Arch Stanton

As I've said in some other posts, as far as South Wales was concerned nothing compares to 1982 or I think ever will in my lifetime (I was born in the 70's). This was the state of our streets for a whole month and the snow was still lying in place when we had our St Davids day school photos almost 2 months later. A month off school, minus double digits at night, 5 foot icicles hanging of window ledges, 5m drifts - it was something you'd expect to see in in NW Canada or near the lakes.

Dropping here as well, it's 6.5 now. For snow I've noticed that 3 is the magic number here, especially if the precipitaion is heavy where any sleet turns morphs into wet snow, here's hoping for some of that in th next 24hrs..

Temperature has been edging up all day today and is 7.1c at the moment with persistent rain - it isn't nice out there

Almost every winter throughout the 80's saw my secondary school either close down or shut early to send the kids back home - this was for proper snowfall accumulations of several inches (not like the dustings that shut schools nowadays). The school catchment area stretched across several valleys and so many school coaches had to travel across the A465 (Heads of the Valleys) dual carraigeway (highest point 1,350ft asl) which was completely exposed, at that altitude dangerous whiteout conditions for driving occur almost every year. Light dustings of snow were never enough to shut the schools down back then - the school yard(s) & sports fields stayed open for PE lessons and ,during breaktimes we played on the ice or comapcted snow trying to 'outskid' each other in full view of the teachers on patrol duty

It's best to ignore charts like that that far out - they hardly ever come true. If Europe and Scandanavia stay mild then so do we - just like happened last winter.

Until there is some deep entrenched cold over Scandanavia & Europe then I don't hold any hope for any proper wintery conditions getting established. We need a sub-zero Continent - when they're at +5 to + 10c then forget it, the best we can hope for is a bit of mountain snow here and there which doesn't enthuse me much being based in the South East Anyway, there's still a long way to go this winter so fingers crossed.

That's quite depressing and very similar to last autumn where rainfall was well above average the entire Autumn. Those deep arctic plunges into North America can get stuffed.

I've been thinking the same recently, these synoptics we're seeing right now hardly ever happen in winter anymore, I remember seeing similar ones in summer months over the years but never between Dec - Mar

Its a travesty that this country still has BST, I have friends in Northern Spain who enjoy longer summer days than us despite being so much further south in latitude to us, I would change this in heartbeat if I could, increase day length so more leisure & sport can be played after school - thus less energy used lighting up our homes at 6pm (think about the waste of daylight around 4am when we're asleep in the summer). If the Scottish farmers wish to keep BST then that would be for Holyrood to decide. I would argue it's more dangerous driving home in the dark in wet weather after a long tiring day at work (not that that is happening for many of us right now) than at 7.30am. Rant over...

I am talking about South Wales specifically.

In South Wales the winter of 1982 comes 3rd behind 1947 and 63 for extreme cold and snow depths, 2010 doesn't come close and that's a fact for that part of the world.

Let's hope that we experiencing nothing like this again for a very long time

The cold of 1982 no doubt lingered longer over the deep snowfields of South Wales than in London, I was off school for a month and cars in my neighbourhood (624ft asl) were buried for the entire time. One snowdrift in my garden reached the gutters beneath my roof so over 4m in depth - my elderly neighbours said they hadn't seen anything like it since 47 where apparently the drifts were even deeper and even buried locomotives. One lady now deceased said that people in my street dug snow corridors from door to door that were taller than them - the elderly were literally trapped inside were in not for the shovel ready neighbours of my street.. I wasn't alive for 47 or 63 so can only go with what those that lived through it told me - the sheer amount of snow in 47 & 82 lasted for months on the mountains which is why I put 82 under 1947 & 63 as one of the best winters of the C20th. Where I lived back then people reflected more on the severe long term cold of 1963 than the snow that fell (but there was still a lot from what I've seen in old photos). I don't think we'll ever see another 1982 again - the seas to the north of the UK were colder back then with a more southerly limit of winter sea ice and continental Europe regularly froze each winter with temps below -20c. I live in hope though!

Best: 1982 this winter can hold it's own with 63, 47 in terms of snow depth and snow longevity and extreme temps - an extraordinary winter that I fear may never be repeated again now that the Azores High messes our weather patterns so much 1984 very snowy - lots of sledging 1987 1979 bitter cold right up through March 2010 - nice to see the UK completely blanketed Worst: 2019 / 2020 utter dross - I don't recall a sub -1c temp all winter 2018 / 2019 more dross Too many post 2012 1989 rubbish

A max of 23.1 today following an overnight low of 16.1 - it's lovely out there in the sun.

20.9 here after an overnight low of 16.8, cloud cover 8/8 and humidity is at 81%. This time last week it was 10c hotter - i don't miss it, 23-25c is perfect for me. Just heard a distant rumble in the distance - radar showing a rapidly growing cell just to the south east of Barnet.

Well the storm shield in my part of N London finally buckled last night at around 2300 - the rain was monsoon like for about 15 mins with repeated fork & sheet lightning visible for over an hour. The rain then lessened in intensity before fading out completely by 0030hrs. It was well worth the wait - hope for some more over the coming days.

Exactly 18 right now with 87% humidity, overcast, the house is at last slowly cooling down after the 6 day furnace

I share your frustration, here’s hoping that what’s heading over the channel right now delivers something later

Everything is skirting to south and west of me again at least the temperature is down to a lovely 23c though

It was definitely after 78/79 - the latter was cold & snowy one for South Wales and i guess the South west too?

26.9 already here with an overnight 'Tropical' low of 21c - the most uncomfortable nights sleep so far as there no breeze. I can't wait wait for this heatwave to breakdown - I'll take temps of 21-24c over this any day

Saw this beauty up the golf course earlier... An hour later I could hear distant rumbles and saw two flashes, alas, an hour has passed since and nothing to report

30.6 now and Humidity down to 51%, there are plenty of cumulus clouds about unlike previous days and some are bubbling up nicely

Currently 28.7 after an overnight low of 20.7 (the warmest night yet). RH currently at 58% - it feels even more oppressive than yesterday, can't wait for it to cool down...