By . Graham Smith . PUBLISHED: . 09:33 EST, 17 April 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 01:56 EST, 18 April 2012 . The joys of spring were banished yesterday as six inches of snow and daytime temperatures of -2C gripped parts of the North and Scotland. The wintry conditions took hold as the Met Office warned the severe weather is making its way south and will this morning cover all of Britain. Marble-sized hailstones, 60mph gales and seasonal torrential rain will cause flooding, leading to dangerous driving conditions. So much for spring: Snow swept across the North Yorkshire Moors yesterday morning, causing traffic problems between Whitby and Scarborough, as gales and heavy rain spread across Britain . Afternoon thunderstorms are forecast to dump an inch of rain, causing surface flooding, with large hail showers making roads slippery. It is feared that greenhouse window panes could be damaged by hail up to 1cm thick - the size of a marble. Near-60mph gales will hit the South, buffeting vehicles and matching wind speeds endured by coastal regions yesterday. Heavy morning rain deluged parts of England as snow blizzards fell on the North and Scotland, where up to six inches fell over higher ground. Drivers in central Scotland were warned to 'exercise extreme caution' due to the threat of landslides on the A83 in Argyll. Severe conditions: The bad weather is forecast to spread south today with marble-sized hailstones, 60mph gales and torrential rain expected to strike . More typical April weather: Tourists shelter under their umbrellas during a visit to Tower Bridge in London yesterday . Staff at Cairngorm Ski Centre dug out . 4ft drifts over piste access routes after four inches of snow fell . overnight. Temperatures had reached just -2C by midday. Around 200 skiers and snowboarders are visiting the centre every day and bosses, who laid off staff when one of the worst-ever ski seasons ended in February, now plan to stay open until next month. Cairngorm Mountain spokesman Colin . Kirkwood said: 'We didn’t ski at all in March, which . is almost unheard of, but more snow is forecast and we expect to ski . through next week and could ski into May.' Scotland’s other four resorts - Nevis Range, Glencoe, the Lecht and Glenshee - could also remain open. In bloom: The first of this year's bluebell flowers grow in the Forestry Commission's West Woods near Marlborough, Wiltshire, yesterday . The Met Office said the mass of showers further south will continue into the weekend. The unsettled weather is forecast ahead until at least mid-May in the North, while the south could ease from around May 7. Met Office forecaster Dave Britton . said: 'There was hail today and there will be more on Wednesday. 'With this intense rain, in excess of an inch of rain could fall in a three-hour period. 'It will be very windy with gales and . heavy showers or longer spells of rain, while the north will see . scattered heavy and thundery showers.'
Met Office issues severe weather warning for this morning .
Hail, torrential rain and 60mph gales forecast to hit central and southern England .
By . Graham Smith . PUBLISHED: . 09:33 EST, 17 April 2012 . | . UPDATED: . 01:56 EST, 18 April 2012 . The joys of spring were banished yesterday as six inches of snow and daytime temperatures of -2C gripped parts of the North and Scotland. The wintry conditions took hold as the Met Office warned the severe weather is making its way south and will this morning cover all of Britain. Marble-sized hailstones, 60mph gales and seasonal torrential rain will cause flooding, leading to dangerous driving conditions. So much for spring: Snow swept across the North Yorkshire Moors yesterday morning, causing traffic problems between Whitby and Scarborough, as gales and heavy rain spread across Britain . Afternoon thunderstorms are forecast to dump an inch of rain, causing surface flooding, with large hail showers making roads slippery. It is feared that greenhouse window panes could be damaged by hail up to 1cm thick - the size of a marble. Near-60mph gales will hit the South, buffeting vehicles and matching wind speeds endured by coastal regions yesterday. Heavy morning rain deluged parts of England as snow blizzards fell on the North and Scotland, where up to six inches fell over higher ground. Drivers in central Scotland were warned to 'exercise extreme caution' due to the threat of landslides on the A83 in Argyll. Severe conditions: The bad weather is forecast to spread south today with marble-sized hailstones, 60mph gales and torrential rain expected to strike . More typical April weather: Tourists shelter under their umbrellas during a visit to Tower Bridge in London yesterday . Staff at Cairngorm Ski Centre dug out . 4ft drifts over piste access routes after four inches of snow fell . overnight. Temperatures had reached just -2C by midday. Around 200 skiers and snowboarders are visiting the centre every day and bosses, who laid off staff when one of the worst-ever ski seasons ended in February, now plan to stay open until next month. Cairngorm Mountain spokesman Colin . Kirkwood said: 'We didn’t ski at all in March, which . is almost unheard of, but more snow is forecast and we expect to ski . through next week and could ski into May.' Scotland’s other four resorts - Nevis Range, Glencoe, the Lecht and Glenshee - could also remain open. In bloom: The first of this year's bluebell flowers grow in the Forestry Commission's West Woods near Marlborough, Wiltshire, yesterday . The Met Office said the mass of showers further south will continue into the weekend. The unsettled weather is forecast ahead until at least mid-May in the North, while the south could ease from around May 7. Met Office forecaster Dave Britton . said: 'There was hail today and there will be more on Wednesday. 'With this intense rain, in excess of an inch of rain could fall in a three-hour period. 'It will be very windy with gales and . heavy showers or longer spells of rain, while the north will see . scattered heavy and thundery showers.'
wintry conditions took hold as the Met Office and will this morning cover all of Britain. torrential rain will cause flooding, leading to marble-sized hailstones, 60mph gales and