Jump to content
Winter
Local
Radar
Snow?
IGNORED

Cold winter months with little - no widespread / significant snow


Recommended Posts

Posted
  • Location: Coventry, 95m asl
  • Weather Preferences: Snow Nov - Feb. Thunderstorms, 20-29°C and sun any time!
  • Location: Coventry, 95m asl
Posted

Another rare UK weather combination I wanted to explore is winter months that were cold, (ideally with a CET of around or below 3C) but also didn't contain much or any significant snow of note.

This is a slightly difficult one to find the months for, because some of the coldest months will often be dry, as majority of the precipitation falls as snow, but widespread snow is also very likely. The snow doesn't melt much, meaning not much rainfall is registered so of course the month ends up drier than average. Some cold months were quite wet, but this usually (though not always!) means snow was involved in those and perhaps a lot of it. So anticyclonic, quiet months but with a lot of frost / fog is typically the way to get a cold month with little to no snow.

I read and then posted Trevor Harley's monthly summaries below (in quotation marks) then looked back through the daily reanalysis charts to see if any possible significant snow events were left out based on the synoptic setup each day out of all months with CET's of under 3C apart from a few exceptions / some Decembers.

Any additional contributions, recollection of memories or corrections, (especially from the stat gurus  @BruenSryan @Weather-history @LetItSnow @Summer8906 etc)  are as always very welcome!

 

Firstly, December 1917. CET: 2.3C. EWP: 41.1mm:

Mostly cold, dry and sunny. Only possible snow makers were a sinking low on the 16-17th, though the airmass doesn't look cold enough for much snow in lowland England from that, then a brief chilly easterly on the 28th into south east England which unlikely amounted to much. A month that I would include in here for little snow but being cold.

 

December 1933. CET: 1.6C. EWP: 28.5mm:

"Very cold and frosty south of the Humber, but mild in the north. A dry month, often bright, with some frost, fog, and freezing fog. The maximum in freezing fog was only -5C at Manchester on the 6th. It was severe midmonth, with many rivers freezing around the 10th, and with wintry showers in the east. The maximum in freezing fog was only -5C at Manchester on the 6th." Looking through reanalysis charts, only the easterly on the 13th would have brought a fair showers, otherwise high pressure most of the month and no significant snowfall.

 

December 1935. CET: 2.8C. EWP: 93.6mm:

A chilly, variable but rather unsettled month, no significant snow to speak of. Possible there was a bit of snow in the south west 18-19th from a trough disrupting under an anticyclone north of Iceland.

 

December 1939. CET: 3.2C. EWP: 60.5mm:

Dry, dull, chilly month. Atlantic driven first 7-10 days, settled, then last few days turning colder before the main cold spell following month. Not much snow to note this month alone.

 

December 1943. CET: 3.5C. EWP: 52.2mm:

Dry and settled, only a few days of an Atlantic driven incursion just after mid month. Just about cold enough to be classed as another cold but snowless month.

 

December 1963. CET: 2.6C. EWP: 30.1mm:

Very dry and settled, chilly most of month. Only the brief easterly 13th Dec and the slack northerly 18th - 20th probably brought a little bit of snow to coastal areas in the north / east otherwise no mention of any snow this month.

 

December 1976. CET: 1.8C. EWP: 94.0mm:

"The month had a stormy beginning, but this was the coldest December since 1962. It was a cold and unsettled month, but also with frost and fog. A slight sleet shower in London on Christmas Day meant that this was a technical White Christmas. the only snow producing pattern I can see was 27th-29th December, but again no mention of it anywhere.

 

December 1996. CET: 2.8C. EWP: 55.5mm:

"Cold, but not exceptionally so and dry. The southeast recorded only 15.5mm rain. An easterly month. Notable cold spell from the 21st on, particularly across the south. Some local light snow on Christmas Day, but heavier falls end of month, particularly in Kent". So apart from the final days in the south, this month was a cold one with little snow!

 

December 2001. CET: 3.5C. EWP: 43.5mm:

"Dry, sunny; colder than average. Very sunny, with many places having twice the average. The south coast did best for sunshine; totals included 119.8 hours at St. Helier (Jersey), a new December record, 115.3 at Torquay, and 115.1 at Bognor Regis. It was the driest December since 1991. After a mild start, with 16.1C at Nantmor on the 11th, became very anticyclonic, with pressure peaking at 1046mb over Scotland around the 16th. A cold end." No significant snow to note but the rounds of northerlies from the 21st likely brought some snow showers to Scotland.

