Across vast swathes of Britain the roads are deserted save for a few people trundling along at 5mph, schools are closed and supermarkets are full of people shopping for Armageddon.
But there's always an upside to snow: fun, beauty and grandeur. Here's our pick of some wonderful snowy moments across the nation.
These images of wonderful winters of the past come from the Science & Society Picture Library.
Nuns on the (toboggan) run
The brewery delivery man shows the true meaning of ice-cold beer
It's always the right time to do the conga
Shadow dancer
Steam trains and snowy winters? The old days really were just like your grandfather always told you...
Frozen lakes of yesteryear – without a health and safety official in sight
Definitely the wrong type of snow
These sheep were only too happy to be told to huddle up – just to keep warm
"What do you mean, 'I still have to go to school'? You can't be serious!"
Let's just hope the driver doesn't brake too suddenly...
If you hadn't seen the skier, what would you think had made these patterns...?
From mizzle to drizzle and dreich to dibble: 17 fascinating British words for wet weather
Mizzle, drizzle, dreich and dibble are just some of the many ways we describe rain. Antony Woodward considers our obsession
Credit: Tresco
Tresco: Like Britain, but with better weather, beaches, gardens... and no cars
Michael Sissons visits Tresco, a beautiful, tranquil, family-owned island off the coast of Cornwall.
Credit: Alamy
10 fascinating things you should know about the Shipping Forecast
From the tragedy which sparked its inception to the modern tweaks which have had listeners up in arms.
150 years of the Shipping Forecast: The magic and poetry of Dogger, Fisher and German Bight
Credit: Fish and chips (Alamy)
The best fish and chip shop in Britain for 2018 has been officially crowned
The best fish and chip shop in Britain has been named as Millers of Haxby.
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Will Hosie: I'm bored of West End remakes — risky business should be the norm, not the anomalyIs the West End becoming a broken record?
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The Swan at Fittleworth review: The 500-year-old inn that’s as popular now as when Turner stayedThe Swan at Fittleworth's previous guests include Kipling, Turner and J. M. Barrie.
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The ring ouzel: The mystery behind the common blackbird's feral twinA master of disguise, inexplicably shy and unpredictably wild, the increasingly rare ring ouzel warrants giving any blackbird a second glance.
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The winners and losers of summer 2025, from foragers to fishermen, and turtles to troutBlue skies and rising mercury have been a theme of this summer, but there are always those who thrive and those who struggle in unusual times.
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'Two months to the Moon, three for rest and refreshment and two more for the return': The English stork success storyLong unseen on British shores, white stork chicks are hatching once again in the UK and a colony is now flourishing in West Sussex thanks to a pioneering restoration project.
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Storm overflow plan 'needs flushing down the lavatory once and for all' say angling groups as perilous state of English rivers revealedThe recently published Cunliffe Report shows that 'waterways are suffering from chronic neglect, corporate greed and useless regulation'.
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From Queen bees to Queen Camilla, how one woman built a multi-million pound beauty empire out of bee venomDeborah Mitchell's skincare range has generated quite a buzz among celebrities including HRH and Victoria Beckham.
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‘Though she be but little, she is fierce’: Everything you didn't know about sparrowhawksScourge of the bird feeder and a master of ‘shock and awe’ assassinations, the sparrowhawk pursues its quarry with such tenacity and unpredictability that it often blindsides its prey.
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An ode to Britain's wildflowers, from the London bloom which grew in the craters of the Blitz, to the weather-predicting scarlet pimpernelDecorating the land with their brilliant and varied hues, our native flora which operate as clocks, calendars and Nature’s medicine cabinet are blooming brilliant, says John Lewis-Stempel.
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Levison Wood: Trekking the Nile, near-death experiences and why nothing beats a cup of tea and a piece of toastThe adventurer, explorer, writer and film-maker Levison Wood joins James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast.
