Past winters discussion

[Weather-history]

30th Dec '95 was very snowy, remember it, did turn less cold from the south mind you on new years eve in the south

I think that was largely a freezing rain event? That was the big disappointment, it looked like a good snowy breakdown but infact it was mostly freezing rain.

[Harve]

December 2010, Oh the joys. As you can see in the 1st pic of my driveway.. The 2nd the Duke of York on the A515 just up the road and the last one with the gritter was March 2013.

I will never forget travelling from Glasgow to Derbyshire 4-5 days after the event. There was barely anything in Manchester and nothing at all in Glasgow and not even that much on high parts of the M74/M6 (I believe the seriously heavy falls were further west in Cumbria and SW Scotland), so I didn't expect the Peak District to be a different world. The wind had died down allowing the A515 (along which the Duke of York in the second image is located) beyond Buxton to be re-opened in the form of a tunnel with several metres of snow banked up on either side. There were at least a dozen stranded lorries that had managed to blend well into the landscape as they were partially buried in snowdrifts - this vehicle graveyard that lined the road was quite spooky!

[Polar Maritime]

The old A9 from 1978 Carrbridge Scotland.

 

[BLAST FROM THE PAST]

Yes, February 1986: the lost and forgotton cold month. With a CET of minus 1.1C, it's actually more severe than December 2010 was. It also comes right off the back of November 1985, which was the coldest since 1919, with a CET of 4.1.

 

It's funny you should that now, as I'm currently getting statistics together to make one of my historic videos on those two months.

I lived in Swansea back then and I remember Feb 86 with huge fondness.  Mainly because we had a real good dumping of snow end of Jan before it became very dry and very cold so it was excellent with snow on the ground for the whole month and it became compacted on pathways and roads making it awesome sledging conditions[swansea is hilly].

 

I remember Xmas 95 [ I went home for Xmas], that was an excellent cold spell.  It was freezing when my dad and I went to the social club for a few beers on Boxing Day middayish, snow everywhere.  When we came out about 3pm ish to go home...it had actually got even colder....fantastic!!! 

 

A very festive Xmas period

 

BFTP

Edited November 13, 2015 by BLAST FROM THE PAST

[Guest]

I lived in Swansea back then and I remember Feb 86 with huge fondness.  Mainly because we had a real good dumping of snow end of Jan before it became very dry and very cold so it was excellent with snow on the ground for the whole month and it became compacted on pathways and roads making it awesome sledging conditions[swansea is hilly].

 

I remember Xmas 95 [ I went home for Xmas], that was an excellent cold spell.  It was freezing when my dad and I went to the social club for a few beers on Boxing Day middayish, snow everywhere.  When we came out about 3pm ish to go home...it had actually got even colder....fantastic!!! 

 

A very festive Xmas period

 

BFTP

 

Xmas 95 was exceptional for cold in and around Glasgow, although there was a lot of damage done to properties with burst pipes. Glasgow Airport reported a maximum of -12ºC on the 29th, this towards the end of a week where the mean temp was below freezing throughout. The snow on the ground was impossible to roll into snowballs, it was all dry and flaky. I can remember walking my parents' dogs through the fields and woods at the back of their house. Everything was frozen solid, including some small streams which had frozen in mid flow downhill. Gutted I don't have photos of it but those were the days.

 

I'd love to experience that again, that whole winter was pretty epic looking back.

[cheeky_monkey]

Yes, February 1986: the lost and forgotton cold month. With a CET of minus 1.1C, it's actually more severe than December 2010 was. It also comes right off the back of November 1985, which was the coldest since 1919, with a CET of 4.1.

 

It's funny you should that now, as I'm currently getting statistics together to make one of my historic videos on those two months.

I don't think Feb 1986 is a lost forgotten cold month..not by those who were around to remember it..i think away from the east it wasn't particularly snowy and day to day there wasn't any bitterly cold spells..it was consistently cold and dull from memory.

[Weather-history]

I don't think Feb 1986 is a lost forgotten cold month..not by those who were around to remember it..i think away from the east it wasn't particularly snowy and day to day there wasn't any bitterly cold spells..it was consistently cold and dull from memory.

Until December 2010, it was the last sub zero CET month, so based on that alone it wasn't never forgotten. It has been quoted for years by winter fans as they hunted for the next sub zero CET month, pre Dec '10.

I certainly remembered Feb 86, the standout moments seeing snow falling from blue skies.

Edited November 13, 2015 by Weather-history

[mcweather]

I'm thoroughly enjoying this past winters thread.   The mid 80's winters all had something to recommend them even down here close to the south coast.

Even though  I work outside as a thatcher I love the cold and snow.

 

January 1985 was very snowy for the first three weeks with repeated heavy snowfalls here in Dorset.

