NigG,
Yes, the wandering winter snowstorm was one of our greatest flying horrors, because they can build up very quickly and unpredictably, and when they cover an airfield, heavy falling snow quickly reduces visibilty to zero and landing is impossible. You have to stand off until it moves off (if you have the fuel) or divert, with no certainty that your diversion will not "go out" with its own storm before you get there. This seems to have happened to your father, and I well imagine that he was mightily relieved to get down in the end.
Before I retired, our excellent AR-1 radars were able to see these things coming down the wind fifty miles out, and if your airfield was in their path, ATC would keep everyone informed of their ETAs.
One of the final tasks of the RAF Oxfords was to act as the 'lead-ins' for the Meteor T7s of the AFSs. It was an enormous jump: the Anson had a top speed of 192mph and a wing loading of 21.5lb/sq ft. The Meteor (figures for F8), 600mph and 49lb/sq ft. (all Wiki). Even the wartime people like myself (who'd handled what passed for fast machinery in our day) had our hands full with the Meteor in the early '50s. The new boys (and the later NS entrants) died like flies. The accident statistics of the Meteor at that time are horrifying (there is/was a Thread on this Forum about it).
It was still in use for this purpose in '54, when 608 got its first NS pilot. I thought it almost criminal. By all means use it at SFTS, but then put them on (say) Mosquitos for a few hrs before the Meteor.
Danny.