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Your worst winters


Nick L

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Posted
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire
  • Weather Preferences: Winter: Cold & Snowy, Summer: Just not hot
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire

With the end of this travesty of a winter in sight, what are your top 3 worst winters and why? For me, this winter has to be by far the worst, with not even a sniff of snow or even decent frosts! 2nd worst would be 2007-08, with 2006-07 the 3rd - only saved from being higher by a good snow event in Feb.

 

I'm only talking about winter here, so Dec-Feb!

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Posted
  • Location: Condorrat, Cumbernauld G67
  • Location: Condorrat, Cumbernauld G67

Can't think of 3 directly but this winter has been particulairy awful although saying that 97-98 was pretty bad too

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Posted
  • Location: Wildwood, Stafford 104m asl
  • Weather Preferences: obviously snow!
  • Location: Wildwood, Stafford 104m asl

Probably 99-00, only snow was a dusting on 3-4 Apr, and that was less than most places

 

10-11 was a great winter but no snow after 7th Jan

 

07-08, good fall on 6th April, lying transient snow on easter sunday 23 march, but other than that snowless wxcept for a dusting on 2 Dec

Edited by IrememberAtlantic252
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Posted
  • Location: Sheffield South Yorkshire 160M Powering the Sheffield Shield
  • Weather Preferences: Any Extreme
  • Location: Sheffield South Yorkshire 160M Powering the Sheffield Shield

Only saving grace on this one the stormy weather and we even missed out on a lot of those. Plus my young fish will have survived more likely than not. Don't think the pond froze once this winter.   

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Posted
  • Location: Wildwood, Stafford 104m asl
  • Weather Preferences: obviously snow!
  • Location: Wildwood, Stafford 104m asl

cannot remember 88-89, this one mind not that good, bits of snow/frost ice, but not much, today been mildest day since Nov, at 12.7C

 

no double figure temps in Jan, must be unusual that

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Posted
  • Location: Teston, Kent (3mls SW of Maidstone)
  • Location: Teston, Kent (3mls SW of Maidstone)

I have at least a childhood memory of most winters since about 1967 and there's no doubt that 2013/14 is not only the worst but the worst by a large margin. The lack of snow and frosts is a factor but obviously it is the incessant wind, rain and flooding that marks this one out as having no redeeming features. There's doesn't even seem to be a late winter/early spring belated cold snap to look forward to in the next couple of weeks. 1975 was very mild but had a cold March/early April that partially redeemed the season.

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Posted
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire
  • Weather Preferences: Winter: Cold & Snowy, Summer: Just not hot
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire

I don't really have any winter memories before 2000, so that's my starting point.

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Posted
  • Location: Irlam
  • Location: Irlam

This winter has been virtually devoid of anything wintry, 3 air frosts since 1st December is incredible.

I remember 1988-89 but even that had more air frosts and even a day with lying snow, 1989-90 had more wintry episodes.

No wonder the index is just 7, I have never known such a remarkably "winter less" winter as this one and I reckon there hasn't been a winter like this around here for decades.

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Posted
  • Location: Wrexham, North East Wales 80m asl
  • Weather Preferences: Snow and thunderstorms
  • Location: Wrexham, North East Wales 80m asl

I never thought the winter of 1988-89 would be beaten for sheer wretchedness, but the winter extended turbo-charged autumn of 2013-14 has managed it.

 

For the misery it has inflicted on so many people for so long...far too much rain...too many times worrying about whether I'd be waking up to damage....for the damage caused to my ridge tiles, fence panels and the driver's door of my car during the February 12th windstorm. Never have I detested a season as much as I have this one.

 

No redeeming features of any kind has this season had going for it. Will be a hearty good riddance shouted by me when March 1st comes...amongst a volley of swear words!

Edited by Carl46Wrexham
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Posted
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire
  • Weather Preferences: Winter: Cold & Snowy, Summer: Just not hot
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire

I never thought the winter of 1988-89 would be beaten for sheer wretchedness, but the winter extended turbo-charged autumn of 2013-14 has managed it.

