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Start of February 1956 Cold Easterly/BFTE


Jamie M

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Posted
  • Location: Herne Bay, Kent (14 m)
  • Weather Preferences: Thunderstorms & Snow
  • Location: Herne Bay, Kent (14 m)

Anyone know any more info on this event?

Saw this picture of Herne Bay Seafront completely frozen up with the timestamp of 2nd Feb 1956.

Had a little look on the reanalysis charts and it seems like a very cold easterly.

If anyone could shine some info on this, it would be appreciated.

Thanks.

image.png

image.png

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Posted
  • Location: Solihull, West Midlands. - 131 m asl
  • Weather Preferences: Sun, Snow and Storms
  • Location: Solihull, West Midlands. - 131 m asl

Remember it quite well.

Woke about 4am with the sound of hail on the windows and roofing. I had an attic bedroom.

Lived in a little village near Retford in Notts.

By  the time I woke up 7:30, still  snowing but shortly afterwards it stopped with about 6-8inches of flat snow on the ground.

Went to school (5 miles) on bus.

During the day the wind  got up to galeforce. I remember watching the snow blowing around in the playground and forming drifts.

Went home early at about 15:00 on the bus.

Snow blowing everywhere!!

As soon as we got off the main A1 road the side roads were blocked.

It took me 2hours to do the last 2 miles through drifting snow, on foot.

Watched the weather to see what had happened when I got home......

The low heading for Naples on your chart had undercut from west of N Ireland and was being pushed by the incredibly strong easterlies further south. The anticyclone took over.... and the temps had dropped to -3C by midday.

Lowland blizzards were the worst I had seen (and that included some  vague memories of 1947), but the drifting commenced after the snow had stopped as the strong easterly became established.

If I was not  already hooked by this event   I was afterwards, it was certainly interesting for me as a 12 year old.

MIA

Edited by Midlands Ice Age
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Posted
  • Location: Herne Bay, Kent (14 m)
  • Weather Preferences: Thunderstorms & Snow
  • Location: Herne Bay, Kent (14 m)
8 minutes ago, Midlands Ice Age said:

Remember it quite well.

Woke about 4am with the sound of hail on the windows and roofing. I had an attic bedroom.

Lived in a little village near Retford in Notts.

By  the time I woke up 7:30, still  snowing but shortly afterwards it stopped with about 6-8inches of flat snow on the ground.

Went to school (5 miles) on bus.

During the day the wind  got up to galeforce. I remember watching the snow blowing around in the playground and forming drifts.

Went home early at about 15:00 on the bus.

Snow blowing everywhere!!

As soon as we got off the main A1 road the side roads were blocked.

It took me 2hours to do the last 2 miles through drifting snow, on foot.

Watched the weather to see what had happened when I got home......

The low heading for Naples on your chart had undercut from west of N Ireland and was being pushed by the incredibly strong easterlies further south. The anticyclone took over.... and the temps had dropped to -3C by midday.

Lowland blizzards were the worst I had seen (and that included some  vague memories of 1947), but the drifting commenced after the snow had stopped as the strong easterly became established.

If I was not  already hooked by this event   I was afterwards, it was certainly interesting for me as a 12 year old.

MIA

Haven't really seen much on this February event. I feel it's forgotten & wasn't really documented widely. 

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Posted
  • Location: halifax 125m
  • Weather Preferences: extremes the unusual and interesting facts
  • Location: halifax 125m

Yes a forgotten month.Subzero for a week in the east in the 3rd week and one of only 8 subzero months in 120 years

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

An exceptional cold wave this one. 

At Southampton the temp dropped from 8c at 8 am to minus 2c at midday on the 31st Jan 1956.

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Posted
  • Location: Irlam
  • Location: Irlam
12 hours ago, HerneBayWX said:

Anyone know any more info on this event?

Saw this picture of Herne Bay Seafront completely frozen up with the timestamp of 2nd Feb 1956.

Had a little look on the reanalysis charts and it seems like a very cold easterly.

If anyone could shine some info on this, it would be appreciated.

Thanks.

image.png

image.png

I posted an article on this about 11 years ago but the links are now broken.

The maximum at Kew was just -4.4C on the 1st February 1956

Ross-on-Wye's and Bristol's maximum  that day was just -5.6C 

 

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Posted
  • Location: Herne Bay, Kent (14 m)
  • Weather Preferences: Thunderstorms & Snow
  • Location: Herne Bay, Kent (14 m)
8 hours ago, Weather-history said:

I posted an article on this about 11 years ago but the links are now broken.

The maximum at Kew was just -4.4C on the 1st February 1956

Ross-on-Wye's and Bristol's maximum  that day was just -5.6C 

 

Ah ok. Thanks for letting me know, I'll try & find it. Seems very much forgotten though!

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Posted
  • Location: Derbyshire Peak District. 290 mts a.s.l.
  • Weather Preferences: Anything extreme
  • Location: Derbyshire Peak District. 290 mts a.s.l.

I too remember this event. The lane through the village where I lived at the time ( only about 9 miles from where I am now ) was completely filled with snow 8 feet deep, the drifts burying our garden hedge and stretching 30 feet or more  into the garden. I was very young and the drifts looked absolutely enormous. 

