Favourite Snow Event

[Cheese Rice]

lol, I believe the forecast said 50cm over the Pennine Hills. Whilst it was still a gross exaggeration, I don't think you or I count as living on Pennine Hills, even though we're at 200m. Effectively we are on the very edge of the Pennines, and about 10/15cm fell that night, which wasn't bad at all... especially since it gave us nearly 30cm - almost a foot of snow! It wasn't really a let down, and it was obvious that forecast was OTT anyway.

For our elevation it was okay, but even then the snow turned to rain, which ruined chances of making a snowman because there was a coating of ice which made it harder and on the night you yourslf werent quite so optimistic "We're heading for a disaster. No rain here, but to me it looks like the front is pathetic after an initial decent band." "I don't know about other ppl but I have this feeling it's hardly snowed"

[maidstone weather]

A year ago today was pretty good for snow. OK it wasn't as much snow as Feb this year (i only received 5cm as opposed to the 9cm in Feb this year at 32m ASL) but it snowed all day long, and none of the forecasts could get the timing right. I remember the BBC expecting the snow to clear quickly during the morning, and the METO warning only went into the early afternoon but it just kept on snowing over the SE and didn't budge until around dusk for the far east of the SE. The Downs saw 4+ inches of snow, which was more than was forecast. It was also the most significant snow event of winter 2007/2008 or even 2008 on its own, and it didn't even happen in winter!

Today, by complete contrast, was the warmest day of the year so far here, peaking at 19.3C

Edited April 6, 2009 by maidstone weather

[Yeti]

For our elevation it was okay, but even then the snow turned to rain, which ruined chances of making a snowman because there was a coating of ice which made it harder and on the night you yourslf werent quite so optimistic "We're heading for a disaster. No rain here, but to me it looks like the front is pathetic after an initial decent band." "I don't know about other ppl but I have this feeling it's hardly snowed"

It didn't turn to rain here

Sustained snowfall throughout the night, although where I work at 70m it had clearly rained as it bore the icy coating that you describe. Of course I was quite disappointed on the night, although in retrospect, I don't believe there was much cause for complaint. The only thing that did annoy me is that it was incredibly obvious by 8-9pm, simply by looking at the radar, that it was 10-15cm tops, but the Meto ploughed on with their fantastical forecasts until 11pm when they finally admitted there was due to be a "bit less than expected" - for that, in my opinion, there was little excuse and they clearly hadn't looked at the radar!

[tundra]

I can certainly relate to people being disappointed when forcasts of heavy snowfall don't materialise despite having deep snow on the ground already.

Here in Herts we had about 6 inches of snow through Sunday night the 1st and Monday morning the 2nd of Feb but, 6 inches or so was forcast to fall later during the afternoon and evening and then later in the week thursday and Friday was expected to produce a further foot (30cm) of the white stuff.

This would have brought a further 18 inches (45cm) to the 6 inches we already had but what we actually got was a further inch possibly two (hard to tell because of slow thaw and sleety rain as well).

This would have been far and away the best snow that i would have seen in these parts in over 40 years living here but a little voice told me hang on are we sure here i mean even in the good old 60's, 70's and 80's we had never seen anything like that and sure enough... yes very disappointed.

[johnholmes]

I like this thread-some excellent posts about years gone by and it has some rather fanciful, to my eyes, perceived understanding of some of the weather warnings issued, be it on here or from UK Met during the past winter.

I doubt, but do please prove me wrong if you have the proof, that there was mention of 30cm WITHOUT some mention of elevation and probably a mention of the hills, hillier areas etc?

this was the NW Alert issued, I think, on the 4th Feb for the next ? 3 days

front continues slow progress north during Thursday morning before becoming slow moving or stationary between SW England and Lincolnshire for the rest of the day. Wales, parts of the West Country north of the Cotswolds, The Midlands and northern England are likely to see several hours of snowfall lasting through into Friday morning ... accumulations of 5 to 10cm are likely in places ... perhaps 20 to 30cm over high ground in these areas ... this will likely lead to widespread travel disruption through into Friday. During Friday, the

Edited April 6, 2009 by johnholmes

[Rustynailer]

Thinking about it, although I lived "up North in the Peak district" during the late 70's early 80's, the winter of 91 is my favorite as it convinced me that moving down south still did not mean the end of a good winter.

