The early & late war years had the worst snow falls for 50 years whilst 1946 was the worst winter for over a hundred.
1939-40Jan -1.4SnowyDJFMa17th Jan., 1ft at Eastbourne. 27-28th Jan., blizzard of decade in Scotland, England, except south west, Derbys., Cheshire, Lancs. 2ft. Sheffield 4ft accumulated. 28-30th Jan., Eastbourne, Kent, 10in., and east Sussex. Exmoor 7-8ft drifts.
1940-41Jan 0.5SnowyDJFMaThird week Jan., 18-20th Feb., blizzard north east England and south east Scotland, worst since Mar. 1888? West Midlands, Wirrall, north west England 12-15in. Consett 4ft. 6-16ft drifts, County Down. 26-27th Mar., northern Scotland. worst since 1879? Tain 3ft., Oban 9in.
1941-42Jan 0.9SnowyJFMaMainly in east, 19-20th Jan., Scotland and northern England, 1-2ft, Midlands and south east, 6in. Early-Feb., North
1942-43Jan 4.9LittleDJMyLate Dec.-early Jan., east Scotland. 8th May, Scotland, northern England, Northern Ireland, Douglas I.O.M. 6in.1943-44Dec 3.5LittleF25-29th Feb., Scotland, north east England, north Midlands, Mansfield, Nottingham, 1ft.
1944-45Jan 0.4SnowyNDJ8-12th Dec., west Scotland. First half Jan., Bellingham 2ft. 22-25th Jan., south Wales and south west England, 1-2ft. Cardiff 30in. 29-30th Jan., northern England and southern Scotland.
All personel at bomber stations in northern England frequently had to sweep runways, peritracks and a/c of snow before ops during the depth of winter.
Certainly the last 40 years have seen a 'warming' (lets not get into a argument whether natural or man made) to a point when last years cold snap almost brought the nation to a standstill due to our unpreparedness.