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Spring 2013


Harry233

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Posted
  • Location: Perth, Scotland
  • Location: Perth, Scotland

Feel like Spring 2013 is slightly forgotten a bit, delivering probably the longest spell of cold weather in spring I can ever think of. Even worse that it was actually rather mild and sunny at the start. March was the coldest by a large margin next coldest was 2018 which was still around a degree warmer, we had seen no real warmth until about the second week of May and May still had its share of cold, wet weather. April was also rather cold and very cold at the start, some interesting fscts were snow cover from March 9th until April 4th, snow depth of 23cm on the 24th March, a spell from the 7th March until the 5th April where the maximum temperature didn’t exceed the average. Only redeeming factor warmth wise was the last week in May that delivered some warm sunny weather.

 

March 2013

Mean maximum: 4.3.C (-4.9.C)

Mean minimum: -0.8.C (-2.3.C)

Mean: 1.8.C (-3.6.C)

Rainfall: 38mm (66%)

Sunshine: 72 hours (64%)

 

April 2013

Mean maximum: 11.2.C (-1.0.C)

Mean minimum: 2.4.C (-1.1.C)

Mean: 6.8.C (-1.0.C)

Rainfall: 53mm (115%)

Sunshine: 156 hours (110%)

 

May 2013

Mean maximum: 14.9.C (-0.6.C)

Mean minimum: 6.0.C (-0.4.C)

Mean: 10.5.C (-0.5.C)

Rainfall: 57mm (114%)

Sunshine: 183 hours (97%)

 

Spring 2013

Mean maximum: 10.1.C (-2.1.C)

Mean minimum: 2.5.C (-1.3.C)

Mean: 6.3.C (-1.7.C)

Rainfall: 148mm (98%)

Sunshine: 411 hours (90%)

 

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Posted
  • Location: Coniston, Cumbria 90m ASL
  • Weather Preferences: wintry
  • Location: Coniston, Cumbria 90m ASL

Aye March 2013,was pretty epic, the snowstorm on 21/22nd March gave us 2ft of level snow, that's 60cm in new money, then the wind came and created some sizeable drifts. 

Don't think I'll ever forget a rescue we had on 24th March wading through and falling into drifts of snow often 4-5ft deep, and then standing in the dark for about 45 minutes under a hovering Sea King while we extracted 3 hypothermic walkers, two of whom were seriously ill with hypothermia. 

With the down draft, an Easterly gale and being at about 600m, I have no idea what the wind chill was but it was ruddy cold! 

Even on April 1st everything was still below zero by day... 

Just how I think it should be, perishing from about mid November until April.!

 

Edited by JeffC
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Posted
  • Location: Sheffield
  • Weather Preferences: Thunderstorms
  • Location: Sheffield

Best left in the dregs of my memory, that was the most depressing and saddening excuse for "spring" I've ever experienced. I remember there being no leaves on the trees until June that year, where I lived at the time. Horrendous. 

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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

Although it was very cold and there was a very heavy drift event i actually did not pay a massive amount of attention to March 13, probably because of how dull it was and perhaps in Leeds City Center we missed some of the more severe events elsewhere.

When i think of 2013 i recall the second half of Jan as a much superior event (only 10 days or so but frontal after frontal event) and even Feb 13 was very dry and sunny with a 20 day period of no rainfall. 

 

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Posted
  • Location: Dublin, Ireland
  • Weather Preferences: Cold, snowy winters and warm, sunny summers
  • Location: Dublin, Ireland

Spring 2013 was my most hated season, I'd rather not remember it. As I mentioned in another thread, I got barely any snow. I didn't reach 10c throughout March, it was just consistently cold and awful with dull cloudy skies and during the Northern Ireland blizzard on the 22nd, I just got heavy rain. My luck was not there for early 2013, disaster after disaster.

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Posted
  • Location: Perth, Scotland
  • Location: Perth, Scotland
On 19/08/2018 at 15:17, JeffC said:

Aye March 2013,was pretty epic, the snowstorm on 21/22nd March gave us 2ft of level snow, that's 60cm in new money, then the wind came and created some sizeable drifts. 

Don't think I'll ever forget a rescue we had on 24th March wading through and falling into drifts of snow often 4-5ft deep, and then standing in the dark for about 45 minutes under a hovering Sea King while we extracted 3 hypothermic walkers, two of whom were seriously ill with hypothermia. 

With the down draft, an Easterly gale and being at about 600m, I have no idea what the wind chill was but it was ruddy cold! 

Even on April 1st everything was still below zero by day... 

Just how I think it should be, perishing from about mid November until April.!

 

I remember a maximum of -1.9.C on the 19th of March and the wind speed was about 20mph from the east, for me it would of been at least -10-12.C without a doubt.

 

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Posted
  • Location: Coniston, Cumbria 90m ASL
  • Weather Preferences: wintry
  • Location: Coniston, Cumbria 90m ASL
3 hours ago, Harry233 said:

I remember a maximum of -1.9.C on the 19th of March and the wind speed was about 20mph from the east, for me it would of been at least -10-12.C without a doubt.

