11th/12th January 1999 frontal snowfalls.

[Weather-history]

An occlusion coming in from the WNW, cold air entrenched in over the UK, result: snowfalls. This what happened during overnight 11th January into 12th January 1999. I remember waking up that morning to snow cover and falling snow. Sadly it cleared away and the thaw began. Showers moved in during the late afternoon but they were of rain.

Peter Cockcroft warns of the snow threat.

BBC news report on the usual disruption

Penny Tranter shows a radar animation of the front pushing through

[Weather-history]

BBC Northwest on the snowfalls.

[Thundery wintry showers]

Lancaster had lying snow from the frontal system on the 12th, although it soon melted there.

In the Tyne and Wear area the front had largely fizzled out by the time it reached the region, but prior to that, there were snow showers overnight 10th/11th January due to a weak trough in the North Sea that temporarily turned the airflow around to the NE and brought snow showers inland. I woke up to about an inch of snow on the 11th which was a surprise as the TV forecasts had suggested snow showers dying back to coastal parts of the SE, and most of it was still lying by the evening of the 12th.

Edited December 9, 2012 by Thundery wintry showers

[Weather-history]

15 years ago

[hillbilly]

I remember it well we had  a good 5 inch cover of damp type snow with no drifting,plenty to skid on but didn't last long !

[Weather-history]

20 years ago

[damianslaw]

Have recollections of a number of heavy snow showers around this time, thanks to polar air, but nothing significant, and as others have said it didn't last. The winter of 98/99 was punctuated by a few very shortlived wintry episodes lasting 2-3 days, we had snow early in Dec, and I think just before and after christmas, the spell as shown above, and a bit of a longer lasting spell 5-11 Feb, coldest part of the winter with northerlies but only a bit of snow. An underwhelming winter overall, but at least it served up a bit of snow at times unlike the winter prior, and the likes of  13/14, 15/16 and 16/17 - three exceptionally poor winters with only one frontal snowfall on the 16 Jan 2016. 

Edited January 12, 2019 by damianslaw

[danm]

I was 12, nearly 13 at the time and had flown in to Heathrow from the US that morning after a family holiday over Xmas. Landed at about 6am, it was cold and frosty. During the journey home around the M25 back to NE London there was snow falling and settling, particularly around Potters Bar. 

However, just a few miles further east the ground was wet and whatever had fallen out of the sky (probably a wintry mix of rain/sleet/snow) didn’t settle. London was clearly on the boundary with this event as just a few miles made all the difference.

Much milder air swept through in its wake and by that evening it was damp and mild. 

Don’t have many fond winter memories during that period. 97/98 to 01/02 was poor for snow down here. 93/94 to 96/97 all had decent snowfall and some good cold spells. 

Edited January 13, 2019 by danm

[Weather-history]

Pinching myself this was 25 years ago!