Don’t be fooled by the wispy sunshine of the past few days, winter is far from done and motorists in East Anglia should be bracing themselves for an Arctic blast with temperatures of -8C at Easter.
A “polar vortex” – a large pocket of very cold air, the coldest in the Northern Hemisphere – will send icy winds from the far north next month, the cheery chaps at the Met Office have warned.
Snow is also expected as part of what they describe as “a crazy three months of weather”.
Councils, transport bosses and emergency services have also been briefed in a Met Office weather warning predicting snow and sub-zero temperatures around Easter Sunday (April 16).
Photo by E MORAN on Unsplash
But we shouldn’t be surprised. Cold April spells have seen the mercury plummet to between -5C and -11C in each of the past five years, Met Office records show.
So just as drivers are becoming accustomed to the warmer, lighter days, they’re likely to be thrown off course by winter’s last blast.
The message is simple. If you are driving in inclement weather, be prepared. Get your car winter-serviced and stock an in-car emergency kit (including blanket, flask containing a hot drink, shovel, torch, jump-leads, tow rope and an ice scraper).