Memories of 1979

[Sunny76]

Apart from the very cold and snowy January and February, what was the following summer like?

Only 3 at the time, but have a very vague memory of getting caught in a thunderstorm in Hyde Park, while walking around with my mum. We had to take shelter in the Serpentine cafe.

The following winter was milder and exceptionally so at the start of December. Mild weather has always been a feature of U.K. winters. 

[A Face like Thunder]

In a word, nondescript! The winter actually lasted a lot longer than most, and at the beginning of May, I recall a fall of snow which settled close to my home in the N Downs area, and this was the latest snow I've ever encountered, if you leave aside the sleety stuff  of 2nd June 1975. August 1979 (13th - 14th)  was when the 'Fastnet Storm' tragedy took place, but we were largely unaffected by the winds at that time. Sorry, but I've nothing else to add! 

Edit - the week after Christmas 1979 was wet, wet, wet in my part of Surrey, with extensive flooding further west. 

 

Edited February 6, 2022 by A Face like Thunder

[shunthebartlett92]

Ah good times. I wish id been around then, some stonking albums came out in 79! Tusk, london calling, off the wall, highway to hell, even voulez vous! Bon Scott and Ian Curtis were still alive, and my sorry state of a football team (WBA) were at the top of their game playing european teams and tearing it up. We'll overlook the fact the country may not have been in the best shape then. And yes a brilliant cold spell that winter when you had to rely on the evening news or radio for any updates, long before we had 4 GFS outputs daily and hi-res radars. 

 

[sundog]

I was only 5 for most of the yr. I have vague memories of that snowy January and February.  Remember getting some snow around st Patrick's day and getting some snow in May. That may was the only time I have ever seen snowcover at that time of Yr. Not that it lasted long  think it turned slushy fairly quickly. Remember dec 79 it seemed to be rather wet dull month. 

Edited February 6, 2022 by sundog

[North-Easterly Blast]

7 hours ago, Sunny76 said:

Apart from the very cold and snowy January and February, what was the following summer like?

Only 3 at the time, but have a very vague memory of getting caught in a thunderstorm in Hyde Park, while walking around with my mum. We had to take shelter in the Serpentine cafe.

The following winter was milder and exceptionally so at the start of December. Mild weather has always been a feature of U.K. winters. 

Yes winter 1979-80 was certainly much milder than the previous severe winter, but certainly not as mild as many winters in recent years.  I believe that winter 1979-80 started very mild at the start of December then it got colder later in the month, and for most of January 1980 it overall was cold (though obviously nowhere near as cold as the previous winter was) but it then turned milder, and I think that it had a pretty mild February of 1980, but I do believe that after that there was some colder weather in March 1980.  Winter 1979-80 although not a particularly cold winter, did have some colder weather from late December through most of January and it did come back a bit in the March, though it was never anything like the previous winter was.

Summer 1979 appears to have been a relatively cool summer overall, although the July appears to have been dry overall with near average temperatures, but it turned cool and more unsettled in the August.

[LetItSnow!]

Excerpts from the Met Office monthly reports + charts

January 1979: "Mostly very cold and snowy, with freezing fog at times" | -3.0degC below average, 92% average rainfall

This was the coldest January over the UK since 1963, and since the early 1940s in places. The 1st was a very cold day everywhere with almost the entire country failing to exceed 0degC; Exeter had a maximum of -5degC. After a brief milder interlude on the 6th & 7th, the cold returned with a vengance. Extremely low minima occurred occured at some high-level stations in Scotland at the end of this period, temperatures falling below -20degC between the 12th & 14th. At Carnwath (Strathclyde) the minimum of -24.6degC on the night of the 12th/13th was the lowest in the UK since 1955 and the second lowest since 1895. Unusually for such a cold month, "rainfall" (mostly melted snowfall) was mostly average to above-average in most places away from the Borders. Wintry showers fell often but there were also prolonged spells of snow, notably in the Channel Islands during the 4th/5th, in northern districts the 9th/10th and 20th/21st, and generally most areas during the final week. Snow was heavy at times and lay for many days, owing to the low temperatures. Gale force winds caused considerable drifts of both drifting and lying snow. At least 20cm of level snow in most places, and undrifted totals of around 50cm were achieved in the north. As for sunshine, apart from eastern coasts, parts of W Scotland & NI it was generally a very sunny month; Torbay recieved its sunniest January on record at the time with 176% of the average sunshine (105.1 hours)

     February 1979: "Mostly cold and snowy, but milder later" | -1.9degC below average, 60% average rainfall

This was another cold month; temperatures generally averaged between 1 and 3degC below average. The 8th/9th was an extremely cold night at Lagganlia (Scottish Highlands) with a low of -16.4degC. Extremely cold easterly winds brought very low temperatures on the 14th/15th, the entire country failed to exceed freezing. The 14th saw a high of -3degC at Tynemouth with 50mph winds and heavy snow. The following day saw major drifts in the east and many places were cut off. Much of SE England remained below freezing from the 14th to the 20th. The final week saw temperatures lift and therefor the month wasn't a record-breaker, though even then the temperatures only lifted to near-normal. Rainfall totals (mostly of metled snow) were generally well-above normal in the south but well-below normal in the north; E Scotland was remarkably dry with just 21% of the average rainfall, Abroath (Tayside) recorded a mere 2mm. Despite most of the souths rainfall being of melted snow, there were thunderstorms in late-February at times. It was sunny in the north but quite dull across England & Wales, especially the SE.

