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Coldest Uk Winter Since 1978/79 Ukmo Have Just Announced!


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Provisional figures from the Met Office show that the UK winter has been the coldest since 1978/79.

The mean UK temperature was 1.5 °C, the lowest since 1978/79 when it was 1.2 °C.

Since mid-December cold weather has often dominated much of the country, with spells of snow and very low temperatures. From southern England to northern Scotland, heavy snow caused travel disruption at times through the season.

Overnight temperatures fell to -22.3 °C at Altnaharra, Highland – the lowest UK minimum since 1995

I think this very noteworthy press release deserves its own thread.

In Scotland and Northern Ireland it's been the coldest winter since 1962/63, even more astonishing :lol:

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Posted
  • Location: Liphook
  • Location: Liphook

Yep, amazingly cold winter up north and almost as cold as 62-63, not at all far short at all!

Also worth noting that its probably the 2nd coldest winter up there in the last 110 years at least, stunning and shows just how amazing this winter has been up there!

Even for further south in England, thats an amazing turnaround to what we saw in 2007-08, also the fact it beats every single one of the so caled 'historic' 80s winters should prove this really was a historic winter, anyone who argues with that just isn't looking at the facts.

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Posted
  • Location: Newcastle upon Tyne
  • Weather Preferences: Thunderstorms and heat, North Sea snow
  • Location: Newcastle upon Tyne

Yep, amazingly cold winter up north and almost as cold as 62-63, not at all far short at all!

Also worth noting that its probably the 2nd coldest winter up there in the last 110 years at least, stunning and shows just how amazing this winter has been up there!

Even for further south in England, thats an amazing turnaround to what we saw in 2007-08, also the fact it beats every single one of the so caled 'historic' 80s winters should prove this really was a historic winter, anyone who argues with that just isn't looking at the facts.

I'll second that! Scotland has had a truly amazing winter, but I feel that my region has also done exceptionally well - we missed out on the brief mild spells that affected the South. All that was missing was true severe easterly blast - February hasn't been very snowy at all, so it would've been nice if there had been one this month. All in all though its been a great winter with constant colder than average weather since mid December, some 2 and a half months ago :lol: Now I look forward to a (hopefully!) changeable, bright Spring containing both warm and cold convective setups.

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Posted
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks

the link to the full media output-they do show that it is provisional to the 24 February in their link

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/corporate/pressoffice/2010/pr20100301.html

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Posted
  • Location: W. Northants
  • Location: W. Northants

Who would have believed this would happen back in early December? And an El Nino winter as well! Just goes to show, the weather will ALWAYS keep us on our toes and be endlessly surprising - Thats the great mystery and what keeps us coming back here year after year.

Edited by Gavin P
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Posted
  • Location: Sheffield South Yorkshire 160M Powering the Sheffield Shield
  • Weather Preferences: Any Extreme
  • Location: Sheffield South Yorkshire 160M Powering the Sheffield Shield

Yup coldest here since 1979. Average here 1.9C although 79 was 1c and had a lot more Snow. Three months on the bounce below average will March go the same way.

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Posted
  • Location: Lincoln, Lincolnshire
  • Weather Preferences: Sunshine, convective precipitation, snow, thunderstorms, "episodic" months.
  • Location: Lincoln, Lincolnshire

Scotland's stats are even more remarkable- just a fraction of a degree short of being the coldest winter for over 100 years by the looks of it!

Global temperatures may be elevated by about 0.5C relative to the cold winters of the mid to late twentieth century, but if you take one of those winters and add 0.5C you're still left with a very cold and snowy winter, and that's pretty much what we've seen this year. Global warming is still a long way off killing off snowy winters in the British Isles.

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Posted
  • Location: Stoke Gifford, nr Bristol, SGlos
  • Location: Stoke Gifford, nr Bristol, SGlos

Yep, amazingly cold winter up north and almost as cold as 62-63, not at all far short at all!

Also worth noting that its probably the 2nd coldest winter up there in the last 110 years at least, stunning and shows just how amazing this winter has been up there!

Even for further south in England, thats an amazing turnaround to what we saw in 2007-08, also the fact it beats every single one of the so caled 'historic' 80s winters should prove this really was a historic winter, anyone who argues with that just isn't looking at the facts.

