British winter was the coldest for 31 years UK headlines

A motorist eases by Great Chart in Ashford, Kent, during what the Met Office has right away reliable as the coldest UK winter for thirty years. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA

After pang snow, sleet, sleet and consistently frozen temperatures, the believe that the Met Office has strictly recognized winter 2009-10 as the coldest in 31 years brings with it a sure grave satisfaction.

Provisional total from the forecaster show the UK winter ‑ that in forecasting conditions lasts from the begin of Dec until the finish of Feb ‑ has been the harshest, in heat terms, given 1978-79.

The headlines might come as small warn to those influenced by sleet in Dec and January, when falls of up to 2ft saw councils" courage reserve run low, transport disharmony and the lapse of the Guardian"s sleet day live blog.

According to the Met Office the meant heat in the UK was 1.51C this winter, compared to a long-term normal winter heat ‑ distributed from interpretation picked up in between 1971 and 2000 ‑ of 3.7C. The meant heat in 1978-79 was 1.17C.

The interpretation shows that Scotland suffered the majority this winter, with the subject to meant heat 0.24C ‑ usually somewhat higher than 1978-79, when the figure was 0.16C.

England, Northern Ireland and Wales were warmer, nonetheless temperatures of 2.12C, 2.05C and 2.09C respectively could usually be deliberate amiable by more aged with the Scottish figure.

The 1978-79 winter temperatures were 1.43C, 1.51C and 1.64C for England, Northern Ireland and Wales.

"Since mid-December cold continue has mostly dominated most of the country, with spells of sleet and really low temperatures," pronounced a Met Office spokeswoman. "From southern England to northern Scotland, complicated sleet caused transport intrusion at times by the season."

Heavy sleet was still causing intrusion last week, when Glencoe ski centre perceived one of the heaviest snowfalls available anywhere in the world.

In further to the snow, the winter culminated with serious flooding in tools of the UK, with one lady killed when her car was swept along a stream.

The lowest heat available this winter was in Altnaharra, around 50 miles south-west of John O" Groats in the Highland segment of Scotland. The -22.3C available there was the coldest UK smallest given 1995.

But acknowledgment of the coldest winter in a era aside, the Met Office interpretation shows there is a little reason to be thankful.

The coldest winter given heat annals began in 1914 was in 1962-63, when the meant heat for December, Jan and Feb was -0.18C.