3ft drifts in Manchester city centre.......February 1900

[Weather-history]

According to reports at the time, there were 3ft snow drifts in Manchester city centre on the 12th of February 1900. This snowfall was just one of a number that struck the UK during the first half of February 1900, in one of the snowiest spells to hit the UK.

The wintry spell began on the 28th January

There were frequent spells of snow right up to the 15th of February. The biggest snowfall came on the 10th/11th, when a low tracked across central parts of the UK bringing heavy snowfalls. Here's the synoptic maps for the snowstorm taken from an old Weather magazine.

Parts of Manchester recorded a foot of snow and across many parts of the UK there was generally between a foot and two feet of snow.

28th January-15th February CET: 0.1

Here is from the Times of 12th February 1900 of the snowstorm

[johnholmes]

now even I don't remember that!

[Greyowl]

now even I don't remember that!

Are you sure John. :lol:

Can you imagine if anything like that happened today.

Thanks Kevin another interesting post.

[johnholmes]

Are you sure John.

well I used to be now I'm ???

goes off to try and count on fingers, very very hard being asked for a definite answer

[Pennine Ten Foot Drifts]

It's amazing isn't it - there is a whole section devoted to reporting on ice skating conditions, and the comments make it sound like stretches of water frozen enough to skate on were expected, rather than unusual, with the most common complaint being that falling snow had spoiled the skating conditions !!! It's like reading about a different country..............

[Coast]

And some photos of the events:

Railway workers and local volunteers had to dig to clear the line of snow, a photograph taken in 1900 on the Highland line in Scotland

[Roger J Smith]

That's interesting, as Feb 1900 was also a very stormy month in the Great Lakes region, with deep lows tracking further south than usual, bringing mostly heavy snowfalls. There was a particularly heavy mix of snow and sleet Feb 28 to Mar 1 spanning the missing leap year day (1900 was not a leap year).

[Weather-history]

Last year I wrote an article about the exceptionally snowy first half to February 1900. Here is further info on this month.

Snow depths

February 2nd

Camden Square: 5.5"

Enfield: 7"

Weybridge: 7"

Burgess Hill: 3"

Liphook: 8"

Hartney Wintney: 12.5"

St Albans: 9"

Slough: 6.5"

Kempton Park: 6"

West Surrey: 9"

Northampton: 12"

Swindon: 12"

8th Feburary

North Wales: 7"

Dumfriesshire: 9"

Grantown: 12"

9th February

Barrow-in-Furness: 12"

Workington: Thunder and lightning, 6ft drifts

Kendal: 12"

Valencia: 14"

10th February

Manchester: 24hrs of snow, 3ft drifts in city streets

Rochdale: 8.5"

Blackburn: 8"

Huddersfield: 12"

Brighouse: 18"

Halifax: 12"

Bradford: 8"

Keighley: 12"

Harrogate: 12"

Scarborough: 12"

Northallerton and Wensleydale: 18"

Duns: 18"

11th February

Knaresborough: 12"

Sunderland: 12"

13th February

Finchley: 5.5"

North Oxfordshire: 15"

Oxford: 9"

Camborne: 5"

North Cornwall: 10"

Weston-Super-Mare: 9"

Bath: 12"

Clifton: 9"

Bishopton: 8"

Forest of Dean: 18"

Gloucester: 12"

Evesham: 9"

Montmouthshire: 8"

Blaenavon: 10"

Aberdare: 12"

14th February

Ross-on-Wye: 8.5"

Bournemouth:1"

Woodchester: 18"

Nottingham: 5"

15th February

South Nottinghamshire: 9"

Sheffield: 16"

[Weather-history]

After today's big snowfall for the Greater Manchester area, here's a reminder of this event.....