Some past white Christmas forecasts and news

[Weather-history]

1993

[Weather-history]

1995

[Weather-history]

1996

[Weather-history]

1999

Edited December 24, 2013 by Weather-history

[Weather-history]

2000

[knocker]

In 1925 snow fell in Manchester for the first time in 30 years. And in North Wales the snow was so deep the mail had to be delivered by horseback.

 

Derby Daily Telegraph.

[Weather-history]

In 1925 snow fell in Manchester for the first time in 30 years. And in North Wales the snow was so deep the mail had to be delivered by horseback. Derby Daily Telegraph.

That's a mistake because I think it snowed in Manchester in 1923 and it definitely in 1906.

[knocker]

That's a mistake because I think it snowed in Manchester in 1923 and it definitely in 1906.

 

Well you can never trust the newspapers. Having said that there were blizzards reported by the Cornishman on the 23rd 1925 so I would imagine it was quite a snowy Christmas..

Edited December 24, 2013 by knocker

[Weather-history]

2001

[Weather-history]

2004

[Weather-history]

2009

[Thundery wintry showers]

I imagine that Christmas Day 1995 would have proved disappointing for some as they forecast that the organised snow from the polar low would hang around and drift southwards whereas in reality it largely fizzled out and snow showers were relatively confined to the usual areas.  It didn't matter for me in Tyneside because we still got plenty of snow showers off the North Sea that day- it remains my favourite white Christmas, just edging out 2010 although 2010 had a deeper snow cover.

 

On the other hand, I tasted disappointment in 2004, which was during my three-year degree at Lancaster University, and in Tyneside, on holiday at my parents' house, I had a dry sunny day while Lancaster had both falling and lying snow, accumulating to a depth of about an inch.

Edited December 25, 2013 by Thundery wintry showers

[I remember Atlantic 252]

2004 was the best here, around 3 cms of snow on Xmas day! maybe not a great amount but a well timed northerly toppler

 

'95 and '96, nothing but '96 was very snowy after Xmas and white new year '97, '00 and '01 no snow

[Zerouali lives]

Christmas 95 will be unforgettable for me - I remember an abrupt and quite violent change of wind direction on Christmas Eve around 10pm as the light SW'ly breeze became a Northerly gale - woke up to a whiteout and remember all north facing walls and buildings were just plastered white! Heavy, prolonged snow showers continued throughout the Christmas day but I think the wind must've dropped somewhat compared to the night before. More heavy and prolonged snow showers (or maybe just 1 shower) continued into Boxing day but became less frequent with time but by the time they died out on the 27th, a reasonable depth had accumulated which also included a few inches from the cold front on the 23rd I think it was.

[I remember Atlantic 252]

I actually think white new years days are less common, seems a lot milder a week after Xmas, maybe the absolute peak of the westerlies/Atlantic

[Zerouali lives]

Just looking at the chart archive, white Christmas' didn't seem all the that common between 1992 and 1971...possibly longer.  Maybe 1972, 76, 78, 81 looking like possible candidates with the 80's in particular seemingly quite mild on the 25th.

 

I remember my parents telling me about one New Years Eve when they entered a party many years ago with no snow and when they left several hours later, there was deep snow - I'm thinking this would've probably been 1978/79.

[BARRY]

Just looking at the chart archive, white Christmas' didn't seem all the that common between 1992 and 1971...possibly longer.  Maybe 1972, 76, 78, 81 looking like possible candidates with the 80's in particular seemingly quite mild on the 25th.

 

I remember my parents telling me about one New Years Eve when they entered a party many years ago with no snow and when they left several hours later, there was deep snow - I'm thinking this would've probably been 1978/79.

i remember it well even down here we just watched the snow pile up.

[iand61]

Just looking at the chart archive, white Christmas' didn't seem all the that common between 1992 and 1971...possibly longer.  Maybe 1972, 76, 78, 81 looking like possible candidates with the 80's in particular seemingly quite mild on the 25th. I remember my parents telling me about one New Years Eve when they entered a party many years ago with no snow and when they left several hours later, there was deep snow - I'm thinking this would've probably been 1978/79.

