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February 2005 - return of the easterly!


damianslaw

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

Thinking ahead to the winter, against the background of 4 mild/very mostly snowless winters, I'm reminded back to the events of Feb 2005. Between Feb 1997 and Feb 2005 - 8 years we barely had any easterly incursions in any winter months inbetween, fleeting affairs at best at times in winter 00/01, but nothing sustained. I remember thinking where have the easterlies gone, but then Feb 2005 and we saw a lengthy sustained easterly take hold, out of nowhere it seemed, lasting well over a week, indeed we then had a northerly and back to an easterly in early March, a lengthy non-westerly airstream, something that had become very elusive.

Anyone else share views and reasons for the sudden change in synoptics. Factors that might have occurred. It came on the back of a very westerly dominated mild winter as well. 

The easterlies despite being long fetch, came off a milder than average continent, hence they were very watered down, and didn't produce especially cold conditions or heavy snow away from higher ground or locally in some favoured eastern spots. Had the continent been colder, then it would have probably delivered a notable memorable cold snowy spell, despite coming quite late in the season, hence it isn't often remembered, but it is a lesson for all those who say 'we'll never see a cold spell occur again'..

Edited by damianslaw
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Posted
  • Location: Efford, Plymouth
  • Weather Preferences: Misty Autumn Mornings, Thunderstorms and snow
  • Location: Efford, Plymouth

Remember it really well.

 

I was living in Glossop at the time and as you said it had been a mild winter. But I can remember taking my two dogs for a walk on the Woodhead on the Sunday and the temp was dropping.

 

By the Tuesday we were blanketed in snow and it was bitterly cold. With my then husband/partner we couldn’t get out of our cottage let alone go into Glossop or work in Manchester!

I’ve still got the home video of that day but to be fair it’s a bit painful watching it as you can see how happy we were as a couple before divorce and bitterness took over. Ah well. Plus my dogs were so young and to think they’re nearly both 14 now and a walk is a luxury to them now rather than gambolling in the deep snow. 

Plus I had brown hair rather than white like now :) 

I’ll dig it out when I get home and try and post a bit 

 

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Posted
  • Location: Medlock Valley, Oldham, 103 metres/337 feet ASL
  • Weather Preferences: Cold, snow, thunderstorms, warm summers not too hot.
  • Location: Medlock Valley, Oldham, 103 metres/337 feet ASL

It was a decent cold spell around here, it snowed on a number of days giving light dustings. But then culminated in about 15cm of snow falling between the 23rd & 24th. It snowed pretty much all day on the 24th. I couldn't get into work, at the time as a police officer work was based in Salford but I believe there was no snow at all over there. Yet we had a fantastic covering here in Oldham. It was a rare snowy spell in a run of mostly mild Winters.

Edited by Frost HoIIow
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Posted
  • Location: Nr Malton, North Yorkshire 53m
  • Weather Preferences: Snow/Thunderstorms
  • Location: Nr Malton, North Yorkshire 53m

Being at secondary school between the years of 2001-2006, I unfortunately didn't experience many "snow days".

However at the end of Feb 2005 I remember getting a lift to school off my Dad whilst the snow started to come down heavily in York city centre. By the time we got to school it was clear that school wasn't going to be on that day, me and my mate JJ walked around roughly 3 miles back home through the thick snow. There must of been 10-15cm within just a few hours that morning, one of my fondest memories of snow from my teenage years :)

Edited by vizzy2004
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Posted
  • Location: Leeds/Bradford border, 185 metres above sea level, around 600 feet
  • Location: Leeds/Bradford border, 185 metres above sea level, around 600 feet

It was my first winter here on the internet weather forums and i remember it well. From November-Jan we saw a repeating pattern where the Azores High would park itself just south west with a toppler and mild, dry muck bar early Jan when we had some exceptional low pressures (one of those north westerlies did strike us properly on xmas day - GFS picked it up at day 16 and never let go). Anyhow after the mild, dry end to January we did see around the 10th Feb an extremely warm northerly due to the lack of heat, pressure over Scandinavia built in the following days.

