Winter 2015/16

[Summer Sun]

Snow has made it over to Vaals in Netherlands today if this is a sign of things to come it could be a long winter for some parts

[lassie23]

In my deluded opinion I'm expecting a cold one with lots of snow for some lucky people. Probably for the north east and east and a few ice days too, even for London. May get to build a snowman for the first time in three years, actually make that a snow dwarf, it's rare to get lots of snow in London.

[feb1991blizzard]

UK climate is just a half-way house for everything, and nearly every type of weather we get is moderated to a great degree, so yeah, the climate here is not going to satisfy most of us - because most of us want hotter, colder, more thunderstorms, more rain, less rain - whatever.

 

That being said, it's not too bad. I'd rather be here than Miami.

 

And id rather be here than the UAE as well.

[Methuselah]

Well, I still recall 1962-63...The snow was okay, for a while; the freezing fog was okay, for a while; the freezing rain was okay, for a while...But, two-and-a-half months' endless snow, sleet and ice? No thanks!

[feb1991blizzard]

Well, I still recall 1962-63...The snow was okay, for a while; the freezing fog was okay, for a while; the freezing rain was okay, for a while...But, two-and-a-half months' endless snow, sleet and ice? No thanks!

 

All day long please, I would have every winter cold - cold fans would win the Madden / Express trophy every year, we've lost the last 2 years and we want our trophy back.

[phil nw.]

Well, I still recall 1962-63...The snow was okay, for a while; the freezing fog was okay, for a while; the freezing rain was okay, for a while...But, two-and-a-half months' endless snow, sleet and ice? No thanks!

I loved 62/3 Pete.

Mind you i was onlly 14 and at that age no worries about getting to work just loads of sledging and snow ball fights,even building igloos.

Schools never closed though!

[Essan]

If i were a coldie, I'd be reasonably satisfied with an average winter. An average winter in the UK is characterised by mixed mild and cold spells - a bit like 2000-01 and last winter, which had some decent cold spells despite the marginality for snow.

An "average" winter would seem like an Ice Age round here compared with last winter!  

Anyway, a week of decent frosts and at least one snowfall giving day-long cover and I'll be happy.    Get that and who knows, we might even get a thunderstorm in 2016 as well!  :o 

[Hocus Pocus]

Well, I still recall 1962-63...The snow was okay, for a while; the freezing fog was okay, for a while; the freezing rain was okay, for a while...But, two-and-a-half months' endless snow, sleet and ice? No thanks!

All of that please bar the freezing rain, that is something I can gladly do without. The question is with a grand solar minimum probable will we see another 62/63 anytime soon or will other forcing counteract this. One things for sure being a meteorologist ( spelt it right this time  ) in these uncertain times must be fascinating.

[Daniel*]

Sadly a average winter in London will not do, what I want is a properly cold winter. It is sad to know there are toddlers who have no experience of snow and this has to change!..

[feb1991blizzard]

I could also handle most of winter being super duper as long as we got one huge fall like Jan 87 or Feb 91, something approaching a foot, just one event, even if it didn't last more than a week as long as it was a proper crippler and not a half hearted one.

[cheese]

Well, I still recall 1962-63...The snow was okay, for a while; the freezing fog was okay, for a while; the freezing rain was okay, for a while...But, two-and-a-half months' endless snow, sleet and ice? No thanks!

I guess such a winter would truly test our preferences, much like summer 1976. For some, it's too much of a good thing, but I have already experienced a proper winter, much colder and snowier than anything the UK can throw at us, and I enjoyed it.

 

That being said, it was one winter - who knows how I'd cope with it year after year.

[Methuselah]

I loved 62/3 Pete.

Mind you i was onlly 14 and at that age no worries about getting to work just loads of sledging and snow ball fights,even building igloos.

Schools never closed though!

So did I! I was only 6; it was fun, fun, fun...But, then, I had no idea about the death-toll among the elderly. I also preferred '65, '69 and '70...The snow disappeared long before it had time to go black!

[cheese]

My grandmother was 23 and had given birth to her third child 2 years before. Four members in my family who were around for that winter. Only my grandmother can remember it though - the other three were aged 4, 3 and 2 respectively (yes, my grandmother was a busy bee).

