2/10. Easily forgettable. Would have given it nought if it wasn't for that last minute bit of snow today that gave me an inch covering thus finally broke my 5 years long snow cover. But on the whole, it's now dead to me.

It's like I said before, I've never felt this let down since JJ Abram's Star Trek reboot movie.

PS: Mind you, it also gave me that unusual freezing rain event today, which is rare for my coastal location but the whole thing is still a major disappointment.

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There are negatives to this cold spell. My lowest minimum was only - 5.5c. It's a short spell, probably beginning to end tomorrow.
However, I have to give it a 10/10. Remember, my area is not snow prone. AFAIR, I did not record full snow cover for more than 24 hours between January 1997 and January 2010. As I type, I have a foot of snow lying in the garden. I have to put on wellingtons if I want to go to the bottom of the garden. I will probably never see snow of this kind again in my area. This is a once in a lifetime event.

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Briefly this was one of the most improved forecasted cold blasts I’ve seen imho so bravo to the model interpretation there as it went as planned here. From the build up cold to the clouds rolling in the first snow showers most impressive. The showers could have delivered bigger flakes in the back yard but otherwise plenty to sledge 🛷 with. 9/10 compared to most years here. This beast from the east delivered right up to the prolonged snow this afternoon.

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Imby It's the Temperature thats the stand out point of this cold spell

To see snow fall at -7C is crazy, and it's been capped off this evening with 2-3 inch fall of snow at a temp of -4C

I will break this down into a number of elements and then give my overall score from that.

SNOW

I spent just about all winter looking for snow and getting frustrated in the end when I wasn't seeing that here, especially when there were other parts of the country were getting it. It then took a long time for everything to kick in and for a while, I was convinced that the whole thing was going to end up being a complete non-event, especially since there has been so many occasions in the result past when the models have pointed those phantom easterlies which never happened. Once it started snowing though, it just wouldn't stop and as a result of that, this is actually the first time since December 2010 that we have had really deep snow in this part of the world which has lasted for any length of time. In the end though, there has just been so much snow recently that I will be more than glad to see the back of it.

TEMPERATURES

This again was something which took a long time to kick in, in terms of getting any sort of low temperatures and that was the case even for a few days after starting to get that easterly wind. In the end though, we ended up with an official ice day at all three of my local stations and even another ice day at Edinburgh Gogarbank on the following day as well. The one disappointing aspect of this was there were no really low temperatures at night here due to there continuing to be too much cloud and too wind which as has happened all too often during the winter, resulted in the temperatures just refusing to drop at night. For that reason, I will have to deduct some marks for that.

TIMING

If this really cold spell had happened at around Christmas, this would have gone on to be a classic spell of winter weather in my book. However, the big issue which I had with this cold spell was the fact that it came right at the end of the winter and then carried on to what is supposed to be spring. I am looking outside my window and still seeing a lot of lying snow around and yet, we are now into the time of time when it is supposed to be starting to warm up. The fact that one of local stations recorded an official ice day on a day which isn't even officially part of winter was also ridiculous in my book, especially since the number of official air frosts which we got during the winter was rather poor and below the 1981-2010 average for that. I know that there are some members of this forum who actually liked the fact that this has carried on into the spring. These members are entitled to have that opinion, but that is not how I see it because to me, I would rather be seeing more of that sort of weather during the winter which is where it belongs and once meteorological winter ends, I would much rather be getting on with spring, thank you very much. That is therefore, something which I will be taking a few marks off for.

CONCLUSION

When you all of the above is taken into consideration, I will give this cold spell 7/10, but I will stress that it would have scored much higher, had it occurred earlier on, and not dragged into the spring in this fashion.

 

 

 

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Well, 'The Beast' is still in it's death thoes here with snizzle and still an occasionally strong easterly breeze at -1 C

I'll give 8/10 ... 

Unexpectedly heavy showers/snow storms did make it over the southern Pennine/Derbyshire hills - some even intensified over the Cheshire plain!

At one point we had around 10cm of level snow.

