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8th January 2003 - Thames Snow Streamer


danm

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Posted
  • Location: Home: Chingford, London (NE). Work: London (C)
  • Weather Preferences: Winter: cold and snowy. Summer: hot and sunny
  • Location: Home: Chingford, London (NE). Work: London (C)

I came across this great document analysing the Thames streamer event on the 8th of January 2003. My personal memory of the day is as follows: the previous evening the weather forecast mentioned that an area of snow was developing in the southern North Sea and expected to push West up the Thames estuary during the following morning. This was forecast at very short notice as before this there was no mention of it on previous forecasts (first hand proof that snow events can and do pop up at short notice). I was 17 at the time and in my penultimate year of school taking my A-Levels. Arrived at school that morning at about 8.30am. Within about 20 mins of arriving the snow started and continued for about 3-4 hours. It was very heavy and we ended up having between 4-6 inches of snow. My school was in Chigwell, which is virtually on the border of south-west Essex and north-east London. The worst affected areas during that event were south Essex, north Kent and the eastern half of London, so we were right in the bullseye zone. By the morning break at school everyone was out on the fields having a massive snowball fight. Great memories!

Here is the document: http://onlinelibrary...6/wea.73.03/pdf

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

Sounds like quite a nice event! It wasn't anything out the ordinary up here, there was about 4 inches of snow from the usual North Sea snow showers. That fell over 2-3 days if I remember correctly, which is quite disappointing as those set ups can bring 4 inches or more per day, such as last November. In 2003 we were too close to the high pressure for the snow showers to become frequent, but also you don't tend to get snow streamers here in the same way as the Thames estuary gets them.

I remember being annoyed that the news was going on and on about the snow despite the fact that most places near the East Coast only saw 3-6 inches and places inland and in the west saw very little!

Edited by alza
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  • 9 years later...
Posted
  • Location: NE London
  • Location: NE London

Late reply, but was trying to recall this event and stumbled across this post. Just to add, I was in Junior school at the time in Walthamstow (NE London) and was probably the most impressive snowfall of my entire childhood. Very similar timeline in my memory - snow started falling on my way in to school at about 8.30 in the morning and then soon became a thick white-out (I remember not being able to see anything else other than snow looking outside the window), stopping some time in the afternoon. I remember a still wind....? and the depth building to about 15 - 16 cm. Still to this day i'm not sure I have seen such thick snowfall in London, although I haven't been sure if my recollection of this as a kid has exaggerated the severity. Maybe you have some insight about how this one compares to some others @danm? Certainly it would be February 2009 until I saw anything similar again (all TfL buses cancelled lol), and not sure it's been repeated properly since then? Despite the extremity of the 2010 cold spells and March 2018, London itself (at least zone 4 inwards) never really got anything upwards of 8 - 10 cm.

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Posted
  • Location: Irlam
  • Location: Irlam
3 hours ago, londonblizzard said:

Late reply, but was trying to recall this event and stumbled across this post. Just to add, I was in Junior school at the time in Walthamstow (NE London) and was probably the most impressive snowfall of my entire childhood. Very similar timeline in my memory - snow started falling on my way in to school at about 8.30 in the morning and then soon became a thick white-out (I remember not being able to see anything else other than snow looking outside the window), stopping some time in the afternoon. I remember a still wind....? and the depth building to about 15 - 16 cm. Still to this day i'm not sure I have seen such thick snowfall in London, although I haven't been sure if my recollection of this as a kid has exaggerated the severity. Maybe you have some insight about how this one compares to some others @danm? Certainly it would be February 2009 until I saw anything similar again (all TfL buses cancelled lol), and not sure it's been repeated properly since then? Despite the extremity of the 2010 cold spells and March 2018, London itself (at least zone 4 inwards) never really got anything upwards of 8 - 10 cm.

