SPRING has come to a juddering halt in Herefordshire.

Warm sunshine at the weekend has given way to rain and plummeting temperatures.

It was 5C in Hereford today and is expected to get even colder tonight, falling to 2C or lower.

But the county fared better than some other parts of the country.

The Met Office issued a yellow severe weather warning for an area of northern England and southern Scotland, while flurries were also seen down into the Midlands in the early hours of today.

A "sudden microburst" of hail and snow caused a 24-car motorway pile-up, according to Lancashire Police.

The M55 was closed in both directions in the early hours of today between junctions one and three.

Forecasters said a deep area of low pressure is centred over the UK, bringing with it the potential to drive showers and produce long spells of wet and changeable weather.

Little change in the conditions is expected for Thursday, although the focus for most of the showers will be in the south-west of the UK.

Hill snow will persist across high areas in the north, while in the south-west some drier and brighter weather is expected to arrive.

There is an improving picture towards the end of the week, with brighter, drier and warmer conditions expected for many parts on Friday and into the weekend.

Meanwhile, the Met Office says March 2019 was the 5th wettest March on record for the UK as a whole.

Much of the rain fell during the first half of the month and for many (except north west Scotland) there was a rather dry end to the month.