Where did that cold wind suddenly come from? One minute spring was definitely on its way - the next thing we knew the temperature dipped and has us country folk digging frantically back into our winter wardrobes.

When it comes to weather, no one should ever count any chickens. Strange stuff happens – it’s even snowed upon county cricket matches in June in this country and May is no stranger to the white stuff.

Okay, so these photos were taken around my valley in winter, but just over half a century ago there was a real white out in the British countryside on 17th May. It was 1955 and in some areas of the south of the country it snowed solidly for three hours.

Go back another 20 years and the 17th of the month saw several inches of snow blanketing large parts of Devon. 

During the grim war year of 1943 snow was recorded in many parts of Britain on May 8. Things soon picked up though – weather-wise anyway - just a few days later temperatures reached 30 centigrade. 

More recently snowfalls have been recorded in England in 1968, 1979, 1981, 1982 and there were widespread wintry showers on May 13th 1993.

Is it all beginning to sound rather depressing? Well at least our little chilly spell which is supposed to be disappearing this week has been nowhere near as bad as some of the really historic bad May weather moments.  

Way back in 1867 southern Britain was hit on 22nd May by heavy snow in a dreadful annus-horribilis, while even earlier in 1816 May snowfall was par for the course in what became known as “the year without a summer”.

Snow in June? Surely not. Well, it is pretty rare, thankfully. But it does occur - widespread sleet and snow showers hit the UK on 2nd June 1975 rather infamously falling upon a cricket match between Derbyshire and Lancashire at Buxton. About an inch of snow covered the entire pitch.

Snow also fell upon the Essex-Kent match being played at Colchester, but did not cover the precious wicket.  

So if you’ve been feeling merely nippy, count your blessings – it could have been much, much worse.