Winter 2011/2012 - Where Does It Rank And What Have We Learned From It?

[TonyH]

Perhaps you would like to quote the sources of your descriptions of the months? One there is definitely Trevor Harley's site.

If the descriptions are not your own then I agree they should be referenced to the original, if not well done!

[A Winter's Tale]

More than happy with how winter turned out apart from the lack of rain its been a normal winter really. The past few winters were exceptional will we see another spell like December 2010 again? Who knows.

Let's have a look at cold spells/months of the past (since 1912) that cold fans would love to see:

February (1912). A very cold start, with snow showers and an easterly wind. -21C recorded at West Linton (E. Scotland) on the 4th. A southerly wind set in on the 6th and it became mild and unsettled for the rest of the month, although the month was drier than average in the east.

January (1918). Very cold, especially in the north, with severe frost and much snow in the first half of the month. There was a widespread maximum of only -6C on the 8th. The temperature fell to -19C at West Linton on the 14th. A rapid thaw on the 18th led to flooding in the southeast.

November (1919). A very cold month (3.3), with frequent north-easterlies. A severe gale off Kent right at the beginning of the month (1st and 2nd.). Parts of the southeast had no sun at all in the first ten days. The first ten days were generally cold with some night frosts, with easterly winds. It was however the cold spell midmonth, with heavy snowfalls and sharp frosts, that was particularly noticeable. This was an extraordinary cold snap that would rank as one of the major winter events of the century; that it had happened in mid-November makes it even more extraordinary. The cold spell really set in on the 11th as the winds gturned to the north. There were snow showers in eastern Scotland from 8th to 10th, but lat e on the 11th it snowed heavily across Scotland, leading to many villages being cut off. There was a foot of snow on Dartmoor, 17" at Balmoral, and 8" at Edinburgh. A record low minimum of -23.3C was set at Braemar on the 14th, and -21.7C at Perth (hurrah!). This was the lowest reading of the year, and is the earliest date on which such a low temperature has occurred. It was also down to -21.1C at West Linton and Balmoral on the 14th; the maximum on the 14th at Balmoral was only -10,and -12C on the 15th. The next night, the temperature fell to -2 -22.8 on the morning of the 15th. Snow lay at Braemar to a depth of 42 cm; it lay from the 11th until the end of the month. The lowest maximum on the 14th in England was -2.7C near Carlisle, and the lowest minimum in England in this cold spell was -12.8C at Scaleby (also Cumberland) on the 16th. A snowstorm on the night of the 11/12th gave heavy falls across the country - e.g. 12 inches on Dartmoor. This would be an exceptional cold spell in the depth of winter, yet alone in autumn. For this reason I rate this as the most interesting November of the century. The month generally turned milder at the end, although snow cover persisted at Braemar and Balmoral through the month into early December.

December (1927). An extremely easterly month, and quite cold (CET 2.1C). There was snowfall in the second week, and then some freezing rain. A mild interlude on the 21-22nd, but then cold NE affected all the country apart from the south on Christmas Eve. A deep depression off Cornwall fought with high pressure off Scotland; the Arctic air from the NE met the mild, damp air along the English Channel. This fed the low, and led to a severe snowfall; indeed, this was one of the most severe snowstorms of the century. On Christmas Day there was continual snowfall over the Midlands and Wales, but heavy rain with easterly gales in the south. As the temperature dropped on Christmas night, the rain in the south turned to heavy snow. The blizzard continued into Boxing Day. Snow lay a foot deep over much of the south, two feet of level snow in Kent, with drifts of up to 20' reported the next morning in the Chilterns, and 25' deep on Salisbury Plain. Much damage to trees, overhead wires, with many villages being cut off. There was flooding in the Northwest after Christmas.

February (1929). A cold month (0.4C CET), and very dry. The month started mild and changeable, but very cold air arrived from the east around the blocking Scandinavian high in the second week. There were a wonderful seven days of frost from the 11th. There were some very low daytime maxima (e.g. -5.6C at Hampstead on the 12th and 13th, and Lympne (Kent) on the 14th; -6.1C at Cranwell (Lincoln) on the 15th; -6.7C at Buxton on the 13th and Roden (Shrops.) on the 14th), with some places not exceeding -5C for several days. -15C on the 13th and -17C on the 14th at Ross-on-Wye. The Thames froze in many places, and there was much skating in the Lake District. Many places had continuous frost from the 11-16th, and at Manston in Kent the temperature stayed beneath freezing from the 11-19th. There was very heavy snow in the SW on the 16th as a front tried to enter the very cold air; 6' of snow on Dartmoor over 15 hours. At Huntingdon Warren (Holne) there was 173 cm of snow following a 15 hour fall - perhaps a record level depth for lowland Britain (<500m altitude). It was less cold from the 20th, although the east winds returned at the end of the month. Unusually for so later in the month, there were frost days on the 26-27th in the south.

December (1933). Very cold and frosty south of the Humber, but mild in the north. A dry month, often bright, with some frost, fog, and freezing fog. The maximum in freezing fog was only -5C at Manchester on the 6th. It was severe midmonth, with many rivers freezing around the 10th, and with wintry showers in the east. The maximum in freezing fog was only -5C at Manchester on the 6th.

December (1937). The month had a cold first half, with frequent frost, and 50 cm of lying snow in places. A 105 mm of rain fell at Newport (IOW) on the 7th. On the 11th there was eleven inches of snow at Durham. There was a minimum of -21.7C at Braemar on the 13th - the lowest reading of the year (and indeed of the 1930s).

December (1938). A very mild beginning and end, with notable snowy cold spell around Christmas. In the first half of the month temperatures around 10 and 13C were common, and the nights were largely frost-free. Although a change was forecast, the magnitude of the change was not. On the 17th, as high pressure built to the north of Scotland, cold air came in on easterlies. Consider these midday readings from Kent: on the 16th, 12C; 17th, 0C; 18th, -3C; 19th, -5, 20th, -6. Snow fell daily from the 18th to the 26th. The 20th was the coldest day. There was particularly heavy snowfall on the 20-22 December, resulting in a snowy Christmas: the best White Christmas of the century (along with 1981, where also more than half of the country had snow cover on Christmas Day). Over 30 cm fell in the east, and up to 60 cm in the west. There was skiing on the Chilterns. You can't beat easterly winds can you in winter, can you? The temperature remained freezing from the 18th to the 26th at Lympne (Kent), with a maximum of only -5.6C on the the 20th, and a maximum of -3 widespread across the country. -15.6C was recorded at Braemar on the 22nd. The snow started on the 19th in the southeast, and was widespread and heavy 20-21, causing much disruption. More, dry, snow on Boxing Day; the cover was a foot deep across the south. A thaw set in on the 27th as mild air pushed away the continental air.

