Mixed bag of unsettled weather as East Lancashire escapes brunt of Storm Christoph

But in a stroke of luck, East Lancashire managed to avoid the worst of the disruption, playing second fiddle to its neighbours over the border in Greater Manchester and Cheshire, where mass evacuations and horrendous flooding took place.

Bardon in Burnley flooded

In a wet and windy 48 hours, parts of East Lancashire saw heavy rain, resulting in floods in some areas of the Ribble Valley, but thankfully no incidents on as bad a scale as the floods of February 2020 or Boxing Day 2015.

Alerts were in place in Rawtenstall as the River Irwell rose dangerously high

Flood alerts were issued in Samlesbury for the River Ribble; Clitheroe and Low Moor as the River Calder began to rise; and Rawtenstall was put on a flood warning as the River Irwell rose dangerously high.

The river water flows onto the footpath in Darwen

In Chorley on Wednesday, a Grade II listed building in Astley Park was submerged as Ackhurst Road flooded, raising concerns over the building's integrity and preservation.

Chorley seemed to bear the brunt of the rain

However, in an unexpected twist of events, Wednesday night saw snow fall in Darwen and parts of Accrington, with residents in disbelief at the bizarre and frankly changeable weather.

Snow fell in Darwen, and stuck

Many trains across the North West were cancelled on Thursday morning and motorists were advised not to travel on the region's roads, but by the afternoon, things had begun to settle somewhat, with the rain easing, giving way to strong winds, and even a bit of sunshine in some parts.

Sunshine after the rain. Pic: Anne Holding

A yellow weather warning for ice remains in place for Friday, but for the rest of the weekend, it's business as usual, as forecasters predict grey skies and possibly some chance of snow.