April snowfalls yesteryear - discuss!

[damianslaw]

April is nearing and it is our most fickle and variable month of the year. Can go from early summer heat, mid to high 20s, think 2018, to maxima struggling to hit more than 0 degrees, 1 April 1917 a good example.

It is the month when the northern hemisphere traditionally shakes off its winter base state, and we can see lots of northern blocking and northerly/easterly influences off a still very cold arctic and scandi/n russia region.

Use this thread to discuss, share memories of snowfalls in April yesteryear.

I recall falling and lying snow in all of the years below:

1994 - I think around Easter, 1995 around 18th, 1996 - also a heavy snowfall overnight one day mid month, 1998 - a cold snowy 5 day run around Easter, 1999 potent northerly snow, 2000 - ditto, 2001 - I think brought some snow, 2006 - I think on the 8th, 2008 on the 6th widespread snow cover, 2016 - on the 30th we had settling snow at noon and a temp of 0 degrees!

2012, 2013 and 2021 were consistently cold, and frosty. Last year I'm sure brought falling snow, whether it settled I can't remember, but the fells had alot.

This year I think there is a high risk of snow falling widely low levels, and quite possibly settling on Friday.

[A Face like Thunder]

5th April 1989 (middle day) - I was crossing Kingswood (Surrey) golf course and got completely lost in the heavy snow. Quite frightening with no-one around. 18cm of lying snow at nearby Tadworth (Eden). 

I certainly remember 6th April 2008, the only time in April that snow has settled in this part of S Cheshire in my 20+ years here.

[A Face like Thunder]

26th April 1950 (Surrey / North Downs) - I was christened on a warm sunny day 3-4 days earlier! 

[MP-R]

2021 - I think I counted about ten flakes on the 06th. It was cold enough for snow on occasion but was mainly dry.

2016 - Thundery showers on the 26th brought a mix of soft hail and snow falling.

2013 - Some snow flurries off the tail end of March’s easterly on the 04th.

2008 - Overnight snowfall left 1-2cm lying on the 06th, gone by mid morning although further wintry showers occurred later that day and the next.

2000 - Heavy rain turned to wet snow on the 04th. The Mendips got a pasting but very little settled here. 

1999 - Polar low brought a good few inches on the 14th. This is the best snow I can remember here in April... extraordinary for how late it was too, especially given it lay on the ground until the following afternoon. 

1998 - Snow showers on Easter that didn’t bring any accumulations. There was then a really cold wet day that started with sleetyness just after the Easter bank holiday.

 

Overall, it’s a tall order to get snow in April down here. Even the best looking synoptics aren’t any guarantee. The spring equinox is normally the breaking point, after which it becomes ever more difficult to achieve lying snow.  I’d quite like to see another April snowfall sometime but not after such a springlike period in the second half of March...
 

 

[damianslaw]

36 minutes ago, MP-R said:

2021 - I think I counted about ten flakes on the 06th. It was cold enough for snow on occasion but was mainly dry.

2016 - Thundery showers on the 26th brought a mix of soft hail and snow falling.

2013 - Some snow flurries off the tail end of March’s easterly on the 04th.

2008 - Overnight snowfall left 1-2cm lying on the 06th, gone by mid morning although further wintry showers occurred later that day and the next.

2000 - Heavy rain turned to wet snow on the 04th. The Mendips got a pasting but very little settled here. 

1999 - Polar low brought a good few inches on the 14th. This is the best snow I can remember here in April... extraordinary for how late it was too, especially given it lay on the ground until the following afternoon. 

1998 - Snow showers on Easter that didn’t bring any accumulations. There was then a really cold wet day that started with sleetyness just after the Easter bank holiday.

 

Overall, it’s a tall order to get snow in April down here. Even the best looking synoptics aren’t any guarantee. The spring equinox is normally the breaking point, after which it becomes ever more difficult to achieve lying snow.  I’d quite like to see another April snowfall sometime but not after such a springlike period in the second half of March...
 

 

Interesting to note 5 of those occasions came on the back of relatively snowless winters. Include 1989 in thay bag as well - I was 10 at the time and don't have strong memories of that one.

Going further back, someone mentioned 1950, there is the infamous late snowfalls of 1981, 1986 I'm certain will have brought some given how cold it was, 1983 also a snowy Easter. Snow in April in the northern half of the UK is preety common, probably on a par statistically with November. In some years we don't see any mind just like November.