January (1940). The coldest month of any kind since 1895 (-1.4C CET), and eventually he second coldest January of the century (after 1963). The month started with a northerly airstream, but early in the month the winds turned to the east, bringing very cold continental air. It was clear and sunny, with hard frosts at night and several frost days. There was a severe blizzard on the 16th. On the 17th, the Thames was frozen over for the first time since 1880. The morning of the 21st gave the lowest temperature of the month: -23C was recorded at Rhayader (Wales), with many places continuously well beneath freezing (e.g. only -4C maximum at Boscombe Down, Wilts.). There were heavy snowfalls in Scotland, with many places cut off. By the third week the Atlantic westerlies tried to return, bringing some heavy snowfalls. Most remarkably, there was a great snow and Ice Storm during the 27-30th, peaking on the 28th, but continuing in parts into February. Mild air approaching behind warm fronts from the SW met the cold easterly all the way from Russia. There was heavy snow over the north; four feet of snow in Sheffield on the 26th, and 10' drifts reported in Bolton on the 29th. Further south the lower air was warming up and was too warm for snow, but the rain froze as it fell, coating everything with a thick layer of glaze. The effects of the freezing rain was one of the most extreme weather events of the century. The south was particularly badly affected. Everything was coated in a thick layer of ice: phone wires 1.5 mm thick were coated with a 300mm diameter sheath of ice - up to 15 times their weight. Many large tree trunks and power lines were brought down. The area affected by the glaze reached from Kent to Exmoor and the Cotswolds, and from Sussex to Cambridgeshire and the north Midlands. It was a week before all the ice thawed; some places had snow on top of the glaze, with both remaining until the 4th February. Heavy snow and a violent gale swept the southwest.

January (1941). Another very cold (0.5C CET), easterly War January - the third coldest January of the century. There were some severe frosts, especially in the north. The maximum at Eskdalemuir on the 4th was only -9C, then the minimum at Houghall (Durham) on the 5th was -20C. There was much snow midmonth: 40 cm lay at Birmingham on the 20th. Thaw and fog further south, as the snow moved into Scotland: 50 cm at Balmoral on the 22nd. Two consecutive nights of -17C at Eskdalemuir. It was also a very dull month, with only about 1 hour sunshine a day on average in the southeast.

February (1941). Cool and snowy, with major snowfalls on the 2nd (in the SW), 5th (across wide area), 18-20th (northeast England and Scotland). The blizzard of the 18-20th was exceptionally heavy, particularly from the night of the 19th, and primarily affected NE England and SE Scotland. A depression moved east across the south and then north into the North Sea, bringing in cold, moist air to the NE. In Durham there was 67 hours of continuous snowfall. Fog accompanied the snowstorm. Snow lay 75 cms deep at Newcastle, and 105 cms deep at Durham, which made it the wettest February in a century (148.5mm; 451% of normal). 122 cms of snow at Consett. The lowest temperature of the month came after this snowfall: -14 at Castleton (North Yorks.), and -15C at Houghall College near Durham. Sunderland and Durham were cut off. The final week was mild and unsettled with sunny spells.

January (1942). The fourth coldest January of the century - note this run of consecutive cold Januarys in the early war years. A great snowstorm across much of Britain on the 19th, causing widespread disruption. Very dull: Scarborough only had 8 hours sunshine all month.

February (1942). Very cold (+0.1).

January (1945). Very cold overal (CET +0.4C).The month started mild, but cold northerly winds set in on the 4th and persisted until the 16th, bringing some snow and frost. There was a severe and damaging gale on the 18-19, causing damage and loss of life across the country. At South Shields the mean hourly wind speed was 65 mph. There was a maximum gust of 76 mph at St Ann's Head (Pembroke.), with an average wind speed of 76 mph. A tornado was associated with a thunderstorm around Dunstable on the 19th. As the depression causing the gale moved ESES across Scotland, some very cold air came behind, adn the period 19th-30th was very cold again. There was then an exceptionally cold last week, with severe frost and freezing fog. On the 25th, the temperature at Leeming rose from a minimum of -17C to a maximum of -9C; at Dalwhinnie, it rose from -19C to -11C on the 26th. There was some heavy snow, too: Cardiff was cut off for several days after nearly a metre of level snow on the 25th. Deep snow lay widely from South Wales to Yorkshire from 25th-29th.

January (1947). Cold (2.2C CET), but not excessively so overall. The month is most memorable for the start of a severe, prolonged, and exceptionally snowy cold spell. Although there had been some significant snowfalls in December, and again on the 4-5th, the harsh winter did not really get going to the third week, after quite a mild interlude (hence the average). After some early cold snaps, there was a very pleasant, mild interlude. The first five days were mild and wet, with a heavy snow fall early on the 6th and snow lying on the ground until the 9th. It then turned very mild with westerly winds from the 14th to 18th. It reached 14C in places on the 16th; Saturday 18 January was sunny and mild, and then ... The severe winter really started on the 20th, with the first frost since the 7th. On the 22nd, a NE airflow brought cold air all the way from Siberia. There were frequent snow showers on the 22nd and 23rd. On the 26th much of England experienced continual frost. There was a major blizzard in the southwest on the 28th. There was a minimum of -21C early on the 29th at Writtle (Essex), and then a maximum of -5C over much of eastern England. 17cms of snow on the Isles of Scilly on the 30th.

February (1947). The coldest February ever (-1.9C CET), the second coldest month this century (after January 1963), and the coldest month since January 1814. Many places in England were beneath zero from the 11th to the 23rd; Greenwich registered 14 consecutive days beneath zero. At Oxford frost began at 6 pm on the 10th and continued until 6 am on the 26th. The record low average was mainly determined by the very low maxima. Low minima were not outstanding because of the extensive cloud cover until clearer skies at the end of the month, when -21C was recorded at Wolburn on the 25th. It was a persistent easterly month of the sort that weather people long for: large amounts of snow in the east (e.g. 1.35 m of snow lay at Forrest-in-Teesdale (Durham) on the 18th. It was also very dull. There was no sunshine at Kew at all from the 2-22nd inclusive, and only 17 hours of sunshine in total (compared with the average of 61). A side-effect of the easterlies was that the Scottish Highlands had no rain this month, for the first time in recorded history, where it was also very sunny. It was, of course, also snowy, with snowstorms particularly affecting the south, midlands, and east. There was a major snowstorm on the 25-26th. It was also quite a windy month. Buxton had 30 consecutive days of frost. At Kew the maximum temperature of the month was 5C. Hence I vote this to be the most interesting February of the century.

