Memories and stats of 81 anyone?

[earsnow]

Fuzzy memories of december 1981.My dad died in late nov,it started to snow at his funeral.I can remember huge icicles hanging from my mums house(about 3ft long) and the snow hung around for ages. I think it started to melt on xmas night.

Anyone got some good stories?

[Yellowbelly]

An incredible month. Most sources give it as the coldest December last century, despite starting and ending relatively mild. Lying snow in quantity for many on Christmas Day, but not falling snow, so technically not a white Christmas.

The snow from the falls around 8th to 10th never shifted, temperatures near freezing by day fell away rapidly after dark. Diesel froze, buses did not run, ice rutted on major roads, football and racing cancelled wholesale.

Most members will already know, however newcomers to Trevor Harley's website on British weather will find it entertaining, not least for his description of December 1981. But don't quote from it without the owners permission. Any good search engine will find it.

[drgl]

Pic from '81

[Terminal Moraine]

I remember pruning Thorn trees when the temperature was -18c. The trees were covered in 2cm of rime which showered down at the slightest touch and the arboricultural wound paint set like a solid bitumen block in the can and had to be put in a bonfire to melt it.

I can also remember some huge temperature inversions. Working all day outdoors with daytime maxima around -8 to -11c in the valleys where freezing fog persisted all day only to get home to find it had been sunny all day with a max' of about -1c.

The mean max' and min' for that month were 1.7c and -2.3c here, the lowest min' was -7.4c on Boxing day. 22 mornings with lying snow and a max' single fall of 19cm on the 13th.

T.M