[MP-R]

38 minutes ago, damianslaw said:

Interesting to note 5 of those occasions came on the back of relatively snowless winters. Include 1989 in thay bag as well - I was 10 at the time and don't have strong memories of that one.

Going further back, someone mentioned 1950, there is the infamous late snowfalls of 1981, 1986 I'm certain will have brought some given how cold it was, 1983 also a snowy Easter. Snow in April in the northern half of the UK is preety common, probably on a par statistically with November. In some years we don't see any mind just like November.

All of those winters saw snow fall at some point down here. Even 97-98 had a dusting in December, likewise 1999.

In my lifetime I’ve seen lying snow more often in November but falling snow more in April.

[Thundery wintry showers]

I grew up in South Tyneside, and in observations from 1993, I observed snow showers on 18 April 1995, though it didn't settle, and there were hail and sleet showers on the 19th and 20th with a centimetre of lying hail at one point on the 20th.  There was sleet & hail late on 3 April 1997. 

9-16 April 1998 had snow falling on most days, and a covering early on the 12th from east coast snow showers.  13 April 1999 saw a spell of persistent snow from a polar low and snow showers followed that evening.  It didn't stick around for long at Cleadon, but parts of the region with more elevation saw significant lying snow.

3-4 April 2000 had snow, but it didn't settle.  Likewise 18-20 April 2001.

I observed snow showers on 8 April 2005 and again on 8 April 2006.  The 2006 one was localised and unexpected and the Premier League football match at Sunderland was called off due to the snow (yes, Sunderland were in the Premier League back then!).  In both cases there were dustings on the ground from the heavier showers, but it didn't stick around for long.

In Norwich I had snow showers on 6 and 7 April 2008, with some dustings on the ground on the 6th.

In South Tyneside I had two days of sleet and wet snow in early April 2012.

I was in Exeter in 2016 and 2017 so missed those two late April snowfalls (although there was hail and thunder there from the 2017 northerly), but in April 2021 I saw sleet and wet snow in Exeter on the 6th, and then, after moving to Lincoln on the 9th, I saw frequent snow and hail showers on the 11th.  Some locals have told me that Lincoln had some lying snow on 5/6 April 2021 before I arrived.

Also I remember that April 2015 had a snowy end in north-east Scotland.  The Aprils of 2018 and 2019 started off with snow but mainly on high ground.

Statistics tend to bear out MP-R's observations: in most parts of the UK, lying snow is more common in November but falling snow is more common in April, probably due to northerlies being more potent in April but the stronger sun melting the snow more easily.

Edited March 27, 2022 by Thundery wintry showers

[LetItSnow!]

This is from New Ash Green, NW Kent (very, very high elevation) - the most memorable snow event in April I actually pinpointed thanks to you guys was in April 2006. It must have been late at night as it was pitch black outside, I heard ramblings going on of there being no TV signal on the Sky box, only to look outside and see deep snow cover - and it was proper snow cover as well, it looked like a winter wonderland. Somehow I also remember observing how little or no leaves were visible on the trees either, a product of the generally cold November to March period in that time, nature was quite behind. It's one of the stickout weather memories of my childhood, certainly of snow.

[I remember Atlantic 252]

April 6th 2008, amazing snow overnight around 6cms, 8am bright blue skies and deep snow looked ace for 100m asl! snow thawed though very quickly in strong April sun

could this Wednesday night be similar? although not quite April

Edited March 27, 2022 by I remember Atlantic 252

[Frigid]

April 2021 and 2016 are the only years I can recall seeing falling snow. 2021 has been the only one where snow actually laid for a bit. That month overall was very chilly and frosty and came on the back of a relatively cold and snowy winter. We really got spoilt from snowfalls down here during December 2020 - April 2021.

The thing that interests me, is April 2021 came from a warm ending in March. Very similar to what we're seeing right now if the models are correct. 

[Frost HoIIow]

35 minutes ago, Frigid said:

April 2021 and 2016 are the only years I can recall seeing falling snow. 2021 has been the only one where snow actually laid for a bit. That month overall was very chilly and frosty and came on the back of a relatively cold and snowy winter. We really got spoilt from snowfalls down here during December 2020 - April 2021.

The thing that interests me, is April 2021 came from a warm ending in March. Very similar to what we're seeing right now if the models are correct. 

