Winter Weather Memories Bad Or Good

[I remember Atlantic 252]

My ace memory was the 2004 white Xmas, yes a toppler really but unbelievable timimg, I had snow in the afternoon and evening and a fantastic Xmas wake up on boxing day Xmas 04

shockingest is 12th march 2006, only had snizzle instead of the dumping we were due just that morning 12 march 06

another stinker was 5th March 09, where my mam & dad got loads of snow in somerset and I got nothing

[LomondSnowstorm]

good memories: snow showers which persisted for a week and merged to give 3 falls of 4 inches between the 23rd of February and the 1st of March 2005:

another good memory was the 12th of February this year, when, after a week and a half of disappointment, eastern Scotland got its first proper snowfall (with the notable exception of Big Innes Madori, who was left with yet more snizzle!):

Bad Memories: 3rd February this year, when a warm sector turned a once in a decade foot of snow event into 24 hours of drizzle! :

[Snowyowl9]

I`m going to a recent bad memory for the relentless SW-ly winds and rain we had in 2006/07

There were many storms but it got too much for how mild it was a cold snap in Jan did break it down abit.and december only really gave Anticyclonic gloom from this,lowest temp was only -0.7c around or before the xmas period.

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive/ra/2006/Rrea00120061224.gif

February heaviest snow 1 foot since the 80`s was the high point though,as there was powdery drifting snow in an exceptional mild winter where as the late 80`s didn`t give the drifting,heavy wet snow in december 88 at 1foot

That was the mildest winter since 1988/89 not alot of difference in temps.

[sundog]

The 27th of Feb 2001 i remember well. It snowed here all day giving a few inches. The cold snap of late Feb/early march 2001 was a decent one.

[Altohumorous]

Mostly good ones: '81/82 of course, for THAT snow. 78/79, especially the New Year eve snow. 83/84, 84/85, Feb 86. THAT week in Jan 1987. AFter that it's hard to recall much. 92/93 (I think it was that winter) saw about three months of gales and storms, the most disturbed prolonged period of weather I can ever recall) The snow storm of Feb 2001. The March snows of 88 & 1996.

Bad ones: Pick almost any from 87/88 right through (by which I mean most of all the winters, where in some years some of the winters had bits of interest here and there), 88/89 and 89/90 being my most painful memories of incredibly boring, mild winters.

Polar Lows that didnt deliver (years/dates are in the polar low thread)

[sundog]

Also this. A fairly beefy storm. Started off as rain but as the storm moved away it dragged down much colder air turning the rain to snow giving me a few inches.

[I remember Atlantic 252]

The 27th of Feb 2001 i remember well. It snowed here all day giving a few inches. The cold snap of late Feb/early march 2001 was a decent one.

remember that one yes but for the wrong reasons, totally different synoptically but a bit like 12th march 2006, snow stayed west of me, could see the snow clouds to my west, just dry here

[Altohumorous]

Also this. A fairly beefy storm. Started off as rain but as the storm moved away it dragged down much colder air turning the rain to snow giving me a few inches.

Not dissimilar to the current set up? Stronger jet then I think. And colder up to our northwest (generally, not just because it was Jan)?

[trickydicky]

I've got 3.

6th Feb 96 sitting on the school bus going over the hill out of the village and seeing a big grey curtain over where Southern Scotland was supposed to be. Then a few hours later trudging up the same hill after the bus couldn't make it and being snowed in for a week by 5 foot drifts.

Last week of December 95, sitting in the back of the car to go sale shopping in Carlisle after 3 days solid sledging and passing the River Derwent west of Cockermouth (where I think it might be tidal) and a few other rivers that were frozen solid. Also watching the weather forecast one night that week in my grans house and seeing the big blue -24 over Northern Scotland.

Thirdly, I don't know when it was (maybe TWS could help with it), playing football in the field behind my house in big fat 50p snow flakes, going in when the wind got too strong and then huddling round the fire after the electrcity cut out and watching a full on blizzard roar outside. I can remember saying to my mam that I hope it doesnt melt and she said "don't worry it would take a hell of a lot to melt all that snow" but, by morning all except the drifts had thawed away. It was sometime in Jan, Feb or March in the mid 90's maybe 1995/96, it was similar to the Feb 6th one except whereas the cold air held on then the mild air won out on this occasion. Any ideas? I was devestated!

Edited November 3, 2009 by trickydicky

[Thundery wintry showers]

It could have been the 25th January 1995, which had a marginal event over northern England- only rain at Newcastle, wet snow at Lancaster, but 40cm of lying snow at Leeds. As it was marginal the temperatures will have crept above freezing in some of the snow-affected areas as the snow eased leading to sleet or rain and a thaw.