 

well imagine that with the added downdraught of a Sea King Helicopter - it was coolish!

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Posted
  • Location: Edinburgh (previously Chelmsford and Birmingham)
  • Weather Preferences: Unseasonably cold weather (at all times of year), wind, and thunderstorms.
  • Location: Edinburgh (previously Chelmsford and Birmingham)

A fascinating season, with March of course being the highlight. Down in Chelmsford we had two snowy spells. The second one (around the equinox) brought four inches of powder snow but winds were light so we didn't get any drifting. Some exceptionally low maxima for 12+ hour days, barely climbing above freezing on a number of occasions.

April started off very cold with easterlies bringing snow showers and some beautiful frosts. Sunnier and warmer mid-month before cooling down again. May was consistently cool but quite a pleasant month.

Very few people realise that, in CET terms, Spring 2013 was colder than any in the 20th century.

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

Late March that Spring (if you could call it that) was fantastic. I too remember it was just after the equinox when we had a load of snow and I still remember how amazed I was at the almost Siberian like quality of the snowfall, hearing it blowing in the lazy cold wind in bed at night. That's the first time I recall hearing that particularly distinct sound, as in the snows of 2010 it didn't have the accompaniment of the wind, and before then you would probably have to go back many years for the previous time conditions were similar, possibly 1991 which I can barely recall. Early March this year wasn't too dissimilar really, except back then the snow stuck around for longer, melting very slowly throughout the daytime's (although this year we did get the mini beast around mid month which brought another short spell of snow cover with drifting) that by the 30th which is my Birthday there was still quite a lot of snow around. I never imagined I'd see snow on the ground round here on my Birthday before then, so that was pretty epic from a personal perspective.

All in all I quite liked the period Autumn 2012 to Spring 2013. Autumn then felt a bit more traditional for some reason and in the actual Winter we had that great snowy spell in late January. I even remember some light snowfall in the February. The late March snowy spell though was even more extreme than the late January one so that was defiantly the highlight of the extended Winter season.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...
Posted
  • Location: Irlam
  • Location: Irlam

March 2013 was extraordinary, who would have thought it turn out as cold as it did at the start of the month, there wasn't a hint, the CET was 4.9C by the 9th and even taking into the cold just before mid month, you wouldn't have bet on it turn out as sub 3C.

I think 9th March-8th April 2013 had a CET of 2.4C, colder than January 1997

The early May Day Bank Holiday was lovely with warm pleasant sunshine.

An amazing chart

 NOAA_2_2013032106_1.png

Edited by Weather-history
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Posted
  • Location: Walsall Wood, Walsall, West Midlands 145m ASL
  • Location: Walsall Wood, Walsall, West Midlands 145m ASL
6 hours ago, Weather-history said:

March 2013 was extraordinary, who would have thought it turn out as cold as it did at the start of the month, there wasn't a hint, the CET was 4.9C by the 9th and even taking into the cold just before mid month, you wouldn't have bet on it turn out as sub 3C.

I think 9th March-8th April 2013 had a CET of 2.4C, colder than January 1997

The early May Day Bank Holiday was lovely with warm pleasant sunshine.

An amazing chart

 NOAA_2_2013032106_1.png

What was also remarkable about that March was the fact it was actually colder than any of the 3 'actual' Winter months, which were also quite cold as well. January alone was quite good, especially with the snowy spell late in the month but the CET was only 3.5c in the end. February was actually a little colder at 3.2c but wasn't that snowy at all (apart from a slight dusting here at one point). Funny thing is I remember during February that year there was a fair bit of expectation from some posters on here that the proper cold would make a come back, whilst others were convinced what we had in January would be it and the fast approaching Spring with the strengthening Sun would prevent any more major cold outbreaks. How wrong they were. And as you say it was even more remarkable due to the fact it was late March rather than early which brought the CET so low. It certainly surprised me and was one event (along with this year's early March cold) which should put to bed any notion that the lengthening days of late February for instance are too late for potent cold and snowy spells even as far south as here.

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Posted
  • Location: Hoyland,barnsley,south yorkshire(134m asl)
  • Weather Preferences: severe storms,snow wind and ice
  • Location: Hoyland,barnsley,south yorkshire(134m asl)

I am glad that this thread was brought up as i never knew about it so thanks:)

yes it was a memorable winter and will always stick in my mind because it was snowier than this March just gone(well in this neck of the woods anyway)and spring never got going until summer i think

here are some pics of that winter(march)

the road was completely cut off on woodhead road(not pass) just off the A629/A616 south of Wortley with some of the drift's several feet high especially the last pic which was about seven feet high

PICT0134.thumb.JPG.119af82652c23e3af7498e6dd0f483a2.JPGPICT0136.thumb.JPG.bba03ed4cd67ae1b20c348644ae6c53c.JPGPICT0135.thumb.JPG.23c83221d243409e63991791be43c78c.JPGPICT0138.thumb.JPG.1aa3b3838a0caeb81c155521925e0c12.JPGPICT0141.thumb.JPG.37ca624091db94198d678c61153d26cc.JPGPICT0143.thumb.JPG.ebe090fbe4af63247cbde29d79534ed1.JPG

this last pic was took up on Kinderscout,the highest peak in the peak district and what a great day out that was,yes that is me:D

PICT0165.thumb.JPG.540ccae53be33978b436747039860964.JPG

 i am looking forward to this winter now as i do every time at this time of the year,summer has been great though and a memorable one at that.

