Earliest Date In Year With The Final Snowfall

[I remember Atlantic 252]

This year 2011, for most low lying areas in southern UK, the last time snow fell was 7th Jan, I was wondering if any other year has had the last snow as early as 7th Jan? 09/10 winter, my last date of snow was 23rd Feb

Aware that Scotland have had lots of snow in march and Feb, but for low lying southern areas 2011 could be the most snowless year ever, unless nov and dec deliver

[Nick L]

The lack of snow since December has been remarkable. Even in the depressing winters of 06/07 and 07/08 we still had the odd half decent snow event thrown in during the back end of winter. This year - virtually nothing.

Although, after the exceptionally cold December (reading your sig brings back good memories!) we can't really complain.

Edited March 26, 2011 by Nick L

[I remember Atlantic 252]

The lack of snow since December has been remarkable. Even in the depressing winters of 06/07 and 07/08 we still had the odd half decent snow event thrown in during the back end of winter. This year - virtually nothing.

Although, after the exceptionally cold December (reading your sig brings back good memories!) we can't really complain.

Yeah certainly cant complain, I always say December is the true winter month and generally coldest of year, great spell, amazing timing as well, Xmas Eve to boxing day, my coldest ever max -5.1C on Xmas Day. cold and snow is meant for Xmas

[Thundery wintry showers]

It's difficult to say. Using my analysis of UK snow events going back to 1947 I decided to look through the file and list the years with no "category 2 or above" events after 28 February (category 1 is insignificant and/or localised events).

1956- 25 February

1957- 20 February

1959- 24 January

1963- 23 February

1967- 23 February

1977- 12 February

1991- 15 February

2003- 4 February

You might be surprised at some of the omissions, but for instance 2002 had fairly widespread snow in Scotland and northern England on 27th Feb through to 1st March and again on the 9th/10th March, and 1997 had snow showers almost nationwide on the 6th/7th May which produced a covering in some western areas during the intervening night.

2011 has not had any "Category 2 or above" events since the snowfall of 8-10 January in the north, from a tongue of Arctic air that returned southwards following the event of the 6th/7th January. Thus, it really is proving exceptional. But then again, November/December were equally exceptional "the other way" (December, taking the country as a whole, wasn't quite as snowy as December 1981 by this classification, but November and December combined were the snowiest since before 1946).

[Derp Patrol]

I think it was 2008 that I had no snow lying the entire winter, and none definately in the year 2008.

[Harve]

Here, snow lay down to 250m on two seperate occassions in late February, and there was some sleet around two weeks ago, though I'm not sure of the exact date. I'm sure it would've been snow down to around 450m. But yes, very exceptional for low ground. Considering there was sleety snow in mid-May last year, there is definitely still time.

[AderynCoch]

I think it was 2008 that I had no snow lying the entire winter, and none definately in the year 2008.

Are you sure you didn't get any snow during that late cold snap in April?

[Derp Patrol]

Are you sure you didn't get any snow during that late cold snap in April?

Ahh totally forgot about that.. I got no snow during the winter, but yes we did get a small dusting in early April. I always forget that because I was in France at that time :s

[damianslaw]

Not sure for southern england, but our last snow cover was on the morning of the 19th February - only a very light cover mind!. If this is to be the last date it will go down as a very early one. In most years we expect at least one morning of snow cover during March - not this year. We were about 100 miles too far south to benefit from the heavy snows earlier this month.

We do still have April and if a potent northerly surfaces we can still see snow cover - even in late April, though it becomes more difficult to achieve as the month wears on. One notable feature of this year since early Jan has been the lack of snow on the fells, very few days have seen the fells covered in snow even at moderately high levels i.e. 600m and above. This March has been very poor in this respect, it can be a very bitter and snowy month on our fells, but not this year. Again April can produce plenty of snow for our highest ground, and even May can produce late season snowfall. After the exceptional early start to the winter season with exceptional cold and days of snow cover, it feels like winter left us about 2 months ago and it feels as if we are in May not March after the very benign Feb and March we have had. Its been an odd start to the year - everything feels out of sync.

