Winter makes its final stand

It would appear that I've spoken too soon. This winter's worst storm is predicted to hit us on Monday morning. We've been told to expect winds gusting up to 70mph. You wouldn't believe it looking at the sky this evening. All we can see is clear blue sky marred by the occasional jet contrail.

It seems that this sort of extreme weather is entirely normal for this time of year. On March 5 1947, the country experienced the worst blizzard of the 20th century. By the time it was over, powerful winds had piled snowdrifts up to 9 metres high.

While we're being battered on the ground, trans-Atlantic flights returning to London will experience record crossing speeds. The jetstream is expected to approach 240mph (385 km/h), reducing scheduled flight times by almost an hour. Of course, landing safely is an entirely different matter. The news this week was filled with images of a plane attempting to land in high winds at Hamburg. The video is unbelievably frightening.