Based on data from the brilliant web page "UK Snowfall History: British Winter Snowfall Events 1875-2025 (Bonacina/O'Hara)": https://durhamukweather.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/bonacina.html 

Decade  Little  Average  Snowy  Very Snowy

1880s       2          2            5          1

1890s       3          4            3          0

1900s       4          2            4          0

1910s       2          5            2          1

1920s       5          1            4          0

1930s       2          6            2          0

1940s       4          1            4          1

1950s       3          3            4          0

1960s       3          4            2          1

1970s       6          1            2          1

1980s       4          4            2          0

1990s       7          1            2          0

2000s       6          4            0          0

2010s       6          0            3          1

The 1880s are the ten years from 1879-80 to 1888-9 and so on. "Winter" includes the preceding autumn and following spring where there were notable snowfalls in those months. Inevitably the classification of the winters must include an element of subjectivity, but Bonacina and O'Hara's work is probably as objective as can be achieved. Their table starts in 1875-6 ("Very Snowy"), but I have omitted 1875-6 to 1878-9 as not being a complete decade, and similarly for 2019-20 onwards.

The reduction in snowiness from the 1970s onwards compared to earlier decades is clearly visible. The "Very Snowy" winters were: 1875-6, 1878-9, 1885-6, 1916-7, 1946-7, 1962-3, 1978-9 and 2009-10. Note that there's not total correlation between how cold a winter was and the amount of snow. For instance February 1986 had a sub-zero CET but away from the east coast was a largely dry month, so that the winter is only rated "Average" for snow.

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It's an interesting list, but the classifications don't match on a more local level. For example, 2005 - the last great easterly, 14 days in a row of snow falling and of snow on the ground, would count as "snowy" by anyone's definition! But it was local, so doesn't make the list.

If you were to look at the snowiness of winters here in Kent the trend is even more stark. Five years now since there was a cover of snow at 9 AM, and I strongly suspect it'll tick over to six years in due course... we'll see!

I'm 46, and the longest gaps without a snowcover on the ground at 9AM during my life would be, let's see:

87/8 - 89/9 (2 years)

91/2 - 92/3 (2 years)

94/5 - (1 year)

97/8 - 03/4 (7 years)

05/6 - 08/9 (4 years)

13/4 - 16/7 (4 years)

18/9 - 19/20 (2 years)

21/2 - 25/6 (5 years)

The other metric is the quantity of snow - 6 inches was unremarkable in the 80s and 90s (and indeed 2005), but it last happened here in 2018 - and before that, January 2010, the December spell being less impressive. 

It all tallies, of course, with the loss of the midwinter easterly. 

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Very interesting info. Thanks.

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