 

My grandfather was 28, but is now sadly departed.

 

It will be sad when that generation leave for good, and their memories will only be available in written form. I'm happy to have heard stories of the door-high snow drifts of 1947 from people who experienced it first-hand. Maybe when I'm elderly, I will tell my grandchildren stories of December 2010.

Edited October 14, 2015 by cheese

[johnholmes]

I've posted it before but do so again as it might be of interest to new folk, my comments on the 62-63 winter working just south of Nottingham.

admin/mods please delete if it is too long.

 

Data for RCAF Langar for the 1962-1963 winters, with a comparison with 1947

(Temperatures are all in deg C)

Langar is about 10 miles ese of Nottingham in a slight ‘bowl’ with minor hills all around it. The diary as such starts on December 26^th 1962 and finishes at the end of February 1963.

 

General notes

The ground was snow covered continuously (Met Office definition for =/>half cover) for 44 days from 26.12.62 until 8.2.63

(At my parent’s house near Chesterfield, Derbyshire that was extended until 27^th February,

A total of  63 days).

The ground at Langar was continuously frozen from 22^nd December 1962 until 4^th March 1963, a total of 63 days.

There was an air frost on every night, apart from 4, between 22^nd December 1962 and 4^th March 1963. (The only nights without frost were; 5.6.28 and 29^th January)

There were 32 consecutive nights with frost from 1^st February 1963 to 4^th March 1963.

And there was a continuous frost(air temperature constantly below 0C) from 1500Z on 18^th January 1963 until 0900Z on 26^th January 1963(186 hours); put another way, almost a WHOLE week!!

There was 3.73 inches of rain (and melted snow) from 1 October 1962 to 28 February 1963

 This = 38% of the average.

 

Monthly figures for the start of the cold spell on 22^nd December 1962

 

Date     min       max      mean

22         -4.4       2.2        -1.1

23         -6.1       0.6        -2.8

24         -9.3       0.0        -4.7

25         -11.8     -3.9       -7.9

26         -11.1     2.2        -4.5

27         -1.4       1.1        -0.2

28         -7.7       -2.2       -5.0

29         -5.1       -1.7       -3.4

30         -1.7       0.0        -0.9

31         -0.6       0.6        0.0       

 

Mean temp for 10 days = -3.0C

 

Values for January 1963

Date     min       max      mean

1          -0.1       0.7        0.3

2          -1.3       -0.6       -1.0

3          -0.7       0.5        -0.1

4          -0.1       1.0        0.5

5          0.6        1.1        0.9

6          1.1        1.8        1.5

7          -3.5       1.3        -1.1

8          -5.7       0.7        -2.5

9          -8.0       1.3        -3.4

10         -6.6       1.5        -2.6

11         -10.4     -5.0       -7.7

12         -5.4       -3.3       -4.4

13         -8.3       0.0        -4.2

14         -1.4       2.8        0.7

15         -7.7       2.3        -2.7

16         -2.7       0.0        -1.4

17         -9.2       -2.1       -5.7

18         -13.8     0.9        -6.5

19         -5.9       -0.3       -3.1

20         -3.3       -0.8       -2.1

21         -4.1       -1.4       -2.8

22         -13.6     -3.4       -8.5

23         -15.4     -3.3       -9.4

24         -12.2     -5.6       -8.9

25         -8.6       -0.6       -4.6

26         -6.2       5.3        -0.5

27         -3.9       2.3        -0.8

28         0.5        2.4        1.5

29         1.4        2.9        2.2

30         0.1        1.3        0.7

31         -1.7       2.5        0.4

 

Mean temp for month = -2.4C

 

