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Late December 2000 snowfall


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Posted
  • Location: Harborne, Bham 187m asl
  • Location: Harborne, Bham 187m asl

Hi,

I would like some information regarding a memory of mine from when I was 10 years old.

I recall that after Christmas in 2000, we had a heavy snowfall in the Midlands (4-5 inches). It may have been around the 28th. Now, why it stuck in my mind is not necessarily the depth of the snow but due to the time of the year it occurred. The snowfall stuck around for 4 or 5 days before melting in the New Year.

It is one of my favourite events as the days after the snowfall, there was beautiful, unbroken sunshine for some days. It was very cold as I remember the canals around here were frozen. Everything was so picturesque. 

Can somebody tell me what caused the snow event? And do share some memories if you enjoyed that event too. 

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Posted
  • Location: Windermere 120m asl
  • Location: Windermere 120m asl
20 hours ago, high ground birmingham said:

Hi,

I would like some information regarding a memory of mine from when I was 10 years old.

I recall that after Christmas in 2000, we had a heavy snowfall in the Midlands (4-5 inches). It may have been around the 28th. Now, why it stuck in my mind is not necessarily the depth of the snow but due to the time of the year it occurred. The snowfall stuck around for 4 or 5 days before melting in the New Year.

It is one of my favourite events as the days after the snowfall, there was beautiful, unbroken sunshine for some days. It was very cold as I remember the canals around here were frozen. Everything was so picturesque. 

Can somebody tell me what caused the snow event? And do share some memories if you enjoyed that event too. 

It was caused by heights to our NW drawing in a very cold northerly flow, a feature to the NW developed in the cold flow and produced widespread snow for many northern and western parts of the UK including the midlands overnight 27th and into the 28th. Glasgow and Belfast received 8 inches. We managed about 5 inches. The 28th, 29th, 30th and 31st produced ice days over the snow cover as we maintained a cold north/north easterly flow. It was a short sharp cold spell, the atlantic broke through late on New Years Eve, and the start of January was fairly mild and wet in a westerly flow. 

New Years Eve was memorable, with lots of snow on the ground and a wet snowfall ensued.

It was a tamer version of the last week of Dec 95, not as cold, but here snowier. That spell also ended on New Years Eve, but with a freezing rain event, early-mid Jan 96 was also mild and generally wet.

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Posted
  • Location: Harborne, Bham 187m asl
  • Location: Harborne, Bham 187m asl
1 hour ago, damianslaw said:

It was caused by heights to our NW drawing in a very cold northerly flow, a feature to the NW developed in the cold flow and produced widespread snow for many northern and western parts of the UK including the midlands overnight 27th and into the 28th. Glasgow and Belfast received 8 inches. We managed about 5 inches. The 28th, 29th, 30th and 31st produced ice days over the snow cover as we maintained a cold north/north easterly flow. It was a short sharp cold spell, the atlantic broke through late on New Years Eve, and the start of January was fairly mild and wet in a westerly flow. 

New Years Eve was memorable, with lots of snow on the ground and a wet snowfall ensued.

It was a tamer version of the last week of Dec 95, not as cold, but here snowier. That spell also ended on New Years Eve, but with a freezing rain event, early-mid Jan 96 was also mild and generally wet.

Many thanks Damian. That sounds quite accurate. It was a few really beautiful days with snowcover and no clouds in the sky, and no melting. 

It wasn't a polar low was it on 27th-28th December 2000? Just a normal low feature? 

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Posted
  • Location: Coniston, Cumbria 90m ASL
  • Weather Preferences: wintry
  • Location: Coniston, Cumbria 90m ASL
55 minutes ago, damianslaw said:

It was caused by heights to our NW drawing in a very cold northerly flow, a feature to the NW developed in the cold flow and produced widespread snow for many northern and western parts of the UK including the midlands overnight 27th and into the 28th. Glasgow and Belfast received 8 inches. We managed about 5 inches. The 28th, 29th, 30th and 31st produced ice days over the snow cover as we maintained a cold north/north easterly flow. It was a short sharp cold spell, the atlantic broke through late on New Years Eve, and the start of January was fairly mild and wet in a westerly flow. 