 

December 2008. CET: 3.6C. EWP: 62.6mm:

"A mixed month, with a cold beginning, a mild week before Christmas, and turning cold again on Boxing Day as winds swung to the east. It was the coldest December since 2001 at the time. Mostly settled from mid month." No significant snow to note. Borderline cold enough to be put in here, especially compared to modern averages!

 

January 1908. CET: 2.5C. EWP: 55.7mm:

There is nothing written by Harley on this month or any thread about this month on Netweather's historic section so I relied only on reanalysis charts. But apart from a sliding low on the 7-9th January (which to me doesn't look that snow conducive until it moved away then brought colder air before a swift pressure rise) and a potent but brief northerly 28-29th January, there were no snow conducive synoptics this month.

      

January 1929. CET: 1.3C. EWP: 49.1mm:

"A mostly cold month, with easterly and northerly winds. Very dry over Scotland. There were a few milder spells with SW winds at the end of the month. In one such spell, Aber (North Wales) recorded 17C on the 30th." No significant or widespread snow of note.

 

January 1933. CET 2.2C. EWP: 66.9mm:

"Mild during first 10 days with rain and gales. Cold, dry, anticyclonic from the 20-29th. Generally sunny, with less than an inch of rain at Holyhead and Ross-on-Wye." Apart from some troughs disrupting against a strengthening high in Scandinavia, these looked quite weak and there are no mentions of widespread or signficant snow from them.

 

January 1964. CET 3.4C. EWP: 26.4mm:

Nothing really happened with this month other than it was just "very dry and anticyclonic, one of the driest of the century." With a CET of 3.4C it's on the borderline of being a cold month, but I will add it to the list as it's very notable how settled the month was. Fog sometimes an issue which was no surprise given the amount of high pressure. No significant or widespread snow of note.

 

January 1966. CET 2.9C. EWP: 60.3mm:

"A cold, dry, and dull month. It was -19C on the 19th in Elmstone, Kent. maximum later that day of -4C. The sea froze over at Pegwell Bay. Snow in the east 14th-22nd. An ice storm affected the south of Britain on the 20th as a depression hit the cold polar continental air brought in on the easterlies." Looking through the reanalysis charts, the main bouts of snow was likely in in the east via showers off the North Sea from 12-16th during the cold (though a relatively slack easterly). Some snow also likely on the 19th and 20th from lows coming up against the cold air. But again no mention of that being significant or widespread, and instead an ice storm on the 20th.

 

January 1997. CET 2.4C. EWP: 16.5mm:

"The driest January this century over England & Wales (18% of rainfall). It was particularly dry in North Wales / Northwest: Aberporth (Cardiganshire), Prestatyn (Flintshire), and Southport (Lancashire) saw just 3.0 mm of rain all month in total. It was very cold in the first ten days, then mild. 21 cm of snow on the Channel Islands on the morning of January 2nd, but it soon melted. The Thames was frozen at Marlow (Bucks) for the first time in 50 years. The minimum was -14.5C at Santon Downham (Suffolk) on the 3rd, -12C at Benson (Oxford) on the 2nd. Kent was badly affected by snowstorms. The first 100 hours of the month in the south were a continual frost. Thaw on the 11th, as many places in the west reached 13C on the 11th as Atlantic air moved in, and Aberdeen reached 15C on the 13th. The month was cooler than average, but not excessively so." So it looks like the only snow was at the very start of the month and in the Channel Islands / Kent, so this is a month in more recent times i'd strongly consider being cold with little snow.

 

February 1917. CET: 0.9C. EWP: 31.9mm:

"Very cold and dry; part of a very cold winter. The coldest month of the Great War. There were some severe frosts in the first three weeks of the month, culminating with -20C at Benson (Oxon) on the 6th. There was a maximum of only -5C at Benson and Ross-on-Wye on the 7th." No snow conducive synoptics looking through reanalysis.

 

February 1919. CET: 1.9C. EWP: 79.0mm:

"An easterly month, particularly in the first half -17.2 C was recorded at Woburn on the 9th. Cold and dry everywhere in the first half, but dull, wet, and milder in England in the second half. Overall it was dry and sunny in Northern Ireland and wet in the east and southeast." Looking through reanalysis, the only days I can see possible snow is with lows sliding into colder air from the 4-7th February, but any snow likely was north of the Midlands looking where warmer air reached. Other than that nothing much in the way of snowfall to note.

