The Met Office had recently revealed UK’s temperature data from December 2009 to January this year. The result: heavy rain, snow, sleet and freezing temperature made the 2009-10 winter season the coldest in 31 years. During the recent winter season, temperatures across the country dropped to 1.51 degrees Celsius in average, much lower compared with any record from 1971 to 2000 – where average temperatures read at 3.7 degrees Celsius. The recently released temperature figures also show that the recent winter was the harshest ever since the 1978-79 season.

The latest news may be shocking to travellers who experienced snow last December and January. The heavy snowfall during that time was up to two feet, and had hampered transport systems and travelling across the UK. According also to the figures from the Met Office, Scotland was the hardest hit this winter, with an average temperature of 0.24 degree Celsius.

A Met Office spokeswoman said that since the middle of December last year, cold weather started to hit the UK, bringing in heavy snowfall and freezing temperatures. She added that northern Scotland and southern England experienced snowfall that had caused several travel interruptions. In addition to the snowstorm, some parts of the UK had experienced severe flooding, killing one woman who was trapped on her car while it was being swept down a stream.

This season, the lowest temperature was recorded in Altnaharra, located in the Highland region of Scotland. Altnaharra registered a whopping -22.3C, considered as the lowest in the UK since 1995.