 

For the misery it has inflicted on so many people for so long...far too much rain...too many times worrying about whether I'd be waking up to damage....for the damage caused to my ridge tiles, fence panels and the driver's door of my car during the February 12th windstorm. Never have I detested a season as much as I have this one.

 

No redeeming features of any kind has this season had going for it. Will be a hearty good riddance shouted by me when March 1st comes...amongst a volley of swear words!

 

Agreed! I'm usually saddened at this time of year, but this year I can't wait for spring to arrive!

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Posted
  • Location: Northern Lake District. 150m asl
  • Location: Northern Lake District. 150m asl

2013/14

 

true shocker, 2 Air Frosts all winter - a horrific stat - had 3 days of lying snow and about 15 of sleet / snow falling, which is probably more than some parts of the country.

 

The frosts win it for 13/14

Edited by Lake District Blizzard
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Posted
  • Location: Lincoln, Lincolnshire
  • Weather Preferences: Sunshine, convective precipitation, snow, thunderstorms, "episodic" months.
  • Location: Lincoln, Lincolnshire

I think this winter just shaves it as my least favourite since I started observing the weather closely back in the winter of 1992/93.  Not only has it been almost completely snowless, but my location has seen little in the way of noteworthy weather events (it has been wet mainly due to frequent persistent moderate frontal rain) and temperatures have been remarkably consistent rather than outstanding.  I had a day of sunshine, sharp showers and vivid rainbows on 20 February and noted how rare even days like those had been here this winter, which in itself is unusual for a cyclonic/westerly-dominated winter in NE England.

 

My two other least favourites were probably 1997/98 and 2004/05, but both of those had rather more notable weather events where I was living and weren't quite as snowless- for instance I will always remember 1997/98 for a few episodes of exceptional warmth, which have been absent during this winter.

Edited by Thundery wintry showers
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Posted
  • Location: Paris suburbs
  • Location: Paris suburbs

Every winter I've spent in Glasgow and not in Derbyshire. I'm sure this winter in the Peak District hasn't been bad as an average Glaswegian winter...

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Posted
  • Location: Lincoln, Lincolnshire
  • Weather Preferences: Sunshine, convective precipitation, snow, thunderstorms, "episodic" months.
  • Location: Lincoln, Lincolnshire

I think this winter just shaves it as my least favourite... My two other least favourites were probably 1997/98 and 2004/05

The more I recall the winters of 1997/98 and 2004/05, the more I start to think that "just shaves it" is an understatement- I found those two winters more enjoyable in relative terms by quite some way.

Edited by Thundery wintry showers
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Posted
  • Location: Irlam
  • Location: Irlam

I think what has compounded this winter's lack of wintriness is that the previous autumn wasn't exactly particularly wintry. October was very mild but November did have a few frosts. That was it, though. With 1988-89, the November of that year did see frosts and snow here

So if you include the autumn as well it really has been lacking.

If the spring lacks any frosts and snow.....

Edited by Weather-history
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Posted
  • Location: Carmarthenshire
  • Location: Carmarthenshire

This winter has been by far the worst I can remember, both for the lack of cold weather and the incessant rain.   In recent years, 2011-12 would be second - rather benign with no 'bad' weather but no snow at all here, the only other winter without snow since at least 2003.  2007-08 probably third.  If I had to go further back, this winter would probably still be the worst, but some winters between 1988 and 2003 would probably rate lower than 11-12 and 07-08. 

 

Similarly, I would rate 2012 as the worst summer I can remember due to the lack of sunny weather and incessant rain, followed by 2008 and then 2007.

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Posted
  • Location: Windermere 120m asl
  • Location: Windermere 120m asl

On balance overall easily the worst since 97/98 - but not quite as bad as that shocker which brought anomalous mild conditions thanks to long fetch southwesterlies and a strong azores/euro high, something we have been spared this winter. Winter 97/98 was also preety wet and stormy at times with a very wet windy Christmas. It came on the back of a very miserable wet mild November as well..

