Freezing temperatures are due to continue today after snow and bitterly cold winds spelt a brisk return to winter.
Travellers battled ice, snow and icy winds yesterday, with appalling driving conditions in the Westcountry, instead of welcoming the spring season.
Fallen trees blocked roads at Newquay in Cornwall and Lynton in Devon with treacherous conditions in other parts including Dorset.
Torquay seafront was closed due to waves crashing over the sea wall.
Parts of the Westcountry woke up to a covering of snow yesterday as up to 8cm (three inches) of snow fell.
Arctic winds left temperatures feeling as bitter as -10C following a severe weather warning put in place across Devon and Cornwall.
Today a risk of snow remains as temperatures continue to feel bitterly cold with sharp north-easterly winds.
Further outbreaks of snow were expected overnight as temperatures plummeted to -4 degrees.
Met Office spokesman Sarah Holland said: "Tuesday will be drier and brighter with a risk of snow only in the mostly south-westerly tip of Cornwall.
"Temperatures will remain just above freezing, but accompanied with the strong winds it will feel two or three degrees colder."
Forecasters said yesterday was on track as being the coldest March day since 1986 as travellers battled ice, snow and sweeping winds in the South West.
The icy weather, which has spread across many parts of the south of England and across the water to the Channel Islands will also be a blow to devotees of one of Jersey's most famous exports – the Jersey Royal potato.
It has emerged that the cold spell will have an impact on when the vegetables will reach shop shelves this year in any great volume. The main outdoor crop is planted from January to April, with harvesting beginning in April through to the end of June. But the unfavourable weather conditions will lead to delays, it has been said.
William Church, of the Jersey Royal Company Ltd, said growers have been hit by a "double whammy" of the wettest winter for some 50 years and the recent low temperatures.
He said: "It will have an impact insofar as what has been planted already will not grow in this weather, but also this weather means we can't plant at the moment. It's a bit of a double whammy.
"There is not going to be any real volume of Jersey Royals until May-time."
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the RAC said the organisation was on red alert with teams with 30% more breakdowns than on a normal Monday in March, and patrols expected to have helped 10,500 stranded members by the end of the day yesterday.