Here in West Yorkshire it was notable for producing snow showers pretty much every day for two weeks but the actual amounts were poor with i recall only 13cm on the 23rd being the maximum depth. I remember it fondly and it did of course precede a better winter in 05-06.  

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Posted
  • Location: Irlam
  • Location: Irlam
17 hours ago, Frost HoIIow said:

I couldn't get into work, at the time as a police officer work was based in Salford but I believe there was no snow at all over there. Yet we had a fantastic covering here in Oldham. 

There was but the snow  from over night began to thaw and the snow turned to rain. Most of the day was actually dry here anyway. 

Edited by Weather-history
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Posted
  • Location: halifax 125m
  • Weather Preferences: extremes the unusual and interesting facts
  • Location: halifax 125m

Yes I remember that spell clearly I was working on a roof  ,one of the rare times I had to down tools and go home,not due to the amount of snow but even though we swept the snow off the roof to reslate it was just too slippery and after me and my work colleague ha both slipped a couple of times we decided it was too dangerous .

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Posted
  • Location: Bratislava, Slovakia
  • Location: Bratislava, Slovakia

An excellent wintry spell on the edge of the Pennines in West Sheffield, peaking with heavy snowfall on the 22nd/23rd. Must have had about a foot at that point, and it took ages to thaw (there were patches into mid-March).

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Posted
  • Location: Walsall Wood, Walsall, West Midlands 145m ASL
  • Location: Walsall Wood, Walsall, West Midlands 145m ASL

Was there a similar event in Feb 06 as well? I remember it snowing all day but refusing to settle in late Feb one year, but I thought this happened in 2006. Unless of course this was an entirely separate event?

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Posted
  • Location: Wildwood, Stafford 104m asl
  • Weather Preferences: obviously snow!
  • Location: Wildwood, Stafford 104m asl
33 minutes ago, Weather-history said:

 

Thursday was more of a warm front, was a thaw, and cold spell was fizzling out, was 2005, still not good years 80's and earlier

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  • 4 weeks later...
Posted
  • Location: Wyke regis overlooking Chesil beach.
  • Weather Preferences: Snowfall
  • Location: Wyke regis overlooking Chesil beach.

I remember this spell very well. I was working in Bournemouth at the time and it was one of those occasions when the statistics can be used to make a story look much better than the actuality of the event. We had 12 consecutive days on which snow fell, the most since 1963. However this consisted of persistent but mainly non settling flurries.

So a great headline, 'Snowiest spell since 63 ' could legitimately be written without any accumulation of snow on the ground whatsoever.  Don't you just love the British weather. 

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Posted
  • Location: Coniston, Cumbria 90m ASL
  • Weather Preferences: wintry
  • Location: Coniston, Cumbria 90m ASL
On 22/10/2017 at 00:57, Walsall Wood Snow said:

Was there a similar event in Feb 06 as well? I remember it snowing all day but refusing to settle in late Feb one year, but I thought this happened in 2006. Unless of course this was an entirely separate event?

There was a major snow event in March 06, because it took us 10 hours to drive home from my wife's late Grandmother's 90 th party. It snowed all the way from Peterhead to the Lake District and iirc there was 14" of level snow at home when it finished. Not as good as either Feb 96 or March 13 where we had 24" of level snow.

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

 

On 13/11/2017 at 22:38, JeffC said:

There was a major snow event in March 06, because it took us 10 hours to drive home from my wife's late Grandmother's 90 th party. It snowed all the way from Peterhead to the Lake District and iirc there was 14" of level snow at home when it finished. Not as good as either Feb 96 or March 13 where we had 24" of level snow.