New Years Eve was memorable, with lots of snow on the ground and a wet snowfall ensued.

It was a tamer version of the last week of Dec 95, not as cold, but here snowier. That spell also ended on New Years Eve, but with a freezing rain event, early-mid Jan 96 was also mild and generally wet.

I well remember that New Year's Eve snowfall. Well forecast, I saw the snow come in from height, looking  across at Coniston Old Man, it was like someone drawing a white curtain across the mountain, very heavy snow. I was newly single...went to the pub and as I was just starting my second pint when my pager went off for a search...on The Old Man! What followed was an epic incident where the missing couple were eventually found at about 11:00 in a very precarious position. Ill-equipped, low level of experience and just poor decision making came close to making the impressive snow event into a deadly event. That evening I believe almost every Mountain Rescue Team in the Lakes was in action, Keswick Team had a similarly epic incident on Skiddaw if I recall

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Posted
  • Location: Walsall Wood, Walsall, West Midlands 145m ASL
  • Location: Walsall Wood, Walsall, West Midlands 145m ASL
21 hours ago, high ground birmingham said:

Hi,

I would like some information regarding a memory of mine from when I was 10 years old.

I recall that after Christmas in 2000, we had a heavy snowfall in the Midlands (4-5 inches). It may have been around the 28th. Now, why it stuck in my mind is not necessarily the depth of the snow but due to the time of the year it occurred. The snowfall stuck around for 4 or 5 days before melting in the New Year.

It is one of my favourite events as the days after the snowfall, there was beautiful, unbroken sunshine for some days. It was very cold as I remember the canals around here were frozen. Everything was so picturesque. 

Can somebody tell me what caused the snow event? And do share some memories if you enjoyed that event too. 

Yes I remember it quite well been 15 at the time. I even remember the date, the evening of the 27th December as we were having a bit of a late Christmas party round our house at the time.

Although it wasn't as widespread (so not sure if your location was effected) we had a snow event a year and 2 days later as well on the evening of the 29th Dec 01. This lasted until the 2nd Jan 02 I believe. And like in 2000 there were sharp frosts (freezing fog too) with the canals round here been hard enough to walk on over the next few nights, just like 2000, though the snow wasn't quite has deep as then but still respectable.

Strangely for me it was these 2 events that made me into the snow and cold obsessive I still am (prior to these events I only really craved snow for Christmas Day, though I still enjoyed it when it happened but I could take it or leave it outside Christmas back then) and I was hoping for a repeat between Christmas and New Year 2002, only to be disappointed when it didn't happen. Ever since then I've been obsessed with the idea of cold and snowy weather hoping for a rerun of 1946/47, 1962/63, 1978/79 or even some of the mid 80s Winters (was around from 1985 but obviously too young to remember, though very vaguely remember 1990/91 which was just as good). Luckily we've had Winter 2009/10, Dec 10 and Mar 13 since then, which back in the mid 00s I could only have dreamt of. Let's hope the end of Feb and Mar 18 delivers too :D.

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Posted
  • Location: Wildwood, Stafford 104m asl
  • Weather Preferences: obviously snow!
  • Location: Wildwood, Stafford 104m asl

very good one here, overnight 27th into 28th, very cold air in place, came from west to east, no mild sector, especially remember 2 days after, Sat 30th, my Nan's dog in deep snaw!  ice days and no thaw, Atlantic did arrive with a thaw on 1 Jan 2001

Xmas day, looks cold but no snow archives-2000-12-25-12-0.png

then the snowy lowarchives-2000-12-28-0-0.png

very cold great Saturday with deep snowcover and ice day, mega frost, but can just see Atlantic arriving to start 2001, generally my 2 favourite years, so remember many events, music/radio mainly of course

 

archives-2000-12-30-12-0.png

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Posted
  • Location: Home: Chingford, London (NE). Work: London (C)
  • Weather Preferences: Winter: cold and snowy. Summer: hot and sunny
  • Location: Home: Chingford, London (NE). Work: London (C)

 

 

 

 

