Favourite christmas weather years

[Richard2901]

Best years were 1995, 2001 and 2009 followed by 1993 and 2000. These were years with a White Christmas and the snow remained on the ground into the New Year (except 1993). 

 

2010 had the best Christmas Day with 18cm on the ground but after Boxing Day it was dire with four sunless days, no frost, rain and a thaw.

 

2006 was very good and frosty with ice floes on the River Dee but it turned much milder after the 27th.

 

2003, 2004, 2005 all managed short-lived snowfalls at some point over the period while 2007 had a very frosty Christmas Day.

 

Worst years: 1997, 2002, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013. Absolutely atrocious the lot of them with barely even a frost. 1997 and 2002 in particular were horrifically wet and sunless.

[Summer of 95]

2010. Always 2010. 15cm of snow on the ground, the Severn frozen, went into work at 7.30 and the car read -12C right in the middle of town. Continuous snow cover from the 17th to 28th.

2004 second, although the snow didnt arrive till the evening it was nice to see it fall and settle on the day. Only lasted 2 days though, the rest of the winter was mild and grim.

1995 had a week of frost from the 24th but no snow, that had gone on the 23rd and came back on the 30th. If it hadnt been for that horrid mild day melting the snow on the 23rd it would have rivalled 2010.

1992 I remember being very frosty with freezing fog and rime, a rare event that winter which was nearly devoid of cold and snow.

2006- a horrid December but the 25th was frosty.

Worst would be either 2002 or 2011, both ridiculously mild and very dull.

[MP-R]

2010 - Christmas itself was brilliant, very cold and calm with snow on the ground and sparkling sunshine. It all went downhill on the 27th though and the period between then and New Year was dead boring, a sign of the rest of the winter to come (bar a surprise snowfall on January 3rd)

 

2009 - Again, Christmas itself was great with snow on the ground, although not as much as 2010, and sunny skies. It turned milder on Boxing Day but the cold came back on the 28th. Unfortunately the last few days of 2009 were just very cold and wet with only wet snow mixed with a lot of rain.

 

2008 - I liked this spell for the longevity of bitter cold and frost despite only getting a few snow flurries on January 5th. Especially after the ridiculous mild of the days leading up, it felt festive enough for sure.

 

2004 - By definition a White Christmas despite no snow on the ground to wake up to. It was a great sunshine and showers day.

 

2001 - Similar to 2004, there were a few wintry showers on the day. But the real fun started on the 28th when snow actually accumulated. I remember a crisp walk on the Mendips in the snow on the last weekend before New Year.

 

2000 - Sadly I was in Brasil with family but it sounds like a brilliant cold spell, especially with the data recorded here. Instead, I was treated to a 4-hour long thunderstorm on Christmas Eve and associated power cuts.

[Froze were the Days]

Have to agree with Dunstable Snow - New Years Eve and into the New Year of 78/79 was an absolute cracker, heavy snow on New Years Eve dumping some 9/10 inches of snow with good drifting. I remember going sledging on New Years day, the near by golf course had some good slopes and we were out for hours with some friends. That winter 'the winter of discontent' was one of the most memorable of my life time alongside 1981/82, Jan 1987 and Feb 1991.

[cheeky_monkey]

for cold and snow Edmonton Xmas 2010... 2 feet of snow lying and a maximum of -15c

[Thundery wintry showers]

My favourite would have to be 1995- in South Tyneside I picked up a few centimetres of snow from the Christmas Eve polar low, Christmas Day had a mix of sun and snow showers driven on by quite a strong northerly wind, with about three inches lying by the end of the day.  An exceptionally cold spell followed, although the 30th/31st were a bit of an anti-climax with grey weather and a slow thaw.

 

2000 ranks second because although there was no white Christmas, it was generally bright and snowy from the 26th-30th and there was thundersnow overnight 28th/29th.  Again the breakdown on the 31st was an anti-climax.  I recall thinking that this spell had a very "Christmassy" atmosphere.

 

2010 ranks third because it had the deepest snow cover I have ever seen on Christmas Day (11 centimetres) although if I had to cite my favourite Christmas Day it would rank slightly behind 1995.  But the 27th-31st were not memorable, with grey skies and a slow thaw.

 

Other years that warrant an honourable mention are 1993 (sunshine and snow showers on Christmas Day, about an inch lying that evening, some of which survived through to the 28th), 1996 (easterly on 30th/31st), 1999 (squally wintry showers on Christmas Day, then bright and frosty for a few days), 2001 (sunshine and snow showers on 30th, leading into a cold bright New Year) 2005 (the easterly on the 27th-29th) and 2009 (snow lying on Christmas Day but it was rather icy, thundersnow late on 31st).

 

Surprisingly, other than Christmas Day 1999, none stick out in my memory for excitement from wild Atlantic-driven weather.  I think I get excited, as a "convective weather" fan, from those setups with sunshine mixed with squally blustery showers, and the gales in 1997 and 1998 delivered little of that sort of weather in Tyneside.  I vaguely recall a couple of such days post-Christmas 1994, but Christmas Day 1994 was mild and dull so that year is excluded from contention.

Edited December 25, 2014 by Thundery wintry showers

[Norrance]

Quite a few from memory with snow lying including 1981, 2000, 2004, 2009 and 2010. At my family home in Highland Perthshire 81, 09 and 10 all with over 25 to 30 cms lying.

However my best by far was 1995 with a proper powder snow blizzard AM clearing with a dramatic back edge to the cloud with the snow stopping, the wind dying and despite the sun coming out the temperatures plummeting from around -3C to -10C. Deep drifts but clear roads as the snow was so dry. Too dry in fact to make snowballs or snowmen for the kids though.

Edited December 30, 2014 by Norrance

[Weather-history]

Quite surprise how long the snow this Christmas season has lasted. Still got a covering in the back garden and the fields behind from Boxing Day night.

[I remember Atlantic 252]

Quite surprise how long the snow this Christmas season has lasted. Still got a covering in the back garden and the fields behind from Boxing Day night.

 

Yes it's a weather set up I like, high pressure moving over UK after snow, giving harsh frosts and ice, boxing day low was great, but not perfect for my location, tracked around 50 miles too far north, similar to 19th Nov 1996, but this time Staffs not sweet spot,

 

shame when the mild air moves in tomorrow, all areas to see a fast thaw I think, but been a good spell even for my southern location