'Literally tens of snowflakes were seen to be settling' - a full report on the blizzard that hit Rugby this morning

This morning, December 29, the Advertiser sprung into action to warn residents about reports of a patch of heavy snow heading towards the borough.

The Met Office predicted that the town would be punished with up to three hours of the extreme weather.

Some residents reacted to our report with excitement, while others were concerned about the safety implications.

One resident, betraying an admirably blasé (if not slightly reckless) disregard for the perils of snow and ice, suggested the warning was a "complete waste of a news item".

By 10am, the moment the snow was predicted to arrive, nerves were taut.

The Advertiser had been using scientific techniques, including looking out of the window at regular intervals, to keep an eye on the situation - but the promised snow didn't seem to arrive.

Then, at around 10.08am, we observed the beginning of what was to become a nerve-wrecking few hours of extreme weather.

The reports of snowfall across town came in thick and fast - with one resident reporting four snowflakes falling at Elliott's Field and another raising the alarm over a full three minutes of snow.

The snow then stopped for several minutes before beginning again with even more severity, as if mocking those who had questioned its seriousness.

This stop-start cycle continued for some hours and, at one point, literally tens of snowflakes were seen to be settling on a stretch of grass the Advertiser was using as a test patch.

By around 1pm the clouds began to show some mercy, sparing our town from any further bombardment.

Then, just before 3pm, the Advertiser considered the blizzard officially over - confirming the situation with a Facebook post which read: "It looks like the Great Blizzard of Rugby is over."

Residents reacted with great relief, while one mentioned he'd missed this morning's dramatic events because he had been watching the darts.