YOUR FAVOURITE ARCHIVED SYNOPTIC CHART

[Anvils in the Sky]

All of them West Midlands, the third one about 4 or 5 inches, the first 2 were 6+ inches falls, however, i may not have the exact dates right, i have tried matching them up to the PPN charts on wetter, i am sure they are not 100% accurate though, i am sure the second one of the charts i got pasted a day later but i have put them up for now to see if anyone else can put some more meat on the bones.

 

What strikes me about those three charts is that very different synoptics can deliver the goods, if conditions are right.

And by "goods" I mean snow. I'm well aware, of course, some would call them "bads"! (Just as some view thunderstorms with terror, and others - including myself - view them with absolute awe.)

[Relativistic]

It might of been breezy but it hit 15c in Manchester on that day, fantastic for mid January. How I'd love that to happen this January.

Nah, give me 15C in June.

[Tamara]

Here is one the great grandparents would have been ramping over . This produced an awesome blizzard for southern uk with biting easterly gales and deep snow powder drifts. The SW was particularly buried by this one

 

It was a classic southerly tracking deep low with very cold continental air undercutting it

 

Edited September 15, 2013 by Tamara Road

[feb1991blizzard]

^ Stonker. Even without the low being close enough, that would have been cold enough for any convective PPN to fall as snow but having the core of a low wrapped in brutal air means only one outcome.

Edited September 15, 2013 by feb1991blizzard

[Weather-history]

Remember this well. Got sunburnt on a field trip to Ingleborough.

Edited September 15, 2013 by Weather-history

[feb1991blizzard]

A few more of those more obscure ones here.

 

 

 

 

 

[Weather-history]

Forgotten blizzard

[Tom Quintavalle]

Have to include these charts, of an epic March snowstorm.

 

March 4th/5th 1970.

 

 

 

I can vaguely remember this event and especially reports of miners being trapped underground at the old Kent mining collieries of Snowdown, Tilmanstone and Betteshanger, a few miles west of Deal.

Several hundred miners were trapped for around 12 hours, after power lines were brought down, due to a combination of heavy snow and high winds.

 

 

Analysis of the event suggested a "Polar Low" may well have been responsible for the intense snowfall, and tracked SSE from between Iceland/Scotland, developing into a broader scale feature, as it headed down through England.

Greatest snow depths were recorded in the SE Midlands and Northern Home Counties, with 48 cms reported at Northampton and 36 cms at Bedford.

In these areas, it had been the heaviest snowfall since 1947. Temperatures fell to -15c overnight, following the snowfall and despite a lot of bright sunshine, snow cover lasted for a week in places. (See link below to an excellent article of the event, from Philip Eden).

 

http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/cgi-app/reports?LANG=en&MENU=Extra&FILE=extra_pe&DAY=20100320

 

Tom.

Edited September 15, 2013 by TomBR7

[feb1991blizzard]

 

[feb1991blizzard]

 

 

Cannot remember which it was but the most amazingly heavy snow (albeit brief) occurred in either of these charts, im sure it was the april one as i seem to remember it being in the easter holidays when i was at my nans and i ran out in a T-shirt and she tried to stop me.

[Thundery wintry showers]

I'm quite fond of those rare snowy westerly incursions.  The 3rd March 1995 chart has already been posted, here's a few more.

 

17th January 1952:

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/1952/Rrea00119520117.gif

14th February 1973:

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/1973/Rrea00119730214.gif

17th December 1982:

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/1982/Rrea00119821217.gif

15th January 1984:

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/1984/Rrea00119840115.gif

 

I posted a classic chart from the 19th February 1955.  Here are a couple of unusually potent north-westerlies from January 1955:

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/1955/Rrea00119550113.gif

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/1955/Rrea00119550117.gif

I'm told that the second of those charts brought very deep snow to Blackpool, which is often too coastal to get much lying snow off a north-westerly.

 

Another favourite archive chart of mine is the one that initiated the very potent northerly of 19-25 January 1958, which was followed by an exceptionally warm southerly.

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/1958/Rrea00119580119.gif

Edited September 15, 2013 by Thundery wintry showers

[Lettucing Gutted]

My favorite charts in all seasons range from Cool Maritime Polar Zonality from the Atlantic to very cold Continental Polar air from the North Pole/Arctic via Northwest-Northeasterlies and from Russia via straight Easterlies.