 

February 1932. CET: 2.9C. EWP: 8.9mm:

"A dry and anticyclonic month. It was the driest of the century over Scotland. On the 20th the pressure reached 1047mb over Scotland". No significant or widespread snow of note.

 

February 1936. CET: 2.6C. EWP: 72.0mm:

One of the few winter months which had a cold but wet combo, with no significant snow to note. A month dominated by a west based -NAO pattern, so a lot of cold rain involved. The airmass often not cold enough to bring widespread snow at least lower down in central and southern areas!

 

February 1952. CET: 3.4C. EWP: 25.8mm:

Similar to January 1964, a very anticyclonic month, though not overly cold, it's another I will include in this list. No significant or widespread snow either.

 

February 1965. CET: 3.1C. EWP: 16.4mm:

"Cold and dull month. It was very dry with a great anticyclone from 23 January to 27 February. As the high retreated, a very cold, snowy spell began, persisting into March." No significant, widespread snow to note this month, and any significant snow started into March.

 

February 1983. CET: 1.7C. EWP: 40.4mm:

Just a dry and cold month overall which is all that Harley notes. Some similarities with Feb 1986 below, but the easterlies less prolonged. No mention of significant, widespread snowfall but there very likely was some on 2-3rd and again from the 8th-11th before settling down with high pressure often nearby.

 

February 1986. CET: -1.0C. EWP: 19.9mm:

The month summary by Harley is very long so I won't copy it all here, but the main takeaway is that the snowfalls were "frequent but light" and mainly in the east. This month was very easterly dominated, meaning frequent cold temperatures and little to no snowmelt. 4th coldest month of the 20th century, and coldest since Jan 1963. Harley mentions "I find that February 1986 is often "the forgotten month" when one talks about extreme winter months in Britain. Perhaps this is because there wasn't any widespread serious disruption from heavy snow over a wide area." A good reason to include the month here. This is also the coldest month included in this thread!

 

Februaries 1900, 1901, 1902, 1907 and 1909 all had CET's of under 3C, but no mentions of any significant snow though they're all over 115 years ago...

It seems after researching this combination, cold months with not much snow were a bit more common last century compared to this century. Most winters these days don't seem to have high pressure last as long which is what is needed to lead to a build-up of increasingly potent surface cold in winter and drop the mean temperature for a given month without leading to much snow. 🤔

 

  • Like 3
Posted
  • Location: Islington, C. London.
  • Location: Islington, C. London.
Posted
15 minutes ago, Metwatch said:

January 1964. CET 3.4C. EWP: 26.4mm:

Nothing really happened with this month other than it was just "very dry and anticyclonic, one of the driest of the century." With a CET of 3.4C it's on the borderline of being a cold month, but I will add it to the list as it's very notable how settled the month was. Fog sometimes an issue which was no surprise given the amount of high pressure. No significant or widespread snow of note.

Not entirely true. For most, yes, but there was an isolated but very heavy snowfall across the south-east in January 1964. 

See my historical thread on this remarkably dry winter, the driest on record. A little bit about the snow too. The same set up now would probably just be snow grains mixed with drizzle!

 

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Posted
  • Location: Edmonton Alberta(via Chelmsford, Exeter & Calgary)
  • Weather Preferences: Sunshine and 15-25c
  • Location: Edmonton Alberta(via Chelmsford, Exeter & Calgary)
Posted

 Metwatch i remember February 1983 as being cold and snowy esp for the midlands and the north..seems looking at the charts this was the first 10 days ..the rest of the month is dominated by high pressure 

Posted
  • Location: Saddleworth, historically West Yorks, 225m asl
  • Weather Preferences: All 4 seasons and a good mixture of everything and anything!
  • Location: Saddleworth, historically West Yorks, 225m asl
Posted

Feb 1986 (before my time) has always intrigued me as the CET (-1.1) is so balmy yet I have never seen people talking about it as a classic cold snowy month. 

8 hours ago, Metwatch said:

December 2008. CET: 3.6C. EWP: 62.6mm:

"A mixed month, with a cold beginning, a mild week before Christmas, and turning cold again on Boxing Day as winds swung to the east. It was the coldest December since 2001 at the time. Mostly settled from mid month." No significant snow to note. Borderline cold enough to be put in here, especially compared to modern averages!

