Parts of the Peak District were covered in snow over the last weekend of lockdown. But snow in April is not as unusual as you may think.
Many parts of the Derbyshire were completely transformed to a landscape of white after a heavy snowfall at the beginning of the weekend, with many walkers experiencing ‘all the seasons of weather’ during their rambles, with the heaviest coverage reported across the north and western parts of the county.
According to the Met Office, snow in April is not an unusual phenomenon, despite the common assumption that April is the middle of Spring. Records from 1981 to 2010 showed that the UK average is for 2.3 days of snow in April, which is more than the 1.7 days for an average November.
Perhaps the most outstanding April snow event occurred in 1981 when there was significant snowfall widely from the 24th to the 28th. On 25 April over 30cm of snow was recorded over the high ground of the Pennines, with 29cm in Sheffield and 26cm in Buxton.
In terms of the harshest winter to ever hit the county, 1947 and 1963 are the most severe ones in living memory. The early months of 1947 were the snowiest in living memory. The opening to 1963 proved ‘the coldest winter since 1740’.
READ MORE: How Derbyshire fared during the two worst winters in living memory
With the lockdown beginning to ease, and pubs beer gardens set to re-open, residents of Derbyshire will be hoping that the milder temperatures will return to allow them to enjoy the recently relaxed guidelines on meeting people outside your support bubble or organising meet-ups within a group of six.
The spring snowfall has given some locals a winter wonderland photo opportunity that they may have missed out on during the lockdown that was brought into action at the end of 2020.
We’ve selected some of the stunning photos shared by the members of our Derbyshire and Peak District Walks Facebook group that now has over 18,000 members.
Join the group today, to view walking photos from across the county or ask for advice and recommendations on anything walks related.
QUIZ - Can you name these snow scenes in Derbyshire?