March (1947). The severe winter continued into the first half of the month. There were some very low temperatures -21.1C at Haughall, Durham, Peebles, and Braemar, on the 4th; widespread flooding after a rapid thaw of the famous winter; ice storms, blizzards, heavy rainfall, and on average the wettest March on record (177mm , which was 300% of average). Heavy snowfall over England and Wales on the 4th and 5th, including several cms in the London area, caused more disruption. There were more readings of -20C on the 8th, including -21.1C at Braemar. Much of the country was covered in snow for the first part of the month, with drifts up to 5 m deep on the Pennines, and even up to 3 m at Whipsnade on the 9th. Warm air and heavy rain started to move in on the 10th. This led at first to a great snowstorm in Scotland on the 12-13th. 85 kn was recorded at Mildenhall, and a mean windspeed of 38 kn at Edgbaston, both in a severe SW gale on the 16th that affected south Wales and the south of England in one of the worst March storms of recent times. Flooding was particularly severe in the east, particularly the Fen country. More heavy sleet in Sussex on the 28th, as temperatures fell again at the end of the month. It was the coldest month of the century in Scotland, and the wettest of the century in England and Wales (177.5 mm, 292% - the highest percentage, too). Clearly this must be the most interesting March for weather of the century!

December (1950). Very cold (1.2C CET), with several snowy spells. On the 4th, there were 50 cms at Dalwhinnie and 15 cms at Manchester. The south was hit later in the month; 25 cms at Bournemouth and 37 cms at the Isle of Wight. Wide areas of the country were snow-covered for more than a fortnight in total.

January (1955). There was prolonged snow on the 4th on strong northerly winds; 15 cm in London was the heaviest fall there since 1947. There was more snow on the 13th, after an intervening mild spell. The 16th was a very interesting day: there was a blizzard over Lancs. and Yorks., with many snow showers over Scotland. "Operation Snowdrop" was instigated to provide air relief to cut off villages in the far north. Eskdalemuir had continuous frost from the 10th to the 15th. Snow also fell in London on the 16th, accompanied by "daytime darkness" which happened suddenly at 1.15 pm. It was perhaps precipitated by pollution interacting with the approaching cold front, as a SE wind carried polluted air to the Chilterns, where it became trapped beneath the warm air; when the wind changed to the NW, the polluted air was carried back again. A layer of polluted air 4000' thick quickly cut out virtually all daylight. From the 22nd the weather turned milder, for a while, until early February.

February (1955). The cold northerlies with snow returned on the 8th. There was very heavy snow on Scotland on the 18th. The February record low this century was set: -25.0C, on the 23rd, at Braemar, following -22C at Dalwhinnie on the 22nd. This was the lowest temperature recorded in the UK since 1895. On the same day there were 16 hours of snowfall in Cornwall. By the 23rd level snow was 2' deep over the north of Scotland, 3' deep near Elgin, and with some villages in the far north and the islands cut off by 30' drifts; the RAF continued Operation Snowdrop to drop supplies to places cut off by the snow. The snow reached the south too, with a maximum depth of 24" at Buxton. I think the famous "Snow drift at Bleath Gill" (the British Transport Film showing the efforts of rescuers to release a train stuck in snow in the north Pennines) was filmed in this spell. It was a relatively sunny month in the west.

February (1956). Very cold (-0.2C CET). A maximum of beneath -5C on the 1st in the Midlands was widespread; -6.7 at several places (e.g. Lincoln, Stone, Silsoe, Throwley). Generally a frosty month, with most of the heavy snow along the east coast. Many places had continuous frost from the 18-25th.

December (1962). Cold (1.8C CET), and generally quite sunny, although smog early in the month (starting on the 4th) probably killed several hundred people in London. This was the last of the great London smogs before the Clean Air Acts took effect. There was persistent freezing fog elsewhere in the country, around the 10th, followed by a wintry outbreak, with some snow across the country on the 12th and 13th. Midmonth there was rain and some severe gales as the weather became very mild. But the month is most notable as the start of the Great Freeze, one of the two greatest prolonged weather events of this century by my reckoning (the other being the summer of 1976). The pressure started to rise on Saturday 21st; there was widespread dense fog, with many football matches postponed. Cold air started to set in on December 22nd as an anticyclone formed over northern Scandinavia, bringing very cold continental air west from Russia. On the 23rd the pressure in the Scandinavian high reached 1050 mbars. There were a few days that were cold but sunny in the daytime, and with severe frost at night. Over Christmas the Scandinavian anticyclone collapsed and a new one formed over Iceland, bringing northerly winds down across the country. The front separating the cold Arctic air from the north met the even colder Continental air from the east gave a significant snowfall as it moved south across the country. Hence although Christmas Day was cold but sunny in the south, there was snowfall in the north: Glasgow had a White Christmas. The snow reached Lancashire at about midnight on Christmas night, and continued to move south across most of England during Boxing Day, reaching London around midnight. After this, a block was then formed, and cold air established. Occasionally mild air approached the south west, but the great winter was set until to the end of February 1963. Over much of the country snow lay from December 26th until March 2 (67 consecutive days). 2-4" of snow fell in the north, but snow fell for longer (two days) south of the Thames, leaving up to 18". The second major snowfall of the end of the month was on the 29-30th, and was accompanied by bitter, gale-force easterly winds. By the end of the month there were snow drifts of 8' in Kent and 15' in the west. This is the first major weather event I remember. I remember making a snowman, and the thick frost coating the windows.

January (1963). The coldest month this century (-2.1C CET), the fifth coldest month ever, and part of the Big Freeze. Indeed, this was the coldest month since 1814. There as not a single westerly or southwesterly day in sight: there were 20 easterly days (with the rest calm or northerly). Much of England and Wales was snow-covered throughout. A notable snowstorm occurred on the 3-4th in the Southwest and Welsh Borders, with drifts up to 5 m deep, and 10-20 cm of fresh level snow in places; the snow was accompanied by a strong wind. The easterly winds lessened for a while in the second week, and there were some very low temperatures. The minimum was -19.4C at Achany (Sutherland) on the 11th. Shawbury had a maximum of -7C on the 12th. -16C was recorded at Gatwick and Eskdalemuir on the 13th, with freezing fog. It was slightly less cold midmonth, as winds turned slightly more northerly; however, many places still managed to stay beneath freezing from the 14-15th. Winds turned easterly again on the 17th for the most severe week of the winter. There was a minimum of -22.2C at Braemar on the 18th: this was the lowest minimum of the winter. There was another notable blizzard on the 19-20th, particularly affecting the southeast, with widespread maxima of -5C in the south. There was freezing rain in places on the 20th. In this spell, the highest hourly mean wind speed records were set (99 mph, at Great Dun Fell, Cumbria, on the 15th, and Lowther Hill, Scotland, on the 20th). The lowest minimum reported in England was -20.6C at Hereford on the 23rd; also -20.6C at Stanstead Abbotts (Herts.), early on the 23rd, and then a maximum of only -8C at Ross-on-Wye the next day. There was a snowdrift 25' deep on Dartmoor on the 21st. There was much freezing fog on the 24th. For the first time since 1947, there was pack ice on large estuaries such as the Solent, Mersey, and Humber. Many places in the SE stayed beneath freezing from the 16-25th. At Eastbourne the sea was reported as frozen to an extent of 100' offshore for a length of 2 miles. The weather turned less cold on the 26th, with some places having the first frost-free night of the month. Pressure of 1048 mbar in Scotland on the 27th. Winter as a whole was the wost since 1739-40. One consequence of the prevailing easterlies was that some sheltered westerly locations were very sunny: St Mawgan (Cornwall) reached 114.4 hours (a record). Also some westerly spots were extremely dry. See also December 1962 and February 1963. Hence I rate this the most interesting January of the century.

