Earliest Date In Year With The Final Snowfall

[Essan]

I've not had any snow fall yet this year .....

Previous earliest date for latest snowfall was 2009 which was the 10th Feb.

Latest snowfall was 6th April 2008. Although I also recorded snow pellets on the 17th April that year.

(records only go back to 2004 though)

[Summer of 95]

Yes, I think Lancaster managed 28 Nov to 3 March during 2005/06 (Cleadon had lying snow from the easterly on the 27th/28th December so there was less of a gap there). 18 Nov to 6 April is pretty impressive!

I don't know whether there was a larger gap re. lying snow during the winter of 1974/75 but some south-eastern areas certainly had a gap for falling sleet/snow that spanned 7 October 1974 to mid-March 1975 inclusive.

Could some places in the south have managed about 7 Nov to 23 April for lying snow in 1980/81? Looking further back, it's possible somewhere might have pulled off 31 Oct to 17 May in 1934/35.

[sundog]

I havent seen a flake of snow at my location since Jan 6th,i for one certainly wasnt expecting things to be this snowless especially after the Dec we had. I had nearly 30 days of lying snow altogether in 2010 compared to a few hrs worth so far 2011. Oh well it was good while it lasted.

[DAVID SNOW]

i have still got the best part of 4 feet of lying snow..and had virtual continual snow cover since Oct 23rd

Stop it you beast

[Weather-history]

Might be interesting to see what is the longest gap between two days with lying for a single season for any location

For instance, we had lying snow on the 20th November 1988, the next occasion was 26th February 1989, almost a gap of 100 days. I think that must be very close to if not the longest interval between two days of lying snow for a single season for this location.

3rd December 1997-15th April 1998

132 days

[Stargazer]

As you will see from my signature, we haven't had any falling or lying snow at all here in 2011. The last time it snowed here was December 19. Although December was exceptionally cold, like the rest of the UK, it was very dry here and we only managed a couple of unexceptional falls of 3cm and 6cm.

For us the month to beat is January 2010 when 25-30cm was recorded widely in central southern England on the night of 6th/7th.

As for snowless years...we've had some snow (even if a minimal amount) every winter since I moved here in 2002; previously I lived in Southampton where snowless winters were frequent, particularly in the 1990s.

[feb1991blizzard]

Its my first year in the pennines and im sure someone will tell me that snow has fallen in higher parts of this district but i am pretty sure that the last day of falling snow to this level was 7th jan and i am definately sure that there has been no lying snow since then. I did see cars going past with snow on them on that saturday morning in february (battleground snow event) but when i went to bed the previous night the precipitation had already started here and it was most definately rain although i suppose it could of briefly turned to snow but i doubt it. If the 7th of jan was the last snow of the winter here then that is pretty remarkable really even on the lowest parts (600ft) for an area which has a notorious micro climate when it comes to heavy snowfall.

[Anti Boring Weather]

i have not seen a single flake this year but last december i got very lucky as the band of snow died out about 10 miles north of me i got about 7 inches which i havent seen since i moved to bedford 10 years ago

[reef]

The last time snow lay on the ground here at 0900 was 28th December and the last time snow fell was 4th January, though technically as sleet fell on 28th February that counts as a snow day aswell.

Either way, its the first occasion that January - April (so far) have seen no lying snow since 1992 and the lowest number of days with falling sleet/snow Ive ever recorded.

[damianslaw]

The last time snow lay on the ground here at 0900 was 28th December and the last time snow fell was 4th January, though technically as sleet fell on 28th February that counts as a snow day aswell.

Either way, its the first occasion that January - April (so far) have seen no lying snow since 1992 and the lowest number of days with falling sleet/snow Ive ever recorded.

Its certainly true most places seemed to have used up more than there far share of snow quota during late november and december. This year has been very poor away from Scotland for snowfall. I hope next winter is much more evenly spread in terms of snowfalls, particularly Feb and March. I still wouldn't rule out the chances of a rogue low level snow shower in northern parts before this month is out, but the chances now of any low level snow in the south become less and less the more this month wears on.