Truly its 91 here on this Southern isle that did it for me.

OK so it has not happened since... Give her time.

Russ.

[Cheese Rice]

In the year 2000 when a foot fell on new years eve and i remember my mate calling me saying they are stranded on the motorway in Leeds center having to push there car in the middle of the motorway. Fortuantley many others where doing the same. The snowfall came as a great suprise as i hadnt checked the forecast in quite some time adding to the excitment, it did turn to rain though around 1am and an awfull lot had thawed during the night, but still a new years eve to remeber .

It didn't turn to rain here :lol:

Sustained snowfall throughout the night, although where I work at 70m it had clearly rained as it bore the icy coating that you describe. Of course I was quite disappointed on the night, although in retrospect, I don't believe there was much cause for complaint. The only thing that did annoy me is that it was incredibly obvious by 8-9pm, simply by looking at the radar, that it was 10-15cm tops, but the Meto ploughed on with their fantastical forecasts until 11pm when they finally admitted there was due to be a "bit less than expected" - for that, in my opinion, there was little excuse and they clearly hadn't looked at the radar!

Agree, i and many others rely too much on the beeb/meto and they seem to go into extreme ramp mode, and i believe them, even when the conditons arent good from the ofset.

[damianslaw]

I think Leeds is about level with Sunderland and Norwich, with a 1971-2000 mean of about 10 days per year with lying snow. Newcastle, Durham and Sheffield averaged nearer 15 days. I experienced two significant snowfalls in March 2006 while I was there- a good 5cm or so on the 12th. Leeds tends to miss most snow events from northerlies (due to shelter from the North York moors) but tends to pick up a lot of snow from easterlies.

The central part of Edinburgh actually gets surprisingly little snow with a 71-00 mean below 10 days per year near the Firth of Forth, though the hillier suburbs in the south get rather more. A similar assessment applies to Glasgow where the low-lying areas around the Clyde get less than 10 per year. But Aberdeen certainly gets a lot more- a mean of around 20 days per year.

In contrast, to take two other cities I've previously lived in or near, Lancaster averaged just 6 days per year, and Exeter only 3.

The Leeds snowstorm of 1995 is quite well documented- it occurred on the 25th January, from a frontal system that initially brought rain that soon turned to snow in many parts of northern England, and there were reports of 40cm in three hours.

Remember hearing about the Leeds Snowstorm in 1995 and thinking what a surprise especially the amounts. I recall getting about 6 inches in the space of 4 hours in Windermere before it turned to rain and then quickly thawed, I guess the front stalled as it reached the Pennines engaging the cold air for longer.

[Cheese Rice]

I think Leeds is about level with Sunderland and Norwich, with a 1971-2000 mean of about 10 days per year with lying snow. Newcastle, Durham and Sheffield averaged nearer 15 days. I experienced two significant snowfalls in March 2006 while I was there- a good 5cm or so on the 12th. Leeds tends to miss most snow events from northerlies (due to shelter from the North York moors) but tends to pick up a lot of snow from easterlies.

The central part of Edinburgh actually gets surprisingly little snow with a 71-00 mean below 10 days per year near the Firth of Forth, though the hillier suburbs in the south get rather more. A similar assessment applies to Glasgow where the low-lying areas around the Clyde get less than 10 per year. But Aberdeen certainly gets a lot more- a mean of around 20 days per year.

In contrast, to take two other cities I've previously lived in or near, Lancaster averaged just 6 days per year, and Exeter only 3.

The Leeds snowstorm of 1995 is quite well documented- it occurred on the 25th January, from a frontal system that initially brought rain that soon turned to snow in many parts of northern England, and there were reports of 40cm in three hours.

40cm in three hours :lol: , that puts the Feb 2nd event to shame of 10-15cm in around 12 hours.

[high ground birmingham]

I think Birmingham tends to be a quite snowy city at times partly due to its elevation. Recent years have produced some notable events:

Feb 2009 was certainly impressive.

My favourite has to be 8th-9th Feb 2007 with 9 inches of lying snow by the end of Friday 9th.

November 28th 2005 was pretty fun considering it was unexpected.