A fair portion of NW England/Pennines/N Derbs/W Yorks received around 5-15cm widely around 2nd-4th December 2008. 
Atlantic back in force the second week but the final third or 1/2 of the month or so was as you say very dry but with plenty of surface cold.

Posted
  • Location: Irlam
  • Location: Irlam
Posted (edited)

 Metwatch

January 1929. CET: 1.3C. EWP: 49.1mm:

"A mostly cold month, with easterly and northerly winds. Very dry over Scotland. There were a few milder spells with SW winds at the end of the month. In one such spell, Aber (North Wales) recorded 17C on the 30th." No significant or widespread snow of note.

Photos from January 1929, its a question of what you determine as significant but 10ft snow drifts over the SW moors is pretty significant for that part of the world.

image.thumb.png.bd0195b7abc2f56e2763b156800cf6e4.pngimage.thumb.png.6ec4c4b51a917307d645ec75c49d08b0.pngimage.thumb.png.19fb8a0c7a81e17477283a0d32add5a4.pngimage.thumb.png.8adf5d139c11066dde4abb1db3567c14.pngimage.thumb.png.0d630c7d70c547ee59444f1c7f3c746b.pngimage.thumb.png.68c092c7c15a93a4ee7dbfb1b34ee643.png  

 

Edited by Weather-history
  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Posted
  • Location: Hamstreet Kent, recently of Pagham nr Bognor Regis
  • Location: Hamstreet Kent, recently of Pagham nr Bognor Regis
Posted

 Metwatch On 17th December 1976 at Cardington from late in the night till the evening there was a prolonged period of snow which was disruptive, at least in the Bedford area.

  • Like 1
Posted
  • Location: Shrewsbury
  • Location: Shrewsbury
Posted

What about December 1992? It was on the cold side (3.4C, slightly colder than Dec 2001 which did have a bit of snow in these parts), yet it had no significant snow anywhere that I am aware of. I remember it particularly for a very cold, frosty and foggy period in the second half including over Christmas.

Dec 96/Jan 97 together definitely not, admittedly the coldest and snowiest period straddled the New Year but I think at least 50% of England had lying snow on the New Years Day morning. It's true that January after the first week was mostly cold but totally snowless, but the mid Dec to mid Jan period was quite a notable winter spell. 

  • Like 1
Posted
  • Location: Lincoln, Lincolnshire
  • Weather Preferences: Sunshine, convective precipitation, snow, thunderstorms, "episodic" months.
  • Location: Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Posted (edited)

I don't think most of the months suggested are good examples.

December 1963's northerly on the 18th-20th brought snow showers a fair way inland, Waddington near Lincoln for instance had some lying snow from them. December 1976 was relatively snowless for some, but not all, I recall reading that parts of Scotland had a comparably snowy December to that of 1981 for example. December 1996 had widespread snow on the night of the 26th/27th and from the easterly on 30th/31st. Many areas saw lying snow from the Arctic outbreaks in late December 2001 - the 22nd/23rd were snowy in most of eastern Britain with a temporary snow event for many on the 23rd before milder air pushed in. Parts of the Midlands had frontal snow early on the 29th and north-west England was heavily affected by snow showers late on the 29th. December 2008 had a notable snow event on the 4th in parts of northern England. The Tyne and Wear area had a substantial fall even right on the coast.

January 1966 had pretty widespread snow from easterlies around midmonth. There's a fair case for January 1997 being a month with little snow - for many it was exceptionally dry - but parts of eastern England were snow covered for the first 10 or 11 days following the snow at the end of December 1996, including Waddington and coastal Lowestoft.

I think February 1952, 1965 and 1983 all had some widespread snow events, especially 1983. February 1986 was a month of frequent light snow and thin coverings for most of the country, but north-eastern coasts and parts of the south-west had a snowy month. At Durham, snow lay on 23 days.

I agree with the suggestion of December 1992 - very cold but dry with high pressure near the end of the month. There was a big snowfall in north-east Scotland around midmonth, and some scattered wintry showers in the first week, but otherwise nothing of note, and except in north-east Scotland low lying areas generally saw no lying snow.

It's surprisingly difficult to think of other clear cut examples of cold winter months that were largely snowless (and that's in terms of snow on the ground, not just falling). My gut feeling was that it must be relatively common, but when I look closely, it appears to be rare.

