If a loud duck quack you hear, rain may well be near

An unpredictable enigma, an unwanted hindrance or a unique and enthralling entity; just three ways to describe the mystery that is the British weather. We don’t know whether to love it or hate it, suffer or enjoy it and by now we’ve given up guessing what it will do next. Indecision within the water cycle is rife and it is most certainly getting us talking.

Twelve months ago the nation was basked in sun, as record temperatures for March allowed Britain to enjoy the very best that spring has to offer. The third warmest March on record saw days of unbroken sunshine and blue sky, the sort of weather that we’ve come to expect from only the finest summer’s day.

Twelve months on and it is a very different picture. Much of Britain is submerged under a layer of snow, freezing temperatures grip the nation and sleet, the most pointless of all the weathers, has become a regular fixture. The bright blue skies and sun drenched stretches seem a distant memory in comparison to the cold, bleak outlook that is currently lingering.

Last week was the official start of spring and in a few days time our clocks will jump forward. Take a quick glance outside however and such rituals will seem at best pre-emptive, and at worst a cruel joke. Winter seems to be holding on as the cold and miserable weather continues and shows no sign of abating in the near future.

The British weather really is a fickle and unpredictable entity, when you consider the different extremes that we can either enjoy or endure. Last March widespread hosepipe bans were enforced across the South of England as fears of droughts and water shortages caught hold after a prolonged spell of dry weather.

Since then wave after wave of rain has beset the country, with floods being just as common as consistent sunny spells. Notions of hosepipe bans have been well and truly washed away into mere memory as one of the wettest summers in recent history engulfed the land. The British Isles seemingly a glutton for punishment, precipitation persevered into a damp and dreary winter prolonged by this latest flurry of arctic weather across much of England; the South-West baring the brunt with extensive flooding. All I can say is, where oh where is spring and what on earth will the weather do next?

The unpredictable and frankly horrific weather is impacting all levels of society, whether it be closing schools and preventing people from getting to work, causing havoc on our roads, or significantly hampering the agricultural industry. The current weather is a nightmare for farmers, killing crops and preventing new seeds being planted. You just have to look outside at the barren gardens to see the impact that the weather has had on nature, as spring plants such as the daffodil are yet to flourish and the trees remain bare.

As we head in to the busy Easter period, businesses and shops are also suffering as a result of the freezing temperatures and malicious gusts of a marauding arctic wind. The last thing that people feel like doing is trudging around in the cold, so places such as York, Stratford or Chester, as well as other tourist attractions across the country which often see an influx of visitors over the Easter period, may well suffer if the cold snap continues.

12 months ago the temperatures were reaching the low-to-mid twenties; this year they are barely creeping above freezing, and whilst last March was one of the driest and sunniest on record, this has been one of the bleakest and most miserable in memory. Oh what a difference a year makes.

However, in a way it’s the unpredictable and weird nature of the British climate that makes our weather so amusing and enthralling. We tend not to be used to extremes, so as soon as the first drop of snow descends we have an inclination, a watered down survival instinct, to revert into meltdown. We have coped better with this current outburst of arctic conditions than in the past, but the disruption caused still remains much greater than in the rest of Europe.

You just have to look at the national newspapers to comprehend the scale of our obsession with weather, whether it be the current snow, past flooding or our rare heatwaves. Our weather is an enigma, and one which we may never crack, but I must say it doesn’t half grab our attention, give us something to think or moan about and even sometimes enjoy. We may not be happy about the current cold snap, but hopefully spring and summer, if they ever arrive, will bring more joy.