Below are my favorite examples of cold Continental Polar Easterlies straight from Europe:-
http://www.wetterzen...00119870112.gif*
http://www.wetterzen...00119860210.gif*
http://www.wetterzen...00119960313.gif
http://www.wetterzen...00119890404.gif
http://www.wetterzen...00119550528.gif*
http://www.wetterzen...00120031023.gif
http://www.wetterzen...00119651114.gif*
http://www.wetterzen...00120101201.gif


Below are my favorite examples of cold Continental Polar Northwest-Northeasterlies straight from the North Pole/Arctic:-
http://www.wetterzen...00119580122.gif*
http://www.wetterzen...00119690208.gif*
http://www.wetterzen...00119700305.gif*
http://www.wetterzen...00119080424.gif*
http://www.wetterzen...00119350517.gif*
http://www.wetterzen...00119970626.gif
http://www.wetterzen...00119650704.gif*
http://www.wetterzen...00119120828.gif*
http://www.wetterzen...00119180929.gif*
http://www.wetterzen...00119931016.gif
http://www.wetterzen...00119731126.gif*
http://www.wetterzen...00119811212.gif*


Below are my favorite examples of Cool Maritime Polar Zonality from the Atlantic:-
http://www.wetterzen...00119840115.gif*
http://www.wetterzen...00119960225.gif
http://www.wetterzen...00119950302.gif
http://www.wetterzen...00119900414.gif
http://www.wetterzen...00119860514.gif*
http://www.wetterzen...00120080626.gif
http://www.wetterzen...00120070703.gif

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/1934/Rrea00119340831.gif*  Interestingly this unusually cold summer westerly wind gave a mean daily CET of only 10.8C on the 31st August 1934 with a -1C minimum at Rickmansworth according to http://www.personal.dundee.ac.uk/~taharley/british_weather_in_august.htm!  We very rarely get westerlies that cold even in October and May these days let alone in August!

http://www.wetterzen...00119500908.gif*
http://www.wetterzen...00119831016.gif*
http://www.wetterzen...00119961108.gif
http://www.wetterzen...00119141219.gif*

*=I have have not experienced these examples.

 

I would have added examples from spring 2013 but the charts for that season are not yet archived in Wetterzentrale.

Edited September 16, 2013 by Craig Evans

[Weather-history]

 

 

Cannot remember which it was but the most amazingly heavy snow (albeit brief) occurred in either of these charts, im sure it was the april one as i seem to remember it being in the easter holidays when i was at my nans and i ran out in a T-shirt and she tried to stop me.

I remember that March 1989 one. Rain turned to snow and stuck pretty quickly. Next morning there was a covering and some wet snow fell. I think it was the 20th March though.

[feb1991blizzard]

I remember that March 1989 one. Rain turned to snow and stuck pretty quickly. Next morning there was a covering and some wet snow fell. I think it was the 20th March though.

 

 

Cheers, The reason I thought the one I was thinking of was the Easterly in April was as Ive already said, it was definitely the Easter holidays else I wouldn't have been at my nans at 3pm, secondly because it was ridiculous for 7 or 8 minutes giving a covering but stopped so that suggests convective in nature, I do remember that year was a pants winter generally but we did get some strange winter weather both early and late, we had a fall very early on, may have been in mid November 88 as well but a massive Bartlett throughout the winter period, of course I didn't know it was called a Bartlett back then.

[feb1991blizzard]

 

 

Failed to be a stonker in what was one of the most disappointing winters of my lifetime, I remember every sunday that February the countryfile threw up some optimism only for it to be dashed by Tuesday, consolation here was it didn't make any difference in terms of not getting me time of school - I was already suspended for a week!!!!

 

[Gaz1985]

One of the best Winter charts EVER, mouth watering Bartlett Pressure and direct very mild SW winds. Manchester reached 16 degrees that day

 

[Isolated Frost]

One of the best Winter charts EVER, mouth watering Bartlett Pressure and direct very mild SW winds. Manchester reached 16 degrees that day

 

Seems awfully cloudy and dull! Nothing compared to the beauty of snow!