Edited by Thundery wintry showers
Posted
  • Location: Islington, C. London.
  • Location: Islington, C. London.
Posted
1 minute ago, Thundery wintry showers said:

December 1976 was relatively snowless for some, but not all, I recall reading that parts of Scotland had a comparably snowy December to that of 1981 for example.

Not surprised from the synoptics. Quite a lot cold zonality earlier in the month. Probably a frustrating month in the south. IIRC I remember many days on the Heathrow station had highs between 3-7C, so just not cold enough for much in the way of snow. I imagine in the north it must have been decently snowy.

image.thumb.png.d7d0e8ebfa65ac90e342ed9499ea7bdf.pngimage.thumb.png.7d2bfe811634365cb24b27cd44b5681d.png

The jet was this active due to the absolute insanity of a winter that was unfolding on the other side of the pond. 

Posted
  • Location: Tamworth
  • Location: Tamworth
Posted

January 1980 had a CET of 2.3c which these days would be a very cold month. Nothing of note seemed to happen in this month.

  • Like 1
Posted
  • Location: Herne Bay, Kent (14 m)
  • Weather Preferences: Thunderstorms & Snow
  • Location: Herne Bay, Kent (14 m)
Posted

image.thumb.png.5a30824a1bdb99c1d3d63d80afa0454b.png

Can't say I agree with Feb 1983 on the list being a man in North Kent myself 😂

Snow cover from 8th to 20th Feb at Manston with thundersnow and 16 cm on the 9th. 

I imagine it affected a broader area than just Kent tho! 

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

I think the issue is that Trevor Harley's past monthly summaries can be pretty broad which is nice for painting a general picture of the month but can also miss fairly 'significant' (if that's how you'd define it) events. It's probably why I'd never go near doing monthly summaries so I commend him for doing so as the little things being missed would drive me mental 😂

  • Thanks 1
Posted
  • Location: Islington, C. London.
  • Location: Islington, C. London.
Posted

The Met Office monthly summaries than ran from January 1884 to December 1993 are unmatched for detail. They’ve helped me immensely during historical deep dives with information on storms, snow etc  that Trevor Harley missed entirely, especially of older years. What may have gotten lost in translation since 1925 for example is kept since each was written basically as it happened.

  • Like 1
  • Insightful 1
Posted
  • Location: Coventry, 95m asl
  • Weather Preferences: Snow Nov - Feb. Thunderstorms, 20-29°C and sun any time!
  • Location: Coventry, 95m asl
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, Thundery wintry showers said:

It's surprisingly difficult to think of other clear cut examples of cold winter months that were largely snowless (and that's in terms of snow on the ground, not just falling). My gut feeling was that it must be relatively common, but when I look closely, it appears to be rare.

Interesting points / corrections by others, and yes it appears to be very difficult to get a truly snowless winter month! I tried to include months that still had some snow but nothing overly widespread, but perhaps significant in a small part of the country. E.g some falls in south west, south east, east coast of England north Scotand etc could be allowed as they aren't widespread in the sense when compared to the area of the whole country. The true snowless months will still come from the very mild ones of course.

It's an interesting combination to explore nonetheless, as given we're surrounded by bodies of water, with a sufficiently cold enough flow, there will be snow somewhere. Only a winter month with high pressure virtually non stop - start to end is the only way to manage a cold month with minimal snow.

Edited by Metwatch
Posted
  • Location: Windermere 120m asl
  • Location: Windermere 120m asl
Posted (edited)

Reference to Jan 97, there was some snowfall early in the month from easterlies and frontal snow on the 11th.

Feb 86 locally was exceptionally dry if not bone dry NW quarter of the UK, but eastern parts saw lots of light snowfall along with Cornwall. Its certainly the forgotten month given the little snowfall, but the persistant cold has never been bettered since. 

 

Edited by damianslaw
Posted
  • Location: Longden, Shropshire
  • Location: Longden, Shropshire
Posted
1 hour ago, damianslaw said:

Feb 86 locally was exceptionally dry if not bone dry NW quarter of the UK, but eastern parts saw lots of light snowfall along with Cornwall. Its certainly the forgotten month given the little snowfall, but the persistant cold has never been bettered since. 

My area didn't actually fare too badly for snow during February 1986, and also had a decent fall on March 1st, a couple of days before the cold relented.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...