 

February 1986 was interesting in that the cold was truly remarkable but the vast majority of the time it was bone dry and we had what the old folk round here called ' Black Frost' where the air  is too dry for any water vapour to condense out and freeze to make a white frost but at the same the same time everything is frozen hard. I remember a bird being so desperate for food that it flew in to the cab of our van via the tiniest gap that we had left the window open by and happily hopped all around us looking for crumbs etc to eat while we ate our sandwiches. Obviously we made sure he got a good meal.

 

January 1987 saw a week that was  reckoned to be  the coldest week in Southern England since 1740.  It was a classic spell, cold enough to freeze large bodies of water hard enough to skate and walk on safely and with some really decent snowfall. I  remember battling some twenty odd miles to get to the cottage I was working on, driving my little mini 850 around drifts that were edging out into the roads only to find that everyone else on the firm who only lived about three miles away had not bothered to come in.

 

I was also lucky enough to spend Christmas / new year in Scotland in the exceptional spell around Christmas 1995.

It was minus 20c in my friends garden with deep snowcover and a visit to Perth saw the mighty River Tay frozen from bank to bank. 

 

Great memories

Edited November 13, 2015 by mcweather

[knocker]

I don't know about past winters ( I could write about 62/53 but how boring can you get?) but I remember the Great Storm of January 1968 that flattened Glasgow very well.

 

We were anchored in the Clyde off of Gourock waiting to dock in Greenock. The wind started blowing a hooligan and we started dragging our anchor. No problem just pull it up and get under power. Problem was they couldn't get the anchor up and after a short while we were dangerously close to an unscheduled landing at Gourock. Eventually they decided to slip the anchor and we got under way, but it was a fairly close call. We were luckier than some other ships in the Clyde.

 

Nine died in Glasgow's hurricane hell

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/13246941.Nine_died_in_Glasgow_s_hurricane_hell/

 

Memories of Hurricane Low Q 45 years after it struck the city

http://news.stv.tv/west-central/209637-memories-of-hurricane-low-q-45-years-after-it-struck-the-city/

 

Edited November 13, 2015 by knocker

[Summer of 95]

I think that was largely a freezing rain event? That was the big disappointment, it looked like a good snowy breakdown but infact it was mostly freezing rain.

It was all snow here too, the forecasts a couple of days before IIRC were for snow over most of the UK, but for some reason the south got freezing rain (I remember a picture of the M4 covered in ice). But here we got 4cm of snow on the 30th, which didn't go until late on New Years Day.

[Schnee]

Aside from the suprise snow of late January 1995, there was this nice snow event from either Feb 1990 or Feb 1991. I can't remember which year that was now

 

 

Edited November 13, 2015 by Stelmer

[AderynCoch]

Has to be 1991 out of those two years.

[Arctic Hare]

No doubt at all about the top day for me: Boxing Day 2010, the only time in my life (first since 1963) that the River Severn completely froze over in Bewdley. I went to have a look at about 2.30pm and it was -6 °C. Overcast as well (unlike Christmas Day) so it felt even colder.

 

Two events I remember that weren't actually in winter: 6 April 2008, with several inches of snow overnight that melted quietly in sun (not murk and rain for once!) and had all gone by mid-afternoon. A Sunday too, so little disruption caused. But the most notable was probably late October 2008, when parts of the W Mids had 2-3 days of lying snow, astounding for October in lowland central England.

 

I only have vague memories of 1981-82, but the Dec 1990 blizzard was quite something, as was Feb 1991. I was in Liverpool for the 1996 snowfall (about 15cm, I think) but oddly can't remember a lot about it. Dec 2000 has already been mentioned, and is very memorable as I ended up having a fantastic day of snow and sun at Slimbridge. Feb 2009 and Jan 2010 of course, but not a lot since Dec 2010 really. All those times last winter that the Peak District etc got snow and we got sleety mush stick in the memory for the wrong reasons!

[Stormyking]

End of November and beginning of December 2010 will always stand out for me as the best snowy and wintry spell I have experienced to this date so far! The fact we had nearly 24 hours of continuous snow falling from the 2nd into the 3rd of December was just incredible and it was moderate-heavy through out! Not forgetting the thames streamer the night before and various odd snow shower days at the end of november!

Edited November 14, 2015 by Stormyking

[Thunderbolt_]

Another event that I remember quite well was on the very last day of winter 2009-10, 28 February 2010. Fog formed the evening before and at the same time, a band of snow moved in overnight, leaving 5-10cm of snow on the ground and a foggy sky. Not really very snowy, but just one of those events that I remember.

 

 

The fog cleared late morning however, and the snow thawed quite quickly then.

