will be the coldest.'
Travellers are battling ice, snow and bitterly cold winds today as Jersey Airport was shut due to snow, and on the roads there were hazardous conditions on many major routes.
Beautiful: A picture postcard scene near Allendale, Northumberland, after snowfall as winter weather returned
Animal fun: A Shih Tzu dog plays in the snow in Hexham, Northumberland, and sheep huddle for warmth by a dry stone wall near Buxton, Derbyshire
Landscape: The Siberian Spring reaches Brighton with many a roof getting a covering of snow this morning
Morning commute: A cyclist (left) makes his way to work in Brighton, and a car (right) makes its way down a recently-gritted road lined with trees in Buxton, Derbyshire
Sums it up: After some warm weather this message was written on a windscreen in Portchester near Portsmouth this morning
Freezing: The Siberian spring has reached the south coast as the South Downs above Brighton gets snowy on the road to Ditchling Beacon
Condor Ferries services between Jersey and St Malo were affected by the bad weather. There was also a reduced service on TransEuropa Ferries' crossings between Ramsgate and Osten.
Services on Stena Line between Holyhead and Dublin were also reduced and Stena Line had to cancel its 9am Rosslare to Fishguard service.
Blizzard conditions were reported on the M40 in Warwickshire and there were numerous rush-hour accidents. Strong winds added to drivers' problems, with falling trees blocking some roads.
On the trains, poor rail conditions led to delays in Sussex and Hampshire, while there were also various signalling problems.
Blanket: The Siberian Spring reaches the South Coast as the South Downs above Brighton start to get snowy
White Easter? These pictures taken this morning across the UK have led to bookies slashing the odds of snow lasting for another fortnight
Chilly: Commuters at Petts Wood train station near Bromley in Kent were struggling with their umbrellas today
Helping hand: A member of railway staff uses a shovel to clear the platform at Petts Wood train station in Kent
Accident: A car having overturned in the snow on the A285 to Guildford, near Petworth, West Sussex
Treacherous roads: A car lies in a ditch after snow in Hexham, Northumberland, as winter weather returned
The closure of Jersey Airport meant a number of flights had to be cancelled. On the roads, there were hazardous driving conditions on the A69 and A6 in Cumbria and on the A54 in Cheshire.
In Sussex, police said there had been 'a number' of crashes caused by the snowy conditions as they warned motorists to take extra care on the roads.
Meteogroup forecaster James Wilby said: 'One band of snow will move in from the south west spreading east along the coast and southern regions to Kent and moving as far north as the M4 corridor.
'There will be a build up of up to 4cms most areas, and up to 10cms in the worst hit - London will also see a few centimetres in some places.
Enlarge 
Cautions: This map shows how the Environment Agency has put in place four flood warnings and 35 less-serious flood alerts, with the South-East and South-West most under threat
Predictions: This is the Met Office rain forecast for 6pm today, when many commuters will be heading home
Shivering: This pony in Hampshire had a thin covering of snow on it while standing in a field that became white
Careful treading: A woman walks her dog in Hexham after fresh snow overnight as winter weather returned
Safely grazing: Sheep look for grass in a snowy field on the Dartmoor Moors, Devon, as temperatures dropped
'This snow will continue overnight and begin easing on Tuesday morning, and will be accompanied with strong gusts of wind.'
He said that further snow showers in the east and central parts of Scotland and England may not settle for long, but will last throughout today and tomorrow.
'There will be a pattern of snow falling and the sun coming out to melt it, before more snow falls and is melted again,' Mr Wilby added.
'But in all areas the snow will sporadic, areas only ten miles apart will see big differences from heavy snow fall to no snow fall.'
The cold snap is an unwelcome surprise for birds coming back to the UK expecting mild weather after time spent in the warmth of Africa.
Grahame Madge, a spokesman for the RSPB, said sand martins are already arriving back from hotter climes for the British summertime, and will face 'very hard conditions'.
He said: 'They are going to come back and find that there's no food.'
The cold weather will kill off any insects that have emerged, therefore leaving insect-eating birds hungry.
'There's a limit to the amount people can do. We would ask people to carry on putting food out. For birds that rely on insects there's really nothing people can do,' he added.
Motoring services firm RAC said it expects potential breakdowns to increase by 20 per cent over the next few days, while the Highways Agency said it had more than 500 salt spreaders, ploughs and snow-blowers on standby to deal with ice on the roads this week.
The cold snap comes after a week of balmy weather that saw parts of Britain enjoy hotter temperatures than Ibiza.
Now bookmakers are slashing the odds of a first white Easter since 2008, after swathes of the country were blanketed in snow yesterday.
It is even money for snow to fall in any major city over the holiday at the end of this month – and there’s a 4/1 chance of the coldest Easter on record, according to Ladbrokes.
Making waves: A car is caught in the heavy seas which engulfed the coastal road at Colwyn Bay in North Wales
Splash: One car was caught in the terrible storm to hit Colwyn Bay in North Wales today
Deserted: There were unsurprisingly few people battling the cold weather at Bournemouth beach in Dorset
It's on: A view of frost protective covers at Cheltenham, which is still due to host the racing festival
Bad weather: This Edinburgh street woke to snow this morning, and a dramatic skyline, as Britain faces a week of bad weather
Delays: Snow has caused problems on the railways today as trains had to slow down and signals failed
Cloudy: A man walks his dog in Tynemouth after more overnight snow as winter weather returned to the UK
Today will see temperature highs of just 5C and lows of -7C – just a few degrees above this winter’s low of -13.6C, recorded in January in Buntingford, Hertfordshire.
Julian Mayes of Meteogroup said: ‘Overnight temperatures will have some quite severe and penetrating frosts, particularly on Tuesday and Wednesday nights right across the country.
‘Early Monday morning, we’re looking at a risk of snow, particularly over south-west England, then central-southern England, and that then moving into south-east England.
‘Obviously, it being Monday morning, this could be quite disruptive for the rush-hour.’
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2291408/UK-weather-Areas-facing-4ins-snow-today-bookies-slash-odds-white-Easter.html#ixzz2NEm9163J
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