In this little corner of southern england, in terms of 'sustained' cold temps maybe, but in terms of snow the 'historic' 80s winters were better for snowfalls, in terms of number and severity. This winter we have had no bitterly easterlies with blizzard conditions, something which was not uncommon in late 70s/80s.

That's been the missing ingredient for me this winter compared to winters past in the era mentioned above. Granted a 'special' winter in terms of cold compared to last 20 years, but snowfall nothing that remarkable compared to winters past.

EDIT: Just announced by our local weather guy on local BBC news - coldest winter in Bristol since 95/96 - the 14th coldest out of 119 recorded.

Edited by Bristle boy
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Posted
  • Location: Gunton Cliff
  • Location: Gunton Cliff

Yep, amazingly cold winter up north and almost as cold as 62-63, not at all far short at all!

Also worth noting that its probably the 2nd coldest winter up there in the last 110 years at least, stunning and shows just how amazing this winter has been up there!

Even for further south in England, thats an amazing turnaround to what we saw in 2007-08, also the fact it beats every single one of the so caled 'historic' 80s winters should prove this really was a historic winter, anyone who argues with that just isn't looking at the facts.

I think it must have been an amazing winter for everywhere in the UK except where I live where we had a very average winter.

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Posted
  • Location: Derbyshire Peak District. 290 mts a.s.l.
  • Weather Preferences: Anything extreme
  • Location: Derbyshire Peak District. 290 mts a.s.l.

It was the coldest winter since 1985/86 here and the snowiest since 1993/94 by the accumulated depth of snowfall which was 78.3cm compared to 82.6cm in 93/94. By number of mornings with lying snow ( 45 ) it was the snowiest since 85/86 when there were 46. Unusually for a cold and quite snowy winter there were no really large single snowfalls, no blizzards and no really low maxima or minima. The winter was most notable for the almost complete absence of mild weather and the frequency of days on which small amounts of snow fell.

Edited by Terminal Moraine
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Posted
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks

I think it must have been an amazing winter for everywhere in the UK except where I live where we had a very average winter.

and your town as Gunton Cliff means very little to me? !

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Posted
  • Location: Deiniolen, 223m, N. Wales
  • Location: Deiniolen, 223m, N. Wales

That's amazing! Although not as snowy here in North West Wales but plenty of frosty days / nights. Yet again another night below freezing currently at -0.9C = Now, let us have the warmest summer ever! =)

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Posted
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire
  • Weather Preferences: Winter: Cold & Snowy, Summer: Just not hot
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire

and your town as Gunton Cliff means very little to me? !

A quick search on Google Maps suggests it's in Suffolk, John.

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Posted
  • Location: Shrewsbury
  • Location: Shrewsbury

The Dec-Jan-Feb quarter here gave:

Falling Snow 29

Lying Snow 18 (equal with 1995/6 for DJF; 1996 had 3 more in March)

Greatest depth 6cm- really disappointing given the number of snow days. Exceeded in such mild winters as 2006/7, 1994/5 and even 1988/9. Way behind 1990/1 (20cm), 1995/6 (15cm), 2005/6 (12cm).

Worth noting that one month, Jan, had 15 of the 18 days with snow lying- Dec (1 day) and Feb (2 days) were both massive disappointments in this region, particularly December. This winter really proved that Shrewsbury likes to miss snow!

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Posted
  • Location: Glasgow, Scotland (Charing Cross, 40m asl)
  • Weather Preferences: cold and snowy in winter, a good mix of weather the rest of the time
  • Location: Glasgow, Scotland (Charing Cross, 40m asl)

I think it must have been an amazing winter for everywhere in the UK except where I live where we had a very average winter.

Fewer decent easterlies than in other cold winters perhaps?

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Posted
  • Location: Lincoln, Lincolnshire
  • Weather Preferences: Sunshine, convective precipitation, snow, thunderstorms, "episodic" months.
  • Location: Lincoln, Lincolnshire

Temperature/precipitation stats will come in for Cleadon shortly, but for now, I can confirm that sleet/snow fell on 36 days during the winter quarter, and lay with >50% cover on 27 mornings. These totals are likely to be the highest since 1985/86, but that's only because February 1986 was relatively snowy near the east coast. Otherwise, it comfortably beats anything since 1978/79. The 27 mornings with snow lying is more than twice the amount in any other winter from 1992/93 onwards.

