A satellite photo of
Great Britain and part of
Ireland showing the extent of
snow cover during the
winter of 2009–2010, the coldest in Europe since 1981–82. Starting on
16 December 2009 a persistent weather pattern brought cold moist air from the north with systems undergoing
cyclogenesis from North American storms moving across the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and saw many parts of Europe experiencing heavy snowfall and record low temperatures.
Photo: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA