Snowfalls in the south: Early February 2007

[Weather-history]

10 years ago now, one of the quirks of weather. I don't think their has been a heavier and more disruptive snowfall in the south for such a mild winter. We had snow here but a bit too far north to get much from it.

 

 

BBC News report on the 8th February 2007 snowfalls

 

 

[I remember Atlantic 252]

very good here, kinda 2 goes at it, Thursday 8th, snowed nearly all day, then Fri 9th, heavier snow moved in around 2pm, not even a hint of rain!

first 2 forecasts miles out for friday!

Edited February 6, 2017 by I remember Atlantic 252

[damianslaw]

Remember being very frustrated at the time, I was in Tyne and Wear and there was no snow. It was a very odd set up, out of the blue against a predominantly very mild winter pattern. Indeed we had no snow at all all winter. What a shocker!

[Walsall Wood Snow]

That was a fairly decent event here, amazing how it occurred in such a mild Winter, especially as the previous Winter was borderline cold yet delivered sod all lying snow wise. It was also the best snow event since December 2001 at the time as all events between then weren't up to much, with January 2004 been the only one which came close, but that started melting the next day, whereas this was a 2 day event or so. Me and my mate also did a bit of sledging on an embankment near his house, so there was more than enough for that. If all mild Winters delivered such events they would be easier to take.

[Cheshire Freeze]

Yes, it was the Friday that week but sheeeesh I've never seen snow like it. Torrential would be an understatement. Remember getting back home after hours stranded on a bus from Stoke, looking at the old BBC radar and seeing the lime greens having been right over us. What a late afternoon/early evening that was! Must have had about 10cm which fell in the space of about an hour and melted after just as quick!

I was in Chester on a uni field trip for most of the day and remember being sat in the pub at dinner, noting that where the forecasts had been for snow to rain, they had now changed to a huge swathe of snow across the Midlands. Very unexpected, especially at that intensity. Seem to remember it died out fairly quickly to the N of here. Yes @I remember Atlantic 252 the forecasts were initially well out!

I will never lump 2006-2007 winter in with the truly crap ones for that event alone. Not been topped in intensity since here.

Edited February 7, 2017 by CreweCold

[virtualsphere]

This one still brought the deepest single snowfall I can remember, on 9th Feb.  As @I remember Atlantic 252 mentioned the snow had been predicted to turn to rain, but all fell as snow, and we ended up with nearly a foot.  My workplace closed early due to the weather but I couldn't get home as the A48 had closed.  

We had a similar depth of snow in 2010 which accumulated over a couple of weeks, but as a single event I don't think we've had anything like it since January 1982, which I sadly can't remember well as I was only 3.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/6344685.stm

As @CreweCold says, the winter was very memorable for that one event.  Sadly it rained on the Saturday and the snow melted fairly rapidly so we never had a chance to go out and enjoy it properly.

[I remember Atlantic 252]

was great 2 days, especially 9th, but Atlantic did arrive bringing a thaw on Sat 10th

wasn't doing models etc then, but wondered what GFS etc predicted for the 9th?

Edited February 7, 2017 by I remember Atlantic 252

[Cheshire Freeze]

6 minutes ago, virtualsphere said:

This one still brought the deepest single snowfall I can remember, on 9th Feb.  As @I remember Atlantic 252 mentioned the snow had been predicted to turn to rain, but all fell as snow, and we ended up with nearly a foot.  My workplace closed early due to the weather but I couldn't get home as the A48 had closed.  

We had a similar depth of snow in 2010 which accumulated over a couple of weeks, but as a single event I don't think we've had anything like it since January 1982, which I sadly can't remember well as I was only 3.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/6344685.stm

As @CreweCold says, the winter was very memorable for that one event.  Sadly it rained on the Saturday and the snow melted fairly rapidly so we never had a chance to go out and enjoy it properly.

Yes I'd quite happily take that winter again just for that one event.

Had a couple of good storms too...none of this static rubbish we've had to endure this year.

[danm]

Yes, in an otherwise mild winter this was a good snow event. 

Snow started falling heavily in the morning here in London and we got a good few inches. By late afternoon/early evening this turned back to rain and by the end of the night most of the snow had melted. 

[AderynCoch]

If I remember correctly it hit Liverpool in the afternoon giving a few cm in a short space of time. There was still falling snow the next day but most of it had thawed.

I agree that this winter wasn't as bad as some of the recent ones for this event. The cold foggy spell around Christmas also provided some redemption. It was still a very poor winter overall though, which says a lot about 13/14 and 15/16.

Edited February 9, 2017 by AderynCoch

[Don]

It was very impressive to occur during one of the mildest winters on record.  It started during the early hours of Thursday morning and gave a good few inches.  It had almost vanished within 24 hours but still produced way more snow than 2005/06 did.  I doubt I will see a snowfall like that during the remainder of this winter.

Edited February 9, 2017 by Don

[Snowyowl9]

That goes as the most impressive cold snap in one of the stormiest mildest winter in recent times beating anything the 90`s gave for snowdepth at 1 foot.

February 7th gave a near severe frost at -7c,remember watching the radar and the very heavy snow over here,drifting on 2 days.

On the 10th the snow turned very heavy solid breaking branches off trees,also freezing fog first thing,still snowing in upper temps of -2c

There was a brief cold snap on January 22nd from a NEly with a slight covering of snow.