Not sure where in Manchester you are but we had snow cover here in Oldham one morning in late April 2016 - a couple of cm before it melted quickly in the strong late April sun. About the same as last April's snow really. Be interesting what this summer is like, usually a good warm March is often a bad omen. That said I'm not a huge fan of pattern matching. But last summer wasn't too bad...June was quite useable, July we had a full week of hot sunny weather and August was a bit like June. The lack of thunderstorms was notable especially after that hot spell in July...was hoping it would go out with a bang but no. Think we had a better summer here than down south which was unusual.

[warmintim]

Vague memories of a heavy overnight fall in my part of Wiltshire in the 80’s, definitely April. Online check suggests it might have been 1989. I think it was a shower streamer on a north westerly, but could be wrong. It was wet snow, and melted pdq. Any ideas?

[SummerShower]

6 minutes ago, warmintim said:

Vague memories of a heavy overnight fall in my part of Wiltshire in the 80’s, definitely April. Online check suggests it might have been 1989. I think it was a shower streamer on a north westerly, but could be wrong. It was wet snow, and melted pdq. Any ideas?

I recall snow in April 1989 if memory serves correctly.. could have been tuesday 4th, I seem to remember heavy rain turning to snow in the afternoon and settling a bit.  Then there was more during the next day but it didnt lay.

Best April snowfall here was 6th, 2008.  Had a single positive strike near here too with the thunder exceptionally loud.  3 inches fell in the morning and boy did it come down at a rate!  It did melt generally when the sun came out afterwards but patches remained for a few days after.

Also, one I've not heard others mention was overnight 8/9th April 1994.  The 8th was generally very wet and when I looked out of the window the following morning was surprised to see about 2 inches covering the ground.  It melted during the morning though.  Must have been quite local, and definitely wasn't forecast

[hillbilly]

April 1981 It was quite sunny in the first half, particularly in the north. In some places it was the warmest first half of April for twenty years, but the second half as the coldest of the century; hence temperatures overall were not too far off average. It was cloudier at times in the south, with some rain. Thunderstorms gave 83.6 mm of rain at Horsham on the 14th, leading to severe flooding. 86 mm of rain fell at Horsham (Sussex) on the 14th. Around Easter most of the country was cloudless. Cold weather came south from the Arctic on Easter Monday, the 20th, as northerly winds set in. Then very cold air swept south on the 22nd, interacting with a complex low moving east across the Midlands to bring snow. It was -11C at Dalwhinnie (Highland) on the night of the 23rd. There was a maximum of only 1C at Leeming (Yorks.) and Nottingham on the 24th. From Birmingham to Nottingham the afternoon maxima did not exceed 3C from the 24-26th. In hilly districts the temperature remained permanently subzero. There was a great blizzard with thunder on the 24th and 26th; particularly affecting the Pennines, the west, southwest, and even Salisbury Plain and the Cotswolds. Thunder and northerly winds of 40 mph. There was 20 cm of snow on the night of the 25th across southern and western England and Wales: 66 cm was reported in Gloucestershire. Level snow of 60 cm around the Peak District with 20' drifts reported. The snow was wet and drifted in very strong winds: 20' high drifts were recorded in Derbyshire and Staffordshire. The Snake Pass in Derbyshire was closed because of the risk of an avalanche. There was widespread disruption to power supplies, farming (particularly on Dartmoor), particularly livestock, and traffic. Branches snapped under the weight of wet snow and coming into leaf. The thaw led to serious flooding in the east Midlands, in some places the worst since 1947.

I cannot sum this event up any better than Trevor Harleys extract,simply incredible and something i can never forget.

[Summer18]

One of my earliest weather related memories was building a snowman on good Friday in 1998

I can remember snow falling on various dates in 2005, 2006, 2008 & 2012 but they were all from brief showers. 

I remember the last weekend of 2013 we had a snow shower in the early hours of the Saturday morning which was the latest snowfall I could remember at that point.

2016 sticks out the most, we had many snow showers in the final week and left the latest covering I can remember on about the 29th, the cloudscapes were brilliant too.

We had a covering on the 2nd in 2018 but that didn’t last.

Finally last year, the weekend before the pubs reopened, I was walking on the Yorkshire Dales and we had a few decent snow showers leaving a minor covering.

There will be other occasions that have slipped my mind too. 