March 12th 2004 was pretty notable as well as Jan 28th 2004. The 2003-04 winter despite being mild produced some good snow events

Late December 2000 snow was also pretty good.

Regards, hgb

[Yeti]

Thinking about it, although I lived "up North in the Peak district" during the late 70's early 80's, the winter of 91 is my favorite as it convinced me that moving down south still did not mean the end of a good winter.

Truly its 91 here on this Southern isle that did it for me.

OK so it has not happened since... Give her time.

Russ.

The Peak District is not "up North"!!!! :lol:

I like this thread-some excellent posts about years gone by and it has some rather fanciful, to my eyes, perceived understanding of some of the weather warnings issued, be it on here or from UK Met during the past winter.

I doubt, but do please prove me wrong if you have the proof, that there was mention of 30cm WITHOUT some mention of elevation and probably a mention of the hills, hillier areas etc?

this was the NW Alert issued, I think, on the 4th Feb for the next ? 3 days

front continues slow progress north during Thursday morning before becoming slow moving or stationary between SW England and Lincolnshire for the rest of the day. Wales, parts of the West Country north of the Cotswolds, The Midlands and northern England are likely to see several hours of snowfall lasting through into Friday morning ... accumulations of 5 to 10cm are likely in places ... perhaps 20 to 30cm over high ground in these areas ... this will likely lead to widespread travel disruption through into Friday. During Friday, the

Lol, 50cm "over the Pennines"... Sorry but even on the top of Cross Fell it wouldn't have been anywhere near that... still, I'm not going to complain. It was poor that they didn't look at the radar - but there was so much going on in SE England I didn't expect them to pay much attention to North Yorkshire

Seriously though, at the end of the day, it didn't really matter; nearly 30cm of snow that lasted a very long time, and it was obvious they were being a bit rampy anyway!

[cheeky_monkey]

it is always interesting to see peoples perception of what is a good snow event simply by their age and location. I you are over a certain age most of the good events are memories of pre 1992.

For me a good event has to be something longer lasting than a couple of days ie heavy snowfall that then hung around comfortably for at least a week. That's why alot of recent events inc this february wouldnt even get into my top 10.

i do remember one event in the winter of 1979 that dumped a huge amount of snow during a 12hour spell schools closed and sent home etc..which slowly turned to rain and by the next morning had been washed away by heavy rain and much milder temperatures. To me this was a massive disapointment not a favourite event (while everybody is talking about let downs)cant remember when exactly in 1979 it was... anyone have any clues?

Edited April 7, 2009 by cheeky_monkey

[Tucco]

it is always interesting to see peoples perception of what is a good snow event simply by their age and location. I you are over a certain age most of the good events are memories of pre 1992.

For me a good event has to be something longer lasting than a couple of days ie heavy snowfall that then hung around comfortably for at least a week. That's why alot of recent events inc this february wouldnt even get into my top 10.

i do remember one event in the winter of 1979 that dumped a huge amount of snow during a 12hour spell schools closed and sent home etc..which slowly turned to rain and by the next morning had been washed away by heavy rain and much milder temperatures. To me this was a massive disapointment not a favourite event (while everybody is talking about let downs)cant remember when exactly in 1979 it was... anyone have any clues?

Could been several occasion during winter 1978/79 perhaps around the 17th Feb ?

1978/79 was snowier in terms of days of lying snow than either 1947/1963 in some parts of the country esp higher ground away from the SE/Midlands.

Mark

Teesdale,Co Durham

Edited April 7, 2009 by Tucco

[slaphead]

Good morning! This is a very rare event for me to post here but usually try to make comment about snow events of the past. Being a current resident of West London we were very much spoiled this year for the snow in early February- heaviest I have seen in UK for many a year- with 6-8" probably since 1991. I have no doubts however about my favourite snow event and am surprised that people do not go on about it more- February 1985. I was living in South Staffordshire at the time, so perhaps the more extreme fall was more localised than I imagined. Many of the details of it are very vivid in my mind despite (or perhaps because of) the fact I was only 13 at the time.

