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More than 30 cm of snow in 24 hrs?


CDP1976

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Posted
  • Location: Coleford
  • Location: Coleford

Hello,

First time poster so apologies if I am not posting in the correct thread.

I have a query that I am hoping some of you may be able to help me with.  We had some snow damage recently and discovered that to be classified as a snow storm the UK insurance industry defines it as a period of 24 hrs where more than 30 cm of snow has fallen.  Anything less than that and it is not considered a snow storm. I accept that we didn't have 30 cm of snow so am not looking for evidence to use against an insurer.  It did however make me wonder, when have we ever had more than 30 cm of snow within 24 hrs?  Are those stats even available?  

I suspect the insurance industry is perhaps hiding behind an improbable definition.  Does anyone have stats for snow at locations in the UK for any 24 hr period or does it have to be by calendar day?  Where can I find out how many times we've had more than 30 cm in 24 hrs / a day within say the last 10 years?

Thank you in advance for any responses provided.

Craig

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

Yes numerous times. Feb 96, March 2013 are two that spring to mind. 

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Posted
  • Location: Edmonton Alberta(via Chelmsford, Exeter & Calgary)
  • Weather Preferences: Sunshine and 15-25c
  • Location: Edmonton Alberta(via Chelmsford, Exeter & Calgary)
On 06/04/2019 at 00:37, JeffC said:

Yes numerous times. Feb 96, March 2013 are two that spring to mind. 

thats twice ..and the rest?

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Posted
  • Location: Coleford
  • Location: Coleford

Thanks for your reply Jeff but that is only one occasion in the last 10 years.  On that basis any damage caused by snow during the last 10 years would only have been covered by a standard home insurance policy under the storm definition once.  What I suspect is that the insurers are using a red line threshold for the definition of a storm to restrict payouts so that only extreme conditions are covered whereas I think most homeowners would expect their insurance to cover them in the event of bad or freak weather causing damage to a well maintained property.  

For insurance purposes a storm is 

Wind speeds of 48 knots or 55 mph 

Torrential rainfall of at least 25 mm per hour 

Snow to a depth of 30 cm per 24 hrs 

Hail of such intensity that it causes damage to hard surfaces or breaks glass.

These may be perfectly reasonable definitions but they need to be proved by the householder or met by the average of a triangulated series of weather station recordings which could be quite different to the local conditions experienced.  I also think there is a difference between the storm measures and the actual amount of bad weather required to cause damage to a property.

If local bad weather damaged your property but it didn't exceed one of these measures as quantified by the insurance company then you wouldn't be covered for the cost of repairs.  I'm lucky in that I can afford to get the repairs done to my property but I think insurance companies need to be clearer about when they won't cover you as I am sure there are a lot of vulnerable people out there who do not have the cover they think they have.  

Does anyone reading this have similar experience of insurance companies - expecting to be covered for damage caused by bad weather and then finding that you are not?

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Posted
  • Location: Edmonton Alberta(via Chelmsford, Exeter & Calgary)
  • Weather Preferences: Sunshine and 15-25c
  • Location: Edmonton Alberta(via Chelmsford, Exeter & Calgary)
4 hours ago, CDP1976 said:

Thanks for your reply Jeff but that is only one occasion in the last 10 years.  On that basis any damage caused by snow during the last 10 years would only have been covered by a standard home insurance policy under the storm definition once.  What I suspect is that the insurers are using a red line threshold for the definition of a storm to restrict payouts so that only extreme conditions are covered whereas I think most homeowners would expect their insurance to cover them in the event of bad or freak weather causing damage to a well maintained property.  

For insurance purposes a storm is 

Wind speeds of 48 knots or 55 mph 

Torrential rainfall of at least 25 mm per hour 

Snow to a depth of 30 cm per 24 hrs 

Hail of such intensity that it causes damage to hard surfaces or breaks glass.

These may be perfectly reasonable definitions but they need to be proved by the householder or met by the average of a triangulated series of weather station recordings which could be quite different to the local conditions experienced.  I also think there is a difference between the storm measures and the actual amount of bad weather required to cause damage to a property.

If local bad weather damaged your property but it didn't exceed one of these measures as quantified by the insurance company then you wouldn't be covered for the cost of repairs.  I'm lucky in that I can afford to get the repairs done to my property but I think insurance companies need to be clearer about when they won't cover you as I am sure there are a lot of vulnerable people out there who do not have the cover they think they have.  

Does anyone reading this have similar experience of insurance companies - expecting to be covered for damage caused by bad weather and then finding that you are not?

weather is a force majeure...therefore only a weather event of exceptional nature will ever be covered by insurance..i work in construction therefore deal with it all the time with insurance..plus a fall of the 30cm of snow would only count if measured at your nearest weather station at not at your actual location.

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Posted
  • Location: Coniston, Cumbria 90m ASL
  • Weather Preferences: wintry
  • Location: Coniston, Cumbria 90m ASL
On 07/04/2019 at 23:59, cheeky_monkey said:

thats twice ..and the rest?

There were a few in my primary and high school years, I think maybe Dec 76 when I'd had my tonsils out, then some heavy falls in early 80's, but can't swear to the dates.

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  • 4 weeks later...
Guest Durham Weather

We had damage in 2013 from snow. It wasn’t quite 30cm, it was 25cm. The snow ripped off the guttering around the single storey kitchen extension. It wasn’t the 25cm of snowfall that did the damage, it was the 25cm that fell 6m off the roof en-masse onto the kitchen that did it a day later.

insurance wouldn’t pay out.

Edited by Durham Weather
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Posted
  • Location: Vale of Belvoir
  • Location: Vale of Belvoir

I am 72 years old and I have never seen 30cms of lying snow where I have lived in this country, let alone that much in 24 hours.

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Posted
  • Location: Longden, Shropshire
  • Location: Longden, Shropshire

Don’t recall having more than 30cm of snow in 24 hours.  However, the closest I got was 2nd February 2009, when 24cm of snow fell, but the majority of it fell during the night, so we’ll under 24 hours!  A similar amount of snow fell overnight 5th/6th January 2010, too.

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Posted
  • Location: Edmonton Alberta(via Chelmsford, Exeter & Calgary)
  • Weather Preferences: Sunshine and 15-25c
  • Location: Edmonton Alberta(via Chelmsford, Exeter & Calgary)

Here is an article that states 34cm of level snow fell at Exeter Airport on 18/19th Feb 1978..that was less than 24 hours

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/content/articles/2008/02/21/blizzards_1978_archive_video_feature.shtml

Edited by cheeky_monkey
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  • 5 months later...
Posted
  • Location: Solihull, West Midlands. - 131 m asl
  • Weather Preferences: Sun, Snow and Storms
  • Location: Solihull, West Midlands. - 131 m asl

More info...

See blog on here for the Great Midlands Blizzard 9th December 1990.

Large areas from Coventry to the centre of B'ham and northwards (50miles) received over 30 cms in 18 hours.

Knowle was the top spot recorded at 42 cms but was by no means out of line..

Look to page 2 for some recorded snow depth data.

I am guessing that around half a million people would have been impacted in total by a fall of over 30 cms.

Damage to trees and power lines in particular were very extensive.

Also about 5000 people were stuck on the M6 for up to 36hours and had to be rescued - does that count?

MIA

Edited by Midlands Ice Age
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