The Midlands - Weather Chat

[Eugene]

I've really enjoyed this winter, hopefully more winters like this to come with just more snow cover.

[TonyH]

Stunning event, we had two and half feet of snow and were the worst affected area in the country, no electricity for four days and no water for 2 days, drifts up the front door of over 5-6' !! I still think we are paying for that snowfall all these years after :-(

I am totally flabbergasted how you got 'two and a half feet' while I measured a LEVEL 31cm just 4 miles away at Walsgrave? 

The most I have seen recorded was 40cm in the Solihull area (Climatological Observers Link), and it looked around 40cm on a friends photos of Kenilworth. But yours blew these amounts away more like 70cm!?

[Stationary Front]

I was in Walsgrave at that time also. It was loads more than 31cm!! When I walked to a friends house in Wyken the snow was mid thigh length. I was a delivery driver at the time, and the snow had drifted to the roof of the van. I couldn't move in for two days

[TonyH]

I was in Walsgrave at that time also. It was loads more than 31cm!! When I walked to a friends house in Wyken the snow was mid thigh length. I was a delivery driver at the time, and the snow had drifted to the roof of the van. I couldn't move in for two days

That was my measurement on the back lawn - a representative amount, the official measurement obtained from putting the ruler in at various points and taking the average. For Coventry that day was 28cm at Bablake School, it was drifted to a couple of feet but its the level amount that counts officially. My rain station was contributing to British Rainfall Organisation at the time and I knew how to measure snow. It was not as difficult on that occasion as it was say in Jan 87 when the drifts were bad but level depth snow less.

Here is a report from a fellow weather observer based in Coventry of the event:

Edited February 6, 2015 by TonyH

[TonyH]

Photo of the snow at Allesley Park Coventry Dec 1990:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_of_1990%E2%80%9391_in_Western_Europe

 

Note how deep it is drifted against the garden walls on the left.

 

I mean CH started a thread about this event on here and since then his estimations have gone up over half a foot!

"Almost 2 feet of level snow in the back yard and in the street "

https://forum.netweather.tv/topic/52188-the-great-midlands-blizzard-9th-december-1990/

 

There was 42cm at Acocks Green again reported in COL. Thats the highest actual MEASURED depth anywhere from the event.

 

Some more photos:

http://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=5468861

Edited February 6, 2015 by TonyH

[ANYWEATHER]

Stunning event, we had two and half feet of snow and were the worst affected area in the country, no electricity for four days and no water for 2 days, drifts up the front door of over 5-6' !! I still think we are paying for that snowfall all these years after :-(

My gosh , remember it well.      It was a true blizzard , Our electric got cut of for three days....

Edited February 6, 2015 by ANYWEATHER

[TonyH]

My post in a previous thread about the Dec 90 snow event:

 

I had 31cm in E Coventry, I know the west of the city, Solihull and Kenilworth had more, with greatest depths of LEVEL snow over 40cm. 

Some depths of level snow from 'COL' Dec 1990 accounts:

Coundon Coventry: 28cm, drifts of 2 feet
Knowle: 42cm, many drifts of 3 feet.
Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffs: 28cm, 2 metre drifts
Middleton, Derbyshire: 38cm, 3 metre drifts
Willenhall, W Mids, 23cm, 2 feet drifts across drives and lawns, 

This illustrates the difficulties in obtaining measurements of level snow following a blizzard. 

https://forum.netweather.tv/topic/52188-the-great-midlands-blizzard-9th-december-1990/page-2

Edited February 6, 2015 by TonyH

[I remember Atlantic 252]

My post in a previous thread about the Dec 90 snow event:

 

I had 31cm in E Coventry, I know the west of the city, Solihull and Kenilworth had more, with greatest depths of LEVEL snow over 40cm. 

Some depths of level snow from 'COL' Dec 1990 accounts:

Coundon Coventry: 28cm, drifts of 2 feet

Knowle: 42cm, many drifts of 3 feet.

Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffs: 28cm, 2 metre drifts

Middleton, Derbyshire: 38cm, 3 metre drifts

Willenhall, W Mids, 23cm, 2 feet drifts across drives and lawns, 

This illustrates the difficulties in obtaining measurements of level snow following a blizzard. 

https://forum.netweather.tv/topic/52188-the-great-midlands-blizzard-9th-december-1990/page-2

 

Wonder how much Stafford had? from that I would guess around 15cms

[Summer of 95]

Wonder how much Stafford had? from that I would guess around 15cms

I seem to remember Shrewsbury had about 10-15, but north of here there was much less. I think Cheshire/Manchester had nothing at all or very little. It was a standard late 80s/early 90s snowfall here, but it was a complete surprise.

