KentOnline

bannermobile

News

Sport

Business

What's On

Advertise

Contact

Other KM sites

CORONAVIRUS WATCH KMTV LIVE SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTERS LISTEN TO OUR PODCASTS LISTEN TO KMFM
SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE
News

Snow falls exactly two years after the Beast from the East hit Kent

By: Rebecca Tuffin

Published: 16:11, 27 February 2020

Updated: 16:13, 27 February 2020

Today we've seen our first snowfall of the year - with a few flakes spotted in parts of the county.

Snow and sleet was seen falling in Gravesend this morning, with showers also reported in Swanley, Bluewater, Medway, and Maidstone.

Snow falling in Kent this morning

But today's weather is nothing compared to this time two years ago, when the Beast from the East hit.

On February 27, 2018, Kent was in the midst of a blizzard, with a thick blanket of snow covering roads, houses and cars into a winter wonderland.

The weather was caused by an anticyclone which brought cold easterly winds to Europe and Britain, leading to snowfall and sub-zero temperatures as result of freezing air from Siberia.

A20 Hothfield near Ashford. Picture: Gary Browne
The Beast from the East hit Kent this time two years ago

Temperatures dropped to as low as -10C and hundreds of schools closed for the day, leaving plenty of time for traditional snowball fights.

mpu1

As often happens when the UK experiences freezing weather conditions, it caused big problems on main routes throughout the day as drivers tried to navigate treacherous conditions.

The Beast from the East saw temperatures drop to as low as -10C

Motorways and main roads were impassable and there was also major disruption to trains and bus services.

People from across Kent were branded 'snow heroes' for coming to the rescue of hospital staff and carers left stranded by the storm.

Among the good Samaritans was van driver Andy Williams, from Maidstone, who was said to have rescued at least 50 motorists stranded in the snow over two days.

Two boys enjoying the snow in Rochester. Picture: @SiDeards
Andy Williams pulling a truck during the storm (30314160)

Another 'snow hero' was Eric Moore, a caretaker at St Simon's Primary School in Ashford, gritting the playground and pavements to make sure the school was safe to open.

And a video of 11-year old Gillingham schoolboy Drew Stanton helping cars avoid crashing into each other on a hilly road went viral - with 83,000 views at the time.

Fast forward to today - the snow doesn't seem to have settled, with the Met Office forecasting mostly sunny weather for the rest of the afternoon.

Clouds over the snow in Swale. Picture: Damn_M3ZZF (30314465)
.. (30314471)

And with just a few small flakes and icy sludge, we're probably quite far off another Beast from the East - for now.

mpu2

However, strong winds are set to hit parts of Kent this weekend, with high winds heading for the coast.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for Storm Jorge, as gusts between 60 and 70 miles an hour arrive in Dover, Folkestone and Romney Marsh.

The spell of strong winds is expected to start on Saturday afternoon.

Currently the yellow warning will remain in place until midday on Sunday.

Read more: All the latest news from Kent

More by this author

sticky

© KM Group - 2024