The big freeze

Dec 15 2007 by Chloe Griffiths, The Journal

THOSE who remember the winter of 1947, recall how it took months to clear the deep winter snow.

The North-East was brought to virtual standstill because of the extreme conditions and the region was still covered in a thick white layer until April, when it finally began to melt.

Over the years, Journal photographers have taken some famous snow scenes, from the days when RAF helicopters had to drop food packages over Northumberland for people and animals to the winter of 1979, when the whole of Gateshead was closed off after a thick snowfall.

In February 1963, the snow was so deep cars were covered in snow and the roads were unusable, stranding children in their villages. 1963 and 1947 remain the big freezes against which all others are measured.

Back in March 1941, people in wartime Newcastle gamely struggled to work along the Great North Road despite the snow.

Up until the end of the 1980s the region would still experience temperatures plummeting way below zero.

While the region no longer experiences such dramatic freezes and snows, extreme weather has continued to affect life in the North-East in more recent times.

In 1999, the conditions put a stop to the national hunt and the winter showjumping season, while floods and gale force winds have continued to hit householders hard.