What are the best snow synoptics for Birmingham UK?

[I remember Atlantic 252]

You're right, I guess a Scottish mountain at 1000m is in a similar situation to Stafford at 100m!

Wish I was 1000m asl!!!!!!

[Snowy Easterlies]

this area is the worst, not seen 15 cms since Nov 19th 1996, did get around 8-10cms in nov-dec 2010, Jan 5th-6th 2010

most places manage a foot every winter

How do most places manage a foot every winter ??

i certainly don't get a foot of snow every winter, dec 2010 was the best i had for about 15 years and that was 7 inches

im at a lower elevation than you too

Edited October 25, 2012 by Snowy Easterlies

[Alan Medlock Valley]

You're right, I guess a Scottish mountain at 1000m is in a similar situation to Stafford at 100m!

Indeed it goes back to the earlier point, elevation helps and is in most cases the be all and end all.

[Aaron]

In most cases, maybe, but not in every case, certainly not. God knows how many times elevation has basically been a non-factor in many snowfall events. I can think of recent examples..

But I can tell you're not going to concede anything so I'm wasting my time.

Edited October 25, 2012 by Aaron

[Alan Medlock Valley]

Best 2 events for Birmingham were Jan 1987 and feb 1991, almost exactly the same synoptic pattern, no coincidence either, there are no mountains whatsoever to the east of Birmingham, so once you get the tight isobars, scandi high, low pressure to the south and very cold uppers crossing over the sea, there is no stopping it, its a train, a train to heaven.

Exactly - I reckon a good East or North Easterly could easily push snow showers right the way through Birmingham and to the Eastern part of Wales, but mind you they would find it difficult to find their way to the Welsh coast in tact or as potent due to the Welsh mountains.

In most cases, maybe, but not in every case, certainly not. God knows how many times elevation has basically been a non-factor in many snowfall events. I can think of recent examples..

But I can tell you're not going to concede anything so I'm wasting my time.

Like I said "most" cases if you bothered to read my post properly, in some cases there are exceptions.

Edited October 25, 2012 by Alan Medlock Valley

[camperstron]

I remember the 87' and 91' events - they were superb! The 87 event got me a week off school, and the 91' event got me a day off work and in my attempt to get to work on a saturday morning I suffered from 'snow blindness' I was only 5 minutes away from house but i was totally disorientated.

December 17th (iirc) 2010 was impressive, and the week of extreme cold following produced the most spectacular icicles I've ever seen. Shame we had such a quick breakdown from boxing day.

And yes, Jan 2010 was an interesting week. Not a MASSIVE dump, but just enough to be exciting.

[feb1991blizzard]

Exactly - I reckon a good East or North Easterly could easily push snow showers right the way through Birmingham and to the Eastern part of Wales, but mind you they would find it difficult to find their way to the Welsh coast in tact or as potent due to the Welsh mountains.

Like I said "most" cases if you bothered to read my post properly, in some cases there are exceptions.

Agreed in most cases, not sure how far west that little occlusion in 91 got though, i suppose if you had a really strong E'ly with a developing feature getting right the way from East to west then its possible.

[AderynCoch]

I always had Brum down as one of the snowier locations in the southern half of the country. Maybe my mind is playing tricks but I seem to recall countless times when they've had snow and Liverpool has had nothing. The inland location and relatively high altitude (for a city) certainly work in Birmingham's favour when it comes to marginal situations, which annoyingly tend to lead to my location just missing out: given that snow isn't all that common for most of the country, it's these marginal setups which are most common for snowfall. Very cold synoptics destroy marginality and remove Birmingham's advantage for snowfall, but of course this scenario isn't as common.

Just consulted "The Weather Of Britain" by Robin Stirling, which states that Birmingham had 75 days of snow-cover in the winter of 1962/3 compared with 45 at Kew and 36 at Manchester - it's also higher than Buxton managed (74 days). Since 1917/8. Birmingham has had two snowless winters (1924/5 and 1933/4) - the book was published in 1997, but I don't think there has been a completely snow-free winter there since.