[Thundery wintry showers]

4 hours ago, warmintim said:

Vague memories of a heavy overnight fall in my part of Wiltshire in the 80’s, definitely April. Online check suggests it might have been 1989. I think it was a shower streamer on a north westerly, but could be wrong. It was wet snow, and melted pdq. Any ideas?

It could have been the 6th April 1989.  Cold air came in from the east on the 4th and 5th and brought snow for some, and then on the 6th some of that cold air came around to south-west and central southern England via a north-westerly on the southern flank of low pressure.  850hPa temperatures of around -5C would support wet snow in areas of heavier precipitation.

There was also a cold north-westerly on 24-26 April 1989 with snow for some but the precipitation charts for that period don't suggest a shower streamer on a north-westerly, whereas they do suggest one early on the 6th.

Edited March 28, 2022 by Thundery wintry showers

[Weather-history]

I remember seeing snow falling on the Saturday of the Steve Davis/Dennis Taylor final in 1985, that was the last weekend of that April. 

The snow of April 1986 seemed wet to me what I can remember

Classic easterly type snow/hail showers of early April 1989.

There were snow showers on the Tuesday evening of the 3rd April 1990 and I woke up the next morning to a snow cover on the ground which lasted well into the morning. Strangeways riots were on going at the time. 

Don't recall wintry showers during the second half of April 1991 but I do remember wet snow falling during the morning of the 15th? April 1992 and it gave way to graupel showers in the afternoon.

There were snow showers during the Easter Monday of 1994 and there was lying snow on the morning of the Grand National the following Saturday with snow showers that morning. Dried up during the afternoon.

Snow showers after the Easter of 1995

Had rain turned to wet snow during the evening of the Friday after the Easter of 1996

The Easter of April 1998 was probably the snowiest spell between January 1997 and Christmas 2000 here. Wet snow Good Friday evening, snow  and hail showers during Saturday afternoon, snow and hail showers erupted during the afternoon of Easter Sunday, Easter Monday was mostly dry until the evening when heavy snow showers moved in and left a covering. Wet snow fell during the Tuesday afternoon after Easter and this got heavier and heavier as the evening went on. A severe weather warning was issued. Snow on the ground next morning.

Mid April 1999, you could feel the warmth of the sun on your face and yet snow flakes were falling. Very odd feeling.

Early April 2000 we had falling snow but it wasn't a lot, bulk of preciptation was further east.

Sleet/wet snow falling from showers during April 2001

Snow and hail showers the day after Pope John Paul II's funeral in 2005, I think it was the day of Cahrles/Camilla's wedding

Snowed during late Saturday night of the 5th April? in 2008. Left a covering.

Wet snow during early April 2012

Heavy snow shower at the end of April 2016 

 

Wet snow for a time at the start of April 2018

Snow during 6th April 2021 and wet snow fell during the following Saturday

 

[A Face like Thunder]

11 hours ago, hillbilly said:

April 1981 It was quite sunny in the first half, particularly in the north. In some places it was the warmest first half of April for twenty years, but the second half as the coldest of the century; hence temperatures overall were not too far off average. It was cloudier at times in the south, with some rain. Thunderstorms gave 83.6 mm of rain at Horsham on the 14th, leading to severe flooding. 86 mm of rain fell at Horsham (Sussex) on the 14th. Around Easter most of the country was cloudless. Cold weather came south from the Arctic on Easter Monday, the 20th, as northerly winds set in. Then very cold air swept south on the 22nd, interacting with a complex low moving east across the Midlands to bring snow. It was -11C at Dalwhinnie (Highland) on the night of the 23rd. There was a maximum of only 1C at Leeming (Yorks.) and Nottingham on the 24th. From Birmingham to Nottingham the afternoon maxima did not exceed 3C from the 24-26th. In hilly districts the temperature remained permanently subzero. There was a great blizzard with thunder on the 24th and 26th; particularly affecting the Pennines, the west, southwest, and even Salisbury Plain and the Cotswolds. Thunder and northerly winds of 40 mph. There was 20 cm of snow on the night of the 25th across southern and western England and Wales: 66 cm was reported in Gloucestershire. Level snow of 60 cm around the Peak District with 20' drifts reported. The snow was wet and drifted in very strong winds: 20' high drifts were recorded in Derbyshire and Staffordshire. The Snake Pass in Derbyshire was closed because of the risk of an avalanche. There was widespread disruption to power supplies, farming (particularly on Dartmoor), particularly livestock, and traffic. Branches snapped under the weight of wet snow and coming into leaf. The thaw led to serious flooding in the east Midlands, in some places the worst since 1947.

