Past winters discussion

[phil nw.]

December 2010 has stuck in my memory for the deep cold.

It didn't have the longevity or the amount of snow here compared to other Winters-62/3 being my favourite of course- but it did have some low temperatures day and night.

Some photos i took

Market day-Nuneaton and the frozen fountain.

 

Frozen ponds

 

not much snow but it was bone chillingly cold.

 

 

[knocker]

UK winter 1962-3 in 20CR

 

 

This video shows sea-level pressure (black contours), 10m wind speed and direction (arrows), and 2m temperature anomaly (arrow colours), from the 20th Century reanalysis. The uncertainties for this time and place are small, so we can have confidence in the circulation reconstructions, and we do indeed see the southern UK being dominated by cold easterlies, particularly in January (the coldest month).

 

http://reanalyses.or...ter-1962-3-20cr

[Liam J]

You'd like to think that with the advances in weather forecasting over the last 50 odd years that another 1962/63 style winter wouldn't just jump out of knockers woodshed without any sort of prior warning.... 1962/63 is the 3rd coldest winter ever in the UK with only 1684 & 1740 coming in colder... 

 

 

Top 10 coldest UK winters.

 

 

[Liam J]

Where is 2010 on that list? Be interesting to see 87 78 91 2010 are?

Well during the 2010/11 winter only December was notable for cold and was the second coldest December in the top 10. 

 

[knocker]

A short memoir of 1962/3

 

I was posted to the METO at Larkhill on the 2^nd !963. The journey from Cornwall was quite fraught but having whipped the huskys into a frenzy I managed to negotiate the last few miles, avoiding in the main the ten foot snowdrifts on the Salisbury Plain, and arrived by late afternoon.

 

On entering the large wooden hut, aka as the Met. Office, I found the rest of the staff huddled around a centrally placed coke stove which was the only form of heating apart from a small electric fire. The latter was in permanent use keeping the Dines from freezing as it was of historical interest. On entering the hut, having quickly ascertained who the boss was, I requested a transfer to Tobruk as soon as possible. The office still had postings overseas in those days. This was denied and after that it was downhill all the way.

 

The electrical heating in the radiosonde office had gone on the blink a couple of weeks previously and by some quirk of fate it was the only building on the huge army camp that was owned by the R.A.F. So naturally the army refused to fix the heating and the R.A.F. at Boscombe Down denied any knowledge of the building. Subsequently whilst doing the early morning sounding you slowly froze along with the ink, yes ink. And there was no escape to the radar. The heating was out of action there as well so sitting in there was like being in a deep freeze and by the end of the sounding hypothermia was well established.

 

The only way the journey across the Styx was avoided was a mercy dash in the office van to the camp café which was the only place significantly above freezing and then downing copious amounts of black coffee.

 

Happy days?

Edited November 23, 2015 by knocker

[Polar Maritime]

They could of at least had appropriate heating for you Knock! The place would be shut down these days what with health & safety.  

[phil nw.]

UK winter 1962-3 in 20CR

 

 

http://reanalyses.or...ter-1962-3-20cr

Good link that Knocker-cheers.

I still have daily handwritten records from that Winter.I was still at school and that was the one that got me into weather.

[Polar Maritime]

I missed it by a few years 

[Mucka]

1962 

Hopefully this will be allowed as it has been discussed here and it currently quiet.

If not then mods please move it to appropriate place rather than delete.

All these charts are taken from wetterzentrale

 

Dec 1962 began with high pressure situated just NE of the UK and a deep Atlantic trough

 

 

High pressure stayed in control of our weather until the 8th hen the Atlantic broke through but still some amplification upstream.

 

 

A brief but but deep Northerly occurred on the 13th with trough into Europe and strong Atlantic ridge.

 

 

By the 17th we were getting some trough disruption against a thin wedge of developing high pressure in response to the deep European trough.

 

 

This caused energy to head South into Europe pushing WAA toward Scandi and we begin to build a Scandi high

 

 

By the 21st the Scandi high has created a cut off trough in southern Europe which prevent the Scandi high from sinking which stalls the Atlantic and gives some undercut.

 

 

In response the jet digs South across the Atlantic forcing more WAA toward Scandi. Note the cut off trough to the South prevents the pattern being overrun and instead the high pressure to our NE is reinforced.