Edited by danm
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Posted
  • Location: Harborne, Bham 187m asl
  • Location: Harborne, Bham 187m asl
On 2/18/2018 at 21:23, I remember Atlantic 252 said:

very good one here, overnight 27th into 28th, very cold air in place, came from west to east, no mild sector, especially remember 2 days after, Sat 30th, my Nan's dog in deep snaw!  ice days and no thaw, Atlantic did arrive with a thaw on 1 Jan 2001

Xmas day, looks cold but no snow archives-2000-12-25-12-0.png

then the snowy lowarchives-2000-12-28-0-0.png

very cold great Saturday with deep snowcover and ice day, mega frost, but can just see Atlantic arriving to start 2001, generally my 2 favourite years, so remember many events, music/radio mainly of course

 

archives-2000-12-30-12-0.png

Thanks for sharing your memories. Quite a special event especially with no snow-melt for a number of days.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Posted
  • Location: Powys Mid Wales borders.
  • Location: Powys Mid Wales borders.

Wet patchy snow covering Christmas eve.

2.5 inches of snow 28th severe frost next day,31st snow wet snow drizzle,tree fell down at our neighbours,early drifting.

Nothing special about that cold snap here.

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  • 2 years later...
Posted
  • Location: North Leeds
  • Location: North Leeds

20 years ago this week, probably the first snow event I can remember in good detail. I was living down in Staffordshire back then, the days after Christmas was really cold and we had a right dumping of snow overnight on the 27th I think. It lasted into the new year because I remember New Year’s Eve being really cold with snow on the ground.

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Posted
  • Location: Windermere 120m asl
  • Location: Windermere 120m asl

Apt timing seeing this thread pop up again, I've mentioned it a couple of times in my recent postings, as we have a sort of similar set up right now, 20 years on, but only with respect to the potential for some snow caused by a feature taking a similar track. Main difference between then and now, is we had much colder air around so there was much less of a marginality factor.

It was a good snowfall here, about 5 inches, perfect timing for the strange period between Christmas and New Year. The snow stuck around until New Years Eve, the 28th-31st was very cold, ice days. I went up Helvellyn on the 29th from Grasmere side, remember thinking everything looked and felt Alpine.

 

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Posted
  • Location: Irlam
  • Location: Irlam
21 minutes ago, damianslaw said:

Apt timing seeing this thread pop up again, I've mentioned it a couple of times in my recent postings, as we have a sort of similar set up right now, 20 years on, but only with respect to the potential for some snow caused by a feature taking a similar track. Main difference between then and now, is we had much colder air around so there was much less of a marginality factor.

 

 

I don't think there is that much similarity between the two to be honest. For a start we have a very deep low sinking southwards currently, This developed around Greenland, back in 2000 there was high pressure or at least a wedge there. 

Look at the Christmas Eve charts

2020

CFSR_1_2020122418_1.png

2000

CFSR_1_2000122418_1.png

 

Totally different

 

Infact the marginality is probably due to where the two lows developed.   The current low is really a classic Atlantic low that has deepened rapidly, the track of which is unusual. The low in 2000  came down from the NE from northern Scandinavia in the polar flow. 

Edited by Weather-history
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Posted
  • Location: Windermere 120m asl
  • Location: Windermere 120m asl
2 hours ago, Weather-history said:

I don't think there is that much similarity between the two to be honest. For a start we have a very deep low sinking southwards currently, This developed around Greenland, back in 2000 there was high pressure or at least a wedge there. 

Look at the Christmas Eve charts

2020

CFSR_1_2020122418_1.png

2000

CFSR_1_2000122418_1.png

 

Totally different

 

Infact the marginality is probably due to where the two lows developed.   The current low is really a classic Atlantic low that has deepened rapidly, the track of which is unusual. The low in 2000  came down from the NE from northern Scandinavia in the polar flow. 

I agree, synoptic wise not similar, more just that we have potential snow arriving through the night from the NW, just as happened 20 years, but the causes are different.  Interesting to see the 2000 synoptical pattern, from it you would think a lengthy locked in very cold period ahead, and difficult to see how milder conditions would make there mark. Yes, we had a week of very cold weather, but by 1 Jan the atlantic had moved the block away. Whilst the rest of winter 00/01 was relatively cold, with some further snow at times, it was one of those that 'could have nearly been' a very cold one, just as with 05/06.

 

Edited by damianslaw
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