2018 Beast From the East

[Snowyowl9]

The second beast was just as powerful for windspeed and blizzards as the main attraction I couldn t get over it sensational spell of weather altogether..

Those easterly gales were something else with extreme drifting and records drifts..

 

Edited November 28, 2022 by Snowyowl9

[Dbarb]

In terms of actual snow the beast from the east was incredibly disappointing for many areas. The cold and the wind was the main thing that was notable I must say. Apart from a few areas that had streamers most places only got a few cms max. And I also remember it melting to the sun quickly even though it was well below due to the sunshine. Much preferred 2010 with actual snow events and snow which didn't melt. Would I take 2018 again absolutely yes though 

[Bristawl Si]

20 minutes ago, Dbarb said:

In terms of actual snow the beast from the east was incredibly disappointing for many areas. The cold and the wind was the main thing that was notable I must say. Apart from a few areas that had streamers most places only got a few cms max. And I also remember it melting to the sun quickly even though it was well below due to the sunshine. Much preferred 2010 with actual snow events and snow which didn't melt. Would I take 2018 again absolutely yes though 

Not here it wasnt. Best late Winter/early Spring cold and snow in my lifetime.

At 14.00 hours on 2nd March it was Minus 2c, still snowing, powdery snow in normally mild Bristol/S Glos.

The mid-March 'blast' was also impressive. March 2018? Epic

Some pics from 2nd March 2018

 

 

Edited November 28, 2022 by Bristle Si

[Dbarb]

3 minutes ago, Bristle Si said:

Not here it wasnt. Best late Winter/early Spring cold and snow in my lifetime.

At 14.00 hours on 2nd March it was Minus 2c, still snowing, powdery snow in normally mild Bristol/S Glos.

The mid-March 'blast' was also impressive. March 2018? Epic

Some pics from 2nd March 2018

 

 

Maybe it was just my location lol. I remember being furious at the radar with the streamers setting up but only affecting extreme coastal areas and Kent for example. Direction of wind is key and any northerly component to the Eastly kills snow chances for many people. Would much prefer 2010 style south Eastly flow more perpendicular to the coast than parallel in 2018. For areas inland or west I guess it wouldn't make much difference in curious how you got so much snow in Bristol?

[Don]

On 27/11/2022 at 21:39, I remember Atlantic 252 said:

2nd mini beast a forgotten event maybe? nowhere near as snowy, but caused the cancellation of Stafford half marathon

I don't know, the 'mini' beast gave me as much snow as the beast itself!!  There was almost a 3rd beast too towards the end of March, but didn't quite make it.

[Don]

10 minutes ago, Bristle Si said:

Not here it wasnt. Best late Winter/early Spring cold and snow in my lifetime.

At 14.00 hours on 2nd March it was Minus 2c, still snowing, powdery snow in normally mild Bristol/S Glos.

The mid-March 'blast' was also impressive. March 2018? Epic

Some pics from 2nd March 2018

 

 

Your location benefited from storm Emma, whereas those areas further east largely missed out?

[Bristawl Si]

Just now, Don said:

Your location benefited from storm Emma, whereas those areas further east largely missed out?

Thanks Don.

I couldnt begin to explain how 'we' did so well in terms of snowfall. The cold factor was because we had days of cold leading up to the snowfall. You know the fav NW saying "Get the cold in first".

[Mapantz]

2018 was pretty good.

The most notable was the freezing rain. It was an absolute nightmare! And dangerous during the thaw.

[MP-R]

10 minutes ago, Bristle Si said:

Thanks Don.

I couldnt begin to explain how 'we' did so well in terms of snowfall. The cold factor was because we had days of cold leading up to the snowfall. You know the fav NW saying "Get the cold in first".

Storm Emma was a real classic case of deep cold in place and precipitation comes in from the southwest (or kinda south in this case). No surprise, we got pasted being first in line.

Like I’ve said elsewhere, we often miss out on the more frequent smaller snowfalls, but normally land up with the larger ones by nature of why they occur.

[danm]

1 hour ago, Dbarb said:

Maybe it was just my location lol. I remember being furious at the radar with the streamers setting up but only affecting extreme coastal areas and Kent for example. Direction of wind is key and any northerly component to the Eastly kills snow chances for many people. Would much prefer 2010 style south Eastly flow more perpendicular to the coast than parallel in 2018. For areas inland or west I guess it wouldn't make much difference in curious how you got so much snow in Bristol?

 

1 hour ago, Bristle Si said:

Thanks Don.

I couldnt begin to explain how 'we' did so well in terms of snowfall. The cold factor was because we had days of cold leading up to the snowfall. You know the fav NW saying "Get the cold in first".

Yep much of the east was affected by streamers, which are hit and miss. Add to that the strong early March sunshine melting some of the snow even though air temperatures were sub zero, meant for here the first couple of days were disappointing for snow depths. By day three or so it was much better due to more persistent snow and cloud cover which stopped the melt. 
 

The SW missed out on the streamers but got hit by storm Emma.

Edited November 29, 2022 by danm

[Cheshire Freeze]

This is one event that I wished had happened just a month earlier. 

SSTs were bottoming out when this hit but a month-6 weeks earlier the potential for lake effect snow would have been much greater. Day time maxima would have been several degrees below freezing, widely. The extreme 'feel' would have been enhanced.

It essentially highlights the importance of getting that SSW late December or early Jan rather than late Jan.

[Day 10]

Feb 2018 & March 2018, last time we saw snow here.

Hoping this coming Winter will deliver, it's been a long wait.

[danm]

9 minutes ago, Day 10 said:

Feb 2018 & March 2018, last time we saw snow here.

