Express & Star

In Pictures: A wild year of weather across the UK

Temperatures soared and dipped during 2023 as the weather created some extreme conditions.

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Autumn colours on the trees on Derwent island on Derwentwater in the Lake District

The world has seen some extreme weather in 2023 and the UK was no exception as a winter cold snap gave way to a sweltering June and September before freezing temperatures returned.

The first snow arrived in January, with the North East among the regions seeing plenty underfoot.

Snowy conditions in Hexham
Hexham was blanketed in snow (Owen Humphreys/PA)
Gulls standing on a snowy fence in Hexham
Some birds shivered in the icy conditions (Owen Humphreys/PA)

But there was worse to come in March as gales and blizzards from Storm Larisa battered much of the country. A temperature of minus 13.6C was recorded in Altnaharra in Sutherland in the Highland region of northern Scotland.

Spring weather Mar 10th 2023
Snow covered fields looking out from Tilton-on-the-Hill in Leicestershire (Joe Giddens/PA)
Spring weather Mar 10th 2023
People sledged in the snow at the foot of Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North sculpture in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear (Owen Humphreys/PA)

Three months later in June, there were weather hazards of a different kind as temperatures soared.

Thousands flocked to the beaches and rivers to cool off but a royal event in central London saw military personnel sweltering in heavy dress uniforms, with the conditions proving too much for one guardsman. Glastonbury also saw high temperatures, with shade at a premium.

The Colonel’s Review
A member of the military fainted due to the heat during the Colonel’s Review (Jonathan Brady/PA)
Summer weather June 10th 2023
A man takes a drink of water besides deckchairs and beach umbrellas on Brighton beach (Joe Sene/PA)
Glastonbury Festival 2023
Festival-goers at Glastonbury did their best to cool down (Yui Mok/PA)

However, the sunny weather did not last the whole summer as Storm Antoni hit parts of the UK with heavy rain and strong winds at the start of August.

Antoni
A fallen tree on the road to Veryan on the Roseland Peninsula in Cornwall (David Davies/PA)
Storm Antoni
A man photographs waves crashing against the shore in Portland, Dorset (James Manning/PA)

But following a washout August, a September heatwave brought people back outside as temperatures reached the low-30s.

A woman sunbathes at Jesus Green Lido in Cambridge
A woman sunbathes at Jesus Green Lido in Cambridge (Joe Giddens/PA)
A pedestrian shelters under an umbrella in Parliament Square in London
A woman shelters under an umbrella in Parliament Square, London (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

The contrasts continued as Storm Babet in October brought torrential rain across the UK.

The Couple sculpture by Sean Henry at Newbiggin-by-the-Sea on the Northumberland coast was battered by waves on Friday morning
The Couple sculpture by Sean Henry at Newbiggin-by-the-Sea on the Northumberland coast was battered by waves (Owen Humphreys/PA)
A person looks from a window at flood water in Brechin, Scotland
Parts of Brechin were only accessible by boat (Andrew Milligan/PA)

The start of November brought some beautiful colours in the Lake District before a cold snap at the end of the month and into December sent people scurrying for hats and gloves.

Autumn weather November 5th 2023
Derwent island in Cumbria looked splendid (Owen Humphreys/PA)
Autumn weather Nov 29th 2023
Snow covered fields near Scarborough (Suffield Ings Farm/PA)
Winter weather Dec 1st 2023
Hardy dog walkers braved the snow in Gateshead (Owen Humphreys/PA)
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