50 YEARS AGO - THE 1963 BIG FREEZE

[phil nw.]

The website seems to have been taken offline sadly.

Yes as Knocker says the link seems ok NUT.

Try googling Mike Tullet 1962/3 winter-you should find it listed so you can try and click on the search result.

[NUT]

I'll have a look in the morning see if it's fixed. I keep getting a 404 message when I click on the link. Weird.

[NUT]

I googled and nothing. All it's linking me to is newsgroups/books. Maybe my ISP can't detect it or something who knows. I sure I been on that site before though. Odd

[Coast]

and 50 years ago today:

http://en.wikipedia....nited_Kingdom

The sea froze at Minnis Bay near Margate:

Edited January 2, 2013 by Coast

[Coast]

Found a great local (to me) site from John Flude who recalls all that went on in that cold Winter of 1962/63:

http://www.jflude.co...task=view&id=70

Some pictures and charts reproduced from his website:

This is the seafront on 29/12/62:

Here's my picture at a similar point, but looking down Terminus Road on 6/04/08:

https://forum.netweather.tv/gallery/image/9969-terminus-road-eastbourne/

There was a slight thaw on 05/01/63:

Here's an extract from John's weather diary regarding snow conditions in Eastbourne December 1962 - March 1963

26 December 1962 - Snow began in the afternoon at Eastbourne giving 150 mm snow depth.

27 December 1962 - Main roads being cleared of snow, others very icy. East Dean cut-off.

28 December 1962 - Intermittent slight snow all day.

29 December 1962 - Slight snow in morning with NE Force 3 wind. 1930 UTC blizzard with NE to E Force 9 gale.

30 December 1962 - Intermittent slight snow all day. Snow depth 300 - 375 mm with drifts to 1000 mm. East Dean Hill blocked.

31 December 1962 - Slight snow. Wind now NE to N Force2 or 3.

1 - 6 January 1963 - Slight snow showers. Snow remaining uncleared now very hard. Main roads clear. Snow being taken away and dumped in the sea.

6 - 13 January 1963 - Any snow not cleared now solid ice. Black ice on roads.

14 - 17 January 1963 - Moderate snow shower 1100 - 1200 UTC 16-01-1963. About 25 mm of fresh snow. 15/16-01-1963 wind N to NW bec E again Force 4.

18 January 1963 - Most main roads cleared, side roads being cleared. Large piles of snow along side roads up to 800 mm high.

19 January 1963 - Snow from 1200 to 1700 UTC blowing in E wind Force 6 - 8. 50 - 75 mm snow with drifts to 300 mm. Small heaps of ice at high water mark on Eastbourne beach with frozen sea water on beach groynes.

20 January 1963 - Freezing rain, ice pellets and snow from 1000 UTC. Soft snow on hard ice being blown in the wind. Freezing rain at 2300 UTC and evening. Glaze everywhere on all roads and pavements.

23 January 1963 - report in Daily Telegraph that a two mile stretch of sea was frozen off Eastbourne front about 30 m from the shoreline.

26 January 1963 - Slight thaw with temperature to +4°C.

28 January 1963 - Becoming cold again.

28 January - 24 February 1963 - Remaining below +2° to +3°C. Snow clear in Eastbourne town by 24-02-1963 but remaining on South Downs and in fields.

25 February 1963 - Temperatures becoming +5°C each day. Snow remaining on South Downs and in ditches until the first week of March 1963.

6 March 1963 - Temperature +12°C at 1500 UTC Eastbourne.

[Coast]

More shots of Kent when the sea froze. This one is Whitstable in '63:

Herne Bay:

Margate Jetty:

[Coast]

Frozen sea here too in '63, Southend:

Great Yarmouth:

Poole Harbour:

The Thames at Windsor:

[Dorsetbred]

I was only just wondering what the 63 winter like here in Dorset[was in Birmingham at time]The 78 snow was special,Was in Weymouth area at time

It was a lot like it has been described. The snow started Boxing day afternoon, and on it went. The roads were blocked, we had to take a sled to Parkstone to collect milk as the local roads (all hills) were not cleared.

The ice on the inside of the windows was amazing as it slowly worked it's way up the full length of the window, and dressing in bed was the norm.

The milk bottles (then glass 1pt) had milk "growing" out of the top.

The dustman didn't make it for weeks to collect the rubbish.

The snow I remember was blown up against our garden wall leaving a nice 3ft snowdrift for the kids to play in.

Once the snow stopped it was then a case of "How much ice?" as everything froze hard and deep. As much as my parents tried desperately to save the goldfish in the pond by placing sacks over open vents, making fresh breather holes every day, the pond over 2ft deep froze solid and eventually cracked the concrete base as it forced itself larger & larger. It took months to finally recover the frozen fish, and then repair the pond.

[cerneman]

It was a lot like it has been described. The snow started Boxing day afternoon, and on it went. The roads were blocked, we had to take a sled to Parkstone to collect milk as the local roads (all hills) were not cleared.

The ice on the inside of the windows was amazing as it slowly worked it's way up the full length of the window, and dressing in bed was the norm.

The milk bottles (then glass 1pt) had milk "growing" out of the top.

The dustman didn't make it for weeks to collect the rubbish.

The snow I remember was blown up against our garden wall leaving a nice 3ft snowdrift for the kids to play in.

Once the snow stopped it was then a case of "How much ice?" as everything froze hard and deep. As much as my parents tried desperately to save the goldfish in the pond by placing sacks over open vents, making fresh breather holes every day, the pond over 2ft deep froze solid and eventually cracked the concrete base as it forced itself larger & larger. It took months to finally recover the frozen fish, and then repair the pond.

