Notable Christmas weather events

[Thunderbolt_]

Since we are now a month away from Christmas, I thought I'd start a thread in which we reminisce some of our most notable Christmas weather. Of course it doesn't just have to be snow events (though I assume that's what everyone will talk about most, lol), but it can be anything ranging from severe gales to thunder events, or even just a day that you found "atmospheric".

 

One of my notables has to be the severe gale on 23 December and into Christmas Eve 2013, when an exceptionally low air pressure was recorded at Stornoway.

 

[lassie23]

Never had a notable weather event on Christmas Day ever Even drizzle would be welcome. Merry Christmas

[Weather26]

Both the Christmas Eve 1997 And Boxing Day 1998 storms should be included for the Gales.

[I remember Atlantic 252]

0nly really 2004, of course best ever timed northerly toppler, snow showers through cheshire gap

 

Dec 1995 after Xmas very snowy, easterly gale with snow on Sat 30th Dec

 

Dec 1996 was very snowy just after Xmas, white new year 1997

 

Dec 2000, snow 10cms overnight 27th into 28th, very good spell, frosty after until normality resumed 1 January 2001

 

boxing day last year, heaviest snow for a few years, around 6cms, still some left until the thaw arrived late on new years eve

[Thunderbolt_]

Both the Christmas Eve 1997 And Boxing Day 1998 storms should be included for the Gales.

 

 

[I remember Atlantic 252]

must have been snowfest there Scott, high levels Scotland

[Weather-history]

Both the Christmas Eve 1997 And Boxing Day 1998 storms should be included for the Gales.

That was hairy that evening of Christmas Eve 1997, have never been a fan of gale since.

[iand61]

Both the Christmas Eve 1997 And Boxing Day 1998 storms should be included for the Gales.

The 1998 one managed to uproot about 8 of my fence panels and scatter them around the neighbours gardens.

It turned out to be an expensive Christmas and I ended up with the bonus of a bad back after struggling putting panels back.

[Walsall Wood Snow]

Talking of Christmas weather, although we all here know better because we're weather enthusiasts, so our memories of weather events are probably better than most I get the impression that most people have either false memories of Christmases past or they're just being intentionally deceptive. For example i've heard the odd middle aged or older person make out that Christmases were always or usually white when they were a young un but the records simply don't back this up. In fact I reckon as a 30 year old i've probably seen nearly as many white Christmases as an 100 year old. And although I must concede that someone of that age would have seen alot more cold snowy Winters at this stage, the number of White Christmases they would have seen (provided they spent them all in lowland Britain) could probably be counted on one hand. Ask any old person about the Christmases of their youth and they will often make out it always used to snow, despite that not being the case. That's what I find anyway.

[sundog]

Notable how mild it was in xmas 2002,especially the days leading up to it. Kinda ruined my xmas that yr because it felt so unseasonably mild.

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[I remember Atlantic 252]

Notable how mild it was in xmas 2002,especially the days leading up to it. Kinda ruined my xmas that yr because it felt so unseasonably mild.

.Rrea00220021223.gifRrea00120021223.gif

 

first day with a thermometer, 11.5C was my temp, remember that, but not bad day as a dry weather fan, twas dry

[Walsall Wood Snow]

Notable how mild it was in xmas 2002,especially the days leading up to it. Kinda ruined my xmas that yr because it felt so unseasonably mild.

.Rrea00220021223.gifRrea00120021223.gif

I remember visiting my Dad that Christmas and him commenting how it felt more like Spring than Winter. Quite a contrast to Christmas 2001 when we officially had a White Christmas here with a brief snow shower, then even better 4 days later when we had a good covering on the evening of the 29th that lasted a day or 2 into the New Year. In fact that was the coldest New Year's Eve I can remember so far I think.