Edit: Two days later, 27th January 1995, is also a possibility. An Atlantic front pushed against cold polar air from a northerly outbreak on the intervening day (26th) and gave snow, again, to much of northern England, and I remember a dusting at Cleadon that evening- presumably there will have been more, heavier snow further west. Mild air moved in by the next morning.

Edited November 3, 2009 by Thundery wintry showers

[Chris D]

The last time we had ANY significant snowfall in Southport. Although we had some this year, it was barely a centimetre - and even that only lasted a couple of hours. It really does feel to me like it is the end of scenes such as this - for here anyway, with warming and all that. Photo from March 2006 (it could be 2005, I'm not certain).

Edited November 3, 2009 by chris93

[Methuselah]

Far more utterly devastating letdowns than I can count: the '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s and '00s have all had them...

Good ones: the 30cm dumping in early Feb 2003 - about two days after Aberdeenshire saw 18C!!

The superblizzard of January 1968...

[Backtrack]

The last time we had ANY significant snowfall in Southport. Although we had some this year, it was barely a centimetre - and even that only lasted a couple of hours. It really does feel to me like it is the end of scenes such as this - for here anyway, with warming and all that. Photo from March 2006 (it could be 2005, I'm not certain).

You live not too far from me... I got over a foot of snow in Feb this year! did you not get that?

[Chris D]

You live not too far from me... I got over a foot of snow in Feb this year! did you not get that?

Unfortunately not, Southport has a very localised climate. It's like there's an invisible snow barrier around the Sefton coast, and remember we are like much closer to the m.s.l than Runcorn. Don't know about other areas, I know Wigan got some, but where I live barely a flake (that stayed on the ground, it did snow though).

Edited November 3, 2009 by chris93

[Backtrack]

No, Southport has a very localised climate. It's like there's an invisible snow barrier around the Sefton coast, and remember we are like much closer to the m.s.l than Runcorn. Don't know about other areas, I know Wigan got some, but where I live barely a flake (that stayed on the ground, it did snow though).

Now that I think about it.. Southport is a seaside place, so you are much closer to the sea than me.

If my theroy is correct you will have a higher temperature than me now.. What's your current temp? Mine is 7.4c.

The sea doesnt always have an effect though, so you should still get some decent snow. I think the foot of snow i got was margianal.

You say there was snow falling but not laying? Your temperature must of been too high making the snow wet then. It could of even been the dew point. Do you have any records of that day?

On topic: We got a foot of snow in Feb that melted overnight due to rain at 0c! I was so angry.

Edited November 3, 2009 by Backtrack

[Methuselah]

Unfortunately not, Southport has a very localised climate. It's like there's an invisible snow barrier around the Sefton coast, and remember we are like much closer to the m.s.l than Runcorn. Don't know about other areas, I know Wigan got some, but where I live barely a flake (that stayed on the ground, it did snow though).

Same here, Chris...All of last winter's snow was marginal?

[Chris D]

Now that I think about it.. Southport is a seaside place, so you are much closer to the sea than me.

If my theroy is correct you will have a higher temperature than me now.. What's your current temp? Mine is 7.4c.

The sea doesnt always have an effect though, so you should still get some decent snow. I think the foot of snow i got was margianal.

Ah, you see mines 9.5c...and rising! I'm still not certain as to exactly why we dont get decent snowfall.

Edit: Just looked through and on the 2nd there was a light covering (of ~2cm) in early morning and late evening, but it only lasted a few hours due to rain on the ground. 2cm looks like the highest I ever recorded.

Edited November 3, 2009 by chris93

[trickydicky]

It could have been the 25th January 1995, which had a marginal event over northern England- only rain at Newcastle, wet snow at Lancaster, but 40cm of lying snow at Leeds. As it was marginal the temperatures will have crept above freezing in some of the snow-affected areas as the snow eased leading to sleet or rain and a thaw.

Edit: Two days later, 27th January 1995, is also a possibility. An Atlantic front pushed against cold polar air from a northerly outbreak on the intervening day (26th) and gave snow, again, to much of northern England, and I remember a dusting at Cleadon that evening- presumably there will have been more, heavier snow further west. Mild air moved in by the next morning.

Thanks for your info. It was a saturday night/sunday morning if that helps, as if having to sit through Sunday School wasn't enough!

[Backtrack]

Ah, you see mines 9.5c...and rising! I'm still not certain as to exactly why we dont get decent snowfall.

