AFTER a weekend of drifting snow, bitter winds and sub-zero temperatures, weathermen are warning of more snow for Easter.

Snow fell on Huddersfield for 45 hours solid with wind whipping it into drifts of up to 20ft over the hills (see Verity Carnie's picture above).

Examiner weather expert Paul Stevens reported that 38cm (15in) of snow fell at his Salendine Nook base.

He described Friday and Saturday’s snow storm as a “once in a generation event” – the worst snowfall in Huddersfield since 1978-79.

There was some respite yesterday as the sun brought a slight thaw but another blizzard could sweep in on Good Friday.

Paul said: “The bad news is there’s another warm front coming in from the Atlantic and when it hits the freezing air that’s been over us for a while, more snowfall is likely.

“I don’t think this will last more than 24 hours but it will be another considerable spell of snow.

“More snow before we turn to spring seems inevitable.”

Paul said the snowfall on Friday and Saturday was exceptional and Huddersfield seemed to bear the brunt.

“What caught people by surprise was that there was so little snow in surrounding areas, like Leeds, Rochdale and Manchester.

“Once you got into Huddersfield it was a different world.

“You expect these drifts at 1,000ft or 2,000ft but we’ve had them at 600ft. There was even a 3ft drift outside Primark in Huddersfield town centre.

“This was a once in a generation event and the worst snowfall in 30 years.”

Click on the link below for a picture gallery sent in by our readers with amazing images of a snowbound Huddersfield

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Paul said it would remain bitterly cold well into this week with a windchill of -6C with hard overnight frosts, making ice the main hazard.

“It looks like the middle of next week before we see any sign of spring,” he added.

Yesterday some roads remained impassable with the A6024 Woodhead Road at Holme Moss, the A635 Greenfield Road and Wessenden Head Road and the A640 New Hey Road all closed.

Buses and trains were disrupted over the weekend and Huddersfield town centre was described as a “ghost town” on Saturday morning as shoppers decided to stay home.

David Whittle, who runs Peter’s department store in King Street, felt the economic chill as his tills fell silent.

“It’s absolutely horrendous,” he said. “This time last year it was 20°C (68°F) and we were selling spring and summer fashions.

“The public of Huddersfield obviously don’t want to come out in weather like this.

“An early Easter is usually good for trade but it’s just not happening.

“The easiest thing would be to shut the doors but we still have bills to pay.”

The high street gloom was also felt by taxi drivers. Some drivers were unable to work because their cars were snowed in while the ones who turned up found fares in short supply.

“People don’t want to go out when it's like this,” said one taxi boss. “A lot of my drivers haven’t turned in so it’s probably just as well.”

Traders with a smile, however, were those selling sledges and snow shovels.

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Richard Thompson, manager at JW Kaye Ironmongers in Holmfirth, sold out of both and said: “There are lots of people going past with sledges.”

In Mirfield, Mark Light at LD Smith’s in Huddersfield Road was selling shovels as fast as he could make them but he had plenty of sledges left.

“The sledging will be brilliant at the top of Hopton,” he said. “It must be 4ft or 5ft deep.”

Many events were cancelled over the weekend as organisers feared the worst.

Standedge Tunnel and Visitor Centre was one of the biggest casualties, scrapping its new season opening which should have attracted at least 1,000 people.

Concerts and shows were also pulled but Slaithwaite Country Show went ahead with plenty of guest ales behind the cricket club bar to keep out the cold.

One of the organisers Jonny Sykes said: “It would have been easy to cancel but we are a hardy lot in Slaithwaite.

“Last year we held the event on April 1 and it was blazing hot.”

Another outdoor event – a weekly ritual for at least 300 every Saturday – is the Huddersfield Park run in Greenhead Park.

One of the biggest of its kind in the country, event director Kerry Noble was snowed in but intrepid Mark Nicholson ensured 29 runners could line up and be individually timed over the 5k course.

With drifts almost knee-deep in places the run wasn’t for the faint-hearted but Matthew Pearson showed a clean pair of heels to complete in just 19 minutes.

Tony Coletta and his staff turned up at the park cafe to serve tea, coffee and bacon butties to around 50 people.

Kerry said all the runners walked to the park and still had enough energy left for a snowball fight afterwards.