March Blizzard

Even many places here in subtropical Greater Manchester recorded lower than that in Dec 2010. Woodford recorded -17.6C in Jan 2010, although it is/was a frost hollow. I'd be interested to know what kind of temperatures somewhere like High Cup Nick and other sheltered valleys in Teesdale could acheive in severe cold spells. -25C and below wouldn't be too inconceivable, I'd imagine.

Holland's record low of -27.4C surprises me, just 0.2C colder than the UK record despite it's continental and eastern location (relative to the UK). Holland is of course very flat and low lying so, like lowland England, it's got few places for cold to "hide" and lacks the altitude for the cold to resist the strength of the sun. I think the main problem with low minima in such places is that every day the cold has to start from "scratch", in other words temperatures have to drop further and faster due to the higher maxima. Compare the record low maxima between England and Scotland, -11.3C for England compared to about -19C for Scotland. Based on the extremely low maxima I'm surprised Scotland hasn't managed lower than -27.2C, officially. Perhaps the typically more dynamic conditions in the Highlands interfere with temperatures dropping lower, whereas the more "static" conditions of inland England allow the temperature to fall. It's not just valleys that have recorded such low temperatures, though. Many places in east Anglia in particular have seen some extremely low temperatures despite the flat terrain. This can probably be attiributed mainly to the close proximity to the cold continental air. Perhaps an underrated place for low minima are the Southern Uplands and North Pennines. These would be somewhat of a middle ground between the Midlands and the Highlands, in terms of latitude, altitude and proximity to the continent. However, there seems to be a noticeable lack of recording stations in these areas. If you check some old records places like Kelso and Bowhill have been within a whisker of -27C. Certainly impressive. These links might be interesting for some following this topic: http://www.torro.org.uk/TORRO/britwxextremes/mintemps.php http://metofficenews.wordpress.com/2012/10/16/top-ten-coldest-recorded-temperatures-in-the-uk/

I didnt say latitude didn't play a part, just that it may not be the number one factor. It obviously does factor in. Sometimes it's easy to forget how big our small island is, it does actually span a respectable range of latitude. The north coast of Scotland is closer to the arctic circle than England's south coast. Fair point, NR.

I wouldn't say its "common" for anywhere in the UK to record -20C and below, and that includes the Scottish Highlands. It's difficult to say which factor has the most bearing on the likelihood of low minima in the Highlands. In real terms, it isn't that much further north than the English midlands, so I'm reluctant to pin it on latitude. However, the topography is much more extreme so katabatic winds from the high groud allow cold to pool in the valleys, some of which allow little sunlight in and therefore the cold "accumulates" over days allowing colder and colder temperatures. This is obviously far less widespread in the relatively flat Midlands. The midlands are obviously closer to colder air masses from the continent but the difficulty in cold pooling due to the topography, coupled with its more southerly latitude, make extreme cold less frequent than the Highlands. I think its quite remarkable that the difference in record low temperatures between England and Scotland is as small as it is. Both places these temperatures occurred in are very different yet both have a similar capacity for cold.

Something a bit fishy about this, where did they get the date February 19th from? If it did actually happen last week then im shocked it's not made the news worldwide, because you can guarantee that if the warmest temperature was surpassed it would be headline news everywhere. I was aware of that old disputed record and your probably right about the translations confusing the matter. On the other hand, if it did happen, then perhaps the Russians are still in the process of confirming the reading as legit before it's annouced properly? I won't hold my breath.

It often has the largest diurnal ranges of the year, temperatures can rise fairly high in the sunshine but drop like a stone after sunset. It also has the largest temperature range of any calender month of the year. A record low of -22.8C and record high of 25.6C gives a range of 48.4C. Large diurnal ranges are why I like February and March, and to a lesser extent April and May.

This winter has been remarkably consistent in terms of temperature, with a very little range between maxima and minima. Bar the odd 10C+ max and -10C min temperatures have, by and large, languished between about -2C and 8C, with many places with an even narrower range.

A winter low of just -8.4C...that is depressing.

Not strictly true in the case of 1947, hillbilly. The end of February 47 had some extremely low minima, with -20C and below in many places across the country. The point you make is still valid, continuous low maxima alone can obviously result in a low overall CET value.

I'm sure I remember it being said on a programme about the seasons that March 8th is the average date of maximum sea ice and the coldest date in the NH, on average, is 19th January. I have no idea about maximum snow cover, though. It's clear that in the arctic sea ice effects temperatures. March is actually colder than December throughout much of the arctic, despite an almost complete lack of daylight throughout December. This is due to the sheer amount of ice in March which obviously removes the moderating effect of open water.

I thought the low for this winter so far was -13.1C somewhere in Norfolk? Could be wrong, mind. Just out of interest, if that figure is correct then where does this low rank against other winters ie what recent winters have had a warmer overall low?

Of course there is still plenty of time. Don't forget that temperatures as low as -15C have also been recorded in April (a month where minima rival November in a typical year) and -10C has been within touching distance even in the depths of May on a few occasions. With the right set up -20C or below can happen well into March and actually occured as recently as 2001. Theoretically, i dont see why even -25C couldn't be acheived in early March when you consider the latest it's occured is 23rd February and the March record low of -22.8C occured on the 14th of the month. Admittedly this would take an exceptional set up but the same has to be said about the official winter months aswel when talking about such low temperatures. The recent trend of cold in early winter (Nov/Dec) has certainly altered people's expectations and faith of it occuring in late winter (Feb/Mar). You only have to look on this site to see people panic about strong February sun and expect to wear shorts and t-shirts as soon as March arrives when history shows us the capacity for cold can last well into Spring.

I've heard something similar before this winter, mid-late Jan i think it was when we were expecting very low minima only to see cloud and temperatures hovering just on either side of freezing. The cloud has not played ball whatsoever to allow low minima bar a few nights here and there, the story of this winter, unfortunately. To look on the positive side this winter has, by and large, been good for the poor few who have to sleep rough.

Which, statistically, is more likely to see snow than Christmas day. I can understand people wanting dry, warm and sunny weather but they have to remember that Spring is still the second coldest season. March is colder than November, April colder than October and May cooler than September. Warm spring weather is certainly possible but it isnt as common as many on NW like to think it is.

Would never have guessed that. I'd be interested to find out where i could find graphs like that for the other months...hint

It's not just the lack of any notable minima, it's the lack of a hard nationwide frost, too. The lowest temperature so far occurred in a small area of cold in East Anglia, most of the rest of the country was far milder.

The nights are still plenty long enough to achieve -10C. Comfortably long.

Couldn't agree more with this. A truly awful winter for low minima. I can remember more cold nights in even the most mildest winters of my life, and aged 23 I grew up with them! I wouldn't be surprised If March gives us something lower than Dec, Jan or Feb. The irony is that this winter has been quite decent for snow but generally poor for low minima, both of which normally go hand in hand. Not this time. Far to much cloud which has been far too persistent. Most people on NW want snow or ice days, it would appear. I, on the other hand, much prefer low minima and sunny crisp days. Snow does assist low minima, but it's a double edged sword as it also brings with it baggage in the form of cloud and wind, and that cloud has for the most part not budged. To a person like me, and perhaps you, this winter has been a huge let down so far.

I'd really like to see a genuinely cold march, a bit of everything in April and a warm, dry May. How Spring should be.

Depending on who you ask our excessively mild winters are both a blessing and a curse. I still feel short changed at times when places way further south than us have heavy snow and low temperatures and we get mild muck. It's mad to think we share a latittude with places that take Polar bears, sea ice and tundra in their stride yet everything has to fall into place here to get any kind of winter-like weather to materialise. The UK and Ireland stand defiantly warm amongst their frozen neighbours. They are truly the land of perpetual autumn.

That Daily star article beggars belief, Utter nonsense. Correct me if I'm wrong but even the most pessimistic projections of temperature rises don't point to anywhere near a 10C rise by 2050?

Wow, what happened in '81?!

Whereabouts in Stockport are you? Here in Davenport it stuck even on wet tarmac!

Agree, us Stopfordians bore the brunt of it by the sound of things!

I'll go for 3C bang on to continue the just "chilly" theme of this winter