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Coldest starts to the year - Top 10 last 50 years


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Posted
  • Location: Windermere 120m asl
  • Location: Windermere 120m asl
Posted (edited)

In a thread about winter 85-86, a forgotten cold one, I've speculated on the coldest starts to the year in the last 40 odd years, and I suspect 1986 is number one coldest. Classifying start I mean Jan - April.

If we go back 50 years to 1974, possibly 1979 might top the list? Others I suspect feature include 1985, 1987, 1991, 1996, 2010 and 2013, possibly 2001 and 2021 even... Anyone have the stats...

Edited by damianslaw
Posted
  • Location: Edmonton Alberta(via Chelmsford, Exeter & Calgary)
  • Weather Preferences: Sunshine and 15-25c
  • Location: Edmonton Alberta(via Chelmsford, Exeter & Calgary)
Posted

1987 would miss out i think due to it having the second warmest April of the 20th century ..1978 will be there in the top 5 maybe 

Posted
  • Location: Windermere 120m asl
  • Location: Windermere 120m asl
Posted
5 minutes ago, cheeky_monkey said:

1987 would miss out i think due to it having the second warmest April of the 20th century ..1978 will be there in the top 5 maybe 

Oh yes forgot 1978, April 87 was warm so probably not included. 2006 could feature..

Posted
  • Location: Irlam
  • Location: Irlam
Posted
8 hours ago, damianslaw said:

In a thread about winter 85-86, a forgotten cold one, I've speculated on the coldest starts to the year in the last 40 odd years, and I suspect 1986 is number one coldest. Classifying start I mean Jan - April.

If we go back 50 years to 1974, possibly 1979 might top the list? Others I suspect feature include 1985, 1987, 1991, 1996, 2010 and 2013, possibly 2001 and 2021 even... Anyone have the stats...

1984 might sneak into the top 10.  

Posted
  • Location: Cheshire
  • Location: Cheshire
Posted
10 hours ago, damianslaw said:

In a thread about winter 85-86, a forgotten cold one, I've speculated on the coldest starts to the year in the last 40 odd years, and I suspect 1986 is number one coldest. Classifying start I mean Jan - April.

If we go back 50 years to 1974, possibly 1979 might top the list? Others I suspect feature include 1985, 1987, 1991, 1996, 2010 and 2013, possibly 2001 and 2021 even... Anyone have the stats...

Agreed, 1979 was remembered for its duration with slight falls of snow in South London as late as 1st/2nd May.

Posted
  • Location: Islington, C. London.
  • Location: Islington, C. London.
Posted

Some chilly starts to the year since the 20th century, using the C.E.T. average for January to April.

2013: 4.3C

2001: 5.1C

1996: 5.0C

1986: 3.3C

1985: 4.0C

1979: 3.3C

1970: 4.3C

1947: 3.1C

1941: 3.9C

1929: 3.7C

1919: 3.9C

1917: 2.8C

1901: 4.6C

Interesting that 1917 comes out on top... or bottom. The thing about the winter of 1916/1917 and the spring that followed is that it was often very cold but the depth of cold was split between months. I do recall someone saying that mid-January to mid-February had an average well below -1C but I'm not sure exactly where. It was a very long, arduous winter but a warm May did follow.

I didn't include 1963 in this list as March and April were fairly mild but seperately it comes out at 3.0C, highlighting how brutal January and February were.

  • Thanks 1
Posted
  • Location: Irlam
  • Location: Irlam
Posted (edited)
52 minutes ago, LetItSnow! said:

Some chilly starts to the year since the 20th century, using the C.E.T. average for January to April.

2013: 4.3C

2001: 5.1C

1996: 5.0C

1986: 3.3C

1985: 4.0C

1979: 3.3C

1970: 4.3C

1947: 3.1C

1941: 3.9C

1929: 3.7C

1919: 3.9C

1917: 2.8C

1901: 4.6C

Interesting that 1917 comes out on top... or bottom. The thing about the winter of 1916/1917 and the spring that followed is that it was often very cold but the depth of cold was split between months. I do recall someone saying that mid-January to mid-February had an average well below -1C but I'm not sure exactly where. It was a very long, arduous winter but a warm May did follow.

I didn't include 1963 in this list as March and April were fairly mild but seperately it comes out at 3.0C, highlighting how brutal January and February were.

 

As I mentioned before,  1984: 5.05°C

 

Edited by Weather-history
Posted
  • Location: Bratislava, Slovakia
  • Location: Bratislava, Slovakia
Posted

Beyond the scope of this thread but 1740 laughs in your faces with a Jan-Apr average of 1.5C. 1684 even managed 1.4C, though monthly averages are only calculated to the nearest 0.5C.

Posted
  • Location: halifax 125m
  • Weather Preferences: extremes the unusual and interesting facts
  • Location: halifax 125m
Posted (edited)
3 hours ago, LetItSnow! said:

Some chilly starts to the year since the 20th century, using the C.E.T. average for January to April.

2013: 4.3C

2001: 5.1C

1996: 5.0C

1986: 3.3C

1985: 4.0C

1979: 3.3C

1970: 4.3C

1947: 3.1C

1941: 3.9C

1929: 3.7C

1919: 3.9C

1917: 2.8C

1901: 4.6C

Interesting that 1917 comes out on top... or bottom. The thing about the winter of 1916/1917 and the spring that followed is that it was often very cold but the depth of cold was split between months. I do recall someone saying that mid-January to mid-February had an average well below -1C but I'm not sure exactly where. It was a very long, arduous winter but a warm May did follow.

I didn't include 1963 in this list as March and April were fairly mild but seperately it comes out at 3.0C, highlighting how brutal January and February were.

Also to not that 1917 has the highest No of airfrosts [in my area] for the extended winter October to May inclusive

1916/17 airfrosts  93

1978/79  -86

1962/63 -84

1946/47 -77

1923/24 -76

1941/42 -73

interesting that 2012/2013 is the highest since 1979 at 70 

2009/2010 -57

Edited by hillbilly
Posted
  • Location: Edmonton Alberta(via Chelmsford, Exeter & Calgary)
  • Weather Preferences: Sunshine and 15-25c
  • Location: Edmonton Alberta(via Chelmsford, Exeter & Calgary)
Posted
2 hours ago, Weather-history said:

 

As I mentioned before,  1984: 5.05°C

 

1978 = 4.8c

Posted
  • Location: Windermere 120m asl
  • Location: Windermere 120m asl
Posted

Thanks for the stats, as I suspected 1986 at the top joint with 1979 in terms of last 50 years. Only 1947 and 1917 colder. Summer 47 must have felt quite bizarre.

 

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