Wonder how country would handle such conditions now? In theory should be much better equipped, could imagine schools be shut,but if conditions persisted more than few days, maybe have to get Schools etc up and running, Could help harden people up a little Edited January 2, 2013 by cerneman

[Coast]

Wonder how country would handle such conditions now? In theory should be much better equipped

I think the problem would be that we haven't really had an event like '63 in many people's living memory and they may not be as prepared as they would like to think. Although as you say, the equipment to deal with snow and freezing condition's exists, I guess modern financial considerations and Health+ Safety legislation would strangle our ability to meet the onslaught of a 'Great Winter' such as 1963 now.

http://forum.netweat...r/page__st__100

Edited January 2, 2013 by Coast

[cerneman]

I think the problem would be that we haven't really had an event like '63 in many people's living memory and they may not be as prepared as they would like to think. Although as you say, the equipment to deal with snow and freezing condition's exists, I guess modern financial considerations and Health+ Safety legislation would strangle our ability to meet the onslaught of a 'Great Winter' such as 1963 now.

http://forum.netweat...r/page__st__100

Health&safety rules would strangle attempts to carry on in such conditions, but if lasted more than few days sure people would adjust, If weeks of 47 or 62/63 type winters occurred Schools would surely need to keep going and services would need to adjust,,,,,,

[SparkleS]

Thats just typical i missed it, i came along 10 years later!! Lol

[Coast]

Health&safety rules would strangle attempts to carry on in such conditions, but if lasted more than few days sure people would adjust, If weeks of 47 or 62/63 type winters occurred Schools would surely need to keep going and services would need to adjust,,,,,,

I guess everyone would work from home on laptops! I'm not sure how many kids have access to the web (a very high percentage) but with a suitable VOIP type phone + cam and maybe portal connection, a lot of people don't need to travel anyway these days?

[johnholmes]

The country is totally different to the situation in either of the two winters mentioned.

We are now much more 'high tech', more reliant on transport systems to move most of our food, merchandise etc across fairly large distances. We no longer rely on coal and our gas and electricity supply industries now operate to a much finer boundary on the risk side.

Total chaos for the first few weeks I would imagine and probably a gradual ability to cope with a variety of shortages especially if it was a snowy and cloudy winter, as it was for many areas in 1947. 1963 was colder for longer but snow depths were generally less high and less frequent so that might make for a quicker adaptation of conditions. I for one would not want either, but then some of you have never seen a really serious winter!

[Coast]

Just an idea of what it was like for those of us too young to remember!!!

Here are links to a few news reels from the old British Pathe News for 1963:

http://www.britishpa...ter freeze 1963

http://www.britishpa...ter freeze 1963

http://www.britishpa...ter freeze 1963

Edited January 2, 2013 by Coast

[Coast]

But the trains still got through.....

and road vehicles (with some help!)

Amateur home movie:

Edited January 2, 2013 by Coast

[roys]

hi i was ten years old in sixty three and remember it well ican tell you now that if we had another winter like that the country would be in disaray the roads would crumble to smitherenes as there are more pachtes of repairs that would just be riped up. it makes me shuder to think how we would be left

[cerneman]

The country is totally different to the situation in either of the two winters mentioned.

We are now much more 'high tech', more reliant on transport systems to move most of our food, merchandise etc across fairly large distances. We no longer rely on coal and our gas and electricity supply industries now operate to a much finer boundary on the risk side.

Total chaos for the first few weeks I would imagine and probably a gradual ability to cope with a variety of shortages especially if it was a snowy and cloudy winter, as it was for many areas in 1947. 1963 was colder for longer but snow depths were generally less high and less frequent so that might make for a quicker adaptation of conditions. I for one would not want either, but then some of you have never seen a really serious winter!

Got memory from the 50s, being taken with my Mom to railway sidings picking up coal from trackside in freezing snowy weather, Using outdoor toilet when it frozen solid, 62/63 winter was in central heated flat by then, Was luxuary not having go out for coal and toilet

[Coast]

Got memory from the 50s, being taken with my Mom to railway sidings picking up coal from trackside in freezing snowy weather, Using outdoor toilet when it frozen solid, 62/63 winter was in central heated flat by then, Was luxuary not having go out for coal and toilet

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Yorkshiremen_sketch

[cerneman]

http://en.wikipedia....shiremen_sketch

And a clip around the ear every night, But they were good times

[frogesque]

I remember it well. At the time I lived in Guildford and I covered 3 paper rounds in snow so deep I couldn't use the bike. With only socks and wellies on my feet I got frozen but made a nice bit extra from tips!

Also, just before the thaw we had an epidode of freezing rain, It was virtually impossible to walk and the bike got covered in ice where I'd parked it up.

[Coast]

Comparisons between 2010 and 1963 here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8446942.stm

[Rollo]

I remember the winter of 62-63 very clearly,the North-East however escaped relatively lightly with areas close to the town centre having spells of snow free weather,it was however pretty cold and this cold lasted from December 17th until early March. The first snow of the spell falling on the 27th of December. Further inland most areas we not so lucky with persistant snowcover from the start of the freeze.

How did I manage well to be honest being in my mid-twenties I enjoyed every second of it,however after all these years it might not be so enjoyabe should such a spell recur,

[ARTDEMOLE]

I remember it well having just left school and started walking to work,Snow piled either side of the road and a job to stand....50 years ago so just retired now....Glad I do not have to put up with that again,,,He said....

[ARTDEMOLE]

Also remember the high tech gritting,,,My dad God bless him...Was on gritting ..Back of lorry with shovel scattering grit,,,,