 

     March 1979: "Mostly cold and snowy, but milder later" | -1.6degC below average, 183% average rainfall

A cold month despite a mild start. The warmest temperature of the month was on the 2nd, a very tame 15.7degC recorded at Achany (Highland Region). Generally mild weather prevailed until the 11th, then it became very cold. The Scottish Highlands recorded an exceptional -16.5degC on the night of the 18th/19th. It remained generally cold bar a brief mild spell on the 25th, with temperatures reaching the mid-teens in the south. While it was generally a cold month everywhere, it was particularly cold in Scotland & NI, they had their coldest March since 1969. Rainfall was well-above average with England & Wales alone recording 222% of the average rainfall, making it the wettest March since 1947. NE England recorded over 300% of the average and Tyne and Wear region recorded over 400%!!! 176.2mm fell at Honister Pass (Cumbria) in 24 hours in Cumbria. Continuous snowfall in the Newcastle area between the 16th and 19th accumulated to 45cm at Gosport. Heavy falls also occured across the Midlands. The south also had snow at times but it never layed for overly long. E & S Scotland saw 20cm from a heavy band of snow on the 20th/21st. NI, E Scotland and the Western Isles had an exceptionally sunny March with 152% of the average at Tiree. Elsewhere it tended to be quite dull, especially in the east.

 

 

     April 1979: "Mostly cool and changeable" | -0.9degC below average, 120% average rainfall

A very warm Easter in an otherwise quite cold month. The first ten days of the month were often cold with wintry showers but then southerly winds over Easter brought the warmest Easter in London since 1949; 23.5degC at the London Weather Centre on the 15th. After this temperatures fell back and apart from a warm day on the 28th, much of April was quite cold. It was generally quite wet and dull, wettest relative to average the further south you went. The SE had 144% of its average rainfall; generally speaking, elsewhere totals were within 30% of normal. A dull April, parts of NE Scotland having its dullest on record to date.

 

May 1979: "Mostly cool and unsettled, with snow at first" | -1.7degC below average, 138% average rainfall

A cold month, particularly in the west & in NI with anomalies of over 2degC below normal. Generally the first ten days were exceptionally cold with northerly winds bringing rain, even snow. -7.1degC was recorded at Altnaharra on the 4th. It warmed up for a time mid-month and London reached 27.5degC on the 14th, but by the 16th it had turned cooler again and remained so for the rest of the month. Apart from NI and the extreme NW, it was an exceptionally wet May, especially in a line from Tyne and Wear to Dorset, the latter recording over 300% rainfall. This culiminated an extremely wet spring across much of England and Wales. Widespread thunderstorms on the 30th gave 61mm in just over 5 hours from 0800GMT at Beaminster, later that day 40.4mm fell in 50 minutes at Wokingham. Snow showers and even longer spells occured widely between the 1st and 9th, with wintry falls as far south as the Channel Islands. Snow cover was unusually persistent on the high ground of N England & Scotland, with the tops of many Scottish mountains remaining snow covered all month. Generally quite dull though the SE actually managed a decently sunny month.

 

June 1979: "Mostly unsettled, thundery at times" | -0.2degC below average, 73% average rainfall

Very slightly below average temperatures overall, with quite a variable theme to the weather. A warm start, with 29degC at Corpach (Highland Region) on the 3rd, then variable until another warm spell from the 17th to 20th that saw temperatures widely into the mid-20s. Temperatures fell back to normal after this, if not a little below and some parts of Scotland recorded ground frost. It was generally quite dry overall but with regional variability due to the thundery nature of the first-half of the month. Edinburgh recorded its driest June since records began in 1896 abd parts of Lincolnshire and Clwyd less than 20% of the average. In contrast, some parts of Scotland and isolated patches across the UK recorded over 150% of the average rainfall. Big storms on the 7th, 12th and 13th. 31.3mm fell in 43 minutes near West Heath (Birmingham on the 7th. Near Glasgow, over an inch fell in 30 minutes on the 12th. Most notably, 29.5mm fell in 10 minutes at Embsay Reservoir on the 13th starting 1333GMT, with serious flooding in Skipton. A tornado struck parts of east Berkshire and south Hertfordshire on the 24th. Windsor saw notable damages to property and many trees were uprooted in Kings Langsley. Quite a dull month away from Scotland where it was rather sunny. NI suffered its dullest June since 1966. 