[Snowshine]

Photo of the snow at Allesley Park Coventry Dec 1990:

Wildcroft_Road_in_snow,1990_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1073452.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_of_1990%E2%80%9391_in_Western_Europe

 

Note how deep it is drifted against the garden walls on the left.

 

I mean CH started a thread about this event on here and since then his estimations have gone up over half a foot!

"Almost 2 feet of level snow in the back yard and in the street "

https://forum.netweather.tv/topic/52188-the-great-midlands-blizzard-9th-december-1990/

 

There was 42cm at Acocks Green again reported in COL. Thats the highest actual MEASURED depth anywhere from the event.

 

Some more photos:

http://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=5468861

 

1990 was such an interesting year. We had the Burns Day storm, a very snowy winter and a heatwave.

I would dream of that snow depth these days. Compare that to the snow we have had this year... simply there is no comparison.

 

There were 24 days of snow lying too, equivalent to 1939/40 - nearly a whole month. 1978/79 had 58 days of lying snow!

 

1990 was also the warmest year on average!? 

[RobR]

Still no thaw of lying snow still from last Wednesday and Friday. Most urban areas it has melted but the grass and country there is still lots. Not bad really, despite the lack of falling snow this week. And wow at the video from the 1990 blizzard. 

[Snowsie]

I also remember the 1990 snow event well. I was a Saturday girl at Woolworths and we had to close early because the power kept cutting out. Buses were all stopped and I remember a long snowy walk home in a polyester pinafore dress lol

Loved it !

Edited February 7, 2015 by Snowsie

[Summer of 95]

Was a lovely clear frosty night, now some horrid dirty muck has appeared from somewhere and sent the temp back up. Please don't say we're going to be stuck with this for days....

[azores92]

I also remember the 1990 snow event well. I was a Saturday girl at Woolworths and we had to close early because the power kept cutting out. Buses were all stopped and I remember a long snowy walk home in a polyester pinafore dress lol

Loved it !

Ah woolworths, memories! loved the 90s

[Snowyowl9]

The 1990 blizzard was one of a kind it gave 10inches of snow here temps were -2c all day and it was the only blizzard that came from the NNW.

It was NW here as it funnels down the valley,the snow lasted quite a few days thinking it would last until Christmas.

 

Back to now a colder night than forecast at -1.8c cloud has come in as forecast though as mucher mild upper has come in around the high.

http://weather.unisys.com/gfs/gfs.php?inv=0&plot=850&region=eu&t=12h

Edited February 7, 2015 by Snowyowl9

[Midlands Ice Age]

Morning all.

Cloud and murk has moved in.

Clear and very cold here overnight until 05:00.

Minimum of -3.5C at 04:00 (DP of -6.1C)

Temp now at 2.0C and all signs of frost rapidly melting out.

Looks like no sun and cool today until 20:00 when the sky should clear again.

MIA

[andy_leics22]

My post in a previous thread about the Dec 90 snow event:

 

I had 31cm in E Coventry, I know the west of the city, Solihull and Kenilworth had more, with greatest depths of LEVEL snow over 40cm. Some depths of level snow from 'COL' Dec 1990 accounts:Coundon Coventry: 28cm, drifts of 2 feetKnowle: 42cm, many drifts of 3 feet.Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffs: 28cm, 2 metre driftsMiddleton, Derbyshire: 38cm, 3 metre driftsWillenhall, W Mids, 23cm, 2 feet drifts across drives and lawns, This illustrates the difficulties in obtaining measurements of level snow following a blizzard. 

https://forum.netweather.tv/topic/52188-the-great-midlands-blizzard-9th-december-1990/page-2

Alright Tone, what did Leicester get in that event? I was only 2 and a half years old so I have no memory of it whatsoever. I'm guessing if Cov got 30cm though that Leicester would have had a decent amount?

[cyclonic happiness]

I am totally flabbergasted how you got 'two and a half feet' while I measured a LEVEL 31cm just 4 miles away at Walsgrave? 

