Famous Christmas Day Charts Of The Past

[Weather-history]

Famous charts from Christmases past

25th December 1906

A small low sweeps across the UK bringing widespread snowfalls during the Christmas afternoon and night. Heaviest falls in area between Manchester and East Anglia, where as much as 30cm fell in a few hours

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive/slp/1...slp19061225.gif

25th December 1927

This was the start of the great Chrismas blizzard for the south. Many areas were cut off by Boxing Day with huge drifts. It intially started off as rain but turned to snow during Christmas night

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive/slp/1...slp19271225.gif

25th December 1938

A deep covering of snow over many parts thanks to an easterly. High pressure over the UK on the big day

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive/slp/1...slp19381225.gif

25th December 1961

A bitterly cold frosty Christmas. Sub-zero maxima

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive/ra/19...00119611225.gif

25th December 1962

The real start of the coldest winter since 1740

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive/ra/19...00119621225.gif

25th December 1970

Snowfalls on this easterly gave snowfalls and snow cover to the south

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive/ra/19...00119701225.gif

25th December 1981

Deep snowcover over most parts and widespread sub-zero maxima

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive/ra/19...00119811225.gif

25th December 1995

Deep snowcover in the north and east of Scotland

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive/ra/19...00119951225.gif

..and 25th December 1920

The highest maxima ever recorded (15.6C) for Christmas Day occurred on this day

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive/slp/1...slp19201225.gif

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Most of the Christmas Days of the 1960s were cold and there was not one that was particularly mild.

Infact, at least one station in the UK reported snow on the Big Day for Christmases 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966 and 1968.

Christmas Day 1990, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2004 all reported wintry preciptation falling somewhere in the UK.

The worst decade of the twentieth century for White Christmases was the 1940s, it was almost completely snow free for the big day. The 1970s were not brilliant for White Christmases but Christmas Day 1970 puts the 1970s ahead of the 1940s.

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Here's the Christmas Day charts

for the severe winter of 1894-95.

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive/slp/1...slp18941225.gif

The severe winter of 1916-17

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive/slp/1...slp19161225.gif

The severe winter of 1928-29

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive/slp/1...slp19281225.gif

The severe winter of 1939-40

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive/slp/1...slp19391225.gif

The severe winter of 1946-47

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive/slp/1...slp19461225.gif

The severe winter of 1962-63

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive/ra/19...00119621225.gif

The severe winter of 1978-79

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive/ra/19...00119781225.gif

Cold Winters and White Christmases rarely go hand in hand, this was certainly true for the 20th Century. Taking the winters of the 20th Century with a CET of less than 3C and here's what the weather was for those Christmases

Winter 1916-17 CET 1.5

Christmas 1916 Low pressure was to the north of the UK and there was a westerly flow across the UK bringing sun and showers. Some wintry preciptation was reported with the showers

Winter 1928-29 CET 1.7

Christmas 1928 was mild with a broad SWly airstream across the UK. Maxima temperatures were in double figures especially in the south. In the NW, there was rain and drizzle affected western coasts.

Winter 1939-40 CET 1.5

Christmas 1939 was a cold Christmas with frosts but it was dominated by high pressure and there was no snowfalls

Winter 1940-41 CET 2.6

Christmas 1940 was cold and frosty with freezing fog but it was dry as the UK was under a large high pressure

Winter 1941-42 CET 2.2

Christmas 1941 was a cold Christmas with frosts but it was mostly dry with a large high pressure just to the west of Ireland

Winter 1946-47 CET 1.1

Christmas 1946 was very windy with a deep low to the north of the UK bringing gales to many parts with rain or showers.

Winter 1950-51 CET 2.9

Christmas 1950 was cold but the UK was under a col and many places were dry. Any snow cover on this day was due to snowfalls on previous days.

Winter 1955-56 CET 2.9

Christmas 1955 was largely dry with a ridge moving across the UK and with average temperatures.

Winter 1962-63 CET -0.4

Christmas 1962: Snow fell across parts of Scotland and northern England on the day itself but further south it was bitterly cold and dry.

Winter 1978-79 CET 1.6

Christmas 1978 was wet across many parts of the UK. In the Northern Isles, it was cold with an easterly wind.

Winter 1981-82 CET 2.6

Christmas 1981 was a cold and sunny day with a ridge over the UK. There was a deep snow cover over many parts

Winter 1984-85 CET 2.7

Christmas 1984 was mostly dry with a ridge over the UK.

