Sub-zero temperatures and heavy snowfall lasted for more than a week from the end of February 2018, with Sunderland feeling the chill along with the rest of the North East region.
And the Beast had a huge impact elsewhere in the country, with the lowest temperature (−14.2°C) recorded in Faversham, Kent. Meanwhile, the greatest snowfall (22 inches) happened in Gloucestershire.
As we cast our minds back to the freezing weather of 2018, Wearside Echoes has taken a trip back to some of Sunderland’s coldest winters of years gone by. Snow was piled high on the streets, and there was a real community effort to keeps paths and roads clear.
Enjoy more pictures and memories from Sunderland’s past with our nostalgia email newsletter. It’s free to sign up, and you’ll get a round-up of retro highlights sent straight to your inbox each month. Visit our website here to sign up, and you can also join the conversation on our Wearside Echoes Facebook group here.
. Working on
A tram heads through Sunderland town centre in a February 1941 snowstorm. Photo: Sunderland Echo
. Piled high
Snow drifts which were almost as tall as the houses in Guisborough Street in 1947. Picture: Bill Hawkins. Photo: Bill Hawkins
1. Working on
A tram heads through Sunderland town centre in a February 1941 snowstorm. Photo: Sunderland Echo
2. Piled high
Snow drifts which were almost as tall as the houses in Guisborough Street in 1947. Picture: Bill Hawkins. Photo: Bill Hawkins
3. Freezing temperatures
Sunderland went 18 days without daylight in 1947. This scene shows people braving a blizzard in Fawcett Street. Hardy souls! Photo: Sunderland Echo
4. Keeping things moving
An excavator tackles the huge build-up of snow in 1947. Photo: Sunderland Echo