The Intense Cold Of Early January 1894

[Weather-history]

There was an intense cold pool of air thatwas pulled in from the east by a Scandinavian high during early January 1894. The coldest days were from the 4th to the 7th when maxima and minima were very low.

Some low minima that were recorded

Surrey

Wallington: -13.5C (5th)

Kent

Keston: -13.3C (7th)

Sussex

Ditchling: -12.8C (7th)

Northamptonshire

Sedgebrook: -12.8C (6th)

Essex

Chelmsford: -16.7C (6th

Halstead: -18.6C (6th)

Suffolk

Great Thurlow: -18.1C (6th)

Norfolk

Beccles: -12.8C (6th)

Devon

Buckfastleigh: -13.3C (7th)

Nottinghamshire

Hodsock Priory: -20.2C (6th)

Yorkshire

Wakefield Prison: -17.2C (6th)

Driffield: -18.2C (6th)

Durham

Ushaw: -15.0C (6th)

Cumbria

Windermere: -13.3C (6th)

Perthshire

Stronvar: -18.3C (7th)

Forfar

Coupar Angus: -23.9C (6th)

Aberdeenshire

Braemar: -20.0C (6th)

Cork: -13.3C (7th)

Kilkenny: -13.9C (7th)

Camden Square in London recorded a minimum of -10.5C on the 5th

Some reports

Addington: The 4th was a bitterly cold day with high wind and frost and the 5th was remarkable for its very low max. (-9.4C) and the min. (-11.7C)

Bury St Edmunds: Maximum of the 5th was -7.8C

Langton Herring: -8.3C reading between sunrise and sunset of the 5th

Torquay: Snow on the 4th, 5th and 6th, 12 inches deep.

Woolstaston: -7.5C maximum on the 5th

Haverfordwest: -5.6C maximum on the 5th

A letter by Basil T Rowswell of St Martin's, Guersney

"Systematical meteorological observations have been taken in Guersney during the last 50 years with standard certifed instruments and last Friday's readings broke the record for low temperatures. The mean temperature of that day was 21.9F (-5.6C) which is (excepting Thursday's, the 4th mean) 5.9F lower than the lowest daily mean previously recorded.

.....The coldest day on record previous to this cold snap occurred on February 11th 1870, the daily mean 27.3F (-2.3C)

The CET from the 3rd to the 8th January 1894 was -4.4C

It was a short intense cold snap and it became considerably mild only just a week later. The overall CET for that January was 3.4C

[Weather-history]

Forfar

Coupar Angus: -23.9C (6th)

I think this value must be discredited because it is not listed as the date record for the 6th of January, that is -21.1C on the 6th January 1941 at West Linton.

[snowlover2009]

Wakefield prison, strange place for a recording.

[Evening thunder]

Very Interesting, this spell looks comparable to the Jan 1987 event for low maxima, and upper temps in the south.

It seems we haven't had any easterlies with sub -15C 850hpa temps since 1991, does anyone know if they were more frequent in the past as it seems a bit like it to me but I'm not sure.

[Aaron]

You'd be hard pressed to find a temperature that low in Wakefield nowadays.