New Years Eve 1978 saw a blizzard across much of the country but, certainly IMBY it followed a very mild Christmas.This blizzard was the start of 3 months of particularly severe weather and i had to wait until March this year to see drifting as bad as those from that winter.

[Gord]

The lead up to New Year's Eve in 1996 will always stick out in my mind. I was living in Lowestoft on the Suffolk coast at the time. I remember a few flurries on Boxing Day before more organised snow fell on the 27th leaving a few cm. It then started thawing until much more heavy snow arrived on the 29th into the 30th. New Years Eve was very snowy, very very cold and very icy. In fact, the first few hours of New Years Day were spent helping my brother prepare an ice pack for his then girlfriend (and now my sister in law) who had fallen in quite a nasty was on the ice that night. The lying snow stuck around into the first week of January. In fact, out in the countryside, some of the large drifts in areas exposed to the coast lasted for more than 2 weeks.

 

That was a good example of the North Sea coast weather at it's most exciting. One if the things I miss most about Lowestoft.

[damianslaw]

Quite enjoyed watching these old weather forecasts amongst the relentness wind and rain we are currently experiencing.

 

Christmas Day 93 brought a few light snow showers and it was very cold with frost lingering all day followed by a cold frosty Boxing Day but a thaw on the 27th after snowfall overnight.

 

Christmas Day 95 was very cold but we had no snow, however, from memory there was a light dusting on the ground thanks to showers on Christmas eve. The period 26th-31st brought some of the coldest conditions to hit Cumbria in the last century with a run of ice days and temps down to -18 degrees in the early hours of the 29th - a superb cold spell rivalled only by Dec 2010 since, but the cold was deeper in 95.

 

Christmas Day 96 unusual to see 2 very cold ones on the trot, it was a frosty day here but no snow. However, we did see some on the 27th followed by a memorable very snowy new years eve and day - the cold lasted well into the second week of January.

 

Christmas Day 00 - again no snow, but another very cold frosty one. We did see a heavy fall overnight on the 27th which stuck on the ground until new years eve when a slushy wet mixture fell from the skies. Still there was plenty of snow about for snow ball fights - another memorable new years eve. However unlike 96/97 the cold quickly disappeared on the 1st Jan.

 

Christmas Day 01 - the second occasion of back to back cold Christmas's in the space of 5 years. We did see a few very light snow showers on the day itself. The period through to new year brought a bit of snow, and another very cold new years eve/day. The cold lingered until the 5th Jan.

 

Christmas Day 04 - a surprise snowfall during daylight hours giving a cover of just over an inch. The snow stayed on the ground through Boxing Day - a perfectly times Northerly.

 

Christmas Day 09 - no snow falling, but the deepest cover of snow on the ground on Christmas day since 1981. We had about 5 inch cover. Unfortunately we saw a slight thaw on Boxing Day turning things very icy, but the period through to Christmas was cold.

 

Christmas Day 10 - a very surprising snowfall in late morning - big white fluffy flakes gave a fresh 2cm cover, although conditions had been exceptionally cold in the run up to Christmas, the Lake District had been spared much snowfall, so it was good to see the ground white again. Boxing Day was very cold and raw, then a 3 inch fall overnight followed by a quick thaw by the 28th.

 

Other mentions should go to 1992, which although never delivered a white Christmas did bring a cold frosty day, the cold frosty conditions lasting into the New Year. Christmas 05 was also quite wintry with lots of frost and some light snowfalls inbetween Christmas and new year. Christmas 08 was also cold and frosty but snowfree. We experienced superb wintry conditions for walking with days of wall to wall sunshine and temps barely getting above freezing between the 28th-31st. The cold lasted through until second week of Jan - the coldest sustained spell of weather since Dec 96/Jan 97 and very welcomed.

 

After three poor ones in a row lets hope our fortunes change for 2014.

Edited January 2, 2014 by damianslaw