The Very Cold Snap Of Early October 1829

[Weather-history]

There was a short sharp cold snap during early October 1829, where snow was even reported in the far south.

London temperatures

7th Oct 1829

Max: 8.9C

Min: 3.8C

Rainy, sleet; a considerable fall of snow between 1 and 3pm

8th Oct 1829

Max: 7.8C

Min: 0C

9th Oct 1829

Max: 8.9C

Min: -2.2C

Other reports

North Shields: A heavy gale from NE with sleet, hail and snow.

Aylesbury: Heavy snowfall for 3 hours on the 7th, flakes less than an inch in diameter and whitened the ground in places.

Norwich Mercury: On Tuesday night there was much vivid lightning. During Wednesday night and Thursday

morning there were violent storms of snow and hail. The thermometer as low as 36F

Chester Chronicle: The weather has been extremely cold and tempstuous in the past week, some of the showers of hail were as severe as we ever remember in the depth of winter.

Oxford Herald: On Wednesday morning, the snow fell in large flakes in this city and continued for nearly two hours.

Sheffield Courant: Wedensday, there was snow on the ground in some parts of the neighbourhood.

Public Ledger: On Wednesday at noon, there was a cold rain, it was soon mingled with large snow and in an hour afterwards there was a heavy and un-mixed fall of snow, which gave the Regent's Park, Primrose Hill, a very wintry appearance, as the snow lodged on the trees and grass, so than not the slightest proof of vegetation was visible. In places, the snow lay on the ground several inches. Many persons were seen walking amongst it, for the enjoyment of the novelty.

[Thundery wintry showers]

North Shields: A heavy gale from NE with sleet, hail and snow.

North Shields!!! Having lived near that stretch of the east coast I always thought that snow in October was very hard to get there due to the warming effects of the North Sea (though I do remember early snowfalls there on 5 November 1991 and 8 November 2001). With a NE gale the airmass must have been especially cold in order to temper the warming effects of the sea.

As usual a very interesting article.

[Terminal Moraine]

That certainly sounds like a very active and vigorous cold front moving south; it's a pity there were no synoptic charts in those days.