March 1987 - remembering a snowfall

[damianslaw]

Trying to recall exact date in March 1987. I think it was around mid-month and possibly a Wednesday or Thursday, I was only 8 at the time but have vivid memories of a decent snowfall overnight that stuck around the following day - throwing snowballs. March 1987 was a wintry month, anyone suggest when this was?

[feb1991blizzard]

25 minutes ago, damianslaw said:

Trying to recall exact date in March 1987. I think it was around mid-month and possibly a Wednesday or Thursday, I was only 8 at the time but have vivid memories of a decent snowfall overnight that stuck around the following day - throwing snowballs. March 1987 was a wintry month, anyone suggest when this was?

The best March snowfall of my life was in this month, early March, the day of the Zebrugge ferry disaster, 6th March - about 8 inches or more of snowfall in the West Midlands.

EDIT - 6th to 7th March.

Edited March 9, 2019 by feb1991blizzard

[feb1991blizzard]

The one you are talking was probably mid month, around the Cheltenham gold cup.

[feb1991blizzard]

[Don]

18 minutes ago, feb1991blizzard said:

The best March snowfall of my life was in this month, early March, the day of the Zebrugge ferry disaster, 6th March - about 8 inches or more of snowfall in the West Midlands.

EDIT - 6th to 7th March.

I remember that day.  Just wet snow in the south.  I think the Midlands had more the next day, too?

[feb1991blizzard]

1 minute ago, Don said:

I remember that day.  Just wet snow in the south.  I think the Midlands had more the next day, too?

It started after 11pm on the friday night in Birmingham, always remember it as the film 'the elephant man was on', dusting by midnight, then woke up to 6 inches on the saturday and steady if unspectacular snow continued to add to it, only petering out on the saturday night, no day off school though so didn't add to my nearly 2 weeks off in the January fall that year.

[damianslaw]

Thanks for replies. Looking at the charts the 18th looks the best fit, but I was sure it was earlier in the week - as the day after was a school day, but it would still fit being a Friday. I don't think it was the weekend event.

March 1987 was a cold snowy month coming on the back of the very cold January, February brought more average conditions. April 1987 was very warm. A realy topsy turvy start to the year. The summer was a poor one, and autumn unsettled with the severe gales. Quite an eventful year.

[feb1991blizzard]

I still remember snow showers though in April.

Edited March 9, 2019 by feb1991blizzard

[Weather-history]

7 hours ago, feb1991blizzard said:

I still remember snow showers though in April.

I remember seeng snow on the Saturday morning of the May Bank Holiday weekend but I don't remember seeing snow during that April, it was a very mild one. Good Friday was a beauty, pleasantly warm and sunny.

[Weather-history]

8 hours ago, damianslaw said:

Trying to recall exact date in March 1987. I think it was around mid-month and possibly a Wednesday or Thursday, I was only 8 at the time but have vivid memories of a decent snowfall overnight that stuck around the following day - throwing snowballs. March 1987 was a wintry month, anyone suggest when this was?

I recall two frontal snowfalls at the start of the month. 

There was Wednesday 4th March, we had snow here and a cover that morning.  It was still snowing at midday but a slow thaw had set in by then

There was another snowfall on the 7th March, Saturday. A period of snow during the morning than a drier interlude with further snow in the early afternoon. I remember building a snowman that evening as it was starting to go dark with the snow falling. Next morning, it turned sunny and the snow didn't half melt quickly, it was all gone by afternoon.

18th-21st March 1987 was a bit of a disappointment here, the winds had too much of a northerly component and we missed the showers, they were streaming through the Cheshire gap.  We only caught an isolated soft hail shower that Thursday evening but you could see the anvils and showers going down the Cheshire gap. The winds swung round more NWly on the Friday and the showers of snow and hail streamed in. 

 

Edited March 10, 2019 by Weather-history

[feb1991blizzard]

1 hour ago, Weather-history said:

I remember seeng snow on the Saturday morning of the May Bank Holiday weekend but I don't remember seeing snow during that April, it was a very mild one. Good Friday was a beauty, pleasantly warm and sunny.

It was like pellets i think - perhaps it was hail, maybe wrong though perhaps it was 88.

[damianslaw]

3 hours ago, Weather-history said:

I recall two frontal snowfalls at the start of the month. 

There was Wednesday 4th March, we had snow here and a cover that morning.  It was still snowing at midday but a slow thaw had set in by then

There was another snowfall on the 7th March, Saturday. A period of snow during the morning than a drier interlude with further snow in the early afternoon. I remember building a snowman that evening as it was starting to go dark with the snow falling. Next morning, it turned sunny and the snow didn't half melt quickly, it was all gone by afternoon.

18th-21st March 1987 was a bit of a disappointment here, the winds had too much of a northerly component and we missed the showers, they were streaming through the Cheshire gap.  We only caught an isolated soft hail shower that Thursday evening but you could see the anvils and showers going down the Cheshire gap. The winds swung round more NWly on the Friday and the showers of snow and hail streamed in. 

 

Thanks - the 4th seems to tie in with how I remember things, I thought it might have been later in the month, but remember it being middle of week. 

[Don]

19 hours ago, feb1991blizzard said:

It started after 11pm on the friday night in Birmingham, always remember it as the film 'the elephant man was on', dusting by midnight, then woke up to 6 inches on the saturday and steady if unspectacular snow continued to add to it, only petering out on the saturday night, no day off school though so didn't add to my nearly 2 weeks off in the January fall that year.

I remember seeing football matches abandoned on Grandstand during Saturday due to heavy snow.  I was at my Nan and Grandad's in Kent that weekend and was envious of the midlands and northern areas!  We did have a dusting Saturday evening, though.  However, was nothing compared to what Kent got in the January!

[Weather-history]

Forecast from that Saturday evening of 7th March 1987, starts about 33.40. 

 

[damianslaw]

Thanks for the above - not seen it before. 

[leedsnowfan]

Where i was in Eastern Brighton it was the coldest and snowiest Winter I can recall....lasted ages with snowfall into late March. I cant remember the exact date but you are right about a Wednesday. It snowed heavilly here, so much so that our school bus didnt come and we had to get to school "round the long way" I remember the Thursday well as I won the Cross Country Race for the school that day and I remember running in the snow....tricky downhill!