 

Edited by Allseasons-si
spellcheck
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Posted
  • Location: Shrewsbury
  • Location: Shrewsbury

The thing March 2013 did show here (and March 2018 confirmed) was that snow doesn't always melt away in March during the day. That was obviously just a 90s/00s thing, it used to be the case then that after mid-Feb you normally needed at least 5cm to have anything left the following day, at least 10 to keep full cover, even if the temp barely got above freezing. 

Having thought about it, I wonder if wind direction is important here? 2013 and 2018 both were easterlies, while most late snowfalls between 1990 and 2010 came from the west or north (March 1995, March 2001, late Feb and mid-March 2004, March 2006). Interestingly the relatively minor snowfall of 11 March 1996 bucked the trend; despite giving only 3cm it stayed on the grass for 3 days, barely reducing; it came from the east. Perhaps the fact that easterlies tend to be less sunny here than northerlies or westerlies in March, combined with their usually having the coldest uppers, and the North Sea being colder than the Atlantic means they don't melt snow so readily in the daytime once the days lengthen? By contrast in Dec or Jan, air temperature seems to be more important in the weaker sun, there's little difference between westerly/northerly or easterly, neither will melt snow in the day in low temperatures.

If this is the case, the crapness of that Feb/Mar 2005 spell is even more striking; it was 2 weeks of easterlies yet still it melted once the sun rose, when it settled at all.

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Posted
  • Location: Irlam
  • Location: Irlam
5 hours ago, Summer of 95 said:

The thing March 2013 did show here (and March 2018 confirmed) was that snow doesn't always melt away in March during the day.

I noticed this as well. I was walking on the Moss behind me on Good Friday, the snow event was the previous Friday and I was gobsmacked to see a snow patch and snow patches still around, a week later

 j30ccfo.jpgGW5KDlX.jpgYQuTWML.jpg

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Posted
  • Location: Powys Mid Wales borders.
  • Location: Powys Mid Wales borders.

First noticed this way back in February 1991 we had the bitter easterly,then once the Nly came it was less cold and the slow thaw started.

Rrea00219910213.gif

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

March 2013. The month my Civil partnership and 12 year relationship collapsed so I remember it all too well. It was a cold month here, and on the fateful evening in particular Wednesday 13th, I remember walking in the cold and sleety evening around Plymouth Hoe. Alone, cold and frightened. Funny the things you remember :) 

Then it just continued as highlighted, it was cold throughout early April and it must have been the first week of May that Spring hit ( there’s a row of trees by my work that were really late that year).

Funny how the worst period of my personal life was during that cold snap. It was almost like the weather joined in with my misery :) 

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Posted
  • Location: Dublin, Ireland
  • Weather Preferences: Cold, snowy winters and warm, sunny summers
  • Location: Dublin, Ireland
30 minutes ago, philglossop said:

March 2013. The month my Civil partnership and 12 year relationship collapsed so I remember it all too well. It was a cold month here, and on the fateful evening in particular Wednesday 13th, I remember walking in the cold and sleety evening around Plymouth Hoe. Alone, cold and frightened. Funny the things you remember :) 

Then it just continued as highlighted, it was cold throughout early April and it must have been the first week of May that Spring hit ( there’s a row of trees by my work that were really late that year).

Funny how the worst period of my personal life was during that cold snap. It was almost like the weather joined in with my misery :) 

Exact same here mate, so you're not alone. Worst times of my life were also during March 2013 at the same time of me losing out on the snow constantly. March 2013 couldn't have been more terrible for me and the weather just emphasised it. 

Edited by BruenSryan
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  • 3 weeks later...
Posted
  • Location: Home: Chingford, London (NE). Work: London (C)
  • Weather Preferences: Winter: cold and snowy. Summer: hot and sunny
  • Location: Home: Chingford, London (NE). Work: London (C)

Unfortunately in London it was just cold and dull. Usually by the time we get to March I’m in the mood for Spring warmth. 

This year was a March cold spell I could get behind, with some good snowfall. 

Appreciate for some areas of the country March 2013 was epic. For here it was just very cold and dull with a biting wind. Not nice. 

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Posted
  • Location: Barton on Sea, Hampshire
  • Weather Preferences: Snowy winter, warm/hot summer with the odd storm thrown in
  • Location: Barton on Sea, Hampshire

I had one decent snowfall that year which left the ground covered for a few days although it wasn’t especially deep.  Other than that it was just very cold and dull for the whole period without any real excitement. 

Although come to think of it I think the snow fell before spring started so you could say it was just dull and cold where I was. 

Edited by matt111
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