 

Other winters similar to this one include

 

Winter 07/08 - equally as snowless with the atlantic dominating and far too many long fetch southwesterlies with associated low cloud drizzle and murk. However, we did manage a few decent frosts in early-mid December and during the unusual warm sunny spell of mid February. Again this winter came on the back of a very mild wet November.. So on the frost front winter 07/08 was much better than this one. However, we saw very little snow, indeed no morning with snow cover from memory.

 

Winter 06/07 - was snowier than this one but only thanks to the shortlived chilly spell in February, otherwise it would have gone down as snowless. However, it provided more variety than this winter with quite a cold spell in December thanks to high pressure with plenty of frost, but then a very mild latter part to the month.

 

Winter 91/92 - snowless, only one day with snow falling in December. However, it was far cooler than this one with many decent air frosts especially second half of Jan. Feb 92 though was an exceptionally benign month with little weather to talk about.

 

I'm not normally keen to wave goodbye to winter, but this year I am. How different things feel to this time last year. From a personal perspective its been very trying, and there has been little cheer in the netweather forums bar an odd burst in the latter part of January. As a cold snow lover I am hoping for much better fayre next winter.

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Posted
  • Location: East Devon
  • Location: East Devon

In terms of snow/frost, this winter is one of the worst...

Though we have had a lower January min and more air frosts up to the end of January back home in Devon this year compared to last year! (Feb has corrected that though with less and that was just a local effect due to the valley frost hollow effect), and there has probably more visable frost then as last winter's frosts were often cloudy or with drier air..

 

In terms of weather interest, and overall, some other winter is the worst, not sure exactly which one as no single winter sticks out in my relatively short memory, but perhaps 2006/7 or 2007/8 though they did have a few decent frosts and perhaps other interesting events.

 

I don't remember too much interesting stuff for me in 2011/12 for me apart from low minima in early February (-7.6c but not near my record of -14.0c in December 2010), and strong winds on the 3rd/5th January. I did see 2 inches of snow in the Blackdown Hills however and I doubt that's especially close to my worst winter.

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Posted
  • Location: Morecambe
  • Location: Morecambe

Probably the worst by a fair margin, admittedly just looking on an enthusiasts POV, in terms of winter weather(the non snowy/frosty version) there has been a lot of wind and rain and the story is the continious theme of this which has certainly got a lot of people talking as the jet stream seemingly been stuck in a pattern of very mild conditions in Alaska to the very cold Condition in Eastern US to the constant low pressure systems hitting the UK, all interesting too see how they all seem very nicely linked together.

 

Still hope for at least one snowy event and that be it for me, but you got to say this is unlikely at this stage but March can deliver. I still crave a proper good ol' Northerly blast from the Arctic which sustains for at least 48 hours! 

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Posted
  • Location: Shrewsbury
  • Location: Shrewsbury

1991-2 and 1992-3 both had ice days here, and long frosty spells which made up somewhat for the lack of snow.

 

1999-00 was a shocker, no lying snow and lots of westerly rubbish, but it had more frosts and less rain than 13-14.

 

2007-8 another shocker, no lying snow, but a sunny dry February with quite a few frosts made it better than this one.

 

Honourable mention 2009-10 for being totally infuriating in this area: giving us 2cm when most places had 10-20, raining when it should have snowed, being dry when it was snowing literally everywhere else- all 3 months did this. The greatest depth I had that winter was just 6cm, less than 06-7 or 94-5.

 

But overall, yes, it's 13-14.

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Posted
  • Location: King’s Lynn, Norfolk.
  • Weather Preferences: Hot and Thundery, Cold and Snowy
  • Location: King’s Lynn, Norfolk.

This one by a country mile. Never known a winter like it!! Even my work colleagues, some of them knocking on retirement age say they've never known such a winter! 

All I can say is that the next one will be better! This one surely equates to a 1 in 100 event i.e. at the other end of the scale to 62-63.

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Posted
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire
  • Weather Preferences: Winter: Cold & Snowy, Summer: Just not hot
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire

Seems a pretty strong consensus! Even in the other candidate winters mentioned had at least a 48 hour northerly toppler, we haven't even managed to muster that this winter. Pretty extraordinary if nothing else.

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