
As temperatures rage across the country in what has been dubbed 'Furnace Friday', pictures have shown the stark contrast between today's weather and landscapes buried in snow fewer than five months ago.

The Beast from the East blitzed through Saddleworth, Greater Manchester, inflicting intolerably cold conditions as it wrought chaos across Britain.

Images from the north-west today show the sun shining on spots that were pummeled with wintry weather in March.

And The Long Walk leading up to Windsor Castle in Berkshire was shown in frosty contrast to today's sweltering heat in the south-east of England.

‹ Slide me › Left, less than four months ago in Saddleworth, Greater Manchester, when the Beat from the East buried one of the area's main roads in snow as the extreme weather brought traffic to a standstill across the UK. Right, the same road pictured today as cars freely career down the tarmac under blazing temperatures

Where the county encountered freezing winds and trees were topped with white powder, blue skies today look down on a sweltering landscape.

People were seen enjoying a drink on benches that were caked in snow during the extreme weather that caused chaos months ago.

‹ Slide me › Left, a far cry from Furnace Friday: A drinker enjoys possibly the most refreshing lager ever as he surveys the blankets of snow that covered Saddleworth in Greater Manchester in March (left), when powder piled high on pub tables as well as rooftops in the area's villages. Right, today the beer garden is not just free from snow but basking in red-hot rays as a man shields his face with a baseball cap while taking the opportunity to cool down with a pint of lager

The Long Walk leading up to Windsor Castle in Berkshire is pictured, left, while the Beast from the East ripped through the UK and, right, in stark contrast under today's sweltering sky during what is fast becoming known as Furnace Friday

And a train line surrounded by dead, frosted trees appeared today cutting through the lush landscape of trees in the parish.

Despite darkness abounding under grey skies in March, the only spots of respite from today's red-hot weather were found in small pockets of shade as trees provided relief from the sun's scorching rays on village streets.

‹ Slide me › Left, a train negotiates a frosty line in Greater Manchester surrounded by dead tress as it cuts through the villages of Saddleworth in March, when the Beast from the East froze not just the north-west but the whole of the UK with extreme weather at the other end of the spectrum to today's weather, right

Although temperatures are earmarked to reach as high as 99F (37C), sunbathers would be well advised to make the most of the summer weather as thunderstorms are expected later today.

But the closest the north will come to revisiting these pictures of streets blanketed with snow is the possibility of hail and flooding.

‹ Slide me › Left, a woman and child carefully walk their dog through frozen streets in Saddleworth and, right, the same scene is pictured today as scorching temperatures rip through the Greater Manchester area as temperatures are expected to hit record highs in certain parts of the country

In contrast with the dangerously low temperatures of -17.6F (-8C) the Beast brought, record highs are today expected in London.

Blazes burned in North Wales, Hampshire, Dorset and Hertfordshire, while a lightning strike on the railway signalling system between Leeds and York blocked all train lines in the area.