Unsettled weather to continue, says Met Office
Unsettled weather is set to continue for some time in the UK with no sign of spring on the immediate horizon, according to the Met Office.
Forecasters warned that parts of northern Britain could see up to 16in (400mm) of snow before the weekend, with heavy rainfall expected in the South.
The unsettled weather will likely continue into next week, with the North and East of the UK remaining cold, said the Met Office.
Although temperatures in the South West should be nearer normal for a while, this may turn out to be shortlived, it added.
Following almost 12 months of record-breaking persistent cold and wet weather, March looks set to be one of the coldest on record. This is in stark contrast to last March when much of the country was officially in drought.
Met Office chief forecaster Will Lang said: “While it is not unusual to see snow in March, the cold weather we have seen has been quite prolonged.
“The next period of wintry weather has some uncertainty at this stage regarding where the worst of the snow will be, so it is essential to watch for updates to severe weather warnings.”
A spokesman for the Scottish government added: “Though we were enjoying record high temperatures around this time last year, we know that March normally brings us challenging weather conditions and this year is proving much more like the norm.”
The wet weather has dealt yet another blow to frustrated arable farmers, who have seen their spring drilling programme delayed
While there is still time for farmers to plant spring crops, the persistent bad weather is causing problems for livestock farmers.
Rutland sheep farmer Jamie Wild finished lambing 2,000 ewes at Redhill Farm this week.
Mr Wild said: “We have just finished lambing, which went really well. The problem is that the ground conditions are so wet we are struggling to get to get to the ewes.
“There is no grass to speak of at the moment to keep the ewes milking. We’re having to bag nuts up and take them out to the ewes and find dry parts of the field to feed them.
“Lambs can stand as much cold as they like, but it’s the wet and the cold that really knocks them back.”
He fears the long period of cold and wet weather will circulate parasites in his flocks. “We have just got to be prepared for it when it does come,” he said.
One group of running ewe lambs had a “bit of an issue” with liver fluke, which he attributed to the poor weather. But the rest of the ewes were all bright and active with no symptoms.