 On 3 December, an all-time record low of -17.9 °C recorded at RAF Leeming (since records began at Leeming in 1945) and -19.0 °C at RAF Topcliffe in North Yorkshire.By 6 December, snowfall in the Central Belt in Scotland led to the closure of the M8 motorway for two days with hundreds of motorists stranded overnight.The resulting political furore led to the resignation of Scottish Minister for Transport, Stewart Stevenson.