Hoping this coming Winter will deliver, it's been a long wait.

Have you really not had any snow since then? Even here in London we had some in Jan and Feb 2021, and a little in 2019.

[Day 10]

2 minutes ago, danm said:

Have you really not had any snow since then? Even here in London we had some in Jan and Feb 2021, and a little in 2019.

Yes correct, parts of the Wirral are truly dreadful for snow, has a real micro climate here especially the further north on the peninsula you go. We are surrounded on 2 and a bit sides by water, have the Irish Sea to contend with, protected by the Welsh hills one way and the Pennines the other, we are right by Liverpool city centre and it's also very flat. Extremely poor considering how far north we are.

Last year about 80% of the north west did very well while northern Wirral had plain old rain.

It makes me laugh when people moan, some members on here have no idea how bad some places are for the lack of snow. I have everything crossed for this coming Winter as the output looks very promising.

[danm]

2 minutes ago, Day 10 said:

Yes correct, parts of the Wirral are truly dreadful for snow, has a real micro climate here especially the further north on the peninsula you go. We are surrounded on 2 and a bit sides by water, have the Irish Sea to contend with, protected by the Welsh hills one way and the Pennines the other, we are right by Liverpool city centre and it's also very flat. Extremely poor considering how far north we are.

Last year about 80% of the north west did very well while northern Wirral had plain old rain.

It makes me laugh when people moan, some members on here have no idea how bad some places are for the lack of snow. I have everything crossed for this coming Winter as the output looks very promising.

Thanks, now that you describe it, it does make sense.

[Day 10]

Just now, danm said:

Thanks, now that you describe it, it does make sense.

[ChannelThunder]

I got very lucky and dodged this one while on holiday in the Gambia. Quite surreal seeing your phone homescreen weather widget telling you it's -2 in the middle of the day at home, while you're basking in nearly 30C.

It kinda got me in the end though. I was of course back in the country by the time the second, 'mini' beast came by a few weeks later.

[Frigid]

On 28/11/2022 at 22:46, Dbarb said:

In terms of actual snow the beast from the east was incredibly disappointing for many areas. The cold and the wind was the main thing that was notable I must say. Apart from a few areas that had streamers most places only got a few cms max. And I also remember it melting to the sun quickly even though it was well below due to the sunshine. Much preferred 2010 with actual snow events and snow which didn't melt. Would I take 2018 again absolutely yes though 

True. Though synoptically the BFTE was spectacular rivalling the likes of Jan 1987. it didn't bring much snow. Jan 30th 2019 and Jan 20th 2021 did give copious amounts here however, even though the charts didn't look as impressive. Jan 21 was notable, given it started very mild then turning cold and snowy in the evening. Uppers remained at or around 0C i believe. 

  

 

[danm]

2 hours ago, Frigid said:

True. Though synoptically the BFTE was spectacular rivalling the likes of Jan 1987. it didn't bring much snow. Jan 30th 2019 and Jan 20th 2021 did give copious amounts here however, even though the charts didn't look as impressive. Jan 21 was notable, given it started very mild then turning cold and snowy in the evening. Uppers remained at or around 0C i believe. 

  

 

I think it was location dependent. Here in NE London, we are pretty far east and exposed to easterlies but I wouldn't say our snow depths during the BFTE were anything to write home about. A few inches max. However, it was bitterly cold. 

I think even Jan '87 was hit and miss - Kent, Essex, EA had huge amounts of snow, London had moderate amounts and places further west probably had a dusting. I was 1 at the time so have no memory, but from what I've read that seems to be the case. Convective easterlies can be hit and miss. 

Funnily enough, I think Feb 1991 beats Jan 87 in terms of more widespread, heavy snow. London was pounded in Feb '91, whereas in Jan '87 the heaviest snow was in the eastern home counties (Kent, E Essex etc). 

[A Face like Thunder]

Another meteorological offering from Ch5, this one on the 2018 Beast from the East. Featuring Tomasz S,  Adam Henson and Greg Wallace. Tomorrow night, Monday 30th Jan, at 9pm.

[danm]

Beast from the East: The Big Freeze of 2018 on TV | Channels and schedules | TV24.co.uk

TV24.CO.UK

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News footage, videos and interviews reveal how Britain was frozen by a brutal weather system in 2018. During the cold snap, temperatures plunged to -10 degrees Celsius and the...

Tonight on Channel 5

[Arch Stanton]

All this widespread snow and there was barely a flake in Manchester

[A Face like Thunder]

Nor here in S Cheshire. What was noticeable was the wind chill and I remember standing with the dog on the local green on 1st March and never feeling so cold in my life as I did that day. The dog wanted to head home p.d.q. and the children in the local schools were kept indoors all day because it was too cold to go out, and that wasn't in my view a case of wrapping the kids up in cotton wool and not wanting to get the little dears too cold!

[Weather-history]

54 minutes ago, Arch Stanton said:

All this widespread snow and there was barely a flake in Manchester

There was here 9 miles west of Manchester

 

 

[Arch Stanton]

1 minute ago, A Face like Thunder said:

Nor here in S Cheshire. What was noticeable was the wind chill and I remember standing with the dog on the local green on 1st March and never feeling so cold in my life as I did that day. The dog wanted to head home p.d.q. and the children in the local schools were kept indoors all day because it was too cold to go out, and that wasn't in my view a case of wrapping the kids up in cotton wool and not wanting to get the little dears too cold!

Yes, I remember the wind chill vividly and I'll take that over rain anyday. I just felt so gutted after seeing what my friends & family were experiencing in Wales and London, I guess that Manchester is just terrible for proper snow.