Last Time You Saw Lying Snow During March?

[Weather-history]

From my location here in the far west of Manchester, the last time I saw snow lying during March (under the Met-Office criteria) was

28th March 1995

Nearly 10 years ago!

It snowed during the Marches of 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2004 but it never settled. Ringway reported one day during March 1999 but there was nothing here.

Here's the days with lying snow during March from my location since 1985

1985: 1

1987: 2

1989: 1

1995: 3

Only 3 days since March 1989 with March 2005 not adding to the list.

[Nabraxas]

I believe I had lying snow in March 2004, started snowing at about 7:45am and stopped about 8:30am leaving about a cm of snow, this quickly melted and was gone about 2 hours later.

[reef]

Last year on March 11th 2004 if I remember correctly, about 3cm or so. The next day it was gone by around 10am due to the strong sun. This was due to an easterly with a strong 1040mb high over scandinavia and -8°C 850hPa temperatures. The easterly was unusual in that it didnt really produce much cloud as would be expected here. This was probably due to the North Sea last year which was well above average. That was actually the second cold spell of the month, we had some snow on the 1st or 2nd aswell, but this didnt lay.

We also had 2cm on the 5th March 2005 this year, from the northerly after the easterly spell.

Its Ironic, but March tends to be the snowiest month here.

[kold weather]

This month on the 4th from the frontal system that gave 3 hours off moderate-heavy snow that dumped 5cms roughly and although was only meant to give a hour off snow then rain,it stayed as snow the whole way through and settled nicely.

[J10]

I saw Lying snow last March after the Feb 26th snowfall, but it certainly did not meet Met Office criteria.

[Guest Sir Seany]

I saw lying snow in March a couple of weeks ago Last year was good for it as well! Oh i will never forget the beggining of last years March, oh the hilarity of getting trapped on the Welsh Mountains

[summer blizzard]

I cannot remember a year when i did not see lying snow at some point in March.

[Weather-history]

I cannot remember a year when i did not see lying snow at some point in March.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

March 1997? That was a very mild month and virtually snowless.

[summer blizzard]

Yes, i believe i did not see snow in March 1997, in 1998, i saw for inches of snowfall in April.

[Thundery wintry showers]

In South Tyneside, while the Marches from 1989 onwards have been a lot more snowless than prior to that, there have still been some March snowfalls.

The statistics for days of snow falling and lying (more than half cover at 0900 GMT) at my location (Cleadon) since my records began in 1993 have been as follows:

1993: 3, 1

1994: 1, 0

1995: 9, 3

1996: 6, 2

1997: 0, 0

1998: 4, 2

1999: 2, 0

2000: 2, 0

2001: 8, 5

2002: 3, 0

2003: 0, 0

2004: 1, 2

2005: 5, 0

2001 began very snowy in this location with some heavy east-coast snowfalls on the 1st and 2nd, which didn't thaw significantly until the 5th, but during the other Marches any mornings with lying snow saw it melt appreciably during the day. The only Marches not to feature any snowfall were those of 1997 and 2003.

In Lancaster, the last time lying snow was reported in March was on the 6th in 1999 (but not enough even to register a depth), but March 1995 produced 6 days of lying snow there, including two falls of over 3 inches. Prior to that, they had lying snow in 1985 and 1986 (1 day each), 1987 (4 days), and 1990 and 1993 (1 day each).

[summer blizzard]

Newcastle obviously gets a lot of snow, being in the location which it is in, it can get snow from a northerly or easterly, it is the same in my location however Newcastle probably does better.

[drgl]

I think it would be March '95?? I had just got a new car from Wolverhampton (which was a '94M! So that's how i'm remembering) When we hit the M54 @ Telford the snow had covered the Motorway,when we got home in Shrewsbury there was much less snow but it caried on and we got a good covering.

[shuggee]

July - from the train on the way into Fort William - on the NE face of Ben Nevis! (But that's cheatin eh!?)

[Mondy]

Does the dollop of snow my dog pee'd in (the yellow type) count from 2003?

I've still managed to freeze that stuff..

[Summer of 95]

I think it would be March '95?? I had just got a new car from Wolverhampton (which was a '94M! So that's how i'm remembering) When we hit the M54 @ Telford the snow had covered the Motorway,when we got home in Shrewsbury there was much less snow but it caried on and we got a good covering.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There was about 3 inches in Shrewsbury in early March 1995 (overnight 2nd-3rd, from about 7pm-1am). I think Birmingham got a similar amount. But up in Oswestry, there was virtually nothing- I remember that well as it came as a real surprise. Also a 1cm cover here on the 7th.

Mid-March 1996 had lying snow here too, as did March 2001 and 12th March 2004 (just, started snowing heavily at 8am, had 2cm at 9am, was gone by 11).

2nd and 3rd March this year counted as snow-lying days in Shrewsbury, 1cm and 2cm respectively- but in both cases it had gone by noon.

[drgl]

There was about 3 inches in Shrewsbury in early March 1995 (overnight 2nd-3rd, from about 7pm-1am). I think Birmingham got a similar amount. But up in Oswestry, there was virtually nothing- I remember that well as it came as a real surprise. Also a 1cm cover here on the 7th.

Mid-March 1996 had lying snow here too, as did March 2001 and 12th March 2004 (just, started snowing heavily at 8am, had 2cm at 9am, was gone by 11).