One very hard frost of -8.9 C 72% RH

Witnessed drifting snow and low blowing snow - not seen that since some time in the '80's.

Have never seen such low daytime temperatures and dew points so late in the season.

Schools closed 2 consecutive days.

Some local roads blocked for a time and damage to some trees due to winds gusting to severe gale force.

I've deducted  2 marks because the local hills did kick back in with the snow shield once the frontal snow arrived - meaning that we've had/are still having a snizzle-fest here!

Also the severity of the winds meant interupted sleep and damage to some trees as well as rapidly reducing the snow cover by sublimation/evaporation - or just simply blowing it elsewhere! .. Tho' of course a true easterly beast is very strong and very dry!!

 

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Interesting reading other comments esp yours John. I have so much to say on this - It certainly ended very well but like you it's a shame it didn't occur earlier but it was well worth the wait, seeing as Exeter missed out virtually between the whole of Monday and Wednesday in terms of snow showers. Yet the very city including two towns which haven't seen snow are in the red Met Office warning zone (Exeter, Crediton, Tiverton, Cullompton etc). So that's what I call fate!?

Thursdays blizzard was spot on although perhaps started a little earlier than expected as I woke up to a dusting of power and flakes in the wind but from around 2pm Thursday it really came down and came down like old fun! Never have I seen such heavy snow fall - we had perhaps 10cms or 4-5" in 3 hours. The blizzard total gave us around 7 ins of snow. Shops closed early and transport systems stopped running! It reminded me of a snowfall event in Toronto back in Jan 2005, but shops stayed open and public transport continues - I think Jiries was there too. This was pure powdery snow 6 to 7 ins of it! - also it was lovely seeing little young ones enjoying it as some younger than 5 have never seen snowfall and settling in Exeter. So for a blizzard and snowfall settling must have been over whelming! - It was really nice to see people esp children and families happy and positive vibes - it really lifted their spirits which lifts yours - well it did mine. Of course feel for those who may have been stuck or stranded! - Thank goodness it was my week off!) ha!

So After yesterdays blizzard of 6- 8" in parts of Exeter city (difficult to measure depth as it was drifting). Woke up to sheet ice so all that powder snow which fell had frozen thanks to freezing rain last night and most of the day we had light snow followed by tiny ice pellets/sleet/snizzze then the odd flake mixed in as temp dropped to -0.3c and then all the precipitation becoming snowflakes and this left a trace to 0.5 of a cm. The very interesting part was actually seeing those tiny ice pellets of drizzle gradually turning more and more snow like and snow flakes. - This lasted for for two hours but it was lighter snow and it did alternate between ice pellets and snowflakes in heavier bursts but even those ice pellets settled, so we ended in large snowflakes this afternoon giving additional covering to Existing covering! - Just observing that transition from drizzle to ice pellets to snowflakes in the precipitation this afternoon evening looked mesmerising. It was almost like it was drizzle/rain _=boo!! then ice pellets/snizzle for half an hour and then the odd flake mixed in with it looking up at it then more flakes than ice pellets then all flakes and no ice pellets haha! - It really was a classic transition from one precipitation to another and to another. - Today's event reminded me of a day in an 2013 i think 17th but it was more the fact it was sleety rain and back to sleet and nothing settled as the temp was around +1.5 or something!

We had two official ice days Wed and Thursday - Wed temp rose to 0.2c but i'll consider this an ice day. Thursdays max was -2c - perhaps the coldest daytime max since December 2010. I know somewhere in Somerset recorded a temp no higher than -4c which was the coldest ever daytime max for a spring month of March.

We had the coldest daytime max of -2c on Thursday - and coldest winters daytime max of 0.2c on 28th Feb which has been the coldest daytime max since i have witnessed since moving here in 2011. I think for winter stats the max of 0.2c could well have been the coldest max since that December to remember in 2010.