   

July 1979: "Generally dry, but wet in NW Scotland: warm at times" | +0.1degC above average, 63% average rainfall

This was a very non-descript month. Overall, temperatures were practically bang-on average: slightly warmer than average across England, slightly cooler than average across Scotland. There were no great heatwaves despite an abundance of high pressure: the hottest temperature of the month was a modest 30.3degC recorded somewhere in the south on the 27th. It was extremely dry in many areas, with some parts of the south coast not recieving any rain until the 28th. Parts of East Anglia recorded as low as 20% their average rainfall. In contrast, the far NW was quite wet with over 160% the average. Any other places above were due to severe thunderstorms on te 28th/29th: nearly two inches fell in 42 minutes starting 1518GMT at Bradwell Abbey (Buckinghamshire). A violent thunderstorm struck a Skegness beach on the 28th, hitting a group of people and sadly killing a 3 year old girl. Despite an abundance of dry weather it was generally a dull month again. Tiree had its dullest July since records began in 1927.

August 1979: "Mostly unsettled and cool; gales around mid-month" | -0.8degC below average, 113% average rainfall

Mostly cool with most areas around a degree below average, some isolated pockets down to 1.5degC below average. This was the coolest August of the 1970s. There was an absence of any prolonged warm weather, though the 12th and the closing days gave some warm weather: 27.0degC was the warmest temperature of the month, being recorded on the 30th in Hertfordshire. However, this same period also saw some unusually cold nights with -0.7degC recorded at Eskdalemuir the night before. The month was most memorable for the Fastnet Storm during the Fastnet Yacht Race. A gale occurred on the 13-14th, as yachts were rounding the Fastnet rock. Hundreds of yachts were lost, with the loss of 15 lives. Wind gusts to Force 12. 58 mph recorded in London, 85mph at Hartland Point, north Devon. Land fatalities too. Generally it was a wet month in most places, though varying in extremes depending where you went. Lerwick had its wettest August on record. In contrast, the Greater London region recorded about half its average. Big storms on the 3rd and on the 9th, 25mm hailstones fell in SW London. Sunshine was close to average overall in all districts.

 

                      September 1979: "Mostly dry and sunny" | -0.5degC below average, 65% average rainfall

Quite a cool month though few areas saw a deviation bigger than 1.0degC below. Quite warm in the first-half albeit with variable interludes, cooler and more autumnal in the second-half with frosts. 26.4degC recorded on the 6th yet a low of -6.1degC the night of the 14th/15th. Away from the far NW where it was quite changeable, it really was a very dry month. Sheffield saw only 19mm all month and generally much of the SE as well as parts of Wales and SE Scotland saw less than 25% of the average rainfall. Only the Shetland Isles saw any real wet weather with double the average. Away from NI, much of the UK experienced a fine September with well-above average sunshine. St. Andrews, Fife, recorded 175.7 hours of sunshine, the sunniest since records began in 1913.

                          October 1979: "Mostly dry and sunny" | +0.6degC above average, 110% average rainfall

A mild month due to a warm first half. Many afternoons reached 21degC in this time and the night of the 8th/9th was one of the warmest October nights on record in many places: Birmingham recorded a "minimum" of 16.8degC. The second-half was close to average and eventually became quite cold during the closing days with frost. It was generally dry in the south but wet in the NW, continuing the theme of September: parts of the SE had as little as 50% of their average. Where it was dry it was also sunny: Greater London had around 130% of the average sunshine. In contrast, Scotland was very dull and in Lerwick only had 41 hours, the dullest since 1945.

November 1979: "Unsettled; wet in the NW" | Average, 131% average rainfall

Temperatures varied throughout the month: it started mild in all districts with 18degC recorded on the 3rd along the Moray Firth. It quickly turned colder on the 7th and stayed that way for the next ten days. This period was very frosty with a low of -11.6degC at West Linton (Borders) on the night of the 12th/13th, even Poole fell as low as -6.0degC. Snow widely fell on the 14th/15th. Milder air moved in on the 17th and the rest of the month stayed that way; exceptionally mild end with 17.9degC at Hawarden Bridge (Clwyd) on the 29th. Away from the NW it was a dry/very dry month: Once again the SE recorded well-below average rainfall, finishing off a very dry autumn there. In contrast, the NW was exceptionally wet. NI had its second wettest November on record. Glasgow had its wettest November since 1939. 185.2mm of rain fell at Honister Pass on the 25th, leading to serious flooding.

