December 1981

[Zerouali lives]

Coming from the North East of Scotland this month is of particular interest to me. However, since I was only 6 months old I never actually witnessed it for myself. Evidently, this was a very northerly month which usually means Northern and Eastern areas are worst affected by snow.

I was wondering if anyone has snow totals for Aberdeen during this month, or indeed any other stats for NE Scotland during this bitter month?

Regards

Clark

Edited November 10, 2005 by Zerouali lives

[Weather-history]

Coming from the North East of Scotland this month is of particular interest to me. However, since I was only 6 months old I never actually witnessed it for myself. Evidently, this was a very northerly month which usually means Northern and Eastern areas are worst affected by snow.

I was wondering if anyone has snow totals for Aberdeen during this month, or indeed any other stats for NE Scotland during this bitter month?

Regards

Clark

Dyce

December 1981

Mean Max: 2.6C

Mean Min: -2.2C

Highest Maximum: 15.0C on the 3rd

Lowest Minimum: -13.2C on the 26th

Air Frosts: 19

Days with falling sleet/snow: 23

[Thundery wintry showers]

Looks like it was quite snowy in Aberdeen then!

[Zerouali lives]

Dyce

December 1981

Mean Max: 2.6C

Mean Min: -2.2C

Highest Maximum: 15.0C on the 3rd

Lowest Minimum: -13.2C on the 26th

Air Frosts: 19

Days with falling sleet/snow: 23

Thanks Mr Data, I knew it was quite severe but for snow to fall for 23/31 days is quite astonishing!

[Weather-history]

Manchester did well for snow.

Mean Max: 2.8C

Mean Min: -1.5C

Lowest Min: -13.5C (12th)

Highest Max: 9.8C (4th)

Number of air frosts: 18

Days with falling sleet/snow: 15

Days with lying snow: 18!

[MP-R]

Going by what my Granddad says, he couldn't get out of the house on Christmas because there was three feet of lying snow after four days of blizzard! I'm waiting for that to come.

[Thundery wintry showers]

In 40 years of records at Hazelrigg (North-West Lancs), December 1981 was the second snowiest month on record, beaten only by the famous month of January 1979.

It was one of those rare months when Lancaster had about as much snow as a large part of the Tyne & Wear/Durham/Northumberland corner of NE England, but the latter locations have had several similarly snowy months in the past 40 years, including February 1969, February 1978, both January and February 1979, January 1982, January 1984, January 1985, February 1986 and January 1987.

[MP-R]

Post all your comments here. How deep was your snow? How many days did it snow? What was your lowest temperature?

[J10]

I have merged this thread into a previous one about 1981/1982, locally this was a very snowy winter, with a very snowy period of around 2 weeks with about a foot of level snow at times.

[MP-R]

Just after Christmas the snow got very bad according to my parents. It was the best part of a metre deep in places meaning that driving anywhere was a waste of time and effort. The snow was deep enough in places mto dig tunnels through it to other places.

[Michael Fishermans Friend]

There was little snow after Xmas 81 and had largely thawed in the Home counties by the 27th, snowfall dates effecting most of the country before Xmas were 8th/11th/13th and around 21st - Wales/southern England was particularly badly hit. Here in Essex approximately 5/6" from wet snowfall on the 8th, another 3" on the 11th and in the late hours of the 13th a blizzard effected most of southern, central Britain and Wales adding another 3" making a total of around a foot in these parts along with large drifting. The fore-mentioned blizzard briefly turned to rain as briefly milder air in the warm sector of the depression effected southern most parts although as the LP moved ESE into the continent was soon followed by cold conditions once more. The 21st saw further brief snowfall towards southern parts particularly Sussex and Kent.

[Dazza]

Just received this e-mail which I found quite interesting.

Parallel instances:

Year 1981

1. Prince Charles got married

2. Liverpool crowned soccer Champions of Europe

3. Australia lost the Ashes tournament.

4. Pope Died

5. Read this Net-Weather thread

Year 2005

1. Prince Charles got married

2. Liverpool crowned soccer Champions of Europe

3. Australia lost the Ashes tournament

4. Pope Died

5. ???????????????????????????

Hmm .

[Summer of 95]

Just received this e-mail which I found quite interesting.

Parallel instances:

Year 1981

1. Prince Charles got married

2. Liverpool crowned soccer Champions of Europe

3. Australia lost the Ashes tournament.

4. Pope Died

5. Read this Net-Weather thread

Year 2005

1. Prince Charles got married

2. Liverpool crowned soccer Champions of Europe

3. Australia lost the Ashes tournament

4. Pope Died

5. ???????????????????????????

Hmm .

No Pope died in 1981, I think it was the year someone tried to shoot him?

And if I was really nitpicking, unlike in 1981 Liverpool were champions of Europe having been champions of England the previous year

Edited December 13, 2005 by Summer of 95

[Dazza]

No Pope died in 1981, I think it was the year someone tried to shoot him?

And if I was really nitpicking, unlike in 1981 Liverpool were champions of Europe having been champions of England the previous year

Hmm I thought you were Summer of 95 not know it all of 1981 .

In all seriousness it was an e-mail I received and I knew I should have checked the facts before posting .

Ah well it was good for the hour or so it lasted!! .

*** Dazza jumps on his horse and rides off into the sunset ***

[Timmytour]

I started working in the city of London as a messenger in 1981 (that's all poor A level results would get you then!) and was told that snow "never settles in the city".

Well it did that year!

I remember it snowing on the 8th December and melting on Boxing Day, only to come again on the 2nd January and hang about for a few weeks. The initial snowfalls were good decent ones, but I can't recollect any further substantial ones on either occasion before the thaws came.

[summer blizzard]

Here is my faviourate chart from December 1981...

Gale force winds and intense precipitation falling as snow.