February (1963). Very cold, and part of the Big Freeze (-0.7C CET). We have not otherwise had two consecutive months beneath freezing in the twentieth century. The cold continued into March. Again, the prevailing easterlies gave some high sunshine totals in the west (e.g. 135 hours at Sellafield). Much of the country lay covered in snow all month. The month begain with cold NNE winds, giving more light snow across the south. There were some very low temperatures in some coastal regions on the 4th and 5th: -17.8C at Coltishall (Norfolk) early on the 5th. There was a phenomenal snowstorm on the 6-7th affected mainly the west (the SW, Wales, Northern Ireland), and gave 1.5 m of lying snow at Tredegar (Monmouthshire; quoted at the time as "5 1/2 feet"). This is the record snow depth for an urban area of the UK. There were some slight thaws mid month: there was an appreciable thaw on the 9th, mas winds turned briefly to the south; and some places in the south had a thaw of 4 hours on Valentine's Day, as the temperatures struggled up to 1C, before it started snowing again.

February (1969). A cold month (CET of 1.0C), with frequent northerly and easterly winds, and some heavy snow. The low-level wind record of 118 kn (135.8mph) was set at Kirkwall on the 7th; this record stood until February 1986. Also on the 7th the maximum temperature at Eskdalemuir was -7C. A polar low caused a notable blizzard affected the east Midlands and South East on the same day as it introduced very cold arctic air. Snow started in the early afternoon, and finished 6 hours later, depositing a foot of snow; in Kent there were 30 cm, with some 20' drifts. As the polar air flooded south temperatures fell from 4C at midday, to -3C in the snow, to -14C as the snow cleared overnight. There was more heavy snow on the 14th. Low temperatures were widespread across the north of Britain. It was -20C near Penrith on the 16th, and -20.6C recorded on the 18th at Grantown-on-Spey. Manchester had its lowest February reading of the century, with -13C. It even fell to -7C in central London. Severe easterly gales caused much damage in south Devon on the 19th, and led to widespread drifting of snow across the south. There were more blizzards across the west and midlands on the 20th. This is another cold and snowy month from my childhood that I just can't place at all.

March (1969). Very cold (3.3C CET) and dull. There was heavy snow across the north on 12-14th; roads were blocked in Angus and Perthshire. There was an ice storm in the Midlands and the north on the 16-18th. A TV transmitter at Emley Moor, Huddersfield, collapsed under the weight of the glazed ice on the 19th.

March (1970). Very cold (3.7C CET) overall. The month started with northerly winds. There was a major and unexpected snowfall on the 4th, heavy enough to bring down power lines in Kent. Some parts of Northants. and Beds. reported about 40 cms of snow, with the deepest being nearly 48cm near Northampton. Snow fell heavily for twelve hours across a wide part of the south. In parts of the north southeast (if you see what I mean) and the East Midlands it was the heaviest snowfall since 1947. Near Bedford 36 cms of snow lay after 24 hours of snow. The snow was followed by some low temperatures in a northerly air flow, with -15C recorded. The snow covered lasted for more than a week, in sunshine. I don't remember this at all, although I must have been going to school at the time. I don't remember missing Mr Openshaw's French lessons because I was snowbound, but you never know.

February (1978). Generally quite a cold (CET 2.8C) and snowy month. The start of the month was mild and unsettled. It then became very cold for two weeks from the 7th as a large anticyclone over Scandinavia directed easterly winds our way: the classic great cold setup. Snow showers in the east: 15 cm in parts of Kent by the 9th, 30 cm at Newcastle by the 13th. There were some exceptional blizzards as depressions ran close to the south, particularly in the southwest on the 18th-20th, centering on the 19th. 34 cm of snow at Exeter and Cardiff, with 8m drifts. 1m fell on Dartmoor. Snow fell over much of the south and Midlands. The great southwest blizzard was one of the great blizzards of this century, with the loss of several lives. Devon was particularly badly hit, by disruption extended to Hampshire and Wiltshire. Many places were cut off; Lynmouth until the 24th, and Hawkrdige on Exmoor remained cutoff until the 27th. Some low temperatures too, with many places beneath freezing throughout this cold period. -2C1 at Braemar on the 15th; and -17C at Edinburgh on the 17th, its equal record low; and the lowest of all, -22 at Keith (Grampian) on the 20th. Heavy freezing rain fell in Surrey on the 20th. The thaw set in about the 23rd: up to 15C in London. The rapid thaw casued flooding.

December (1978). The start of a memorable winter: the Winter of Discontent was also often cold and snowy. The were frequent gales early in the month. On the 13th, there was a damaging hailstorm in south Devon. Some snowalls in the week before Christmas, although Christmas itself was mild and dominated by SW winds and heavy rain. The Scandinavian blocking high was then in place at the end of the month, laying the ground work for the severe winter to come. The cold winter started on the 28th, when there was a marked contrast on the 28th: maximum of 14C in Guernsey, but beneath freezing all day in parts of Scotland. There were 255 mm of rain in 48 hours over the Mountains of Mourne at this time. The floodwaters in northern England froze, and snow fell on top. A severe blizzard struck southern England on the 30-31st, with deep drifting. New Year's Eve was the coldest for 40 years, with local maxima of -4C.