[Upgrade]

snowless winters ( as in none laying on the ground) are not unknown in london thought we nearly always get a few flakes each year.

however this year we've had no flakes or lying snow, the last time we saw snow was on Christmas Day, and falling snow on 22nd December.

strange winter.

[damianslaw]

snowless winters ( as in none laying on the ground) are not unknown in london thought we nearly always get a few flakes each year.

however this year we've had no flakes or lying snow, the last time we saw snow was on Christmas Day, and falling snow on 22nd December.

strange winter.

I think we have to count our blessing this winter in terms of amounts of snowfall, it could so easily have been a dire year had the effects of la nina played ball earlier in the season. The polar vortex could have set up shop in late Nov instead of early Jan and we would have been left with no snow hardly whatsoever. It has been a very odd winter indeed, the most odd of my lifetime (since 1978), such early cold and snow was very unusual. Whilst it was superb, I much prefer winters with cold and snow equally spaced out through the winter, not all bottled up in one part only. Once that poalr vortex set up shop in early Jan with the la nina background signals etc, it was always going to be tough to see any renewed cold snowy spell, but I don't think any of us would have thought on christmas day that might be the last day of the winter with sig snow cover, in most years winter doesn't normally get going until christmas. Its the equivalent of summer ending on the 25th June, how awful would that be.

[Terminal Moraine]

The last date with lying snow here was Feb' 19th.

The earliest date, after which there was no lying snow, was Feb' 6th in 2003, followed by Feb' 25th in 2002. In 1997 there was lying snow on Feb' 19th and then none until a late fall on May 7th

Withe regard to sleet or snow falling the earliest date, after which there was none, was March 22nd in 2007 followed by March 29th in 1993 and again in 2009.

[I remember Atlantic 252]

The last date with lying snow here was Feb' 19th.

The earliest date, after which there was no lying snow, was Feb' 6th in 2003, followed by Feb' 25th in 2002. In 1997 there was lying snow on Feb' 19th and then none until a late fall on May 7th

Withe regard to sleet or snow falling the earliest date, after which there was none, was March 22nd in 2007 followed by March 29th in 1993 and again in 2009.

Still a very early date for 330m asl, my last flake and lying snow was 7th Jan, now had 3 march's in a row without a single flake, winters definitely finishing earlier here this far south, and of course this year not a single flake in Feb

[Summer of 95]

snowless winters ( as in none laying on the ground) are not unknown in london thought we nearly always get a few flakes each year.

however this year we've had no flakes or lying snow, the last time we saw snow was on Christmas Day, and falling snow on 22nd December.

strange winter.

The stats for snow in 2011 here read: Snow falling 1, Snow lying 1. Both on 7th Jan, when it started to fall just before 8am and produced 2cm on the ground at 9, which lasted till the evening. The year has been totally snowless apart from this one day; not even sleet- although we did have freezing rain on Jan 4th.

I honestly can't recall a single flake falling in the winter of 1991/2, although Tutiempo's not-always-reliable snow indicators show a couple at Shawbury. Apart from that, the earliest was 23 Feb in 2001/2. It's worth mentioning 1996/7 when it would have been Jan 8th, but for that snow at the start of May.

Looks like I was right in thinking London/SE has had a completely snowless 2011 so far.

[DeepSnow]

Well the winter of 07/08 i think it was i had no snow here, the first winter i have ever seen without snow!! However last year, march 31st was the last time i saw snowfall but this year it was jan 4th, can't complain though with all the snow we had in december!

[AderynCoch]

Its the equivalent of summer ending on the 25th June, how awful would that be.

Pretty much happened here last year!

[stewfox]

snowless winters ( as in none laying on the ground) are not unknown in london thought we nearly always get a few flakes each year.

however this year we've had no flakes or lying snow, the last time we saw snow was on Christmas Day, and falling snow on 22nd December.

strange winter.

There are a number of winters in parts of the South East Ithink that produced no snow.

However I seem to think nearly any winter through the 90s we got something even if it was mid March and via lamp posts, might be wrong.

