It wasn't just a quick dump of snow. It was literally two bouts of blizzard-level siberian anti-cyclone weather, that went on for almost 2 weeks.
Food, dairy, coal, and even water trucks slowed to a halt. The grid went down, gas pipes wouldn't flow, and toilets would not flush. People were stranded in their cars on motorways. England/Scotland/Wales was split into several disconnected islets separated by snow.
Then of course came the huge floods after. It's actually crazy how drastic it got. 120 people died (mostly babies and elderly). Roughly 200 million pounds in damages (~ 5 billion in today's money)