The cold snap took another turn today as Greater Manchester was hit by freezing rain.
With temperatures hovering around zero, raindrops froze into ice as they hit the ground, producing hazardous conditions on the roads.
But the unusual weather phenomenon also produced some striking images, as this picture by MEN photographer Sean Hansford shows.
He captured the icy raindrops frozen as they fell around the petals of a white rose in Oldham earlier today.
Freezing rain is difficult to combat on the roads as it settles as ice over the top of grit, making the grit less effective. Drivers and pedestrians are warned to take extra care. The forecast is that the freezing rain will turn to snow with 2 to 5cm forecast for lower ground and 5 to 10cm for higher ground.
North West Ambulance Service said its control centres had answered almost 700 emergency calls since 8.00am today.
The emergency service had also responded to 187 incidents where people had fallen.
The treacherous conditions led to a string of accidents as forecasters warned that more snow was on the way, with some areas of the UK facing up to three inches (8cm).
Nearly 100 road accidents were reported across Cumbria on Thursday morning as police warned motorists to take extra care.
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Looks like the MuEN after it’s frozen out the Manchester City fans from commenting on their own team page
They are just as sad as the flower looks!
CTID
A rose flowering in Jan/Feb, I didn't know they did that. Nice shot though Sean! Is that the photographer's reflection at the bottom of the photo?
Wow...I am wearing shorts n t-shirt here on the Costa del Sol!
wow this beautiful pic make me feel cool as the temp here is 38degsC today!!
A true ice storm is the scariest weather out there and I've lived in Tornado Alley (Midwest USA).
Within seconds, roads turn to ice rinks, trees, branches and powerlines come down and everything gets a thick coat of ice, so you can get frozen into your car.
Freezing rain isn't unusual here in the US and can bring down trees because of the weight of the ice. Pretty but also very dangerous.