January (1979). A very cold (-0.4C CET) and snowy month. The last really cold January (average beneath freezing). Much of the south started the month snowbound after the blizzard of December 30-31st. Stithians (Cornwall) could only manage a maximum of -4 on the 1st, after widespread severe frosts; there was even a minimum of -16C in Cornwall on the 1st, the county record for Cornwall. There were some very low maxima were widespread on the 1st, with places as far apart as Exeter and East Anglia unable to go much above -5C. For much of the month there were severe frosts and heavy snowfalls. Heavuy snowfall in the northwest and Midlands on the 2nd; maximum of -11.5. at Burton-on-Trent on the 3rd, in freezing fog, following a minimum of -16C the night before. There was a blizzard on the Channel Islands on the 4th; Torcross (Devon) hit and damaged by very large waves that night. Dense, cold, freezing fog midmonth. It was -24.6C at Carnwath (Strathclyde) on the 13th (possibly 18th) - this was the lowest temperature in the UK in the 70s. There was then a maximum of only -7C at Abbotsinch. There was another severe snowfall on the 23rd in southern England; six inches of snow, followed by freezing rain in London. Even the Scillies had three days of laying snow. Oh for another month like it.

December (1981). A wonderful month: the coldest this century (0.3C CET), and also very snowy. It started and ended mild, but there was a severe wintry spell from the 8th to the 27th. As the month started a warm front moving around a large high SW of Ireland brought temperatures of 15C to Aberdeen on the 3rd. As the high slipped away cold fronts brought progressively colder air south. Very cold air with hail and snow reached Shetland on the 4th. A depression moved southeast across the country on the 7th, bringing some very cold air south after it. A high developed over Greeland. Rain turned to heavy snow, with a sharp temperature fall, on the 8th; here was transport havoc in London following the snow. There was freezing fog on the 10th. There were some exceptional temperatures in a northerly airflow. On the 11th, the minimum around Glasgow was -13C, and the maximum the next day only -5C. As a low crossed northern France on the 11th, there was widespread heavy snowfall in the south (26 cm at Heathrow). Clearing skies, fresh snow, still air, Arctic air, all add up to one thing: very low temperatures. Hence the following night it was even colder: the minimum at Shawbury (Shrops.) was -22.6C on the night of the 11-12th, a maximum of -12.1C the following day, and then a minimum of -25.1C on the night of the 12-13th. It was already down to -22C by 6pm on the 12th! This was the lowest reading in December this century until 1995. I remember we sat around cheering the termperature down those nights. Temperatures of -20C were quite widespread. Another depression gave a real blizzard (snow and wind speeds of 95 mph in the south west) on the 13th. A storm surge up the Bristol Channel led to extensive flooding. The Queen had to stay the night in a local pub in the Cotswolds as rocks were blocked. By this time there were 10" of snow in London, and 3' drifts at Hawes in the Yorkshire Dales. There were gales and flooding in the south on the 14th as it turned slightly milder, with gales and rain and a rapid thaw. More snow on high ground in the west on the 15th-16th, and in Scotland on the 17th. Flooding in the Bristol Channel area.High winds added to the widespread disruption: on the 19th the Penlee lifeboat capsized, with the loss of 16 hands. (A reminder that however much we enjoy severe weather, it can be tragic for some.) The weather then turned cold again, with more snow, particularly on the 20th in the east. There was snow on the ground, but no snow fall on the 25th, so not a technical white Christmas. There was a lot of dense freezing fog around. Snow lay for three weeks in many places. There was widespread flooding at the end when a thaw set in. I remember it being really cold: the Cam was frozen, and people pushed shopping trolleys across it. I was too apprehensive (or wise) to try this myself. Hence this is my most interesting December of the century.

January (1982). A good winter continues. It began mild and wet at the New Year, but then became very cold from the 5th to the 15th with some record low temperatures. December's cold air was never far away, and with anticyclones in place over Greenland and Scandinavia a cold front moved south, pushed down by northeasterlies, with cold air slowly reintroduced from the 3rd, preceded by heavy rain. Between the 5th and 8th over 100 mm of rain fell on the Southern Uplands and Pennines. As the ground was frozen, it just ran off. As a result there was severe flooding in the York district when the River Ouse broke its banks after rising to 5m above normal. Ice floes became jammed under bridges. The flood waters then froze over. On the morning of the 5th there were over 40 cm of level snow at Braemar. There was more snow in the north on the 7th; and -23C at Braemar; the next day Grantown-on-Spey fell to -26.8C. The battle between very cold and mild air in the south led to blizzards; the Midlands and Wales had 30-50 cm of snow on the 8-9th with easterly gales. Many places were cut off (e.g. Torquay and Weymouth). Some drifts were 20' high. Lasting 36 hours, this was one of the most severe blizzards of the century across the Southwest and Midlands.Throughout the snowfall temperatures hovered around -3C. In the far SW mild air encroached, giving an ice storm as rain fell onto frozen ground and surfaces. Electricity pylons were particularly susceptible to ice damage. As the cold front straddled Devon, the temperature was 10C to the south, but at the same time only 2C a little further north. Then with clear skies, light winds, and snow cover, Braemar fell to -27.2C (equal British record for the lowest reading) on the morning of the 10th, and logged several other very low minima that month. The maximum on the 10th was only -19.1C: a record low maximum for Britain; with a freshening easterly wind even Weymouth did not rise above -4C that day. The following day the minimum was -26.3C. There were some other very low temperatures in Scotland on the morning of the 11th, including -26.6 Cat Bowhill, and -26.2 at West Linton, both in the Borders. The English record lowest minimum was also set early in the morning of the 10th (beating that just made in December 1981!): -26.1C at Harper Adams College, just outside Newport (Shropshire). The maximum at Benson (Oxon.) was only -10C on the 13th. The nights of the 11th and 14th were also extremely cold. Bedford (the closest reading I have for Cambridge that year, where I wsa at the time) went down to -15.9C on the 14th. Many places had continuous frost from the 7th to 11th. Then there was some freezing fog. Mild air reached Scotland on the 13th and the south on the 15th. Nevertheless, there was snow cover at Balmoral from 4 December to 28 January. However, as it was mild at the beginning and end of the month the month overall was not that cold.

January (1985). Very cold (0.8C CET) with frequent snow in the first three weeks. There was heavy snowfall in Kent on the 5th (25 cm of snow around Ramsgate and Margate), with maxima of -4C. The 7th was a cold day, with temperatures beneath freezing over much of the country; -16 at Jubilee Corner (Kent) on the morning of the 8th. As the cold air retreated temporarily to the continent, temperatures rose for a while, but the cold soon returned with a vengeance around the 13th. Some very low maxima on the 16th, which was one of the coldest days of the century in parts of southern Britain: -6C at Brighton and in Kent on the 16th and Shrewsbury and Wittering on the 17th. 20cms of snow over much of the south. Thaw from the 19th, preceded by a blizzard over the Highlands. There was a minimum of -19C on the 25th, rising to only -9, and a minimum of -22.4 at Aviemore on the 27th, and -23C at Braemar.