Gosh wished I'd experienced that event here, rather than in the NE, where only a couple of inches fell at best. We haven't had many falls of snow over 10 inches in the last 30 years or so. Indeed only three times I think, the infamous 5/6 Feb 96 snowfall, and one on the 23 Feb 1994 where about a foot or so fell and as you quote March 06. We came close in Dec 2009, and again in Jan 2013, about 8 inches. Most snowfalls have been in the 1-4 inch range, nothing special - we missed out in March 2013, there really was a major change in the space of just 10 miles, here we had a measly 2 inches! just too far north and east.

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Posted
  • Location: Lincoln, Lincolnshire
  • Weather Preferences: Sunshine, convective precipitation, snow, thunderstorms, "episodic" months.
  • Location: Lincoln, Lincolnshire
On 10/22/2017 at 00:57, Walsall Wood Snow said:

Was there a similar event in Feb 06 as well? I remember it snowing all day but refusing to settle in late Feb one year, but I thought this happened in 2006. Unless of course this was an entirely separate event?

Yes, there was an easterly in late Feb 06 which was tamer than the Feb 05 one.  I remember a frontal rain/sleet event in Leeds (possibly corresponding to your wet snow event) and a couple of days of snow showers when the snow failed to settle.

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Posted
  • Location: Coniston, Cumbria 90m ASL
  • Weather Preferences: wintry
  • Location: Coniston, Cumbria 90m ASL
2 hours ago, damianslaw said:

 

Gosh wished I'd experienced that event here, rather than in the NE, where only a couple of inches fell at best. We haven't had many falls of snow over 10 inches in the last 30 years or so. Indeed only three times I think, the infamous 5/6 Feb 96 snowfall, and one on the 23 Feb 1994 where about a foot or so fell and as you quote March 06. We came close in Dec 2009, and again in Jan 2013, about 8 inches. Most snowfalls have been in the 1-4 inch range, nothing special - we missed out in March 2013, there really was a major change in the space of just 10 miles, here we had a measly 2 inches! just too far north and east.

Yes the March 13 was amazing, Hawkshead was similar to Coniston but it was almost like Windermere itself (the Lake) acted like a barrier.

I've never experienced drifts like we had in the fells here after that. Caught a few folk out!

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  • 2 weeks later...

A couple of questions relating to this era... Firstly whilst I remember 2004-05 as being generally mild, I can recall a very cold Saturday in the North West fairly early on in the winter (definitely before Christmas). The winds were northerly I seem to remember, but I don't think we had any snow. Anyone remember this and have a date?

Going back a year, does anyone remember the cold/snowy spell in January 2004? Here in Manchester we actually got hit fairly hard on the snow front and not just on the 'Pennine side' of town, which makes a change - some schools were closed. Does anyone remember this and again a date please? Also was this Jan '04 cold snap from the north or from the east? I do remember it getting quite a lot of media attention in the run up, perhaps because winter 03/04 hadn't been particularly cold or snowy up to that point.

Edited by Philipsfd
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Posted
  • Location: Walsall Wood, Walsall, West Midlands 145m ASL
  • Location: Walsall Wood, Walsall, West Midlands 145m ASL
24 minutes ago, Philipsfd said:

A couple of questions relating to this era... Firstly whilst I remember 2004-05 as being generally mild, I can recall a very cold Saturday in the North West fairly early on in the winter (definitely before Christmas). The winds were northerly I seem to remember, but I don't think we had any snow. Anyone remember this and have a date?

Going back a year, does anyone remember the cold/snowy spell in January 2004? Here in Manchester we actually got hit fairly hard on the snow front and not just on the 'Pennine side' of town, which makes a change - some schools were closed. Does anyone remember this and again a date please? Also was this Jan '04 cold snap from the north or from the east? I do remember it getting quite a lot of media attention in the run up, perhaps because winter 03/04 hadn't been particularly cold or snowy up to that point.

Are you thinking of the snow event on the evening of the 18th Nov 04? If so I posted a topic concerning it further down in the Historic thread if you're interested.

