5-6 February 1996 Heavy snowfall

[damianslaw]

27 years ago to the day.. where has the time gone. This was the most memorable snowfall event I've experienced and I suspect the single largest snowfall here since winter 46/47 quite probably or earlier i.e. Jan 1940, though do not have the stats to back this up.

The 5th was a Monday, forecasters were calling for blizzard conditions, alas the snow set in around lunchtime, and was heavy, we were sent home from school early in the afternoon - we always had to walk home being closest to the school. but most children were bused in from further afield in the valleys and were sent home at lunchtime..

Winds were strong, but I wouldn't describe conditions as blizzard like at least on lower ground. The snow remained heavy through the rest of the day, by late evening probably about 8 inches on the ground. On awake morning of the 6th, oh gosh winter wonderland, well over a foot of snow, and the snow kept falling, indeed it didn't relent until 4pm. It gave 18 inches in total.

Alas we were off school the rest of the week. and the following week was half term! I was in upper sixth form.

The event was caused by a slow moving occluded front that moved into cold surface air, it wasn't severely cold ahead of it, but cold enough, evaporative cooling and an offshore light SE wind meant we were in the right place to receive the heaviest snow, along with SW Scotland. Can only imagine the trifle amounts that fell on high ground. Indeed the fells were banked with snow for weeks, and the cold Spring meant the fells retained a long snow cover. These are the best synoptics here for delivering large snowfalls. We don't seem to get that much any more, of when they arrive the mild air quickly leads to thaw. On this occasion the cold air sat in situ and the snow stuck frozen until the Friday with further light snowfall making for treacherous conditions. Indeed many were snowed in for days, Windermere was not accessible for 2 days.

Oh to experience another snowfall like this again.

Welcome memories about this. 

Edited February 5, 2023 by damianslaw

[A Face like Thunder]

Thanks for this damianslaw. Yes, it was certainly the worst snowfall I've encountered since moving to the NW 33 years ago. I was on the Fylde coast at the time and these photos show the effects of the snowfall in and around Blackpool. I recall we were sent home early from our office on the 5th and I was able to enjoy the snow near my home in Cleveleys. The following morning, I walked to work in my wellies and, unsurprisingly, I was one of the only ones in. The snow finally stopped round about midday and by the late afternoon, the main roads were being cleared, and the following morning, the 7th, I was able to use my car to get to and from work. What was noticeable about this snowfall was that it affected only a very narrow line on the West coast, and I recall looking towards the Bowland Fells, the other side of Preston, and seeing little or no snow on the tops. And when I phoned to cancel my involvement in a weekend course in Birmingham, the organiser was most put out, "what snow?!"  Such was the occluded front which caused the chaos on the coast and a couple of days which will be remembered 27 years on by many who were affected.  

[danm]

I was 10 years old at the time and remember that all the snow had stalled somewhere west of London, so we got nothing here except dry, very cold, cloudy weather. 

 

[A Face like Thunder]

Thank you danm. It would be interesting to know what the weather forecast was on Sunday 4th Feb 1996. I certainly don't recall seeing heavy snow forecast for the Fylde and I suspect it probably came as a bit of a surprise to the MO as well. John Kettley talked of 'complications'  in the form of a small low pressure system 'steaming in' to bring potentially heavy snowfall to the moors of SW England on Wednesday 7th. I wonder whether this ever happened or whether it was a case of being 'safe rather than sorry'.  

[danm]

2 minutes ago, A Face like Thunder said:

Thank you danm. It would be interesting to know what the weather forecast was on Sunday 4th Feb 1996. I certainly don't recall seeing heavy snow forecast for the Fylde and I suspect it probably came as a bit of a surprise to the MO as well. John Kettley talked of 'complications'  in the form of a small low pressure system 'steaming in' to bring potentially heavy snowfall to the moors of SW England on Wednesday 7th. I wonder whether this ever happened or whether it was a case of being 'safe rather than sorry'.  

Here you go:

 

[Weather-history]

17 minutes ago, danm said:

Here you go:

 

I had at this stage had recorded 3 years of those BBC forecasts and that was the snowiest Countryfile forecast I had in my in collection up to them. Can't believe it took me nearly two years to convert from videotape and to upload onto YouTube all those forecasts.

Edited February 6, 2023 by Weather-history

[SussexSnowman]

Remember that period well. It was my 16th birthday weeks later when here in the South we got a dumping of snow. My brother took me for my 1st pint and we wound up outside the pub having a snowball fight. 