Values for February

Date     min       max      mean

1          -3.5       -0.7       -2.1

2          -9.8       -3.5       -6.7

3          -6.7       -4.1       -5.4

4          -10.2     1.6        -4.3

5          -8.4       0.2        -4.1

6          -3.7       -0.7       -2.2

7          -1.6       1.6        0.0

8          0.0        2.9        1.5

9          -1.7       2.9        0.6

10         -1.4       1.7        0.2

11         -1.8       0.6        -0.6

12         -0.1       2.1        1.0

13         -0.7       4.1        1.0

14         -2.6       1.7        -0.5

15         -0.1       1.2        0.6

16         -1.9       0.4        -0.8

17         -1.7       1.7        0.0

18         -1.7       2.2        0.3

19         -1.5       0.3        0.6

20         -4.8       2.6        -1.1

21         -3.9       4.1        0.1

22         -2.1       2.8        0.4

23         -2.8       1.9        -0.5

24         -6.7       0.6        -3.1

25         -9.8       2.2        -3.8

26         -5.2       4.8        -0.2

27         -4.6       2.8        -0.9

28         -3.3       5.4        1.1

 

Mean temp for month = -1.1C

Mean temp for January and February = -1.7C

 

The average minimum for the whole 69 days=-4.9C

 

Comparison of temperatures at Langar between 1947 and 1963

 

1947     January             avge min=-1.0   avge max=3.5    mean=1.3

1963     January             avge min=-5.0   avge max=0.2    mean=-2.4

 

1947     February           avge min=-4.2    avge max=1.5   mean=-2.3

1963     February           avge min=-3.7    avge max=1.8   mean=-0.9

So for the two months being compared 1947 showed a mean temp of -0.5 and 1963 gave -1.7C

 

I cannot get data for frosts and snow for 1947 but for 1963 these were;

days with snow falling= 20 in Jan and 19 in Feb; lying snow=31 in Jan and 19 in Feb.

Air frosts in January were 26 and 27 in February.

 

To add some comments on the above data. I lived in a centrally heated block with just a short walk to the dining and recreation area. Life was lived in short sleeves mostly with the bedroom window open a notch as the heating was so hot. Underground pipes went from the boiler house to all the buildings and snow/ice free areas showed their path. Once off the station then life showed up very differently, buses ran but occasionally stopped due to the intense cold, roads were usually passable in the Langar area. However, on my journeys home this was not the case. Although snowfall was not as high in terms of depth as 1947, some roads were impassable at times during blizzards when the winds picked up. Snow that fell in late December was still being blown around in February along with new falls. Data from Finningley shows it snowed on 40 out of 66 possible days from 26 December to 29 February. Thus the Chesterfield area may well have had a slightly higher figure. I do remember feeling very cold in bed at my parents with just one main fire in the house. Frost persisted throughout the day on windows away from the kitchen. When the snow started to thaw I did manage to drive my father’s car on to the nearest high ground, about 1,000ft up and some 6-7 miles from our house. The main road was a ‘tunnel’ with snow piled over 12-15 feet on each side of the road.

 

So another tale of a severe winter which I have experienced. Just the 1947 one to try and dig some relevant data out. Sadly a diary I know my father kept has been lost.

to end=

NINETEEN ICE DAYS that winter at Langar, not sure how many at RAF Finningley, I'll have a look.

 

only (!) 12

Edited October 14, 2015 by johnholmes

[feb1991blizzard]

Talking of bitter cold. Dec 2010 anyone?

 

 

 

Actually though its not quite as cold as the H500 pattern suggest but still cold though.

Edited October 14, 2015 by feb1991blizzard

[knocker]

I loved 62/3 Pete.

Mind you i was onlly 14 and at that age no worries about getting to work just loads of sledging and snow ball fights,even building igloos.

Schools never closed though!

 

Well I certainly didn't. Working on the Salisbury Plain with an office without heating and an upper air radar with ditto I frequently gave up the will to live during the early morning ascent.

[Weather-history]

It will be 25 years this coming February since the last significantly colder than average February, the February of 1991. That was 2.3C below the 1961-90 February CET average.

Is the next one just around the corner?

[johnholmes]

Well I certainly didn't. Working on the Salisbury Plain with an office without heating and an upper air radar with ditto I frequently gave up the will to live during the early morning ascent.

 

what a wimp! I would think it preferrable, to me at any rate, to being chucked up and down 30-40 feet in mid Atlantic!

[Polar Maritime]

Time to get the Violins out John..☺

[A.J]

this 'snow' people post about in here...an fascinating concept....does it really happen in real life?    