[high ground birmingham]

Remember that event really well. Dumped a lot of snow on the Thursday and then once again on the Friday. 2 days off school.

a thaw did ensue on Saturday though

[Timmytour]

I worked in Switzerland that year, departing each week on a monday and returning on a friday evening. I saw the remnants of it but missed the big event itself.

Ironically i think it bettered to a large degree anything i saw in Zurich that winter.  i had prepared myself for (and looked forward to) a cold snowy winter of working, espeically after hearing stories of how the snow had been thigh high the previous winter.  I can't remember seeing lying snow and only the very odd snow shower!

 

[Chesil View]

This was one of those marginal events here in Dorset where my then home just a couple of miles from the channel coast had nothing and I saw nothing at all until I was approaching Blandford on my way to work when I very briefly saw what looked like snow in the far distance. I drove around the Blandford bypass taking the road north towards Salibury as  reached Tarrant Hinton, ( my work destination for the day) I reached the southern edge of the snow. A few hundred yards to the south there was nothing but from the Tarrant Hinton north it was thick and white.

[damianslaw]

Quite an unusual set up I seem to remember, cold air from the north undercut very mild air from the south, and on the boundary there was heavy precipitation associated with low pressure that anchored itself up from the channel, but came unstuck somewhat over the Midlands I think. In the NE of England there was no snow to speak of.

[Summer8906]

Nothing here but I remember hearing about it; ISTR it was mostly north of the M4, so interesting that it got as far south as Dorset.

Clearest memory I have is of the 'thaw' day (Saturday 10th, though nothing to thaw round here): even though the wind had gone round to the west it was still rather dull and raw.

The 11th was spring like (milder and bright) though the rest of the month rather cloudy and changeable. I recall Jan/Feb 2007 as a period with a lot of overcast nights and cloudy days, but the days were not oppressively dull despite the synoptics.

Edited October 25, 2021 by Summer8906

[LetItSnow!]

I have no memories of this as far as I’m aware, but obviously was quite a freak event considering it came within the freakish warm spell of May 2006-April 2007 and of course part of an exceptionally mild winter. It’s nice there was at least one snowy spell in this winter. Perhaps, at a stretch, you could say it was a very tiny early teaser for what was to come with the atmosphere changing in the summer of 2007 and ushering a cool period until 2013.

 

The winter wasn’t entirely  without cold. The second half of December saw very sharp fog and time under high pressure around/at Christmas and there was a colder plunge around 24 January, but I don’t think it brought much if any snow. I’ve also read about the northerly of the 18 March and even watched some videos on that too. So despite being exceptionally mild each month had something.  

[Summer18]

This was rubbish here from memory, we just had some big standard wet snow on the Friday morning/afternoon. It was all gone by Friday. I remember the snow/hail showers the following March a lot more. 

[HafrenLMP1]

I remember this; I was planning on going down to the Forest of Dean to watch a rally - however, I was full of cold, and didn't fancy the drive down from the North West. In the end, I felt slightly better, and drove down; I recall the snow was deeper the further south I went on the M6/M5. By the time I got to Cinderford, it was like a winter wonderland.

Funnily enough, on the same event in 2009 & 2012 there was also snow.

[Metwatch]

Was just a little young to remember but found a few family photos from Feb 2007 here which had several inches of snow during the 7th in what was a very mild winter. Somewhat surprising event but I imagine a pleasant one for the cold fans.

[Billy Hicks]

This heavily stands out in NW London as one of the few major snow events across that entire decade, and seems either forgotten now or completely eclipsed in memory by the colossal amount we had in February 2009. Certainly was the biggest here for some time, here’s a photo I took from that day (aged 18) just off Neasden Lane.

[Sparkiee storm]

I remember this event pretty well, waiting with excitement with the Thursday snow, started around late morning and decent accumulations by the end of the day and i thought that was it until at least the Saturday. As other said the forecast was miles out, as the Friday morning i woke to an unexpected forecast of heavy snow, and by midday on the Friday it started to snow again and had hours of heavy snow for the remainder of the day. But then it turned to rain overnight and into Saturday which led to a very wet weekend with melted snow and rain on top of it.

[danm]

1 hour ago, Billy Hicks said:

This heavily stands out in NW London as one of the few major snow events across that entire decade, and seems either forgotten now or completely eclipsed in memory by the colossal amount we had in February 2009. Certainly was the biggest here for some time, here’s a photo I took from that day (aged 18) just off Neasden Lane.

In a decade with not too many big snow events down south, this one does stand out. However, it was overall nothing exceptional as most of the snow had melted by the evening. The dreaded snow to rain event. 

My memory of this day was heavy snow starting in the morning, which readily settled. We probably got a good few inches out of it before it started to turn to sleety rain and once the system cleared, a rapid thaw set in. By the evening almost all of the snow had melted.

I flew out of Stansted airport that night for a quick trip to Rome, and there was still some snow lying there in the early hours of the next morning. But there too it would have melted later that morning. 

In terms of the 2000's, the better snow events were 8th Jan 2003 (at least here on the eastern side of London), late Jan 2003 was also pretty good, the thundersnow event in late Jan 2004 and the Feb 2009 Thames Streamer. There was also a decent snow event in late December 2005, although I was abroad at the time so missed that.