The most I have seen recorded was 40cm in the Solihull area (Climatological Observers Link), and it looked around 40cm on a friends photos of Kenilworth. But yours blew these amounts away more like 70cm!?

Sorry, I was living in Nuneaton at that time ,10 miles away, I keep forgetting to mention that :-D

[cyclonic happiness]

Photo of the snow at Allesley Park Coventry Dec 1990:

Wildcroft_Road_in_snow,1990_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1073452.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_of_1990%E2%80%9391_in_Western_Europe

 

Note how deep it is drifted against the garden walls on the left.

 

I mean CH started a thread about this event on here and since then his estimations have gone up over half a foot!

"Almost 2 feet of level snow in the back yard and in the street "

https://forum.netweather.tv/topic/52188-the-great-midlands-blizzard-9th-december-1990/

 

There was 42cm at Acocks Green again reported in COL. Thats the highest actual MEASURED depth anywhere from the event.

 

Some more photos:

http://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=5468861

Alright Mr clever clogs, as everyone is saying, it's difficult to remember exactly. All I know is that I was 13 at the time and it was up to my goolies , you hyad to lift one leg up to get forward one step. Nuneaton was the country's worst affected town and the only things that got through the snow were the larger tractors.  But it was absolutely over two feet. Sorry I cannot be more specific.

 

But don't worry, like I said, we've been paying for it ever since. That was a 'once in a lifetime' blizzard.

[cyclonic happiness]

I'm just asking the 'Nuneaton memories' group on facebook, to which I'm an admin, about the 1990 blizzard. 

 

There are 7500 members, so if their word isn't good enough, I don't know who's will be

Alright Tone, what did Leicester get in that event? I was only 2 and a half years old so I have no memory of it whatsoever. I'm guessing if Cov got 30cm though that Leicester would have had a decent amount?

Leicester had much ,much more than Coventry (for once).

[cyclonic happiness]

Here's a link to the facebook group, my name is Paul Birkin on there (I don't mind folk knowing :-) )

 

There  are actually some even more deep estimates than mine, we really did cop it that day :-D

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/NuneatonMemories/?fref=nf

 

 

you might have to scroll down a bit.

Edited February 7, 2015 by cyclonic happiness

[shep]

I also remember the 1990 snow event well. I was a Saturday girl at Woolworths and we had to close early because the power kept cutting out. Buses were all stopped and I remember a long snowy walk home in a polyester pinafore dress lol

Loved it !

Snowsie - I was also a Saturday 'woolies girl'! I remember walking to work sat am of that snow fall, roads were not even visible! Got to work and the power went down! So was sent home but still got paid for turning up! I remember the lovely blue poly pinafore well!! And the blue striped shirts Lols.

No electricity or water for 3-4 days, remember flushing the toilet with melted snow!

Fav memories.

This was in Mansfield Notts.

Edited February 7, 2015 by shep

[Gord]

Entering this weather pattern today is like joining the M40.

 

You know there's a long way to go. You know it's going to be dull but all you can do is turn the stereo on and get on with it hoping that the other end comes quickly.

[andy_leics22]

I'm just asking the 'Nuneaton memories' group on facebook, to which I'm an admin, about the 1990 blizzard. 

 

There are 7500 members, so if their word isn't good enough, I don't know who's will be

Leicester had much ,much more than Coventry (for once).

Wow haha. I wish i'd have been old enough to remember it would have loved to have seen that much snow. Most snow i've ever seen in person is around 6 inches of level snow. I can't remember when it was exactly, sometime in 2009 I think. Possibly Feb. We had quite a few snow events in the space of a week that kept on being topped up on the lawn. I think it started as an Easterly with snow showers then bands of snow came up from the South East a few times.

[I remember Atlantic 252]

Wow haha. I wish i'd have been old enough to remember it would have loved to have seen that much snow. Most snow i've ever seen in person is around 6 inches of level snow. I can't remember when it was exactly, sometime in 2009 I think. Possibly Feb. We had quite a few snow events in the space of a week that kept on being topped up on the lawn. I think it started as an Easterly with snow showers then bands of snow came up from the South East a few times.

 

most i remember was about 6 inches level snow! 17-18 Jan '13, 22-24 Mar '13 and 19th Nov '96, max level possible for here seems around 15cms