Incredibly, British Summer Time officially starts tomorrow but millions of brassed off Brits pining for warmth will have to endure freezing temperatures and biting winds until May.
The misery will continue with daytime temperatures struggling to reach a bracing 5C (41F). The only ray of sunshine, forecasters said, is that it will stay dry.
As if the outlook wasn't bleak enough already, meteorologists believe the shivering start to 2013 has been the coldest in more than 200 years.
More worryingly, the combination of sub-zero temperatures and heavy snow experienced across much of the country recently could be the prelude to a new Ice Age that will begin next year and last for 200 years.
Russian scientist Dr Habibullo Abdussamatov, of the St Petersburg Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory, painted the Doomsday scenario saying the recent inclement weather simply proved we were heading towards a frozen planet.
Dr Abdussamatov believes Earth was on an "unavoidable advance towards a deep temperature drop". The last big freeze, known as the Little Ice Age, was between 1650 and 1850.
Today he said: "The last global decrease of temperature (the most cold phase of the Little Ice Age) was observed in Europe, North America and Greenland.
"All channels in the Netherlands were frozen, glaciers were on the advance in Greenland and people were forced to leave their settlements, inhabited for several centuries.
"The Thames river in London and Seine in Paris were frozen over every year. Humanity has always been prospering during the warm periods and suffering during the cold ones. The climate has never been and will never be stable."
The miserable weather since the turn of the year has been blamed on two episodes of high pressure.
A poorly positioned jet stream means ice cold temperatures and the continuing risk of snow showers across the north and east.
Almost all of the UK can expect a continuation of night frost, which will turn severe at times.
April is forecast to be a drier than average month in the north and east, slightly wetter to the south and west but it is expected to be one of the oldest on record.
Forecaster Jonathan Powell, of Vantage Weather Services, said: "My goodness haven't we suffered over the winter, but if people are after sunshine in the next month my advice would be to head for the airport.
"It is going to remain dry at least, but we will all need to remember to pull on an extra layer of clothing before stepping outside.
"May could well be our saving grace because at the moment it's looking a lot better but I am sorry to say after that we are heading down the same route as last year."
Numbing temperatures of -11C (12F) last night broke the previous coldest Easter with some describing the past few months as "Britain's lost spring".
As the clocks go forward the Met Office forecast record lows to of -11C in north Wales, northern England and Scotland.
Met Office forecaster Steven Keates said: ""Nights will stay cold with -10C possible and -11C not out of the question from north Wales northwards to Scotland.
"The weather is exceptional, unusually cold and unusually prolonged - with little change next week.
"Snow showers are certainly an increasing risk in the second half of the week, especially in the south.
"They are expected to fall more widely than flurries this week, with a slight covering in places - but nothing like the heavy snow last weekend."
British tourism is braced to suffer heavy losses calculated at "tens of millions of pounds" with as many as two million scrapping pre-planned domestic Easter breaks because of the chill.
A fed-up Brighton tourism spokesman said: "We had 100,000 visitors last Easter - but bad weather will hit tourism numbers. We do have indoor attractions however."
Comment: And no, Abdussamatov isn't just saying this now because winter records have been smashed in 2013. Back in 2010 he said that a new ice age would begin in 2014.
Reader Comments
Better yet, ask Sais how that stuff works out.
Beware though, when your dream will be over and you wake up to confront reality, it might hurt a bit.
So you'd better pack your bags and head towards Mars ASAP before the crap hits the fan!
Have a nice trip.
PS: You should bring a winter coat there as the average temperature will make the upcoming ice age look like summer time in comparison. And perhaps a bit of oxygen too as the atmosphere there only has 0.1% of it or so. I hope you are not allergic to carbon dioxide.
Don't forget to send pictures!
Since yesterday we are in spring and the daytime temperature will stay around 17-18 C for a week or so. So those freezing up north are welcome.
the one major issue between me and the 'quantum consensus'. This bothers me because I could be missing something. But I continue to believe that this climate change is anthropogenically produced. Much scientific evidence of this needs to be ignored to think otherwise. I struggle with this issue.
Just looking at what is going on on the planet tells us that the "global warming" alarmists are missing the boat entirely. It's as simple as that.
Every man and every woman is a Star!
We are already gods and together we create our reality.
It's just that we have forgotten.
But some still rely on the 2000 year old folklore of a nomadic Bedouin tribe (mostly plagiarised from the Babylonians anyway . . .)
I had never had the opportunity to observe such deterioration of a mind.
Stop it. It's for your own good. Just take a moment.
Your mind is playing tricks on you.
This Russian scientist may be right, but an ice age lasting 200 years? That is not and never will be an Ice Age. An Ice Age. is when the glaciers advance and cover everything in sight up to a depth of 1000 miles.
However, if this scientist is right, if we get a wortldwide temperature drop of -1.5°C, millions of people would starve to death in the Northern Hemisphere. The chances are there would be 'food wars'.
Stay put if you're happy with the heat
After heavy wet snow (20-30 cm) yesterday, about 100,000 households in central and north-eastern Poland must cope without electricity.
Today’s forecast promises more snowfall for these regions, at least 10-20 cm.
Truly a Global Warming Fools’ Day!
We are just beginning to head out of the ice age not in. Lot of people are in for a big surprise.
As for my personal fate I vote for a Supercell as shown The Day After Tomorrow when actors quick-froze, like mammoths with food in mouth. Way easier to go than slow freeze.
now, which is very weak so far
if the sun is inhibiting flares
question is why
can it be the influence of oncoming sun's companion star ?
Europe is freezing and all the extra snow contributes to increasing the albedo effect which means that the radiation balance of the earth is rapidly changing. Fresh/clean snow can reflect up to 90% of the light so the more there is, the cooler it gets.
and there's a lot of earthquakes now as well as volcanic activity ...
I just can't imagine how profoundly disturbed you are. All you talk about is death, suffering, eternal hell for all of us (including you) and a vengeful, nihilistic and psychopathic God. Not only that but you go as far as saying all humans deserve it literally as if there's not a single "good" human being on this planet. You must really hate life a lot. What did it do to you?
The way you talk and your choice of vocabulary tells a lot about you and your condition. I'd suggest you seek professional help ASAP.
what was it that those dodo birds and passenger pigeons did to piss off god/mother earth?
are gonna be sooooo pissed that their plan to tax your farts won't come to fruition.
Al Gore!....Pffft! What a tool.
NOTHING'S shocking anymore. Nothing.