February (1986). Extremely cold (-1.1C CET), with frequent light snowfalls. The second coldest February of the century (after 1947), and third coldest month of the twentieth century overall (and the last time a month had a mean beneath zero before December 2010). The month was similar to January 1963 in being a completely blocked month, with a high centred over north Russia bringing some very cold air east. Winds were easterly for 23 days, and were of virtual calm for the remaining days. It was the most easterly month on record apart from February 1947. Easterly winds had already set in by the end of January. Snow cover was widespread in the east, where it was very dull: Cupar (Fife) registered only 41 hours sunshine all month. In the west it was very dry and sunny (144 hours sunshine on Anglesey, higher than summer months there; with no measurable rain at all in some western coastal sites). The lowest temperature was at Grantown-on-Spey, where it reached -21.2C on the 27th. The month was most remarkable for the consistently low maxima; the temperature remained beneath 1C at Buxton (Derbuyshire) all month. The lowest temperature around Birmingham was -11.0C, at Elmdon, on the 21st, and the highest, just 3.8C on the 28th. There was freezing rain in the north Midlands. Up to 50 mm of glaze was recorded on broken power lines at Buxton on the 2nd. Widdybank Fell, at 513 m above sea level in County Durham, remained beneath freezing all month, and had a total of 32 consecutive days beneath zero - probably a record for a habited area. I remember our toilet freezing and a six inch icicle growing out of the cistern overflow. I reckon this is the last time I experienced a temperature beneath -10C. The cold persisted into early March. For some reason I find that February 1986 is often "the forgotten month" when one talks about extreme winters in Britain. Perhaps this is because there wasn't any widespread serious disruption due to heavy snow over a wide area, perhaps because there weren't any record-breaking low temperatures, and perhaps because the rest of the winter was unexceptional. Indeed, some parts of the country had no snow at all. Nevertheless, it was the coldest month since January 1963. It was also the secobd driest February of the century. Hence I make this the most interesting February of the century.

January (1987). This month saw an exceptional cold spell resulting from an easterly airstream starting on the 9th, with cold air starting to feed in from the 7th. There was a wet start to the month. Then the maximum at Aviemore was -5C on the 8th and 9th. On the 9th, an anticyclone anchored over Scandinavia forced a depression moved SE over Britain leading to strong NE-E winds across England on the 10th, and bringing exceptionally cold air from an unusually cold Europe. I remember the forecast from the night before very clearly; the cold was predicted accurately well in advance. The coldest air reached England on the 11th. Maxima on the 12th January were commonly around -6C; -8C across large parts of the south; and in south London (Warlingham) it was reportedly as low as -9.1C, probably equalling or lower than the previous lowest minimum in London (see 1841 and 1867). For many places this was the coldest day of the century. Quite often it was clear and sunny, but the cold air crossing the warm North Sea led to a very high snowfall on the eastern coast, with the snow starting in the evening: 45 cm of snow settled at Southend, and 50 cm fell even in Cornwall. The Charing Cross to Dover train took 13 hours to get to Ashford. The highest temperature in Britain on the 12th was +0.1C at the Butt of Lewis; all of mainland Britain remained beneath freezing. The following night was unsurprisingly very cold everywhere, widely beneath -10, and with -16C recorded at Aviemore. There was more heavy snow on the 13th and 14th. There were slightly higher temperatures on the 15th, as the extreme cold slowly eased its grip. A slow thaw began on the 20th. In parts of the south there were 14 consecutive sunless days from the 14th (to the 28th), in many places setting a new "dullness" record. Here are the noon temperatures from Gatwick from the 7th to the 20th: 0, -2, 1, -1, -5, -7, -7, -3, -2, -1, -3, -3, -3, -1. There was severe frost damage to plants on the Isles of Scilly. The lowest reading of this exeptional spell was -23.3C at Caldecott (Leics.) on the 13th. There was freezing rain in the south Midlands. Generall very dry - the driest since 1964. This was the last significantly cold month of the century (with +0.8C CET, the last month beneath 1C).

February (1991). A very cold first half in the south, but mild second half. Overall temperature: CET average of 1.5. There was a notable ten day cold spell at the beginning, as NE winds brought in some very cold air from north Russia, leading to snow across most of Britain and some very low temperatures, making this the most severe spell of weather since 1987 (and still not bettered, if that's the right word). The cold air arived from Siberia on the 4th, with temperatures falling on the 5th and 6th, with the 7-9th as the coldest days. Barbourne (Hereford & Worcs.) recorded -15.6 on the 14th; Cawood (North Yorks.) had the lowest at -16.0 on the 14th. There was much powdery snow over England in this period, with some places having 48 hours of snowfall; snow depths of 30cm+ were widespread, particularly in the NE: 50 cms at Bradford and Longframlington. Even London had 20 cm of snow, the deepest cover since December 1962. The temperature in many places did not rise above freezing from the 5-10th. Some places of the southeast had the coldest February day of the century on the 7th, with maxima around -6C, but widespread very low maxima on the 7th: -5.7 at Bastreet (Cornwall), -5.2C at Whipsnade (Deds.), and at Brighton.The minimum at Guernsey airport on the 7th was -7.2, the equal low for February. On the 8th the maximum at Princetown (Dartmoor) was -6.0C. There were many injuries from falls on ice and sledging accidents, and a woman in Dartford received severe head injuries from falling icicles. This is the last notably cold snap I remember. It was the last time that most of Britain had snow cover. This was the infamous "wrong type of snow" for British Rail: dry and powdery. The thaw caused flooding in north Yorkshire. Milder air and a thaw arrived in all parts on the 15th, with Torquay recording 12.6C. An anticyclone enabled a thaw by day, with some sharp frosts at night, until the 19th, when it became unsettled. There were 133mm of rain in mid-Wales on the 22nd.

