Cold weather WARNING: Solar minimum has ARRIVED and could last for more than a DECADE

Our host star was not expected to head into a solar minimum until around 2020 and, the phenomenon has arrived early, this will mean a prolonged cold snap.

The last time there was a prolonged solar minimum, the event led to a ‘mini ice-age’, scientifically known as the Maunder minimum – which lasted for 70 years.

The Maunder minimum, which saw seven decades of freezing weather, began in 1645 and lasted through to 1715, and happened when sunspots were exceedingly rare.

During this period, temperatures dropped globally by 1.3 degrees celsius leading to shorter seasons and ultimately food shortages.