Coldest starts to the year - Top 10 last 50 years

[damianslaw]

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 January 10 by damianslaw

[cheeky_monkey]

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 

[damianslaw]

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..

[Weather-history]

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.  

[A Face like Thunder]

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.

[LetItSnow!]

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.

[Weather-history]

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 January 11 by Weather-history

[AderynCoch]

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.

[hillbilly]

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 January 11 by hillbilly

[cheeky_monkey]

2 hours ago, Weather-history said:

 

As I mentioned before,  1984: 5.05°C

 

1978 = 4.8c

[damianslaw]

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.