Use one of the words or phrases below to complete each of these sentences from a BBC news report.
Note that you may have to change the form of a word to complete the sentence correctly.
freak / Mother Nature / blizzards / treacherous / grounded
1.
Last winter Edinburgh experienced the worst __________ for decades. Hundreds of tonnes of salt were used on roads and pavements. Offenders and the Army were brought in to clear routes.
2.
Ms Hedges said: "The __________ waters round the Isle of Wight present a major challenge - there are so many unknowns. My emotions are very up and down at the moment, going from being really excited to really scared."
3.
Before the president joined the children for a reading lesson, the White House and the president already knew a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center, but they thought it was a ___________ accident.
4.
Qantas ______________ all Saturday's flights, affecting some 70,000 travellers.
5.
"An element of luck was involved with this, as with any expedition of this nature when the variables are out of your control - the weather, __________ herself," he said.