Winter weather

On the PM programme on Radio 4 tonight Eddie Mayer introduced a discussion about the phrase 'cold snap'. Apparently a listener had complained about it.
'About time too!' I shouted at the radio. 'It's a stupid phrase.'

But what the listener had complained about was its usage when the snow and ice had gone for over a week, saying that a snap should be short and sudden, not long-lasting. Eddie Mayer asked listeners for a new word to use instead.

Someone suggested span, as an anagram of snap; someone else came up with snargle. Most popular word for the weather at this time of year, though, turned out to be 'winter'. How novel. And sensible.