I cannot sum this event up any better than Trevor Harleys extract,simply incredible and something i can never forget.

Quite a year was 1981, given that December was the 'snowiest December of the 20th century' (Eden). I don't remember the snows of April 1981 in S London / Surrey,  but Philip Eden reported that depths of 30-50cm  were typical above 150m, and in the Forest of Dean, snow lay 66cm deep and 59cm deep at Middleton in Derbyshire. A truly memorable period by all accounts!   

[cheeky_monkey]

it snows every year in April here..had temps as low as -30c in the first week of April on occasion in the last 5 Aprils 

[mushymanrob]

No mention of April 1968?

After a very warm March, early April turned cold with frequent heavy snow showers where i  was at Breaston in the East Midlands (Mid point between Derby and Nottingham).
These showers settled, giving us several inches of snow, but this rapidly melted in the sunny spells between showers.

[LetItSnow!]

April 2006 brought a massive dumping of snow in NW Kent. During the evening out of nowhere came one of the heaviest snowfalls I can remember in my childhood. I can see in my mind's eye complete cover. There was barely any vegetation on the trees at the time due to the colder winter and cold spring up to that point so it truly felt like a winter wonderland. Even knocked out the signal on the TV. 

April 2013 brought blizzard conditions on the 4th, which is one of the coldest and bleakest days I can remember so late in the spring. Snow grains blew in on blustery NE winds, a conveyer belt of cold, raw winds and cloudy skies. The coldness of that spring lives in my mind.

[damianslaw]

On 16/04/2022 at 14:05, LetItSnow! said:

April 2006 brought a massive dumping of snow in NW Kent. During the evening out of nowhere came one of the heaviest snowfalls I can remember in my childhood. I can see in my mind's eye complete cover. There was barely any vegetation on the trees at the time due to the colder winter and cold spring up to that point so it truly felt like a winter wonderland. Even knocked out the signal on the TV. 

April 2013 brought blizzard conditions on the 4th, which is one of the coldest and bleakest days I can remember so late in the spring. Snow grains blew in on blustery NE winds, a conveyer belt of cold, raw winds and cloudy skies. The coldness of that spring lives in my mind.

Spring 13 was a cold one. Similiar to 1996 in a number of ways on the back of a cold winter as well. The warmth when it arrived in July was very welcomed especially after the very poor summer of 2012. Indeed July 13 one of those key turning points when we transitioned out of the colder period that set in around May 07 with a few exceptions.. I'd say we have been in a warm phase ever since mainly again with one or two exceptions. We had a long warm phase from Feb 97.. when and will we break out of this one..

[LetItSnow!]

4 hours ago, damianslaw said:

Spring 13 was a cold one. Similiar to 1996 in a number of ways on the back of a cold winter as well. The warmth when it arrived in July was very welcomed especially after the very poor summer of 2012. Indeed July 13 one of those key turning points when we transitioned out of the colder period that set in around May 07 with a few exceptions.. I'd say we have been in a warm phase ever since mainly again with one or two exceptions. We had a long warm phase from Feb 97.. when and will we break out of this one..

Here in the southeast it felt like last year was a turning point after a colder winter than we'd had for some time, then April and May's cold. The summer down here, bar a warm and sunny spell in the first half of June and a couple days of modest heat in July, was often very cool and wet. The Bank Holiday in August was particularly chilly and grey, however as soon as the calendar flipped into September it switched into warmth and it lasted all autumn and most of the winter. Then again, you mention May 2007 as being a turning point, but we still had to bear through winter 07/08 so perhaps 21/22 was like that. Alas, we wait and see...

[Weather-history]

 

[reef]

Lying snow in April is quite a rare thing here. It hasn't happened for 15 years now. The 1991-2020 average for lying snow at 0900 is just 0.1 days.

There have been 5 days with lying snow at 0900 here since 1989. Those are 1998, 1999, 2005 and 2008. All of these were one day brief coverings at an unmeasurable depth.

1989 had two days: the 4th and 24th. The latter is my first memory of snow and the latest date in the spring to have lying snow here.