Your Favourite Snow Event?

[mcweather]

For me it has to be the great southwest blizzard of February 18th/19th 1978. 30 hours of almost continuous very heavy drifting snow blown along by severe gale force winds. Drifts of 10-15 feet were common place even in lowland parts of Dorset. In exposed locations drifts up to 30 feet deep were the order of the day. All roads west of bournemouth blocked for the best part of a week. Despite the return of winter weather to these shores over the last few winters nothing I have seen locally or reported on television from other parts has come anywhere near it in terms of single one off snowfall event.

[Verglas]

a winter somewhere about 1967-ish, I got to work in the snow, was told to set off home again but couldn't get up the first hill, the car I had was rear engine rear wheel drive, the front wouldn't steer with so little weight so I borrowed about 12 bricks to put in the front (boot), but had to make for my Uncle's farm where I stayed overnight. The snow stopped falling during the evening and I went out with my cousin to try and find buried cars in snowdrifts about 8ft deep between the hedges.

Next morning my cousin got the tractor and started to dig his way out to the main road where he met the highways snowploughs.

[Weather-history]

Difficult.

Early January 2010 gave a deep covering but I didn't see it as it happened in the early hours.

For me, it was late December 2000. We hadn't had a decent snowfall for some time, there were very few snowfalls from January 1997 to December 2000 and I was up watching the snow coming down in the early hours. Very festive it was.

Late January 1996 and early February 1996 were also up there.

Edited January 23, 2011 by Mr_Data

[Ben_Cambs]

Easily February 2009, I saw three decent snowfalls in 5 days

1st/2nd Feb: 24 hours of convectional snow delivered between 8-10 inches of snow.

5th Feb: About 7 inches during the early hours, clearing just after dawn.

6th Feb: A further 4 inches

It was such as shame that there was a milder sector after the first snowfall which melted most of the snow. The second event was very marginal, only about 20 miles south of here got rain. The third was pretty decent after colder uppers had returned back south. There was also another snowfall of 3 inches on the 12th.

Edited January 23, 2011 by Ben_Cambs

[iand61]

for me it would have to be early 1982 where a succesion of falls left over two feet of level snow which laid well into February.

the most unusual one was April 1981 which dumped almost 2 feet of snow in a two day blizzard, this following a very warm spell earlier in the week.

however my most memorable one was February 1979 where huge blizzards piled snow higher than the tops of the downstairs windows and blocked local main and side roads with drifts, 15 feet deep in places.

snow still laid in gully's on the moors in May that year.

oh to have had a camera in those days.

[cheeky_monkey]

For me it has to be the great southwest blizzard of February 18th/19th 1978. 30 hours of almost continuous very heavy drifting snow blown along by severe gale force winds. Drifts of 10-15 feet were common place even in lowland parts of Dorset. In exposed locations drifts up to 30 feet deep were the order of the day. All roads west of bournemouth blocked for the best part of a week. Despite the return of winter weather to these shores over the last few winters nothing I have seen locally or reported on television from other parts has come anywhere near it in terms of single one off snowfall event.

i would agree with this one..i lived in Exeter back then cars completely buried... drifts up the underside of roofs so you could literally step out of your bedroom window into snow. This event has never been surpassed even by anything i have witnessed in Canada!!

[Costa Del Fal]

18th December 2010! A good solid 8 hours or so of non stop very heavy snowfall. All the roads gridlocked, which all became peaceful and quiet later.

20cm of pure bliss!

[slaphead]

This was the most severe blizzard most snowfall and most cutting east wind ever,I`ve seen was January 1982 but shorter lived to...

Fave is february 1985 blizzards 10inches but almost a fortnight of drifting massive drifts.

Thats what makes a proper memorable snow event a stonking blizzard and gale force east winds.

Still rate January 1987 higher than anything we`ve seen during these last few winters as it was more memorable.

Yes Snowy- Im always suprised this isn't mentioned more. I was in south staffs in Feb 85 and no other event stays in my mind like this. I rememeber cold morning rain turning to snow- incredibly heavy, huge drop in temps, a real blizzard. By the time I left school that evening everything was gridlock even main roads had snow a foot deep and the drifts!!!! The largest I can ever remember, some easily over 6 feet deep (I have photos somewhere) and often stretching across roads, against walls, hedges and open fields completely swept clear. I doubt as much fell as in Dec 1990 but the overall effect and drifts and the cold beats it and Jan 87 and Feb 91 easily.

[80sWeather]

For me it has to be the great southwest blizzard of February 18th/19th 1978. 30 hours of almost continuous very heavy drifting snow blown along by severe gale force winds. Drifts of 10-15 feet were common place even in lowland parts of Dorset. In exposed locations drifts up to 30 feet deep were the order of the day. All roads west of bournemouth blocked for the best part of a week. Despite the return of winter weather to these shores over the last few winters nothing I have seen locally or reported on television from other parts has come anywhere near it in terms of single one off snowfall event.

If only time machines where avaliable to rent out, this is the event i would love to see in the beautiful Devon countryside. Anyway back to reality and Feb 1991 when living in Essex is the one that stands out ,bitter cold -4c maxes and 3 days of powder snow.Funny though even though it was deep (13 inches) everyone who i worked with still managed to get to work ,not like these days lol.

[Timmytour]

My fondest memory would be 1979.....not so much for the depth of snow.....which was great... but the fact that I had gone to bed depressed by the forecast that the snow we had on the ground was going to melt and snow turning to rain was sweeping in from the west. In fact the whole processof the snow tuning to rain had already begun by the time I hit the sack.

The next day my brother got up, looked out the window and started talking incredulously about the snow outside. But I knew he was just trying to trick me into getting up. In the end I got up just to shut him up and couldn't believe my eyes at the snow that had and was still falling!

The high pressure to the east that had given us the cold weather did not relent in the face of the fronts sweeping eastwards but instead reinforced itself and pushed them back!

Great weather to have and experience and great to see the weather forecasts that day, which explained using the pressure charts what was expected to happen and what had actually happened.