Winter 1985-86 CET 2.9

Over England and Wales, it was largely cloudy with rain but colder air was reaching Scotland and there were some snow showers near the Scottish east coasts.

[Anti-Mild]

Very interesting Kevin! Lots of great charts there too! Let's hope for another in just less than 2 weeks !

[Weather-history]

for the severe winter of 1894-95.

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive/slp/1...slp18941225.gif

The severe winter of 1916-17

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive/slp/1...slp19161225.gif

The severe winter of 1928-29

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive/slp/1...slp19281225.gif

The severe winter of 1946-47

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive/slp/1...slp19461225.gif

None of those charts look especially brilliant for Christmas Day, I wonder "how many winter is over" would have been posted.

With the exception of December 1894, all those December were on the cold side however.

[Optimus Prime]

Cold Winters and White Christmases rarely go hand in hand, this was certainly true for the 20th Century. Taking the winters of the 20th Century with a CET of less than 3C and here's what the weather was for those Christmases

Winter 1916-17 CET 1.5

Christmas 1916 Low pressure was to the north of the UK and there was a westerly flow across the UK bringing sun and showers. Some wintry preciptation was reported with the showers

Winter 1928-29 CET 1.7

Christmas 1928 was mild with a broad SWly airstream across the UK. Maxima temperatures were in double figures especially in the south. In the NW, there was rain and drizzle affected western coasts.

Winter 1939-40 CET 1.5

Christmas 1939 was a cold Christmas with frosts but it was dominated by high pressure and there was no snowfalls

Winter 1940-41 CET 2.6

Christmas 1940 was cold and frosty with freezing fog but it was dry as the UK was under a large high pressure

Winter 1941-42 CET 2.2

Christmas 1941 was a cold Christmas with frosts but it was mostly dry with a large high pressure just to the west of Ireland

Winter 1946-47 CET 1.1

Christmas 1946 was very windy with a deep low to the north of the UK bringing gales to many parts with rain or showers.

Winter 1950-51 CET 2.9

Christmas 1950 was cold but the UK was under a col and many places were dry. Any snow cover on this day was due to snowfalls on previous days.

Winter 1955-56 CET 2.9

Christmas 1955 was largely dry with a ridge moving across the UK and with average temperatures.

Winter 1962-63 CET -0.4

Christmas 1962: Snow fell across parts of Scotland and northern England on the day itself but further south it was bitterly cold and dry.

Winter 1978-79 CET 1.6

Christmas 1978 was wet across many parts of the UK. In the Northern Isles, it was cold with an easterly wind.

Winter 1981-82 CET 2.6

Christmas 1981 was a cold and sunny day with a ridge over the UK. There was a deep snow cover over many parts

Winter 1984-85 CET 2.7

Christmas 1984 was mostly dry with a ridge over the UK.

Winter 1985-86 CET 2.9

Great summery there! Didn't realise you worked out the coldest winters of the 20th century as well...I did the exact same thing in the thread in the winter forum

[North-Easterly Blast]

The 1980s overall were not brilliant for cold / White Christmases either. Apart from Christmas 1981, most Christmases in the 1980s were generally mild, except for a post Xmas cold spell in 1985. I believe that Christmases 1983, 1987 and 1988 all saw prolonged mild spells.

Regarding your post about Christmas Days 1990, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2004 seeing wintry precipitation in parts of the UK, I believe that on all those Christmas Days hardly any area in the UK actually saw a measurable covering of snow, with the only exception being 1995, although the blizzards were largely confined to Scotland and the north of England that day.

[Thundery wintry showers]

In 1993 there was apparently snowfall over quite a large area, but for most of us, none of it settled and it amounted to very little. Ironically, my part of Tyne & Wear had accumulations of snow that afternoon.

In the cases of 1996, 1999, 2000 and 2001 lying snow was certainly restricted to small portions of the country. The 2001 Christmas Day was a big disappointment as widespread snow showers were forecast, but only favoured coastal areas saw much, and for many of us it was also a bit too warm.

1995 had lying snow in some areas from a Christmas Eve trough (e.g. there was lying snow at Newcastle and, unusually, Lancaster) but as rightly said by North-Easterly Blast, shower activity on the big day was limited, with a lack of troughs and the flow being down the spine; having said that, there were plenty of snow showers in the Tyne & Wear region.

2004 was quite a widespread White Christmas but much of eastern England missed out.

[Sunshine]

What was it like in the Midlands on Christmas Day 1980 (The day I was born), was there any snow?

[Thundery wintry showers]

Some others will probably remember, but from looking at the historic chart, probably on the cool side with sunshine and showers, these maybe wintry on high ground.