Snow memories, just the best! 

[danm]

37 minutes ago, Weather-history said:

I had at this stage had recorded 3 years of those BBC forecasts and that was the snowiest Countryfile forecast I had in my in collection up to them. Can't believe it took me nearly two years to convert from videotape and to upload onto YouTube all those forecasts.

Thanks for uploading them! They're a treasure trove of weather info. Hope you don't mind me posting them here. 

[Chesil View]

Remember this down here in Dorset as we don't usually get snow down her when a front lies vertically north south through the country like that but the stalling allowed a dry continental feed in advance of the front to keep it cold enough for a decent fall. The high ground in Dorset saw up to around a foot of snow IIRC.

Edited February 6, 2023 by Chesil View

[A Face like Thunder]

Thank you again danm. It seems that the MO was spot-on with the weather forecast for 5th-6th Feb 1996. A 'challenging' forecast, to say the least, and I suspect there would be amber weather warnings abounding if it had been repeated now!  

[damianslaw]

Thanks for the replies and postings of newspaper clippings and bbc forecasts of the time. I think the forecasts were very good for this event, although they anticipated the front would move further east, instead it stalled in situ, and it was this factor that caught them out. East of the Pennines saw very little snow, likewise much of east midlands, roughly a line Manchester to Birmingham to Bournemouth, west of it much snow, east of it very little if any. The heaviest snow was reserved for SW Scotland and Cumbria.

Ah I reminsce about this event in many a winter when we endure weeks of no snow, this one looking like continuing in this vein.. I remain positive we will see another event before not too long - unlikely this winter, but always the next, and there is always March..

 

[hillbilly]

High in the Pennines that year we had a severe cold spell start on 22nd of January lasting until 9th February.Unfortunately my diary reads for Feb 6th as 'light snow most of the day,drifting slightly,didnt get the blizzards forcast'.The only highlight was using the snowblower to clear the farm lane and having to tow the vet up to the farm with the tractor.The exciting part of this 18 day spell was reserved for the 27th of January where we had snow drifting in a stiff easterly wind but  the farmer decided to make an attempt to thaw out the water pipe for some of the cattle as we had been having to cart it for a week only to set fire to some straw which engulfed the building.We had to let out all the 40 cattle into the fields whilst trying to get tractors and machines out  and using the snowblower to clear the lane for the fire brigade and also blowing snow onto the flames.We had to tow out a landrover and tractor which must have had the summer diesel in with no additive and the diesel had frozen and had to tow the fire brigade up anyway.A day to remember.

[nick sussex]

I remember this and the sinking feeling when the snow stopped just to the west of London .

I was living in Wimbledon at the time and we had about 5 flakes blowing in the wind ! 

[damianslaw]

3 hours ago, hillbilly said:

High in the Pennines that year we had a severe cold spell start on 22nd of January lasting until 9th February.Unfortunately my diary reads for Feb 6th as 'light snow most of the day,drifting slightly,didnt get the blizzards forcast'.The only highlight was using the snowblower to clear the farm lane and having to tow the vet up to the farm with the tractor.The exciting part of this 18 day spell was reserved for the 27th of January where we had snow drifting in a stiff easterly wind but  the farmer decided to make an attempt to thaw out the water pipe for some of the cattle as we had been having to cart it for a week only to set fire to some straw which engulfed the building.We had to let out all the 40 cattle into the fields whilst trying to get tractors and machines out  and using the snowblower to clear the lane for the fire brigade and also blowing snow onto the flames.We had to tow out a landrover and tractor which must have had the summer diesel in with no additive and the diesel had frozen and had to tow the fire brigade up anyway.A day to remember.

It was great seeing the snowiest spell of the season coinciding with peak mid winter, late Jan/early Feb, as it should! Never seems to happen anymore, best winter synoptics occur often early or late in the season. I liken Spring 95 - Winter 96-97 to Winter 08-09 to winter 10-11 periods, very snowy, often very blocked with southerly jet stream and plenty of northerly and easterly influence, difference is the summers of 09 and 10 were much wetter and colder than summers 95 and 96. Very 'continental' periods overall. I think both periods came at and just after solar minima as well... the last 2 years has been quite similiar again at and just after solar minima, very blocked, continental and dry, but we've not had the cold snowy weather, just the heat instead! Expecting a change to very wet soon...

Edited February 8, 2023 by damianslaw