 

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Posted
  • Location: Basingstoke
  • Weather Preferences: In summer, a decent thunderstorm, and hot weather. In winter, snow or gale
  • Location: Basingstoke

We got 2 inches as far west as Basingstoke from this event.  Because of the direction of flow of Thames streamers, North Hampshire seems to do at least 'ok' in these setups.  Nowhere near as much as some places further east though of course.

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Posted
  • Location: NE London
  • Location: NE London

1917297132_Screenshot2020-10-18at21_31_47.thumb.png.1572ccd3334b6299cb2356f8e9a3e86c.png

My area was in the red, some places to the east of me look like they got even more with reports of up to 20cm according to the article. Looks pretty defined limits to the heaviest precipitation areas, which explains why many people remember barely anything.

Edited by londonblizzard
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Posted
  • Location: Wildwood, Stafford 104m asl
  • Weather Preferences: obviously snow!
  • Location: Wildwood, Stafford 104m asl

few days later, the thaw must have been quick

 

image.thumb.png.873bac9402cdc110a50c5a23f1b219fb.png

Edited by I remember Atlantic 252
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Posted
  • Location: Longden, Shropshire
  • Location: Longden, Shropshire
2 hours ago, I remember Atlantic 252 said:

rings no bells? maybe missed here, or just a dusting

Got about 2-3 inches from this event and the most snow since February 1994 IMBY!  Had all gone withing two days.  Had another fall on January 30th, again short lived but nice to see all the same.

Edited by Don
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Posted
  • Location: Wildwood, Stafford 104m asl
  • Weather Preferences: obviously snow!
  • Location: Wildwood, Stafford 104m asl
2 minutes ago, Don said:

Got about 2-3 inches from this event and the most snow since February 1994 IMBY!  Had all gone withing two days.  Had another fall on January 30th, again short lived but nice to see all the same.

Feb '94 was amazing, 2 events! you not get any Dec 28th '00, great event here

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Posted
  • Location: NE London
  • Location: NE London
17 minutes ago, I remember Atlantic 252 said:

few days later, the thaw must have been quick

 

image.thumb.png.873bac9402cdc110a50c5a23f1b219fb.png

The snow thaw in my area was about 5 or 6 cm a day from the original 15 on the Wednesday. I remember seeing some still around on the saturday. 

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Posted
  • Location: Longden, Shropshire
  • Location: Longden, Shropshire
6 minutes ago, I remember Atlantic 252 said:

Feb '94 was amazing, 2 events! you not get any Dec 28th '00, great event here

February 1994 was reasonable in the south with a few snow events around mid month and certainly the second best February of the 90's after 1991.  I only got an inch of snow at best on 28th December 2000, very poor compared to many other parts of the country!

Edited by Don
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  • 1 month later...
Posted
  • Location: Home: Chingford, London (NE). Work: London (C)
  • Weather Preferences: Winter: cold and snowy. Summer: hot and sunny
  • Location: Home: Chingford, London (NE). Work: London (C)
On 18/10/2020 at 02:37, londonblizzard said:

Late reply, but was trying to recall this event and stumbled across this post. Just to add, I was in Junior school at the time in Walthamstow (NE London) and was probably the most impressive snowfall of my entire childhood. Very similar timeline in my memory - snow started falling on my way in to school at about 8.30 in the morning and then soon became a thick white-out (I remember not being able to see anything else other than snow looking outside the window), stopping some time in the afternoon. I remember a still wind....? and the depth building to about 15 - 16 cm. Still to this day i'm not sure I have seen such thick snowfall in London, although I haven't been sure if my recollection of this as a kid has exaggerated the severity. Maybe you have some insight about how this one compares to some others @danm? Certainly it would be February 2009 until I saw anything similar again (all TfL buses cancelled lol), and not sure it's been repeated properly since then? Despite the extremity of the 2010 cold spells and March 2018, London itself (at least zone 4 inwards) never really got anything upwards of 8 - 10 cm.

Sorry very late reply! 
 

The snow melted quite quickly the next day, but 8th Jan 2003 gave London and parts of Essex its heaviest snowfall at that point since Feb 91. Feb 2009 would have beaten this though. 

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