Snow joke as storm blows in brief winter blizzard in Atherstone

Snow swept behind Storm Ciara as motorists faced further misery on the roads of Atherstone and district this afternoon.

The short, sharp blast of Arctic weather brought picture-postcard scenes to the quieter spots in the area but a brief spell of hazardous driving conditions to match yesterday's 60mph winds and horizontal rain.

Temperatures dipped to -1C as drivers found the Mancetter traffic island, facing eight weeks of part-closure by Highways England, particularly tricky.

The driving snow hit the town centre at 2.35pm and was done and dusted before 3pm, bringing a reminder of what winter used to be like before global warming.

In the rest of the UK, blizzards was set to bring up to 20cm of snow in the wake of the storm with travel disruption set to continue.

Some areas saw a month and a half's rainfall in just 24 hours and gusts of more than 90 miles per hour swept across the country on Sunday, bringing widespread flooding.

More than 500,000 people experienced a power cut on Sunday were left without power, with 118,000 left without power by 4pm across the whole of the UK, according to Energy Networks.

Some homes were evacuated, buildings were damaged and sporting occasions postponed – including a Warwickshire mini hockey due to be staged in Atherstone on Sunday morning.

Flights, ferries and trains all saw cancellations and delays, while drivers faced treacherous conditions with floodwater, fallen trees and other debris closing roads.

A Met Office amber weather warning for wind, which had been in place across most of England, elapsed at 9pm Sunday as Storm Ciara moved away to the north-east of Scotland.

Footnote: February is Safer Loads month and Warwickshire Police is calling on drivers to make sure their your load is secure and documents in order – whatever the weather conditions.