Winter 1985-86: The last sub zero CET month

[iand61]

1 hour ago, Stelmer said:

Found a video of galloping conductors somewhere in the moors around Blackburn, from Feb 1st 1986. Shows the horrendous conditions at the time.
 

 

I remember seeing this happening while out and about, it’s just over the moor on the boundary between here and Todmorden and even though snow was drifting, the high road between Lancashire and Yorkshire was actually closed by the weight of snow and ice on the cables and the dancing of them.

they came close to doing the same during the worst part of the 2018 BFTE but the snow must have been drier and didn’t stick to the cables the same.

impressive to watch though.

 

[damianslaw]

Yes bit of altitude makes big difference. Most settlements are in the valleys around here between 50 and 200 metres. Some though are very remote and doesn't take much to cause cut off conditions. Drifting snow is a real issue and the roads can quickly become impossible due to the steep hilly terrain. To get in and out of the area involves short steep inclines. 

[Summer8906]

20 hours ago, hillbilly said:

I remember one winter whilst at school in the early 80s my Mother rang school to send us home as the snow was getting bad.The kids at school were ridiculing us as there was just a light cover and roads were clear at the school which was around 600 feetAsl.We had to walk home in those days and it was 2 miles uphill to our secluded farmhouse at 1130ft Asl,we were the highest house in the valley and the roads were drifting with 2 foot drifts by the time we got home and the next day we spent digging the lane for Dad to be able to get to work.When we went back to school 2 days later no one believed us,its another world when you get some altitude.

 

Indeed, I do wonder what the 'snow lying' days are for relatively high hills in the south, such as Leith Hill and Black Down, highest points of Surrey and West Sussex respectively, both just short of 300m. Presumably considerably higher than lowland southern England, such that they get lying snow most winters.

[hillbilly]

9 hours ago, Summer8906 said:

Indeed, I do wonder what the 'snow lying' days are for relatively high hills in the south, such as Leith Hill and Black Down, highest points of Surrey and West Sussex respectively, both just short of 300m. Presumably considerably higher than lowland southern England, such that they get lying snow most winters.

There is some info on the Met office site on Southern England,i tried to copy the link but it wont let me.

Areas at 25Metres average 4 days per year lying snow and areas at 145 Metres average 7 days lying snow.Am not sure wether it is linear or exponential but i guess at 300Metres it will be at least 10 to 12 days but possibly more as not only is there more likely to snow but also the temperature will retain the snow.I have lived at 340Metres most of my life but now am in the valley bottom at 100M and there are many times here it will snow and be gone the next day in the valley and still be white on the tops a week later.When i drive from the valley floor to the hill tops the temperature always drops between 2.5 to 3 degrees all year around except for times of severe frost when the valleys are colder.

 

[Frost HoIIow]

On 18/02/2022 at 18:20, damianslaw said:

Yes bit of altitude makes big difference. Most settlements are in the valleys around here between 50 and 200 metres. Some though are very remote and doesn't take much to cause cut off conditions. Drifting snow is a real issue and the roads can quickly become impossible due to the steep hilly terrain. To get in and out of the area involves short steep inclines. 

Similar here in the Oldham area. The town centre is approx 220m asl and as a result one of the highest market towns in England. Been times when there's been snow there but not here due to the height difference. This steep incline to my N/NE going up towards the town centre causes cold to slip down into this part of Oldham causing a potent frost hollow. The town is built on a couple of hills really. Then it's the relative wilderness of Saddleworth to the east of this with it's quaint villages.