[StretfordEnd1996]

Yes but snow is what we all want, I don't class any winter after 1995-96 up until 08-09 as very good for snow, its all about total inches of snowfall, 10 inches or more in total is a very good winter unless you live on very high ground or in a very favourable location, 6 - 8 inches was always the benchmark - the spread if you like when I grew u[p in the 80s, anything where you just get a couple of inches or a few dustings is garbage.

2000-2001, 2003-2004, 2004-2005, 2005-2006, 2007-2008** (**well March and April anyway) were all 'average-ish' type Winter's, but produced, what is in my opinion, some respectable, bog standard British cold snaps; in fact all the Winter's I've mentioned had snow events that gave us 5-10cm+. Baring in mind though we both live in a fairly snow prone location and I guess Winters like the ones I've mentioned (i.e bog standard) just simply don't produce as much at low lying locations or indeed less snow prone locations. I personally thought the winter's I have mentioned were fairly good for snow. 

Edited October 14, 2015 by SouthPenninesPuppy

[feb1991blizzard]

2000-2001, 2003-2004, 2004-2005, 2005-2006, 2007-2008** (**well March and April anyway) were all 'average-ish' type Winter's, but produced, what is in my opinion, some respectable, bog standard British cold snaps; in fact all the Winter's I've mentioned had snow events that gave us 5-10cm+. Baring in mind though we both live in a fairly snow prone location and I guess Winters like the ones I've mentioned (i.e bog standard) just simply don't produce as much at low lying locations or indeed less snow prone locations. I personally thought the winter's I have mentioned were fairly good for snow. 

 

That's where we have crossed wires, I have only been here since 2010 so missed everything upto 09/10 and including. what did we get in feb 1994 around here?

[StretfordEnd1996]

That's where we have crossed wires, I have only been here since 2010 so missed everything upto 09/10 and including. what did we get in feb 1994 around here?

Too young for that! 

I'm guessing the thing about cold Winter's is they produce for absolutely everyone most of the time. Everyone gets there fair share of snow and it's cold all around, but in average type Winter's there's so many large regional variations that perhaps do go un-noticed. 

2008-2009 rings a bell in this respect, the Feb 2009 Easterly was just as cold and snowy as anything else I've seen with the 20cm or so lying around for 2 weeks (some did gradually thaw in the sun); then Jan 2009 I managed to experience three separate 3-4 day cold snaps that each produced 5-10cm of snow; Dec 08 also produced a small 3 day cold snap (11cm). 

9 miles further afield in Manchester, it wasn't quite so that fun at all. 

 

 

It will be 25 years this coming February since the last significantly colder than average February, the February of 1991. That was 2.3C below the 1961-90 February CET average.

Is the next one just around the corner?

One thing I've noticed about recent February's is that they are usually a 'month of two half's', there have been a few examples where the second half is milder than average and this effects the CET. But February is often associated with some of the more coldest temperatures of the Winter; that hasn't been the case at all for quite some time so it seems. 

[feb1991blizzard]

Too young for that! 

I'm guessing the thing about cold Winter's is they produce for absolutely everyone most of the time. Everyone gets there fair share of snow and it's cold all around, but in average type Winter's there's so many large regional variations that perhaps do go un-noticed. 

2008-2009 rings a bell in this respect, the Feb 2009 Easterly was just as cold and snowy as anything else I've seen with the 20cm or so lying around for 2 weeks (some did gradually thaw in the sun); then Jan 2009 I managed to experience three separate 3-4 day cold snaps that each produced 5-10cm of snow; Dec 08 also produced a small 3 day cold snap (11cm). 

9 miles further afield in Manchester, it wasn't quite so that fun at all. 

 

 

One thing I've noticed about recent February's is that they are usually a 'month of two half's', there have been a few examples where the second half is milder than average and this effects the CET. But February is often associated with some of the more coldest temperatures of the Winter; that hasn't been the case at all for quite some time so it seems. 

 

 

Yes feb 09 was crap, I was in Salford then, 09/10 was very good there though, particularly 5th Jan 2010.

[knocker]

what a wimp! I would think it preferrable, to me at any rate, to being chucked up and down 30-40 feet in mid Atlantic!

 

It's what drove me back and make that 40-80 feet. The violins are reaching a crescendo PM.