Another 1987?

[Blitzen]

With all the talk of a possible cold February I thought I would refresh peoples' memories of what we would like to see happening again. We can but dream!

[Matty M]

I'd prefer an 82' thanks.

[Blitzen]

I'd prefer an 82' thanks.

I can see why! :lol:

[Paul Sherman]

Lol

Once In a Lifetime, Level Snow depth of 21 Inches at Southend :lol: :lol: I remember seeing a few 20 Foot Drifts by about the 14th January, this was the 3rd day of 10 that our school was closed (Was 15 at the time) In fact i remember that Saturday afternoon with 1 after the other of Continous Heavy Snow showers with Thundersnow, these showers typically lasted about 90 Minutes each with only fleeting glimpses of Blue Sky in between and dumped about 4" with each shower, but it was the Easterly that whipped up the Snowdrifts.

Ah Memories

Paul S

[kaz]

i remember 87 well.. I was living in Arborfield then nr reading and i had just had my little lad, trying to push a pram in those conditions was a nightmare, also we were in Army houses and it was so cold i remember having to scrape the ice off the inside of the windows..

But for us here in the south west 1978 is the one we all remember and talk about we even know the day and the time the snow started, it was a sat and it was lunchtime .. didnt stop snowing for 3 day's only way to get out of the cottage was to jump into the snow drifts from the bedroom windows OH What FUN for us kids.

lol kaz xx

[Marcus_surfer]

Looks amazing, wish i was alive to see that, theres a good few feet of snow there

[high ground birmingham]

Jan 1987 is probably a once in a century event

[dodge]

I remember lots of snowy days at infant/primary school during the mid/late 80's - then it seems as soon as I entered comprehensive education, snowy winters dropped like a stone in frequency.

Just read the article above, that's what you call real snowy period lol- lasts over week, windswept snowdrifts and icicles hanging from the house rooftops. These days it's the rollercoaster ride of marginal conditions; i.e. cloud cover, precipitation, and the temperatures being low enough, but back then it was just snow, snow, snow...

Edited January 24, 2009 by dodgeredee

[trickydicky]

Jan 1987 is probably a once in a century event

Not really, in December 1995 it was colder. I don't get the facination with this event, didn't it only last a week or thereabouts? On that basis I would prefer any of the famous cold spells really, short cold snaps are fairly common, long ones less so. Although I was only 18 months old at the time and therefore have no real experience of it, I like the sound of February 1986, from what I understand this lasted the whole month? That would be nice.

[high ground birmingham]

Not really, in December 1995 it was colder. I don't get the facination with this event, didn't it only last a week or thereabouts? On that basis I would prefer any of the famous cold spells really, short cold snaps are fairly common, long ones less so. Although I was only 18 months old at the time and therefore have no real experience of it, I like the sound of February 1986, from what I understand this lasted the whole month? That would be nice.

No i mean the actual Jan 1987 event, not the month as a whole. The fascination with this event is the severity of the cold that was associated with it with extremely low max and low min temps.

[Snowyowl9]

January 1987 was colder than december 1995 as a whole.

A once in a lifetime event for exceptional cold upper air nothing will beat this,fluffy snow showers very lightly falling thats how I remember it and no thawing in the sun ANYWHERE. I seen other winters when that happened though in the 80`s in particular.

Edited January 24, 2009 by Snowyowl9

[Stelmer]

I remember 87 well. Back then we did something that would strike fear in many hearts - Walk to school.

It gets worse...we even played out in the snow at playtime

The image of an entire block of terraced houses with the roof guttering covered in icicles like a scene from a horror movie is still as powering now, as it was then. They lasted a few days too. Wish I had a photo

[Cookie]

what is it about 87? major storm and lots of snow.

[Snow Queen one]

I moved into my first house in 87 and it had no central heating when i woke up in the morning my curtains had frozen to my window. We had a front door that opened out onto the pavement and we had to lean out of the top floor window to knock the icicles off the guttering so that they did not fall on people passing by. Town was at a standstill and the roads were blocked.

The lorries due to deliver the groceries to the shops could not get into the town. Good times but bl**dy cold

[Beano]

January 1987 was colder than december 1995 as a whole.

A once in a lifetime event for exceptional cold upper air nothing will beat this,fluffy snow showers very lightly falling thats how I remember it and no thawing in the sun ANYWHERE. I seen other winters when that happened though in the 80`s in particular.

that still looks a bit margnal for my neck of the woods snowy!!! see that -30hpa at the western end of baffin? well that that would be condusive to a nasty sleet storm here

Edited January 25, 2009 by arron123

[snowray]

January 1987 was colder than december 1995 as a whole.

A once in a lifetime event for exceptional cold upper air nothing will beat this,fluffy snow showers very lightly falling thats how I remember it and no thawing in the sun ANYWHERE. I seen other winters when that happened though in the 80`s in particular.

OMG, thought that was tonights 18z!

[damianslaw]

Jan 1987 was quite exceptional though it was really only an event for the eastern half of the country, for Kent and Essex a notably very severe weather event. In Windermere I don't remember great snow depths We were doing a weather project at school, distinctly remember it being -5 degrees on consecutive mornings at about 10am - nothing that exceptional, our best cold spells come courtesy of northerly and north easterly airstreams courtesy of the greenland high, easterlies loose there potency.

[Bad2thebone79]

I live in mid essex and remember 1987 well. I was only little but loved being off school and playing in it.

Most, if not all, of the surrounding areas were cut off and roads were almost impassible.

I'd love to see it happen again

[Weather-history]

The winter of 1986-87 is overrated for me. December 1986 was largely mild and zonal and February 1987 was unremarkable. March 1987 was more wintry than either of those two months.

January 1987 saved that winter, it is believed to be the coldest easterly flow since 1740. In this part of Manchester, I remember the cold and we had a few snow flurries on the Sunday, heavier snow showers on the Monday and Tuesday morning there was a slight covering. Wednesday morning brought the further steady snow and we had a covering enough to make snowmen and snowball fights.

The cover lasted into the weekend.

One trick pony for me that winter although March was cold and snowy at times.

Edited January 26, 2009 by Mr_Data

[Albion Snowman]

A max temp of -8C and mins of -13C? Gosh thats cold! Talking of scraping ice off the inside, i had to scrape the inside of the car windscreen on one of the days in the cold snap just gone! Although i bet it was nothing on the scale experienced back then!