December (1995). The coldest since 1981, and generally wet. A very easterly month. A major incursion of arctic air into Scotland at the end of the month caused a wonderful spell of wintry weather (sadly the year before I moved here). From the 18th on, high pressure over Greenland fed extremely cold Arctic south. There was a Christmas Eve and Christmas day northerly blizzard in Scotland and the northeast, with a severe blizzard in the Shetlands on Christmas Day, with 35 cm of snow driven into large drifts. There were some snow flurries as far south as the Thames. Around 15 cm of level snow fell in the early hours of the 26th in North Wales down to sea level. Both daytime and nighttime temperatures were very low. There were four consecutive nights from the 26-27th recorded beneath -20C (Altnaharra managed it on all nights: -21 on the 27th, -24C on the 28th, and -27.2C on the 29-30th). A new December record was set: -27.2C at Altnaharra in the Highlands soon after midnight the 30th; this is also (with Braemar in January 1982) the equal record lowest temperature recorded in Britain this century. As the winds then strengthened, the temperature there rose from -21.2C (the midday reading!) to -1.0 in under three hours on the afternoon of the 30th. The wind started to pick up in the wee hours of the 30th, and if it had not been for this annoyance, it is possible that the magical -30C would have been breached. As the temperature continued to increase (to all of 1.7C on the 30th) the daily range was an enormous 28.9C, close to, and indeed probably is, the greatest UK daily temperature range. Although it was nowhere near as cold in the south, it was still cold: the lowest temperature at Elmdon (near Birmingham), for example, was -9.0C on the 29th. The maximum at Braemar on the 29th was only -15C; even Glasgow (airport) only saw a maximum of -12C on the 29th, followed by a new record low of -20C for Glasgow. Nearby in Wishaw the maxima on the 25th to 30 were -3.9C, -8.8, -11.4, -12.7, and -15.8, with dense freezing fog, and a minimum of -23.1 on the 29th. Much of Scotland remained beneather freezing for the last week of the year. More of this please! On the 30th the calm was replaced by an easterly, and temperatures started to rise again. There was freezing rain on the 30th in parts of the west and south of Britain. As temperatures rose, so did the pipes burst, giving plumbers a busy and lucrative time. It was a particularly wet month in the south of Britain.

February (2009). Very cold first half, mild second half, averaging out to abou the long-term average temperature. Overall it was slightly drier than average, with 81% of the long-term average rainfall. Unusually it was very wet in the southeast and dry in the west, apart from the far southwest. In many western places it was the driest February since 1986. There was less sunshine than average (83%), making it the dullest February since 1994. There was a very cold and snowy first half. At the start of the month asterly winds being very cold air from Scandinavia. On the night of 1-2 February there are significant snowfalls in the southeast. Transport chaos naturally ensues. There is nore widespread snow on Monday 2nd, making this the most significant snowfall event in the London area since February 1991. There were then some very sharp frosts, with -18.4C recorded at Aviemore on the night of 8-9th (the lowest minimum in the UK since March 2001), with the maximum at Altnaharra the next day being -5.7C. More snow caused widespread disruption in the north and east on the 12th. It became much milder around the 14th. 16.9 was recorded at a non-standard Canterbury on the 27th (with 15.4C at Kew).

December (2009). Colder than average - overall, the coldest December since 1996. It was a particularly cold month in Scotland. It was fairly mild in the south and cool in the north until it turned much, much colder on the 17th. Overall England and Wales saw average preciptiation (104%), although it was drier in Scotland and Northern Ireland (just 56% of average). It was much sunnier than average (153%), particularly in the SE and Northern Ireland. The highest temperature of the month was 13.4C at Eastbourne (Sussex) on the 5th. There were several spells of severe snowfall across the country throughout the second half of the month. The third week was cold and snowy across the country, and several sites saw a white Christmas. There were many low minima in the north at the end of the month, culminating in -18.4C at Braemar on the 29th, although it was less cold in the south. This minimum was then followed by a maximum of -12.2C at Braemar on the 30th.

January (2010). Overall very cold - the coldest month since 1987. Very cold first half, less so second half, but still mostly cool, especially in the north. The prolonged very cold spell continued in the first half of the month. Strathallan records -14.3C on the 1st, Benson (Oxfordshire) -17.7C on the 7th. There was widespread snow in the south on the 6th. The temperature fell to -22.3C at Altnaharra on the night of the 7-8th, the lowest reading in the UK since December 1995. The maximum at Altnaharra was -13.5C on the 10th. During the first week of the month lay up to 60 cm deep in parts of eastern Scotland and northeastern England. The highest temperature of the month was 12.4C at Exeter on the 16th. It was quite a dry month; 68 mm average for England and Wales is 72% of the long-term average. It was also dry in Scotland and Northern Ireland. It was sunnier than average (127%), sunniest in Cornwall and dullest at Aviemore.

November (2010). Most memorable for an exceptional in any terms cold spell at the end of the month, November 2010 enjoyed a mild first week, particularly in the south, and a wet middle two weeks. SW winds brought warm weather to the south on the 4th; 19C at St James's Park in London, which is the highest November maximum since 2003. Some heavy rain in the southwest midmonth, with 52 mm of rain at Cardinham, near Bodmin, on the 16-17th, led to flooding in Cornwall around St Austell and Lostwithiel. Overall the temperature was beneath average, making it the coldest since 1965. At the end of the month there was a severe spell of cold weather, with widespread snow, making it the worst November cold spell since 1993. It was most remarkable for the early date on which the intense cold set in. The temperature overnight on the 27th-28th fell to -18.0C at Llysdinam in Powys, a new Welsh record low for November. The lowest temperature in England was -13.5C at Topcliffe (North Yorks.) on the 28th - probably the lowest November temperature in England since 1904. There are some extremely low temperatures, and record-breaking snowfall for east Scotland on the 28-29th, particularly in the Dundee region, which effectively becomes cut off by a foot of snow. On the 30th the maximum at Loch Glascarnoch in Sutherland was only -6.7. Rainfall in England and Wales was very slightly beneath average; it was particularly dry in the Cambridge area, which had only 16 mm of precipitation. It was very wet in parts of the SW, W Scotland, and E Scotland. It was quite a sunny month, particularly so in west Scotland; the sunniest place in the UK was Auchincruivie (Ayrshire) which saw 95 hours. Dullest was Lerwick.

