It’s turned out very wintry (From York Press)

It’s turned out very wintry

11:38am Thursday 9th February 2012 in Features By Stephen Lewis

CHURCH Fenton was officially the coldest place in the country earlier this week and York was scarcely warmer.

Temperatures in the North Yorkshire village near Selby plunged to a teeth-aching minus 11.8 degrees C on Tuesday night. At Linton-on-Ouse, just north of York, meanwhile, they reached minus 10.7C.

Given the extreme temperatures, many might have wondered why their car windscreens weren’t covered with ice on Wednesday morning. “It was because it was very dry,” said forecaster Matt Dobson of Meteo Group. “It takes moisture in the air to generate frost.”

Temperatures were expected to be a little warmer last night – a mere minus 5 or 6C – and are set to rise again today as warmer air moving in from the Atlantic battles with the cold air still hanging over the eastern part of the country.

There might even be some light snow, especially on the hills and moors, as well as sleet and freezing rain. Beware of icy conditions, too – the ground remains very cold and rain will likely turn to ice, Mr Dobson said.

As for the weekend – well, there will be more rain and sleet on Friday, and while night-time temperatures may just creep above freezing, the frozen ground will ensure there will still be icy patches around.

On Saturday it will be cloudy, according to the Met Office, with outbreaks of rain or snow at times, the rain and snow becoming lighter or more intermittent by Sunday.

Winter isn’t going to release us from its icy grip just yet, in other words. And while that brings hazards – for those navigating slippery pavements on foot, as much as for motorists – there are, as our photographs today show, some compensations.

The snow which fell last weekend has remained in place because of the bitter temperatures. It has brought a touch of wintry magic to the landscape, with rivers frozen, icicles dripping from eaves, tree branches outlined in white, and plants seeming to hunch their shoulders against the cold. Great for our award-winning team of photographers, if not for anyone else.