Edited November 14, 2015 by Thunderbolt_

[I remember Atlantic 252]

18th and 21st were very snowy here, 28th Feb '10 rings no bells, must have missed it here

[I remember Atlantic 252]

No doubt at all about the top day for me: Boxing Day 2010, the only time in my life (first since 1963) that the River Severn completely froze over in Bewdley. I went to have a look at about 2.30pm and it was -6 °C. Overcast as well (unlike Christmas Day) so it felt even colder.

 

Two events I remember that weren't actually in winter: 6 April 2008, with several inches of snow overnight that melted quietly in sun (not murk and rain for once!) and had all gone by mid-afternoon. A Sunday too, so little disruption caused. But the most notable was probably late October 2008, when parts of the W Mids had 2-3 days of lying snow, astounding for October in lowland central England.

 

I only have vague memories of 1981-82, but the Dec 1990 blizzard was quite something, as was Feb 1991. I was in Liverpool for the 1996 snowfall (about 15cm, I think) but oddly can't remember a lot about it. Dec 2000 has already been mentioned, and is very memorable as I ended up having a fantastic day of snow and sun at Slimbridge. Feb 2009 and Jan 2010 of course, but not a lot since Dec 2010 really. All those times last winter that the Peak District etc got snow and we got sleety mush stick in the memory for the wrong reasons!

 

very good spell of course, Xmas Day my coldest at -5.1C max, Boxing day -3C, breakdown though here was very disappointing, Mon 27th Dec saw just sleet and a slow thaw developed, all gone by Tues 28th, more snow on 7th Jan, winter ended for the south really around 8th Jan

[claret047]

Good Afternoon everyone,

My long lasting memory is that of the 1962/3 winter. I was at Secondary school by then and boy was it cold. I lived in a council house that was built just after the World War 1 which was in the process of being modernized. Before Christmas the contractor has removed all the pebble dash off the exterior of the building and as a result the house was even colder than normal. In the morning we had to break the water in the toilet bowl.

In the evenings I went upstairs into my bedroom to do my homework, but it was really cold with a thick film of ice on the internal face of the windows.

The cold seemed to go on relentlessly, with wildlife suffering badly. The school I attended had farmland to the rear of the playing field and the farmer was determined to protect his crop of cabbages etc and employed workers to shoot pigeons. Several of the children became distressed as the shot birds fell into the school grounds.

Although we only had one heavy snowfall (I believe it was late Boxing Day or it began early the next day) snow remained on the ground well into March, such was the cold entrenched air sitting over us. I recall listening to the weather forecast on the radio when the outlook was forever promising warmer weather in three days moving in from the south west but it never materialized. I seem to recall that the Americans produced long range forecasts and they predicted correctly that the cold weather would continue.

Kind Regards

Dave

Edited November 14, 2015 by claret047

[Weather-history]

Looking at the mild winters, late January-February 1990 was probably for me was the "best" because it was a roller coaster: severe gales, very mild spells, snow, hail, thunder was thrown in as well. That was a wild 4 to 5 weeks.

[MP-R]

Looking back through my records, a very unsuspecting winter takes 1st prize for seeing snow in every month including neighbouring months and that is 2004/2005.

 

November: 20th (light snow which turned to rain)

December: 19th / 25th (slider low which brought heavy rain that turned to snow overnight / sunshine & snow showers)

January: 23rd (rain that turned to snow overnight)

February: 21st-28th (the 'mild' easterly that brought days of snow showers but little cover)

March: 02nd (continuous snowfall all day, again with little cover)

[Stargazer]

Sone stand-out wintry spells for me (the list is by no means exhaustive):

December 1970 (or was it 1971, I was a bit young at the time) - the last time I can remember a proper white Christmas with 100% snow cover. We lived near the Devil's Punch Bowl, and the A3 was closed and made a great toboggan run

January 1979

December 1981, when I went back to visit my folks near Farnham and we were snowed in for several days.

January 1985

February 1986 - probably the coldest month in my lifetime so far.  It was mainly dry where I lived in Southampton but with a bitterly cold easterly lasting most of the month.  There was also an unusual storm in March 1986 that dumped snow on a narrow corridor from the Bristol Channel to the Isle of Wight. 15cm of snow in Southampton overnight, although it had all gone by lunchtime.

January 1987 - the coldest day and night I can remember, and snowy with it

February 1991

December 1995 - not particularly snowy but some bitterly cold nights

February 2009

December 2009, when I had to abandon my car in Basingstoke and get the train home because of the snow

January 2010 - the deepest snow I've experienced in Reading at 23cm

December 2010 - of course, although it wasn't particularly snowy here

February 2012 - quite snowy and the coldest night since I moved to Reading, with -10 recorded widely in the south.