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

I remember the start of the spell very well, the bbc forecast had hinted at the chance of an easterly for a few days then dropped it. living in Sunderland within 3 miles of the coast I remember the Sunday morning clearly when the forecast was for a cloudy dull day with light drizzle.

About 9am I noticed mist like cloud rushing in from the east and in no time the sky was obscured, heavy drizzle commenced which lasted for less than an hour and then the cloud disappeared completely, I went outside and all the leaves and twigs had frozen water  droplets hanging in from them.

The front that went through gave us no snow ( we had to wait until the next day to get some) but reports said on its journey westward plenty of snow occurred. The temperature given at Mowbray park weather station the next day quoted 9am temperature 50f and 10 am temperature 32f.

Mowbray Park is in the centre of Sunderland.

 

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Posted
  • Location: Cheshire
  • Location: Cheshire

Philip Eden reported Feb 56 as 'one of the coldest months of the 20th century, with between 1000 and 2000 people dying from hypothermia and temperatures remaining well below zero between 31st Jan and 3rd Feb'. Mean temperature in Central  London was 36.7F or -7.9 below average, whilst the max temperature in London on the 1st was 24.3F, a figure not matched in 1962/3, with a minimum on the 2nd of 17.1F (Brazell). I remember going to a park in S London / Surrey to play and being absolutely frozen, so it may well have been in this spell. I don't however remember any snow and Eden confirms that snowfall, whilst heavy, was very localised. 

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  • 4 weeks later...
Posted
  • Location: Irlam
  • Location: Irlam
On 10/11/2019 at 19:34, Jamie M said:

Anyone know any more info on this event?

Saw this picture of Herne Bay Seafront completely frozen up with the timestamp of 2nd Feb 1956.

Had a little look on the reanalysis charts and it seems like a very cold easterly.

If anyone could shine some info on this, it would be appreciated.

Thanks.

image.png

image.png

From Guardian/Observer of February 1956

31st Jan  QmN4WBL.jpg   1st Feb GbvK4cG.jpgTxGPGEr.jpgt9nFrmQ.jpgD3e3bJq.jpg

Feb 2nd Zo8jw0U.jpgz9SbTpM.jpgEqqpsiQ.jpgkx7GzOa.jpg4b9a90V.jpgnJs1XHb.jpg

Feb 3rd mDtjuji.jpgO1lu7hY.jpgajMVmJZ.jpglT1T6sm.jpg 

Feb 4 ICBzXQD.jpgOgp2McJ.jpg74qeqpp.jpgXDpWqHU.jpgabhtsBI.jpg

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Posted
  • Location: Hampshire
  • Weather Preferences: Bright weather. Warm sunny thundery summers, short cold winters.
  • Location: Hampshire

Feb 1956 looks perhaps comparable to Feb 1986: for those who experienced both, how did they compare?

Interesting how the first chart on Jan 31 shows a standard 'Atlantic' type setup with Azores high to the SW of the UK and fronts further north being literally pushed out of the way by the air from the east.

Edited by Summer8906
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Posted
  • Location: halifax 125m
  • Weather Preferences: extremes the unusual and interesting facts
  • Location: halifax 125m
3 hours ago, Summer8906 said:

Feb 1956 looks perhaps comparable to Feb 1986: for those who experienced both, how did they compare?

Interesting how the first chart on Jan 31 shows a standard 'Atlantic' type setup with Azores high to the SW of the UK and fronts further north being literally pushed out of the way by the air from the east.

I was not old enough to remember 1956 but i certainly was lucky enough to remember February 1986.From what i have picked up i would guess 1956 was more snowy,certainly at lower levels but from our nearest Met office station the data for the month gives a similar average nightime low of -3 but 1986 was significantly colder during daytime hours  with max's hovering just above zero compared to 2.5 deg for 1956.However i lived on high ground at 340metres so i know there were only a few hours in the entire month that got above freezing.Trevor Harley also states 1986 was the most Easterly month except for 1947 for February.

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Posted
  • Location: Cheshire
  • Location: Cheshire

Ref my earlier post on this thread, I think the cold of 1956 must have been shorter-lasting but more intense than 1986. Max temperature in central London on 1st Feb 1956 was 24.3F, with a minimum of 17.1 the following night, and I doubt whether that low figure would have been seen in 1986. However, by the end of Feb 1956, the temperature had climbed to a balmy 53.6F (c12C) which again may not have happened in 1986.

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Posted
  • Location: halifax 125m
  • Weather Preferences: extremes the unusual and interesting facts
  • Location: halifax 125m
11 hours ago, A Face like Thunder said:

Ref my earlier post on this thread, I think the cold of 1956 must have been shorter-lasting but more intense than 1986. Max temperature in central London on 1st Feb 1956 was 24.3F, with a minimum of 17.1 the following night, and I doubt whether that low figure would have been seen in 1986. However, by the end of Feb 1956, the temperature had climbed to a balmy 53.6F (c12C) which again may not have happened in 1986.

Yes 1956 had probably a colder but shorter spell but 1986 had consistant low maximums the entire month and took two daily records of February 27th and 28th with -21.2 deg and -19.3 deg respectively.

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  • 11 months later...

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