  

December 1979: "Wet and windy" | +0.4degC above average, 143% average rainfall

Generally a mild month, especially in the first-half, colder later. The first-half was often very stormy. Edinburgh recorded a gust of 110mph on the 4th. More severe gales, this time across the south, swept through from the 11th to the 17th; over 1000 trees across Cornwall were felled. The latter day saw two women die in accidents caused by strong winds and a BBC radio transmitter mast collapsed under the strength of the winds. More deaths later in the month on the 27th due to strong winds and heavy rain. Very mild with temperatures of over 16degC recorded in several places in Gwent and the SW in the first-half. Colder weather spread in in time for Christmas and on the night of the 29th/30th the temperature fell to -10.7degC at Lagganlia (Highland Region). Extremely wet in many places away from W Scotland & NI with nearer-average rainfall. The 26th/27th brought torrential rain leading to extensive flooding. 223.4mm of rain fell at Dartmoor in two days. Snow fell often on the peaks of the Scottish mountains where snow cover lay all month, otherwise laying snow didn't last long and many places saw no snow/snow cover all month. Despite the stormy weather it was a sunny month in most places, particularly in the second-half. Christmas Day and New Year's Eve were amongst the sunniest days of the entire month.

 

      Annual 1979: | -0.8degC below average, 108% average rainfall

  

 

 

 

[LetItSnow!]

Post on my end looks a bit messy so my apologies, hope it doesn't detract from the post!

Taking a look at 1979 and comparing it to years in recent past like 2014, 2020 etc it really feels like a different world.

 

*sorry for the double post!*

[cheeky_monkey]

the interesting thing about 1979 is the number of below average months there were and a few way below average..the UK these days is hard pushed to get a single month below average 

Edited February 7, 2022 by cheeky_monkey

[A Face like Thunder]

Says it all about how I remember 1979, thanks for posting, LetitSnow!

[Sunny76]

1979 sounds like a horrible year if you like warmer sunny weather. Good for snow though.

[cheeky_monkey]

53 minutes ago, Sunny76 said:

1979 sounds like a horrible year if you like warmer sunny weather. Good for snow though.

not really if you are a child of the 70s you didn't know any different..apart from the winter the rest of the year was pretty normal fare for the decade 

[Sunny76]

3 hours ago, cheeky_monkey said:

not really if you are a child of the 70s you didn't know any different..apart from the winter the rest of the year was pretty normal fare for the decade 

It would have been surprising to see the snow, but I’m sure people had higher expectations for a better summer even by 1979. The country had already experienced two hot summers in 1975 and 1976.

[cheeky_monkey]

14 minutes ago, Sunny76 said:

It would have been surprising to see the snow, but I’m sure people had higher expectations for a better summer even by 1979. The country had already experienced two hot summers in 1975 and 1976.

i wouldn't have expected the summer of 79 to be better because of two hot summers that happened prior..even as a schoolboy i realized that summers like 1976 and winters like 1979 were not the norm for the UK

[damianslaw]

The winter months were interesting from.a synoptical point of view. Not your classic locked in high latt blocking charts more of a variable range, the 6th Jan chart doesn't look far off what we've seen recently this winter! 

 

[Sunny76]

Early December recorded daytime maxes of around 16-17c. 

[A Face like Thunder]

On 07/02/2022 at 23:31, damianslaw said:

The winter months were interesting from.a synoptical point of view. Not your classic locked in high latt blocking charts more of a variable range, the 6th Jan chart doesn't look far off what we've seen recently this winter! 

 

6th Jan 1979 was moving day for me in S London / Surrey and the day was 'interesting' and actually quite scary, with snow and ice on the roads and pavements not helping the moving of furniture and driving of the van to my new home. This was actually at the bottom of a steep hill which added to the scariness, and I finally got sorted only to find that the boiler would not light. Not one of my better days!

[Sunny76]

39 minutes ago, A Face like Thunder said:

6th Jan 1979 was moving day for me in S London / Surrey and the day was 'interesting' and actually quite scary, with snow and ice on the roads and pavements not helping the moving of furniture and driving of the van to my new home. This was actually at the bottom of a steep hill which added to the scariness, and I finally got sorted only to find that the boiler would not light. Not one of my better days!

That sounds like a horrible day lol.

[Chesil View]

Here in Dorset, we had a cold winter like everywhere else. I can remember picking my way between moonlit  5 foot snowdrifts as i walked home from Swanage to Worth Matravers on the evenng after the channel low blizzard at new year. The rest of the winter was cold  but  we did have very shortlived thaws as mild sectors sraped throught the south of the uk.  

The other month i really remember is May when winter had a last sting in the tail on the 2nd dumoing several centimetres of snow especialy in thr north and west of the county.  The end of the month saw exceptional thunderstorms in the west of the county leading to dangerous flash flooding several feet deep as streams and rivers in the west of the county burst their banks.

I also remember at some point in the summer a thunderstorm one lunchtime where a proper shelf cloud like you see on the plains in the US when a severe storm is approaching move across the county.