December 2000

[andy_leics22]

December 28th/29th 2000

I remember this event as probably my most memorable snow event since I have been alive, Temps dropped as low as -13 across some parts of the Midlands and in Leicester we had 3-4 inches fall and stayed for days as the temperature never got above freezing even at the warmest point in the day.

Here is a BBC article about it...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/s...000/2547421.stm

It must be one of the most potent cold snaps for many people in the last 15 years, here are just some of the things that are said in the article...

It is the first significant widespread snowfall in Britain for seven years with overnight temperatures falling to their lowest for more than ten years.

Northern Ireland has seen the worst snow fall in 18 years.

London was covered in snow for the first time since 1994 and the Millennium wheel was brought to a halt because of ice.

While parts of Devon, Cardiff and Cumbria were covered in one inch of snow, up to six inches fell in Wales.

A powerful cold weather front known as The Snowplough has been pushing snow in a loop across Scandinavia, Scotland and Ireland down over England towards France, covering the whole of Britain for the first time in six years.

[Costa Del Fal]

Yes i remmeber something like that here too!

[Lettucing Gutted]

I was going on the bus to Blackpool that morning of the 28th for shopping in the post Christmas sales. The bus got stuck in snow for ten minutes on the A585 in Kirkham!

Edited January 26, 2007 by Craig Evans

[Weather-history]

Here's one or two photos I took of the event

http://www.netweather.tv/forum/index.php?showtopic=13823

[Summer of 95]

That was another letdown for Shrewsbury- only 2cm snow here despite the temp going down to -13C. It was only light snow that stopped and started at least once during the night, not continuous heavy snow like was forecast and most other places seemed to get.

[high ground birmingham]

The 28th December event has far been the best winter event so far this 21st century. I recieved 5 inches of snow and then lovely night time minima of -10C. It was memorable the way the snow just didn't melt for days. I think the last of the snow melted on 1st Jan.

Since then, I think only the Jan 28th 2004 thundersnow event came close to matching that event.

[Thundery wintry showers]

In Cleadon, there were some hail and sleet showers on Christmas Eve, but no white Christmas. A moderate snow shower on the morning of Boxing Day produced about a centimetre of snow, which stuck around in sunshine during the next two days due to the low temperatures.

On the 28th we missed the main frontal event (it couldn't get over the Pennines), but picked up some east-coast snow showers instead, as a slight easterly drift picked up, changing to a strong northerly overnight 28th/29th. At 4:50am on the 29th I was woken up by a loud clap of thunder; this was my first sighting of "thundersnow" although I had seen hail and sleet accompanied by thunder a few times previously. There was a 7cm snow cover on the 29th, which did not melt significantly until the 31st as a band of sleet moved in from the west.

The December 2000 event shows that it is possible to get a near countrywide snow event from a northerly, provided that some kind of major trough or polar low forms in the airflow.

[andy_leics22]

Catchmydrift, I had never heard of the term of 'snowplough' in regards to a certain weather event, maybe thats something to look out for in future, a snow plough coming over the UK That snowplough defanitly gave me the best snowfall and snowcover I have seen for about 10 years. I mean for it to snow around 3-4 inches and then stay for the best part of 4 days with temps as low as -13 in places, it didn't have a chance of melting! Unlike every snow event we have had since then when as soon as daylight breaks, it starts to melt

[cheeky_monkey]

The 28th December event has far been the best winter event so far this 21st century. I recieved 5 inches of snow and then lovely night time minima of -10C. It was memorable the way the snow just didn't melt for days. I think the last of the snow melted on 1st Jan.

Since then, I think only the Jan 28th 2004 thundersnow event came close to matching that event.

technically the 28th december 2000 was still the 20th century..the 21st century started on jan 1 2001....lol

[I remember Atlantic 252]

that was a snowy spell for me aswell 28-30 dec 2000 but turned mild on new years eve with a quick thaw

[Thundery wintry showers]

One slight quibble from that article saying "London was covered in snow for the first time since 1994".

London was also snow-covered during the end of the first week of December 1995, and at intervals during February 1996. It's probably more accurate to say that it was the most significant snow event in the area since 1994.

[Summer of 95]

One slight quibble from that article saying "London was covered in snow for the first time since 1994".

London was also snow-covered during the end of the first week of December 1995, and at intervals during February 1996. It's probably more accurate to say that it was the most significant snow event in the area since 1994.

I think it meant the whole of London? IIRC the early Dec 1995 snows were of the "east coast shower" variety and gave decent accumulations to the East of London but very little to the west (the real fun started later in the month in N and W Britain); Hampstead had a max depth of only 2cm so it's possible that parts of London struggled to get a cover. I can remember during the last week of Jan 1996 a TV weather forecast that pointed a camera "out over London" and there was maybe 1cm on the roofs, but again that was only a small area of London.

Again if any part of London was covered in Feb 1996 I would think it was from the NE'ly around the 19th-22nd which was mostly another "east only" event; parts of East Anglia IIRC did well, there was 4cm at Hampstead and Epping according to the respective websites so N and NE London almost certainly had a cover, however it's possible that central, west and south London missed out.

I was told by someone living in west London that snow briefly settled there in April 1998, but again that was only one area of such a huge city.