Because of the light nature of the snowfalls of February 1986, it's pretty safe to say that in Cleadon it has been the most remarkable winter for snow since 1979, bearing in mind the 10-inch snow cover on 9th January and 6 inches on 30 January.

In Norwich the respective figures are 35 days of sleet/snow falling and 22 mornings with >50% snow cover.

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Posted
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks

A quick search on Google Maps suggests it's in Suffolk, John.

And

Attached thumbnail(s)

Yes I did find it eventually-as I’m prone to say we/I learn something new every day-certainly I had no idea even when JL posted the above map, which is very local, but there we are mystery solved.

I was under the impression that we put the nearest identifiable place into our avatar but it seems I am wrong again-but JL please forgive my lack of detailed Lowestoft knowledge. Mind you, as a kid, I spent 4 summer holidays at Lowestoft but never went to your neck of the woods regrettably.

Anyway it seems Suffolk, or the area round Lowestoft had, ‘a very average winter’.

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Posted
  • Location: st albans
  • Location: st albans

i'm sure thst kev can shed some light on this but my initial thoughts are that this winter has been consistently cold with hardly any 'mild' spells. it has lacked the long 'intense' cold of some of the seventies/eighties winters but these winters had milder periods to help boost the averages. i imagine this is less true the further north you head into far north of england and scotland. consequently, it has had less memorable countrywide snow events in comparison to some of those eighties winters.

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Posted
  • Location: Sale (Cheshire)
  • Weather Preferences: Dry and cold...
  • Location: Sale (Cheshire)

The last two winters have had that "always cold" feel, even more so the one just gone. That is a sign of a consistent season, much more so than a few good dumps packaged between swerlies.

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Posted
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks

I have no stats for anywhere else but do have daily details for here and Finningley and this winter has in one stat exceeded that of 1962-63.

That is days without breaching 10.0C

1962 was 13.6C on 15 December and then 12.0C on 6 March=total of 80 days

2009-2010 has, so far, had a run of 82 days

10.3C on 9 December to now with no 10.0C yet reached.

Stats are so much fun-I would hardly rate this winter to 1962-63 but there we are, in one respect its easily beaten such a cold winter as 1962-1963.

10.3C reached on Tuesday 2 March, so its 82 days.

Edited by johnholmes
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Stats are so much fun-I would hardly rate this winter to 1962-63 but there we are, in one respect its easily beaten such a cold winter as 1962-1963.

I wasn't around in 62-63 but the stats for that winter suggest (in comparison to this winter) a relatively warm December with a much colder January and February. So really this winter has been what you could call a "grinder". No real knock-out blows, just a consistent and relentless cold season.

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Posted
  • Location: Nr Appleby in Westmorland
  • Location: Nr Appleby in Westmorland

Here, there wasn't a single day when it reached double figures; fifty-eight separate air-frosts, thirty-one consecutive days of complete snow-cover, snow falling on thirty-five days, and the coldest night I've recorded in twelve years; -15.0C.

As for the mean temperature; that works out at just 0.6C.

Edited by Osbourne One-Nil
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Posted
  • Location: Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex
  • Weather Preferences: Winter Snow, extreme weather, mainly sunny mild summers though.
  • Location: Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex

I think it must have been an amazing winter for everywhere in the UK except where I live where we had a very average winter.

Yes very average here too, little snowfall, icy though in mid Dec and early Jan. What is noteworthy though is the large number of dreary and dull days with below average temps IMBY, but just not cold enough for snow, this being the case for the 2nd half of Winter.

i'm sure thst kev can shed some light on this but my initial thoughts are that this winter has been consistently cold with hardly any 'mild' spells. it has lacked the long 'intense' cold of some of the seventies/eighties winters but these winters had milder periods to help boost the averages. i imagine this is less true the further north you head into far north of england and scotland. consequently, it has had less memorable countrywide snow events in comparison to some of those eighties winters.

Yes, very well put Bluearmy.

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