December (2010). An amazing month: exceptionally cold, with a CET of -0.7C. This month was the coldest December since 1890, the coldest month of any since 1986, and the first time the month's average CET (Central England Temperature) was beneath zero since 1986. The exceptionally cold weather continued from the end of November with more heavy snow in the east and south right from the start of the month. The lowest minimum of the month was -21.1C at Altnaharra on the 1st. The lowest maximum of the month, -15.8C, was also recorded at Altnaharra, on the 22nd. After a very cold first ten days the weather turned slightly milder for a while until extremely cold air swept south across the country on the 16th. The air arrived with more snow, and was then followed by some extremely low daytime and night-time temperatures. A new all-time record minimum was set twice in the month in Northern Ireland, with -18.6C at Castlederg on the morning of the 23rd. (The temperature then in fog fell to -18.7C just after 9, so the record is offically accredited to the 24th.) Other very low temperatures included -18.7C at Pershore on the 20th following a maximum of -8.2C on the 19th, -19.6C at Shawbury on the 19th, and -19.4C at Altnaharra on the 22nd. There were some very low daytime maxima too, including -11.0C at Castlederg on the 18th, -11.3C at Edenfel, Omagh, and -8.2C at Pershore on the 19th. Ten nights during the month the temperature dropped beneath -18C (OF) somewhere in the UK. It was a White Christmas in the sense of widespread lying snow, with some snow showers in the east. The temperature Christmas night at Pershore fell to -16.2C, and only rose to a maximum of -6.4C on Boxing Day. This is the first time there have been two consecutive white Christmases since reliable records began. It became slightly warmer, particularly in the south, from the 28th. The highest temperature of the month was 11.5C at St Mary's (Scilly) on the 28th. The thaw led to widespread bursting of pipes, particularly in parts of Northern Ireland where serious water shortages ensued. It was a dry month, with just 39.4 mm averaged overall England and Wales (39& of the long-term average), making it the driest December since 1991. Both Scotland (47%) and Northern Ireland (60%) were very dry. Shap in Cumbria, often one of the wettest places in Britain, saw just 7 mm of rain all month. Sunshine was variable. It was very sunny in the west and north, with Scotland averaging 176% with 58 hours and Northern Ireland 61.5 hours being 173%; England and Wales averaged 55 hours (116%). Sunshine totals ranged from 91 hours at Auchincruive in Ayrshire to just 10 hours at Charlwood in Surrey. Some places in the SE, such as south Essex, saw virtually no sunshine in the final two weeks. Many places in Britain had snow lying all month; indeed many locations (including my own station in east Scotland) had snow lying from 25th November through into the New Year. (I am particularly grateful to Philip Eden for supplying extra detail for this historic month.)

Well, Gavin, it seems that our weather varies over the years and we'll go through periods with good winters and summers to poor winters and summers. I feel that we have got atleast one more significant cold spell this decade.

[Aaron]

I will say this again, even though I had said it before, this winter has not been NORMAL, if it had been, it would be 'average' but it is in the 'very mild' category, as far as December and January are concerned, and for many, it has been remarkably snowless.

So, winter 2011 - 2012 - NOT a normal winter. VERY mild. Okay?

Edited February 26, 2012 by Aaron

[Backtrack]

No, it's not been very mild. One look at the CET will tell you that.

It's been dry, with a lack of snow.

[Alex95]

In terms of snow, 08/09 was about as average as it gets here; 6cm on the 4th December, 12cm on the 2nd February and 8cm on the 12th February. There was also about 10 days with a thin covering of snow (<1cm), but the significant snowfalls never lay for more than 24 hours, other than the remnants of them.

No, it's not been very mild. One look at the CET will tell you that.

It's been dry, with a lack of snow.

By the way, you promised me back in December that I would have had 10cm by late January, and I said I would hold it against you if I didn't. Well...?

Edited February 26, 2012 by Alza 2

[Weather-history]

Let's have a look at cold spells/months of the past (since 1912) that cold fans would love to see:

Its polite to quote the source of your info especially when you have extensively cut and pasted from it! I don't know what it is but you seem to have caught the "lets cut and paste Trevor Hartley's website" bug.

Edited February 26, 2012 by Mr_Data

[A Winter's Tale]

Before things get silly, can we please now start having a more technical discussion about the winter interms of synoptics, SSTs, NAO, CFS Long Range Charts. That's kind of the reason to why I made the thread as we've already got 3 other threads for general winter discussion.

[mcweather]

Living where I do in south central Dorset within a couple of miles of the English channel all I can ever really hope for is perhaps one decent cold spell in the winter with hopefully some falling snow even if it doesn't lie. In that respect the last three winters prior to this one have been amazing here with each one bringing plenty of snow and setting new minimum temeperature records at my weather station.

The winter of 2011/12 was relatively poor by comparison to the previous three but nevertheless produced about a fortnight of cold weather in early feb with perhaps two really bitter days. I did have three seperate snowfalls although none produced more than about a centimetre of snow and all were shortlived on the ground.

What have we learn't from it. We ll certainly that yet again GP's winter forecasts are pretty good.

Also perhaps that even a winter that looked like being endlessly mild can still produce al least some cold and snow.

[TonyH]

Before things get silly, can we please now start having a more technical discussion about the winter interms of synoptics, SSTs, NAO, CFS Long Range Charts. That's kind of the reason to why I made the thread as we've already got 3 other threads for general winter discussion.

It does seem that you are passing this information off as your own.

Edited February 26, 2012 by TonyH

[Alex95]

I think what this winter might have shown is that we are not in a lengthy run of colder winters as some were suggesting. If next winter is severely cold then this year will just have been a blip, but if next winter is mild it'll show that the last 2 winters have been a blip instead, and possibly 08/09 too although that was quite close to average.

What C.S.S. said in the first post about Europe's cold in February is significant though; severe cold did make it into Western Europe, so it could well be that this is a result of whatever caused 09/10 and 10/11 in the UK, except the North Atlantic weather patterns prevented us from joining in with the fun.

Edited February 26, 2012 by Alza 2

[Aaron]

No, it's not been very mild. One look at the CET will tell you that.

It's been dry, with a lack of snow.

Largely because of the 'cold spell' in February. There's no denying that if that cold spell had not occurred, this winter would be a complete write off and the CET would be a lot higher then what it is. January and December were both ridiculously mild, and the overall CET does not show that, and the overall CET really has little relevance as far as I'm concerned when 90% of the winter has been mild to very mild.

Edited February 26, 2012 by Aaron

[sn0wman]

Very bad here. The early December spell didn't deliver, apart from a 1cm fall one night, which was the most all Winter! The spell in February was cold, but pretty boring tbh, with constant stratocumulus across the sky.

[johnholmes]

So would anyone else like to bring any analysis to how the winter ended up like this and what things we'll consider for next year's forecasts and attitudes.

you are or have quoted huge junks from someone else who has obviously put years of work into it without even the courtesy to do what he asks on the site-acknolwedge his work.

That is very very rude to say the least and if you have any decency you will delete all the data which you have 'stolen' from his site.

Do some work yourself!

admin/mods, yes I know I am supposed to report but this character needs shaming publicly.

[A Winter's Tale]

you are or have quoted huge junks from someone else who has obviously put years of work into it without even the courtesy to do what he asks on the site-acknolwedge his work.

That is very very rude to say the least and if you have any decency you will delete all the data which you have 'stolen' from his site.

Do some work yourself!

admin/mods, yes I know I am supposed to report but this character needs shaming publicly.

Fantastic information for the world to see, I thought I should post it. That's what the worldwide web is about, showing information.

[Osbourne One-Nil]

I'm sick of this - if you're going to start a thread, please don't then subsequently delete the majority of your own contributions in it.