Edit: I should add 2008 as an unusual year, the only time I've seen snow in October - and there was significant snow in April too.

Edited November 14, 2015 by Stargazer

[mcweather]

End of November and beginning of December 2010 will always stand out for me as the best snowy and wintry spell I have experienced to this date so far! The fact we had nearly 24 hours of continuous snow falling from the 2nd into the 3rd of December was just incredible and it was moderate-heavy through out! Not forgetting the thames streamer the night before and various odd snow shower days at the end of november!

 

Hi StormyKing

 

For me the Nov /Dec spell of 2010 is without doubt the best spell of winter weather I have lived through in the internet age. I have been taking weather records since 1992 and it knocks everything else winter wise out of the park.

 

I have just been looking back at my records from that time when I was living at Winfrith Newburgh about 3 miles northwest of Lulworth cove on the channel coast of Dorset.

 

The cold spell really got going here on the 22nd  November and there was an air frost every night from then until the the 27th December.

 

Temperature wise during this time there were 12 Ice days two of which were on the 27th and 28th November

 

Of the other 10 ice days, six of them fell consecutively from the 20th to 26th December

The maximum temp during the spell was when we reached 7C for a couple of hours on the 4th Dec.

All other maxima in this spell were below 4C

 

16 nights had a minimum below minus 5C

 

and another 5 nights had a minimum below minus10C

 

Overnight 1/2nd December I set a new record minimum for my 21 years of recording at Winfrith of minus 12.5C.

This extraordinary new record lasted just 25 days being broken again with minus 13C Boxing day morning

and all this within 3 miles of the English Channel!!

 The mercury remained below freezing from 26th-29th Nov, from 2nd -4th Dec again from 7-9th Dec and then from the 20th -27th Dec

 

Snow wise there were ten days when snow was observed to fall. Four of these were in November with a 2 inch fall on 27th November.

 

 

Heavy snow also fell overnight 1/2nd December giving 4 inches which stayed on the ground until the 4th when a spell of sleety rain

washed it away.This was the earliest December snowfall on record locally.

 

A further 2 inch fall on the 17th laid the foundations for a permanent snow cover until the 27th

this was topped up on the 20th Dec with another 5 inches of snow.

This Snow cover is actually longer than that of Dec 1962.

 

Overall there were 34 consecutive air frosts from the 22nd Nov

Records set incuded;

 

Most days with snow lying in December

Most Ice days ever recorded in November

Greatest number of Ice days ever recorded  in December

Coldest Christmas day on record min minus 10.2C: max  minus 3.4c

.

At Bournemouth the local meteorological registrar confirmed that it was the coldest December there since records began in 1879

and presumably so for much of South Dorset too.

 

A truly exceptional spell.

Edited November 14, 2015 by mcweather

[phil nw.]

 

In terms of Snowfall, January 2013 for IMBY. 18 hour blizzard with huge drifts. Snow stayed on the ground for a while too.

 

 

 

 

But in terms of cold, length, snow and all round amazing, 2010. First frost was on bonfire night then 26th NOVEMBER! we had the first lot of heavy snow and it carried on right up until just before new years. It was like living in a Scandinavian country with snow on the ground every day, bellow zero daily temps and often a night time of -12 IMBY. Would choose 2010 every time.   

 

 

Yes Jan.13 probably the last decent snowfall here.

 

 

Archived charts

 

quite a modest block developed over Scandinavia off a Euro high ridging north.

This became a cut-off high to the north east.Enough to bring some deep cold from the east as we saw an Atlantic low cut se under the block bringing the snow.

It did show we can get a quite Wintery spell from an overall zonal pattern if we get some splitting of the Atlantic jet sending more energy underneath.

 

Hopes for this coming Winter perhaps.

[Helzmc]

26th november 2010..thundersnow and a great big block ...even getting stuck on motorways for hours tryin to retrieve my baby from his grandparents house still have snowlove

[Sunshineandshowers84]

Where I am late December 1995 between Xmas and New Year we had 3/4 days of a major cold spell lows of -20c recorded at Glasgow..

The beginning of 2003 brought lots of dry weather (infact the spring and summer remained the same) but with frosts and crisp days for nearly everyday Febuary and early March..

The Iceage Winter of 2009/10 probably the last proper winter.. Major cold weather from mid December till March.. That's only in my lifetime I've heard of winters I the 70s and 80s.. Another story I read was in one particular winter back then Edinburgh had an entire week of snow showers yet Glasgow remained below freezing both day and night with clear skies.. I dare say other parts of the country seen a similar sort of weather..

The 2014/15 a very bizarre winter lot of snow showers coming from NW.. Thundersnow was also frequent and only from Xmas Day to New Year was the only Easterlies whole winter..