 

 

By the 25th a prolonged cold spell looked inevitable with the jet digging South in the Atlantic undercutting high pressure which could now retrogress without any forcing from a Westerly flow.

 

 

By 27th Dec the Arctic air was beginning to be dragged south around high pressure with the Atlantic completely blocked and by the 30th a belt of high pressure stretched right across the higher latitudes with low pressure travelling underneath (The holy grail of UK Winter)

 

[knocker]

They could of at least had appropriate heating for you Knock! The place would be shut down these days what with health & safety.  

 

Funny you should say that as I did instigate some industrial action. The hydrogen cylinders which were used to fill the upper air balloons were stored in a small compound. The staff had to unload themselves when they were delivered. I flatly refused to do this as the compound was an ice death trap and we weren't covered if a nasty accident occurred which was quite likely. Others then joined me and surprise, surprise a bunch of hefty squaddies arrived the next day and did the job.

Edited November 23, 2015 by knocker

[phil nw.]

I missed it by a few years 

Lol mind you PM i bet you gain a few snow days over many of us each year where you are located.

I was fortunate from the enjoyment pov,14yo so plenty of sledging,snowball fights,frozen ponds,igloo building etc. 

A different time then though,quiet roads,more open countryside but no central heating,only coal fire in the lounge, so early mornings the inside of windows frozen.Brrr

[Methuselah]

Lol mind you PM i bet you gain a few snow days over many of us each year where you are located.

I was fortunate from the enjoyment pov,14yo so plenty of sledging,snowball fights,frozen ponds,igloo building etc. 

A different time then though,quiet roads,more open countryside but no central heating,only coal fire in the lounge, so early mornings the inside of windows frozen.Brrr

I was six. Used to have great fun melting the ice on the windows and then watching it grow back again...There's something truly magical about watching ice-ferns develop.

Edited November 23, 2015 by Ed Stone

[knocker]

If you want to peruse the synoptic charts for 62/63 and plenty of other information try here

 

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/mtullett/1962-63/

[Polar Maritime]

Lol mind you PM i bet you gain a few snow days over many of us each year where you are located.

 

Yes after moving down from the Highlands (Strontian) in 1972 I've had many a good Winter here. I'm certainly not complaining by any-means but it would of been nice to experience the 'big one'.

[phil nw.]

There is an archived thread on Netweather about the 1962/3 Winter which was started by carinthian 

https://forum.netweather.tv/topic/75343-50-years-ago-the-1963-big-freeze/

 

Some interesting posts from members who have experienced it.

 

A very good website with daily reports and charts for the whole Winter can be found here

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/mtullett/1962-63/index.htm

Edited November 23, 2015 by phil nw.

[Guest]

The Met-O published Snow Survey reports from 1951 to 1993, just make sure you don't mind losing a few hours of your life once you get sucked into reading them all

 

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/learning/library/archive-hidden-treasures/snow-survey

[Snowyowl9]

One winter I did miss was 62-63 which if happened here I would not want see,who`s old enough to remember the 1947 winter even worse.

This is what I liked 10 years ago a great inversion.

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2005/Rrea00120051123.gif

5 years ago a greeny high.

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2010/Rrea00120101123.gif

 

[knocker]

I remember walking to primary school up to my armpits in snow. Of course I was only 11 inches tall at the time. And I didn't grow much.

[Bristawl Si]

Too old for '47 but my dad says it was worse than the bone chilling freeze of 62/63.

Came late i.e. end Jan/early Feb and loads of massive snow events for this part of the country.

62/63 not so many snow events i believe.

[Ǝssex Ǝasterly]

You went to primary at under a foot tall 

 

Did you have to stand on the school chairs to see above the table or were you given a booster seat 

[Methuselah]

You went to primary at under a foot tall 

 

Did you have to stand on the school chairs to see above the table or were you given a booster seat 

           

[cornish snow]

For me it has to be Jan 87.

Got cut off for 7-8 days,will never forget seeing snow drifts up level with the top of the lanes,cars completely buried and the sea frozen.

Think i'm right in saying that temp's got down to -13c,probably a record for the lizard peninsula.

[Paul]

There is some good info on 1962/3 and 1947 over on our famous winters page:

 

http://www.netweather.tv/index.cgi?action=famous-winters;sess=

[Deep Snow please]

Does anyone know if there's ever been more than 3ft at lower levels?

[SLEETY]

why is frezzing rain so rare in uk