I'm not sure if Birmingham has a particulary impressive record regarding snow depths, but it would seem that it is a pretty good place for frosts and lying snow days. You can compare it on a larger scale with Europe: Moscow is usually snowbound for months in winter, but it doesn't actually get many heavy falls.

[feb1991blizzard]

I always had Brum down as one of the snowier locations in the southern half of the country. Maybe my mind is playing tricks but I seem to recall countless times when they've had snow and Liverpool has had nothing. The inland location and relatively high altitude (for a city) certainly work in Birmingham's favour when it comes to marginal situations, which annoyingly tend to lead to my location just missing out: given that snow isn't all that common for most of the country, it's these marginal setups which are most common for snowfall. Very cold synoptics destroy marginality and remove Birmingham's advantage for snowfall, but of course this scenario isn't as common.

Just consulted "The Weather Of Britain" by Robin Stirling, which states that Birmingham had 75 days of snow-cover in the winter of 1962/3 compared with 45 at Kew and 36 at Manchester - it's also higher than Buxton managed (74 days). Since 1917/8. Birmingham has had two snowless winters (1924/5 and 1933/4) - the book was published in 1997, but I don't think there has been a completely snow-free winter there since.

I'm not sure if Birmingham has a particulary impressive record regarding snow depths, but it would seem that it is a pretty good place for frosts and lying snow days. You can compare it on a larger scale with Europe: Moscow is usually snowbound for months in winter, but it doesn't actually get many heavy falls.

It was belting back in the 80s, pretty dyer from 1997 onwards though, until the last few stonking winters.

[feb1991blizzard]

I remember the 87' and 91' events - they were superb! The 87 event got me a week off school, and the 91' event got me a day off work and in my attempt to get to work on a saturday morning I suffered from 'snow blindness' I was only 5 minutes away from house but i was totally disorientated.

December 17th (iirc) 2010 was impressive, and the week of extreme cold following produced the most spectacular icicles I've ever seen. Shame we had such a quick breakdown from boxing day.

And yes, Jan 2010 was an interesting week. Not a MASSIVE dump, but just enough to be exciting.

87 - 1 week 3 days off school, i think the last couple of days were because the heating broke due to the severity of cold in the first place.

91 - 1 week off school, i ended up not going to school for 3 weeks, an illness and a weeks holiday as well.

[Lettucing Gutted]

Exactly - I reckon a good East or North Easterly could easily push snow showers right the way through Birmingham and to the Eastern part of Wales, but mind you they would find it difficult to find their way to the Welsh coast in tact or as potent due to the Welsh mountains.

Like I said "most" cases if you bothered to read my post properly, in some cases there are exceptions.

Another great snow setup which benefits practically all areas of Britain is the Polar Low in an Arctic Northerly flow.

Here is an example from the 4th March 1970.

http://www.personal....970_weather.htm

http://www.meteociel...70&map=0&mode=2

Edited October 26, 2012 by Craig Evans

[Thundery wintry showers]

Have to say though, I've lived here, in Columbus Ohio, Sunderland and Lowestoft...and for large amounts of snow, the north sea coast locations are the best...even compared against central Ohio.

Indeed, one paradox of coastal climates is that although lying snow is comparatively rare due to the warming effects of the sea, the sea is also a source of moisture, meaning that when it snows, sometimes it really snows. North Sea areas are more favoured than the other coasts of the UK due to the tendency for winds off the North Sea to be associated with our coldest airmasses, resulting in very potent "sunshine and snow showers" situations, although on the other side of the coin, particularly in marginal frontal situations, sometimes eastern coastal areas get rain/sleet while inland areas get snow.

[pegg24]

Where I live Kettering in Northamptonshire it is also a very strange place for snow.

Remember as a Kid 87 and 91 being bad.

Then Feb 2009 we probably had about a foot.

We had probably 6 inches in Feb 2012.

In December 2010 I think it was one of the only place not to get heavy snow it snowed had a light covering.

Northampton 15 miles away had about 8 inches and Milton Keynes had about the same and that is 30 miles.

It is a strange and interesting place we live in.

Edited October 30, 2012 by pegg24