2nd and 3rd March this year counted as snow-lying days in Shrewsbury, 1cm and 2cm respectively- but in both cases it had gone by noon.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Shrewsbury seems to miss a lot of the snow,last Christmas we woke to some flakes here in Telford,when we got to Shrewsbury there was none,when we got to Oswestry(My sister lives there) there was also none. Then about 7pm it started to snow. By morning it was gone but on the high ground around Oswestry there was about 3 inches,Shrewsbury again had none as did Telford. Snow events of late seem very localised?

[Summer of 95]

Shrewsbury seems to miss a lot of the snow,last Christmas we woke to some flakes here in Telford,when we got to Shrewsbury there was none,when we got to Oswestry(My sister lives there) there was also none. Then about 7pm it started to snow. By morning it was gone but on the high ground around Oswestry there was about 3 inches,Shrewsbury again had none as did Telford. Snow events of late seem very localised?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Last Christmas Day it snowed and off but only lightly till about 7pm, when it started to settle quickly. 3cm fell in a couple of hours, and it lay all day on Boxing Day through till about midday on the 27th.

You don't need to tell me Shrewsbury misses a lot of the snow that Telford gets The most frustrating one here was 5-6 Feb 1996 when it snowed for 24 hours, and left all of 2" in Shrewsbury. Oswestry had a foot, Telford I think about 6-8 inches (were you there then?). All the heavy bursts missed here, it was blowing a gale, yet the snow was too light. And that seemed very localised, (got much deeper north of Nesscliffe, RAF Shawbury reported 5" and that's only 8 miles away): Birmingham, Staffs and down in South Wales all had 6"+. Also late Dec 2000 we had just 1cm, most other places got 5-10. Oswestry is very hit and miss, it either does much better or much worse than here (as in March 1995) IME. Telford seeems to hog all the snow whatever happens, something which I've always found a mystery.

How did Telford do in these winters I wonder:

1991-2 (no snow at all in Shrewsbury)

1992-3 (one day of snow showers in Feb, but no lying snow)

1999-0 (again no lying snow, a few sleety bits in December and April)?

[drgl]

I've only been here since November 2002. We are quite high up be the Wrekin,i guess the clue to Shrewsbury's snow fall can be seen from the A5 heading towards Shrewsbury-the town is in quite a dip surrounded by higher areas. I've certainly noticed we get a lot more wind here too! Just think how much you go down heading towards Shrewsbury on the new A5

[Summer of 95]

I've only been here since November 2002. We are quite high up be the Wrekin,i guess the clue to Shrewsbury's snow fall can be seen from the A5 heading towards Shrewsbury-the town is in quite a dip surrounded by higher areas. I've certainly noticed we get a lot more wind here too! Just think how much you go down heading towards Shrewsbury on the new A5

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

But we are prone to stuff coming through the Cheshire Gap, like that snowfall on Xmas Day was. Trouble is it's not often cold enough. I wonder how much snow they get in Ironbridge or Bridgnorth- they're lower than Shrewsbury, and even more in "dips".

Going along the A5 you get that one steep hill just after it ceases to be the M54 (excellent views of the Welsh hills from there), but I'd only think it drops 250ft at most (and coming the other way, at the top of that it drops a bit again into Telford centre).

I've heard Worcester is even worse for snow than Shrewsbury, being much lower and having shelter from the north as well. I haven't noticed more wind in Telford, but I don't go there that often.

PS Did you get that storm on 19th June?

[drgl]

We've had so many storms this year i've lost count TBH!

[Summer of 95]

The Feb 1996 event really is an amazing localised variation because this was frontal snow. It snowed here for 24 hours with an accumulation of around 18cm. Also the Dec 2000 event was frontal (well a polar low) and gave 9cm here.

Birmingham generally has a pretty high elevation and always does best when snow hits the Western Midlands.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi Ian

I suppose it's because both came in from the west, here we often miss the heaviest precip. in those cases. From the north or east we can get quite a bit however.

[Terminal Moraine]

In the last 43 years I've recorded only 5 years when there was no lying snow in March; 1991, 1997,2000, 2002 and 2003, mostly quite recently as you can see.

The latest date I've recorded lying snow was June 2nd 1975 but that was during the afternoon, not at 0900. The latest date under met' office criteria was May 18th 1968.

T.M

[su rui ke]

You do appear to have been unlucky Mr Data! We even managed to get about 10cm of snow here last March - although it was said to have been the heaviest March fall for about 30 years.

More seriously, as far as 'home' in the UK goes (Dundee), like many other people on here I cannot remember when there was a March without lying snow while I was there. I suppose there must have been a few - but I think it would be rare.

[Paul R]

Last time I saw snow lying in March? Erm, must be going back to around 1998. Not seen much snow since then.

[conor123]

Shrewsbury seems to miss a lot of the snow,last Christmas we woke to some flakes here in Telford,when we got to Shrewsbury there was none,when we got to Oswestry(My sister lives there) there was also none. Then about 7pm it started to snow. By morning it was gone but on the high ground around Oswestry there was about 3 inches,Shrewsbury again had none as did Telford. Snow events of late seem very localised?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

In telford on christmas it did snow.

There was a blizzard from 8-10:20pm

and it was there boxing day morning.

It snowed this year in march many times

especially at the start then around 20th of march to