The whole event began in an unusual way. Travelling to school that morning it was cold but raining quite heavily. During school assembly however the rain turned to snow quite suddenly as we watched out of the window. The first two lessons of the day were double French with Mr Ackroyd and the snow was incredible, piling down huge flakes, not especially powdery at that point. By morning break there must have been 4-5 inches of snow, fallen within about 1 1/2 hours. During the rest of the day some really cold air seemed to cut in, the snow turned to powder and the wind really got up. By the time I left school at 4pm I would have said there must have been at least 12-16 inches of snow- however the wind and powder meant it was impossible to tell in many parts. That evening my journey out of Walsall on the 6 mile journey home took over 4 hours- a combination of bus, walking and a lift off a neighbour. The most amazing things however were:

1. Traffic stuck on the main roundabout by the aboretum in Walsall in snow almost knee deep- at RUSH HOUR!!

2. Drifts across the main road between Walsall and Rushall than were several feet deep.

3. Out walking the following weekend- hedge-top drifts by the local canal easily over 6 feet deep and accidentally falling onto the frozen canal as a cornice of hedge top snow collapsed under me (that hurt- the canal was as hard as concrete).

4. Digging huge snow tunnels in the drifts which blew out of the local park.

After this initial event there was sunshine and freezing cold. Great time to be a kid!!

Nothing comes quite as close although Jan 1987 was not bad but less drifting, Dec 1990 midlands snow storm was amazing but I missed the best of it as I was at University in Exeter and got back as it was thawing. Similarly Feb. 1991 was good, with excellent drifting but I only saw this briefly on a weekend visit home. Feb 1994 in Nottingham surprisingly good, and Feb 1996 back in South Staffs also not bad- mostly rubbish after that to be honest although the 2000s have on the whole been better than the 1990s I think.

Any other 1985 memories?

[Thundery wintry showers]

January '85 was particularly cold and snowy according to the stats.

[slaphead]

Yes January 1985 was a fairly exceptional month according to the stats- odd then that compared to the February event of that year I hardly remember Jan 1985. I wonder a fair bit about this because I remember many of the other winter months of this period quite well even earlier ones than this that were much less exceptional- we had decent snow in Jan 1984 for example- I remember because I got home from a day of building snowmen to have my Sunday evening bath to find I had german measles- two weeks off school and I never did get to grips with Algebra!!

[Cheese Rice]

There was a really good event 3 years back, when there was heavy snow throughout sunday, the snow started at around 8am on sunday morning and settled quite rapidly and drifted in strong winds, by about 11am the snow was very heavy added with strong winds made blizzard like conditon, the snow finished at 3pm, with about 15-20cm of lying snow which is a lot considering at the time my old house was 60m asl, the snow suprisingly started again at around 9pm, but didnt add too much. Anyone else remeber that event ??

[cheeky_monkey]

Could been several occasion during winter 1978/79 perhaps around the 17th Feb ?

Mark

Teesdale,Co Durham

after searching through the archives i have found it..i remember it being a friday..and looking at the charts it was definetly friday 19th Janaury 1979

[Cheese Rice]

It didn't turn to rain here

Sustained snowfall throughout the night, although where I work at 70m it had clearly rained as it bore the icy coating that you describe. Of course I was quite disappointed on the night, although in retrospect, I don't believe there was much cause for complaint. The only thing that did annoy me is that it was incredibly obvious by 8-9pm, simply by looking at the radar, that it was 10-15cm tops, but the Meto ploughed on with their fantastical forecasts until 11pm when they finally admitted there was due to be a "bit less than expected" - for that, in my opinion, there was little excuse and they clearly hadn't looked at the radar!

It was only good for our elevation, many areas pretty much East of Leeds saw plenty of rain or a wintry mixture which did nothing, i remember on the night watching Look north and Paul hudson saying at 10:30pm it was raining heavily in York because one of the presenters texted him complaining saying that he expected snow, and even on the webcam at BBC leeds (in Leeds center) it was sleeting so for everyone else it was a huge let down

[tundra]

I like this thread-some excellent posts about years gone by and it has some rather fanciful, to my eyes, perceived understanding of some of the weather warnings issued, be it on here or from UK Met during the past winter.

I doubt, but do please prove me wrong if you have the proof, that there was mention of 30cm WITHOUT some mention of elevation and probably a mention of the hills, hillier areas etc?

No proof, not that i need any since i am quite able to follow a forcast, but my bad for listening to the BBC who i think work in conjunction with the met.