[Liam J]

The most notable has to be the Boxing Day 1998 storm, which brought trees down and ripped a row of ridge tiles off the roof along with a few others slates... Remember going out the next day and there was some houses with chimney stacks down and a row of terrace houses lost most of their roof tiles, they were smashed up on the road and some vehicles had been damaged. The roar of the wind that evening was quite something. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Methuselah]

I mowed my lawn on Xmas Day 1974, poinsettia still growing outside (it lived throughout the winter!)...It even survived the wintry spring!

[I remember Atlantic 252]

Note the lack of Xmas day extreme snow cold reports...where's Weatherhistory to rescue me lolâ„ï¸â„ï¸â„ï¸

 

Xmas day 2010 my coldest day, min of -11.6C max of -5.1C

[Methuselah]

Xmas day 2010 my coldest day, min of -11.6C max of -5.1C

Xmas Day 1995: -25C by night, -17C by day...Lots of snow!

[Weather26]

Also another one I've just remembered-The White Christmas of 2010 has to be up for discussion as this was the coldest Christmas i can remember.

[Walsall Wood Snow]

The White Christmases I can remember so far, all occurred since the New Millennium (most can only loosely be called that). They are Christmas 2001 when we had a brief snow shower in the afternoon that left a few specks. Christmas 2004 when we had a few tiny showers throughout the day then a more heavier and prolonged fall in the evening that left an ok but fairly thin covering. Very loosely I might say Christmas 2009 when there was the very odd small patches here and there that was left over from a fall on the evening of the 23rd but disappointingly thawed throughout Christmas Eve. Then of course my best example of Christmas 2010 when it didn't actually snow but there was still a deep cover that was left over from the falls of the 18th and the much better one of the 22nd. I suppose at a push I could add the Boxing Day snow of 2014, but though in the festive period was a day after the big day itself, so I suppose doesn't really count.

Hope to see a true White Christmas one day though, say where we get a blizzard throughout the day with a deep covering and massive drifts. I can dream can't I lol. Here's hoping for a White Christmas 2015 and a cold and snowy Winter 2015/16. Perhaps.

[Costa Del Fal]

18th December 2010 is my most memorable Christmas period weather event. About 25cm snow dumped in about 6 hours.

[I remember Atlantic 252]

18th December 2010 is my most memorable Christmas period weather event. About 25cm snow dumped in about 6 hours.

 

22nd was better than 18th here, too far north for 18th, was still happy with it mind you around 10cms

[DiagonalRedLine]

Dec 2000, snow 10cms overnight 27th into 28th, very good spell, frosty after until normality resumed 1 January 2001

Really liked that December 27th to 28th event. Caught me out by surprise when I woke up to a deep covering of snow that morning. Had a similar snow depth to yours, and throughout the day, there was some reinforcements - 2 light to moderate snow showers, which ever so slightly added to the thick blanket of snow outside. I think that was the event where the whole country got nuked by snow!

[I remember Atlantic 252]

Xmas Day 2000 chart on archives looks legendary! but do not remember any snow, must have been somewhere

[Walsall Wood Snow]

Xmas Day 2000 chart on archives looks legendary! but do not remember any snow, must have been somewhere

There wasn't any snow in our part of the country that day but I do remember news reports of snow in Scotland. The snow arrived here on the evening of the 27th.

[BLAST FROM THE PAST]

Christmas Day 1986.....balmy at 14c, had Xmas jumpers on with my best mate back then, my elder brother and my dad.   Went to the pub, it was fabulous.  Even moreso coz what followed in Jan.  

 

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive/ra/1986/Rrea00119861225.gif

 

 

 

BFTP

[Steve C]

Just after Christmas 1978 - might have been Boxing Day, or maybe a day or so later - very heavy snow in the Maidenhead area, where as a young kid we'd gone to spend Christmas with an aunt. My first experience of very deep snow. Went home to a "pipe freezer"- pipes split, with tubes of ice supporting the metal. Body heat, flooded house... A reasonable amount of snow at home, but nowhere near what they'd had in Maidenhead.