Fond Memories of Winters passed

[The PIT]

Well the first one I can really remember was 68. Waking up to see a white world the Snow stopping and the promise of more to come. Didn't happen during the day but I remember looking at the grey coloured skies and wishing. Being small I sank into the drifts and my Fatehr had to carry me over the drifts. First lesson on how tiring Snow physically can be.

Next was the White Xmas of 1970. Can remember much about it bar waking up.

Then came relatively snowless years. More likely to be duff memory more than anything but Snow seemed rare.

The Hot Summer of 76 was the followed by the first to me proper winter for some time.

Next one I think was 78/79 (Maybe wrong) Loads of Snow so much even us kids got fed up with it. Fronts pushed up from the South and ground to halt over us. For days we went to sleep with Snow falling and it was still Snow when we woke up. I built a huge ten foot pile of Snow out front as we cleared fall after fall of Snow of the drive. Although ten foot it was tiny compaired to some 15 ft that poeple further up the road built. It was the only year that we seemed to have a Spring melt as well. The Snow line slowly receeding. What was impressive was the differance in temp between Snow free areas and the Snow fields. Quite Noticable. Finally the huge blocks of concrete and numerous bricks fell through the melting ice in Graves park pond. How some got there I don't know but youths managed to get them well out into the middle of the lake. For me this was the best winter I can remember.

1980/81 brought headlines of the next ice age as very cold weather moved south during December. The first falls dodged up as fell over the South. A few days later a Snow Shower delivered the first of a long lived Snow cover. Finally a Low preasure osuhed up from the South West with the Met Office announcing a Thaw that would clear the country. Even better they rang up us asking what the weather was doing. Snowing said my Father. Don't worry said the Met office rep it's raining in Birmingham soon be there. Two's later the Snow stopped but apart from a few short lived ice crystals didn't turn to rain. It stayed cold but dry. The evening forecast explained that the front had got stuck but it would soon get a move on. I looked at the chart and couldn't see how. The main low driving it had pushed up to iceland leaving a slack flow along the front. I didn't believe the front was going to make it. I went out for a walk and it started Snow again then stopped. I walked a bit furtehr and it started again. I came home and announced that the front was returning West. My Father told to stop talking rubbish. The next morning the Snow as back fairly light but the a Low had formed over France and Easterly Winds had done job and pushed the cold air back. Several times fronts tried to break the cold snap only to be driven back. Sadly the Cold spell didn't go out with a bang just faded away as SW spread slowly up the country from one the biggest Lows I'd ever seen.

The last really cold un I remember was 87. Although it really hit the SE most of all it was bloomin cold and we had a nice bit of Snow from it.

[shuggee]

Sorry Pit, but this has to go in the historical weather section to help free the current discussion up from the clutter