Ever Had Snow from the South?

[10 Days Away]

Hi all,

 

Just wondered if we have ever had snow in the UK from a southerly/south westerly direction.

 

I'm not thinking of embedded colder air and a low pressure system coming in from the West or up from the South but  if for instance cold air has taken a long route through the Med/North Africa before coming to our shores from the SW or S?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[I remember Atlantic 252]

Would have thought not possible, but sure weather.history has loads of examples

 

ive known cold through the back door, but surely always dry

[damianslaw]

I would doubt it, air would be heavily modified if it came from N Africa/Med.

 

May be examples of cold Siberian/eastern European air taking a long track through N Italy and N Spain.

[4wd]

Depends on the source of the air, southerlies can easily bring cold continental air.
Mainland Europe often gets extremely cold right down into Spain for long periods.

Here major blizzards often feature drifting snow and strong winds from the south, as a low digs into established cold air.
This is such a frequent problem that we have planted shelter belts to act as snow fences to hold blowing snow rather than have it it pile up drifts in the yards - on southerly winds. This hardly ever happens from other directions.

Edited December 13, 2014 by 4wd

[Weather-history]

Would have thought not possible, but sure weather.history has loads of examples

 

I haven't because it will be modified. Also if you ever look at charts with high pressure in winter and you see a pool of very cold air coming around in the easterly flow to the south of the high, it never goes around and comes up on its western then northern flank.

[Evening thunder]

As others say probably not, only seen it like you mention with embedded cold air.

 

Had wintry showers from the south off the channel as the low centre moved west on the 3rd Feb 2009.

 

Also on occasions i.e 18th Jan 2013, 12th Jan 2010 a front bumping into entrenched cold air giving snow on SE winds though due to my low altitude and proximity to the coast these have been sleet at low level back home but settling snow on surrounding hills. In the past this has given some notable blizzards to the SW.

 

A question I was thinking earlier is have we ever had snow from westerly winds? (not a northerly that turns more westerly over the UK), i.e an intense cold pool from NE Canada or south of Greenland makes its way across with still say -8c/-10c uppers and snow showers widely to low levels. I know we can get around -5c uppers and wintry showers for some on west/NW flows from that area like recently.

Edited December 13, 2014 by Evening thunder

[4wd]

Yes - the day before yesterday

[Weather-history]

 

A question I was thinking earlier is have we ever had snow from westerly winds? (not a northerly that turns more westerly over the UK), i.e an intense cold pool from NE Canada or south of Greenland makes its way across with still say -8c/-10c uppers and snow showers widely to low levels. I know we can get around -5c uppers and wintry showers for some on west/NW flows from that area like recently.

January 1984 is the famous example.

Braer Storm of January 1993

[I remember Atlantic 252]

Snow from westerly very rare at low levels south, but 5th Feb '13 I had very heavy snow flurry, Tue 11th Feb '14, snow off a westerly

 

high levels oop norf would have thought very likely to happen

[MP-R]

I think the most recent example here was December 14th 2011. The 12th was mild, very stormy with gales and heavy rain, it then got colder through the 13th with hailstorms and thunder, and then the morning of the 14th brought 'torrential' wet snow showers.

[Mark Neal.]

Can't say I can remember it in my time.. Had cold air entrenched or a chilly SE wind ahead of the precip.

[10 Days Away]

Didn't think so either. Had snizzle quite often on a raw SE'ly here in Kent but never anything white from the South

[be cause]

Derby .. winter 78 - 79 we had snow from every direction . and then some more

[Guest]

During the winter of '63 a warm front approached from the south west - there was snow preceding and after it - although I recall the other people in the Met Office remarking it was something they had never known before I can't recall the exact date - my memory must be failing

[Banbury]

I'm sure we have had snow come up from France

[bluearmy]

I'm sure we have had snow come up from France

[summer blizzard]

Pretty impossible as the air is too mixed. We do get the undercut with winds SE ahead of a front but that's because of a high to the east sending cold air.

[Summer Sun]

I seem to remember a band of snow moving up from Holland just a few years back it only hit the eastern side I think it hit the south on a Sunday then further north on the Monday

[Jamie R]

On the 26th/27th Feb 1996 a Low was sat just north of Scotland and we had a SW airflow over the UK with plenty of snow showers. Even down here on the IOW the showers were snow up on the hills.
The uppers were -4'c to -6'c in general. Ok not quite what you asked but it was a proper SW flow

Edited December 16, 2014 by Jamie R

[Mark Neal.]

I seem to remember a band of snow moving up from Holland just a few years back it only hit the eastern side I think it hit the south on a Sunday then further north on the Monday

January 20th 2013?

[virtualsphere]

Pretty impossible as the air is too mixed. We do get the undercut with winds SE ahead of a front but that's because of a high to the east sending cold air.

 

A relatively recent example which delivered heavy snow for us here in Wales (albeit short-lived):

 

[Mapantz]

A relatively recent example which delivered heavy snow for us here in Wales (albeit short-lived):

I was working away, near Harrogate between Jan 15th & March 15th 2007 I'm sure it delivered the goods there, on that day too. I was building a ropes course for the army foundation college and the ground was frozen solid.

I had nightmares for weeks after that job!

Edited December 19, 2014 by Mapantz

[virtualsphere]

I was working away, near Harrogate between Jan 15th & March 15th 2007 I'm sure it delivered the goods there, on that day too. I was building a ropes course for the army foundation college and the ground was frozen solid.

I had nightmares for weeks after that job!

 

It was certainly a great snow event but don't envy you having to work out in it!  I've posted this news article before in a different thread, but worth another mention http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6338151.stm

 

Here in the west the cold only lasted a couple of days before the return of the rain, but I remember it well because the snow came down thick and fast and the main roads were closed resulting in a 3 hour journey home from work (usually 20 minutes).  We ended up with the most snow I've recorded in one single fall since moving here in 2003 - probably because the wind came more from the south, as we tend to be sheltered from northerly and easterly events here.  Although we had more lying snow in 2010, it accumulated from several falls and not in one go.

[summer blizzard]

I was working away, near Harrogate between Jan 15th & March 15th 2007 I'm sure it delivered the goods there, on that day too. I was building a ropes course for the army foundation college and the ground was frozen solid.

I had nightmares for weeks after that job!

 

The January event actually was a SW wind i do recall. It was however an extreme returning polar maritime so thickness values must have been especially low.

 

The March event was a northerly. 

 

The two Feb events were Channel Lows which is what i described, the cold air from the east rather than south even though SE winds. 

[Mapantz]

The January event actually was a SW wind i do recall. It was however an extreme returning polar maritime so thickness values must have been especially low.

 

The March event was a northerly. 

 

The two Feb events were Channel Lows which is what i described, the cold air from the east rather than south even though SE winds.

Thanks for the info SB.

Dates are a bit sketchy for me but I do remember that the army guys even went indoors because they couldn't cope with the conditions lol

At least I saw snow eh?