Mine is now 7.1c and dropping!

The sea will definatley play an important roll in winter.

[Summer of 95]

Good ones were certainly Christmas 2004 and 12th March 2006, (the latter like in Southport trounced anything Feb 2009 could offer); also 19-21 Dec 1995, Feb 1994, Feb 1991, Dec 1990 and more (think I might name all of Shrewsbury's 10cm snowfalls since 1987 in my sig, it'd be easier!).

Bad? Start with Feb 1996 when we only got 6cm when everywhere nearby got at least 15; amazingly it took 24 hours to snow 6cm: then Dec 2000 when we just managed 1-2 cm when the surrounding areas got 10.

The whole year 2008 when snow would not settle if you held a gun to its head and coomanded "Settle!"

1991-2 when it couldn't settle, because it never snowed at all.

February 1997 which completely ruined what had been up to then the best post-1988 winter.

February 2009 when it just kept snowing overnight and thawing, while in Telford despite the same temps the snow stayed throughout; Shrewsbury Snow Repellence again!

[Snowyowl9]

Good ones were certainly Christmas 2004 and 12th March 2006.

Certainly agree with that,meant to quote you on the christmas 2000 but overedited.

Got 2.5inches during that spell,but I think that spell is overrated on here it only lasted 4days then it started thawing NYE.

December 24th started with some wet patchy snow,next heaviest snow was on the 28th.

[Altohumorous]

If it's any consolation to other coasties on here, we have had very little snow here since Jan 1987. I think 1991 was the last truly decent settled fall, 2001 was the last heavy fall (didnt really settle) - and we are one of the coldest coastal parts of this island. We depend very much on easterly snow events (too sheltered from north or northwest events), and easterlies cold enough to bring snow have been extremely rare the past 20 years or more. Of course, we need a colder easterly here than would be needed in England/Scotalnd, having the warming effect of the extra fetch, especially over the Irish Sea.

[LomondSnowstorm]

Having read through this forum, I realise that there are much worse places for snowfall in the UK than Fife! We tend not to end up with the deepest snowfall of all areas regardless of synoptics (barring very regional easterly convective showers) but we tend not to miss snowfall totally: March '06 began very frustratingly, with a foot in aberdeen, large accumulations right on the east coast but only a temporary centimetre here, until the 12th, which is the biggest snowfall I can recall here with about 8 inches. We also saw an extremely localised inch of snow on the 5th January this year none of which hit the major weather station 10 miles away at Leuchars!:

[Summer of 95]

Thanks for your info. It was a saturday night/sunday morning if that helps, as if having to sit through Sunday School wasn't enough!

27 Jan 1995 was a Friday; it does fit to some extent because I remember it snowing heavily through the morning and then turning to rain about 2pm; despite snowing a good few inches it had all gone by midnight when the temp was about 8C (distinctly remember a weather forecast saying that the day's highest temp will be "at midnight tonight"); this was certainly the biggest snowfall I remember that did not yield an official "day of snow-lying" because it started after 9am. If it was a case of a system moving up from the south it might not have affected Cumbria till the Saturday (by which time it was flooding here because it had snowed for about 4 hours then rained for a further 24!)

I also thought about the end of the Dec 1995 cold snap; but the snow on the 30/31st (which was a Sat/Sun) didn't melt anywhere near as quickly. Narrowing it down to 1994-97 and Jan-Feb-Mar; we can rule out Febs 1995 and 1997 which were almost completely snowless as were Marches 1994 and 1997. Jan 1996 had plenty of snow at the end, including the 27/8th weekend; but again the snow didn't melt suddenly, here it remained till the 31st. In March 1996 I remember a wintry week starting on the 11th; as I recall warmer air moved in on the Saturday 16th and didn't produce snow here, but might have done temporarily further north? March 1995 doesn't fit well; the main event on the 2-3 was Thur-Fri and the snow was still there in the morning.

[Snowyowl9]

The best winter memories are definately the time when you couldn`t get to school so,heres 2 I remember from the 70`s

1977/78 Freezing rain during the night ice everywhere next day,remember that so vividly,could not go in a car,anywhere That was on the news and weather,showed a area where was affected in red I think it was,but when it was exactly by date would be very interesting.

1979 when I was in school heaviest snow I`ve known falling/lying when I was on low ground,so was called back home as there was drifting/blizzards,drifting on the school yard until stopped later in the day,too damp.

The 80`s was even better. <_<

Edited November 5, 2009 by Snowyowl9