[damianslaw]

The stats for snow in 2011 here read: Snow falling 1, Snow lying 1. Both on 7th Jan, when it started to fall just before 8am and produced 2cm on the ground at 9, which lasted till the evening. The year has been totally snowless apart from this one day; not even sleet- although we did have freezing rain on Jan 4th.

I honestly can't recall a single flake falling in the winter of 1991/2, although Tutiempo's not-always-reliable snow indicators show a couple at Shawbury. Apart from that, the earliest was 23 Feb in 2001/2. It's worth mentioning 1996/7 when it would have been Jan 8th, but for that snow at the start of May.

Looks like I was right in thinking London/SE has had a completely snowless 2011 so far.

Analogies and comparisons with winter 96/97 and this winter are startling. Much of southern england saw no snow after the first week of Jan 1997, with a very mild Feb and equally mild and non-descript March. April followed similiar suit to March, but then out of nowhere a potent northerly developed in early May delivering plenty of snow showers to places quite far south. What it shows is you can't with confidence say no likelihood of further snow until about the middle of May.

[Thundery wintry showers]

Yes, according to my snow events analysis file the last widespread snowfall of 1996/97 was very nearly that of the 21st January taking the UK as a whole, and the 10th January in the south. Only the event of the 6th/7th May 1997 prevented this. Snow showers did occur in some northern areas on occasion during February 1997 and again on 3 April 1997 but they were localised at low levels with accumulations almost exclusively reserved for high ground.

But even in 1996/97 the last widespread snow of the season prior to May was (very slightly) later than in 2010/11.

[Weather-history]

Might be interesting to see what is the longest gap between two days with lying for a single season for any location

For instance, we had lying snow on the 20th November 1988, the next occasion was 26th February 1989, almost a gap of 100 days. I think that must be very close to if not the longest interval between two days of lying snow for a single season for this location.

Edited March 28, 2011 by Mr_Data

[Terminal Moraine]

There was a gap of 84 days here in the same season ( 1988/89 ) with lying snow on Nov' 24th and the next occasion on Feb' 17th, by far the longest I've recorded.

However, if you take the start of the winter season as Nov' 1st there was a period of 81 days before any lying snow in 1987/88 and a period of 84 days before any in 2006/07.

[Thundery wintry showers]

Some places may have had an interval stretching from 20-23 November (or thereabouts) to the first week of April in the 1988/89 season.

On my Cleadon weather records going back to 1993, the longest interval has been just under 3 months- 2nd December 1997 to 1st March 1998, a total of 90 days.

[cheeky_monkey]

i have still got the best part of 4 feet of lying snow..and had virtual continual snow cover since Oct 23rd

[Summer of 95]

Some places may have had an interval stretching from 20-23 November (or thereabouts) to the first week of April in the 1988/89 season.

On my Cleadon weather records going back to 1993, the longest interval has been just under 3 months- 2nd December 1997 to 1st March 1998, a total of 90 days.

2005-6 might have produced a gap between about 22-25 Nov and 1-12 March in some places? Not here, although we missed it in November we did have lying snow on the weekend 7-8 Jan, so it was only 8 Jan-1 Mar.

The higher parts of South Shropshire might even have managed 18 Nov to 6 April in 2007/8. That winter had no days with lying snow at all in Shrewsbury, though it did settle on the hills on those two dates.

[Thundery wintry showers]

2005-6 might have produced a gap between about 22-25 Nov and 1-12 March in some places? Not here, although we missed it in November we did have lying snow on the weekend 7-8 Jan, so it was only 8 Jan-1 Mar.

The higher parts of South Shropshire might even have managed 18 Nov to 6 April in 2007/8. That winter had no days with lying snow at all in Shrewsbury, though it did settle on the hills on those two dates.

Yes, I think Lancaster managed 28 Nov to 3 March during 2005/06 (Cleadon had lying snow from the easterly on the 27th/28th December so there was less of a gap there). 18 Nov to 6 April is pretty impressive!

I don't know whether there was a larger gap re. lying snow during the winter of 1974/75 but some south-eastern areas certainly had a gap for falling sleet/snow that spanned 7 October 1974 to mid-March 1975 inclusive.