The February 2009 Great Britain and Ireland snowfall was a prolonged period of snowfall that began on 1 February 2009. Some areas experienced their largest snowfall levels in 18 years.[3] Snow fell over much of Western Europe.[4] The United Kingdom's Met Office and Ireland's Met Éireann issued severe weather warnings in anticipation of the snowfall. More than 30 centimetres (12 in) of snow fell on parts of the North Downs and over 20 centimetres (8 in) in parts of the London area.[5] Such snow accumulation is uncommon in London.[6] On the morning of 6 February the majority of Great Britain and Ireland had snow cover, with the area surrounding the Bristol Channel(South Wales (Cardiff Area) and South West England (Bristol Area)) being most affected -- 55 centimetres (22 in) had settled overnight around Okehampton, Devon, South West England with similar depths in South Wales. In Ireland the highest totals were recorded around East Kildare and Wicklow County's were up to 11 inches (28 cm) fell around Naas Co Kildare and even more along the Wicklow Mountains. The last time such widespread snowfall affected Britain was in February 1991.[7] On the 2nd a total of 32 centimetres (13 in) had fallen in Leatherhead, Surrey just south of the M25. Also 30 centimetres (12 in) had fallen over the South Downs and 26 centimetres (10 in) in higher areas of Brighton. On 2 February, all London buses were removed from service and there were severe delays on London Underground. All train services on Southeastern railway services between London, Kent and East Sussex were cancelled, as were those on Southern. South West Trains operated an emergency timetable with reduced service. Severe disruption occurred on First Capital Connect services, c2c services, First Great Western services, National Express East Anglia and Eurostar services from St Pancras International. Dublin Bus routes were also severely disrupted. All bus services in Brighton, Crawley and Royal Tunbridge Wells had been severely disrupted. Heathrow Airport was closed and British Airways cancelled all departures for a period. London City, Luton, Aberdeen, Bristol, Cardiff, Birmingham and Southampton were also affected.[6][8] The Gatwick Express railway service was suspended.[3] In Ireland on 5 February Dublin Airport was closed for a period to allow snow to be cleared from the runways, delaying flights. Flights at the airport were cancelled the following day. Other effects included lost work time and disruption to education. Costs, mainly in terms of lost work time, are estimated to amount to around £1.2 billion, although this may be underestimated.[citation needed] The adverse weather conditions caused schools in some areas of the United Kingdom to close during 2, 3 and 5 February in the Midlands.[9] A winter storm swept across the south of England on 9--10 February bringing heavy rain and snow, which caused flooding in southern England. In France, Paris's Charles de Gaulle International Airport was closed. In Aviemore, in the Scottish Highlands, a temperature of −18.4 °C (−1.1 °F) — according to the Met Office, was recorded; the lowest temperature recorded in the UK since 2003.[10][11] The maximum depth of the event was 55 centimetres (22 in) in Okehampton, Devon on 6 February. Other high amounts were Drybrook, Gloucestershire which had on 2 February 32 centimetres (13 in) reported in Leatherhead, 28 centimetres (11 in) in Purley, 25 centimetres (10 in) in Croydon, 20 centimetres (8 in) in Greater London, 30 centimetres (12 in) on the South Downs, 18 centimetres (7 in) in Brighton and 26 centimetres (10 in) on higher areas of Brighton.

• published: 18 Jan 2014
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