[reef]

Seems awfully cloudy and dull! Nothing compared to the beauty of snow!

 

It was an awful day. Looking back at my records it was completely overcast with light rain and a 25mph SW wind. I can understand if people prefer sunny, mild weather in winter, but that day was utterly horrible for most - even if mild. In the original poster's location it was even worse. Manchester was overcast all day aswell with 2.0mm of rain, a 32mph wind with a 44mph max gust.

 

I suspect it was posted to wind people up rather than for its weather, unless that is said poster's preferred weather. If so, then fair enough.

Edited September 17, 2013 by reef

[cheese]

Reached 16.3C in Church Fenton on 3 Feb 2004, with an overnight low of 11.7C. The day had 0.8 hours of sun, 1.4mm of rain,  average wind speed of 22.4mph and a maximum gust of 46mph. Pretty dire stuff.

 

19 Feb 2008 - max of -2.1C in Church Fenton, with freezing fog..

 

 

..with above-freezing 850hPa temperatures.

 

Edited September 17, 2013 by cheese

[Weather-history]

 

 

Failed to be a stonker in what was one of the most disappointing winters of my lifetime, I remember every sunday that February the countryfile threw up some optimism only for it to be dashed by Tuesday, consolation here was it didn't make any difference in terms of not getting me time of school - I was already suspended for a week!!!!

[Weather-history]

One of the best Winter charts EVER, mouth watering Bartlett Pressure and direct very mild SW winds. Manchester reached 16 degrees that day

 

[Tom Quintavalle]

A couple of charts now from a winter that's often overlooked with respect to cold and snow but Jan/Feb 1985, always worth a mention.

JAN.5th 1985.



Myself and family had just moved back south to London SE20, after living in Lincolnshire for about a year. The day of the move itself (Dec.28th), was a frosty, foggy day, esp. further north, with frost and fog lingering all day in places, in Lincs. I remember the fog being particularly bad on the M11, where it meets the M25.

A mobile Atlantic pattern had begun to run out of steam over the Xmas period and pressure was rising to our NE. A small low dived SE over the N.Sea on the 1st Jan and with a strong rise of pressure, just to our west, joining forces with high pressure near Svarlbad, the scene was set for very cold Continental air to advance from the east. I can remember waking up in our new property, on the 5th, to snow falling, around about 3 ins in total. Conditions were more severe in the east of Kent, 10 inches being reported from Margate and Ramsgate and a high of only -4c. Temperatures remained below freezing in many places over the next few days, with a min. of -16c being recorded at Jubilee Corner (Kent).

Cold air retreated eastwards for a while but returned on the 13th Jan.



More snow and very cold air encroached from the east again. On the 16th, parts of the south recorded one of its coldest days of the 20th century, with a max of only -6c, in parts of Kent and Sussex plus 8 inches of snow, in some areas.
It became milder towards the end of January and February began on a mild note but Winter wasnt finished with yet.



By the 7th/8th Feb, a classic battleground scenario developed between cold Continental air just to our east and mild Atlantic air, in the SW approaches.
Heavy snow was reported over much of the south and as the cold air became dominant, accompanied by strong easterly winds, temps remained sub-zero between the 9th/13th. In some parts of the south, the max. temp. recorded during that spell, was only -4c.

Yes, a much forgotten Winter in my book and certainly a great welcome back south, for myself and my family.

Thanks to Trevor Harleys' marvellous site, for many of the stats, in the above post.

Tom.

Edited September 17, 2013 by TomBR7

[Anvils in the Sky]

A couple of charts now from a winter that's often overlooked with respect to cold and snow but Jan/Feb 1985, always worth a mention.

I meant to mention winter '85 a few days ago. But got sidetracked with all the reminiscing of other events. But, yep, that was another great winter in Kent......if you liked cold and snow.

[feb1991blizzard]

 

 

In the West Midlands we got a heavy shower on the Saturday night and then on the sunday afternoon, the Monday morning gave a heavy hour of snow with an inch but it melted straight away, at one point it was looking like we were going to get blasted, it was being ramped up.

[Weather-history]

A couple from 1996

Heaviest snow I have seen on an easterly flow

The snow showers exploded into life that afternoon.