The fells have seen very little in the way of snow action since late February. I can remember many an early april with snow quite deep down to 2000ft indeed it is quite common to see heavy snow on the fells during April under any unsettled polar airstream. It has felt like we switched from deep mid winter to late winter at new year and then mid spring once we hit March with no slow transitional change from late winter to early spring. Now it feels like we have switched into the very end of spring and start of summer. It has been an odd start to the year - watch things turn later this month and we switch back to what feels like early spring. The very early severe start to winter and the absence of any notable wintry conditions for 3 months now, on paper suggests it indeed should be early summer now, but the calandar says early April - but our past winter does feel like a long time ago now. I do feel once May arrives things will settle back to some form of seasonal normality again - blame the strong la nina for why things since new year have been preety unseasonal in terms of warmth and dryness.

Edited April 8, 2011 by damianslaw

[Terminal Moraine]

Just 3 mornings with lying snow at 0900 so far in 2011, the lowest number on record for the first 3 months of the year.2000 had 4 mornings to the end of March but then April produced another 3, something which seems very unlikely this year if the current charts are anything to go by.

There have been 14 days with sleet or snow falling so far this year, equalling the lowest on record in the first 3 months of 2007, which also had a completely snowless April.

[Weather-history]

Last time I saw a spring snowfall for this neck of the woods was April 2008. So unless something spectacular happens, could end up 3 consecutive snowless springs here.

The only snowless springs I can recall are 1997, 2002, 2003, 2009 and 2010. There was sleet during May 1997 but not actual snow.

[Summer of 95]

Well barring any snowfall in late April or May the "snow season" (between the first and last snowfalls) will have been 26 Nov to 7 Jan; 42 days.

This must be close to a record, barring perhaps that snowless winter of 1991/2. Even the winters which didn't see snow till Jan managed more; such as 59 days in 2006/7 (25 Jan to 25 Mar). The longest recently was 169 days in 1996/7 (18 Nov to 6 May), with a snowless Feb, Mar and April, though even without the May snow it would have beaten this year.

What's even more amazing is that of those 42 days, 26 (62%) had snow cover at 0900.

[damianslaw]

Well barring any snowfall in late April or May the "snow season" (between the first and last snowfalls) will have been 26 Nov to 7 Jan; 42 days.

This must be close to a record, barring perhaps that snowless winter of 1991/2. Even the winters which didn't see snow till Jan managed more; such as 59 days in 2006/7 (25 Jan to 25 Mar). The longest recently was 169 days in 1996/7 (18 Nov to 6 May), with a snowless Feb, Mar and April, though even without the May snow it would have beaten this year.

What's even more amazing is that of those 42 days, 26 (62%) had snow cover at 0900.

Indeed the snowniess of late Nov and early Dec is really inflating how on paper what has been a generally poor season for snowfall. For some parts this period was the only snowy period of the season. The run up to christmas for the far north of england i.e. Cumbria and NE England was preety poor snowfall wise, even if snow stuck on the ground until the 27th. Take out of the equation Dec, and this season has been as poor as the very lean seasons of 1988/89, 89/90, 91/92, 06/07. I really hope next season delivers more evenly spread snowfalls, more like the winters of 95/96 and 09/10. I did think after the lack of snow in Jan and Feb, a northerly blast would have produced the goods by now. Blame La Nina for everything since early January it has killed the season it seems for any snow and cold.

[Anti Boring Weather]

How long does this la nina go on for and what about the solor minimum situation maybe next winter if la nina is week then there could be loads of northern blocking

[Summer of 95]

Indeed the snowniess of late Nov and early Dec is really inflating how on paper what has been a generally poor season for snowfall. For some parts this period was the only snowy period of the season. The run up to christmas for the far north of england i.e. Cumbria and NE England was preety poor snowfall wise, even if snow stuck on the ground until the 27th. Take out of the equation Dec, and this season has been as poor as the very lean seasons of 1988/89, 89/90, 91/92, 06/07. I really hope next season delivers more evenly spread snowfalls, more like the winters of 95/96 and 09/10. I did think after the lack of snow in Jan and Feb, a northerly blast would have produced the goods by now. Blame La Nina for everything since early January it has killed the season it seems for any snow and cold.

"Short and sharp" is the best description of the winter here- the number of days with snow lying here (26) was the most since at least the mid-1980s; beating 1995/6 (21). And it all came within a six-week period; since the end of January even frost has been rare.

Even taking out Dec gives us 5 days of snowcover and a max depth of 3cm, which was an average winter in the 90s and early 00s (it's the same as 2004-5 for example). And that 2cm that manage to stick by 9am on Jan 7th ensures that 2011 doesn't join 1992 and 2008 as years devoid of lying snow; even if it only has the one day of falling snow.