when was the beast from the east
The weather event commonly called “the Beast from the East” hit the UK and much of Europe in late February to early March 2018.
More precisely, the main cold wave and heavy snow impacts in the UK ran from 24 February to about 4 March 2018 , driven by very cold easterly winds and a blocking high called Anticyclone Hartmut.
Quick Scoop: Key Facts
- Main period: Late February – early March 2018.
- UK peak dates: Around 24 February–4 March 2018.
- What it was: A severe cold spell and snow event across the UK and parts of Europe, caused by very cold air moving in from the east.
- Nickname origin: UK media dubbed the 2018 cold wave the “Beast from the East” because of the intense, icy air arriving from eastern Europe and Russia.
Mini Timeline
- Early January 2018: Temperatures started dropping in parts of eastern Europe, hinting at unusual cold patterns forming.
- Mid–late January 2018: The cold intensified and spread westwards.
- Late February – early March 2018: The main Beast from the East spell, with widespread snow and prolonged freezing temperatures in the UK and across Europe.
Recent / “Will It Return?” Angle
- The 2018 Beast from the East is now treated as a reference event when UK forecasters talk about severe winter cold spells.
- From time to time, media and forums discuss “Beast from the East 2” whenever models hint at strong easterly cold in winter, but later events have not fully matched the impact of 2018 so far.
In short: When people ask “when was the Beast from the East?”, they almost always mean the famous cold wave that hit mainly from late February to early March 2018.
TL;DR: The Beast from the East was the big UK–Europe cold wave in winter 2018 , especially 24 February–4 March 2018.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.