As for your second question I remember there been a quite snowy day with a bit of a blizzard towards the end in late Jan 04. This was followed by a freezing night, but it didn't last too long and started thawing the next day. It got cold again after though I think as I went on a 2 night trip to London and there was snow showers there (didn't settle though). After I got back here it still felt bitter, but the snow had long gone and it soon got milder again I believe. Anyway that's how I remember it at least.

 

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

It was 28 January 2004.  A couple of frontal systems moved southwards in the northerly flow overnight 27th/28th and brought snow to many areas.  In Lancaster, where I was, they only brought a mix of rain and sleet, due to a pool of milder air embedded in the flow that came from west of Iceland, but I remember looking at some webcams and seeing lying snow on the Manchester city centre webcam that morning.  There was then a marked snow squall that came down from the north later that day, which produced widespread thundersnow in central southern England in particular.  On the 29th less cold air spread from the west and brought a thaw.

There was a brief north-westerly on 7 February 2004 but I doubt it would have brought snow showers as far south as London.  There was then a more significant northerly spell at the end of February (25th-29th) which brought widespread snow showers, which would have got as far south as London, so it could have been that.

2003/04 was the most recent example of a slightly colder than average winter in Svalbard and the Russian Arctic which meant that although most of the winter was mild and westerly dominated, when we did get northerlies they were pretty potent.  There had also been a northerly on 21/22 December 2003 that brought snow showers, locally accompanied by thunder, to many counties bordering the North Sea on the intervening night, and at Cleadon in Tyne and Wear I observed lightning and muffled thunder from a cell just off the coast.  The 2004/05 winter, which led into the February 2005 easterly, marked the step-change to anomalous winter warmth in that region.

Edited by Thundery wintry showers
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Thanks for the info. I might be remembering the Saturday in early Winter 04/05 as colder than it actually was. But I'm pretty sure it was either in the last two weeks of November or the first couple of December. It just seemed notable for being very cold and windy and cloudy but without any snow.

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

It could have been Saturday 20 November 2004, as there was a cold snap from the 18th to 20th brought by a brief northerly blast.  In Lancaster it only got to 4C that day.  Alternatively there was a cold dry anticyclonic spell in early December 2004 which had some cold cloudy days although I don't recall it being particularly windy.

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  • 2 years later...
Posted
  • Location: Scunthorpe
  • Location: Scunthorpe

Probably the most disappointing prolonged easterlies I can remember. Looked perfect for very cold weather and snow but most of it was wet and didn't stick for very long. The initial northerlies around 20th and 21st produced more snow than the easterlies which followed. The forecast for 24th look very good for snow and the bbc weather forecast had us in the very high risk category but we just got rain and sleet from the frontal system.

This 850 hpa chart looks like it would have produced a decent snow event but it failed to materialise.

CFSR_1_2005022418_2.png

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

I was in the NE at the time, and remember quite a bit of snow falling, and settling but only temporarily, with thaw during the day, temps were often marginal, and lack of cold uppers was the culprit, caused also by the strengthening sunshine, as quite often the sun poked its head out inbetween showers.

It was still a very pleasing spell, after such a long period when easterlies has been preety absent, though  March 2001 also delivered them. 

It also marked a change to a very lengthy dry period lasting through until late 2016. 

 

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Posted
  • Location: Cleeve, North Somerset
  • Weather Preferences: Continental winters & summers.
  • Location: Cleeve, North Somerset

Snow only lay from showers that came overnight down here. If it weren't for the easterly in the second half of Feb 2006, I'd say this was the weakest easterly of the decade. At least some snow did actually settle from the 2005 one.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Posted
  • Location: Leeds/Bradford border, 185 metres above sea level, around 600 feet
  • Location: Leeds/Bradford border, 185 metres above sea level, around 600 feet

Feb 05 sticks out because by then I had joined Netweather and was finishing school. It was remarkable for the fact that it snowed at least once a day for about two weeks but the most I ever measured was 9cm from the day event on the 24th.

It was followed by the winter of 06 though which I remember fondly.

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