The Quay had partly frozen over for the first time since Dec 2010 with snow settling on the thin ice (albeit slush) and on shallower parts of the Quay. I'll upload some photos of everything in due course. What was also impressive was also seeing such huge icicles from gutters and esp from buildings in High street - some parts were closed off by police due to safety.

Also the freezing rain causing glaze - it really looked lovely! - Just hope I can get out my driveway tomorrow - this is some real Canadian/NE USA Nor/easter style winterstorm weather here! Another good thing was lampost watching Tuesday night and Wednesday night!

I can't rate this but I will say that it was worth the wait - it really was! If it wasn't for storm Emma then I would have given this a 0/10. If it wasn't for the freezing rain Thursday night then the snow would have not turned into sheet thick ice/glaze on top - which of course meant I couldn't make use of the snow and when I could do for a snowball fight it was too powdery! Nice to walk on as the top layer had frozen and it just went "crunch!" ha!

This has ended poorly with heavy rain - I would rather see a gradual warm up and the sun to come out as well. But it's heavy rain and freezing rain too is never good because it becomes sheet ice on top of snow! It's raining heavily now as I type. So the long and short was that it got off to a really frustrating start, esp knowing many places like Plymouth, Falmouth etc and so on got snow and Exeter didn't see any thing. Then looking on the rainfall radar seeing the English channel streamer 50 miles south of us!

It was such a 'sigh' of relief in the end as the beast certainly made up for it's lost time and I pleased to announce that Exeter snow drought has ended. - First accumulation since perhaps Feb 2012 or Jan & March 2013 and the first significant fall of snow and accumulation since 2010. Even more impressive is that this has purely been snow started off as snow the blizzard and ended as snow too! - Just a shame freezing rain followed early hours of Friday.

I know many other parts has seen snow - but even in London - there have been snow showers and dustings with more flurries and more dustings or light snow for days but totals haven't been that great "2" is the max from what I observed and heard.

Exeter and most of East Devon, West Somerset and Dorset as per above missed all this nonsense etc had between "6 - 8" in the space of a 5 or so hours. I don't know what I would have preferred looking back. More frequent snow each day giving little accumulations or a no snow followed by a blizzard! I think many parts (excluding NE) but London had snow shower after snow shower giving little accumulation or flakes evaporating and only giving a dustings where as we had a well forecast red warning for a blizzard giving a dump (which is memorable too!?) The GFS/Met O and or BBC could have easily backed off from this and I thought they would have done. Even the day before the blizzard was forecast. - I thought this because we have been let down before many a time - most notorious was back in March 2013 when the channel isles got a dump and we (Devon) were forecast to have heavy snow (potential blizzards) but never did, because the system moved further south closer to the time.

Cardiff got 50cms of snow, that almost breaks if not has broken records!? Even December 2010 there was similar amount but it took several snowfalls to get to this amount and of course it lasted longer. NIGHTS were colder too.

So we know snow showers are very hit and miss with easterlies and also this easterly never really gave us a severe frost. - too windy! The greatest frost was perhaps near the start Monday morning!

So as mentioned above - if only this had occurred earlier in season, we could have broken more records!?

Part of me feels upset that, if only this low could just give us the blizzard only and then stay south or sink south after to keep us in the cold easterly for longer so we could record some nightime lows with the snow cover!? But another part of me feel's that this cold an snow has to end soon because it is spring and it needs to melt and soon because the driveway in my cul-de sac is under half a foot of snow/sheet ice and my car is frozen solid due to freezing rain.

Just hope we don't have to wait another decade or so for this to occur and when it does - make sure it happens in winter! 🙂 -I agree with John above - it would have been more memorable and snowy as well as colder etc, had it occurred earlier on. But with longer days we got to see the snow longer in daylight hours I guess and not dark by 4pm - So it has it's pros and cons.

Another thing which has been fantastic with this Siberian feast from the east - is the snow is not only dry, powdery and settles everywhere like icing sugar and was never transitional, but (unless it's pure luck) the heavy snow/blizzard actually fell during time hours so it could be observed and experienced. Unlike pulses of sticky wet snow back in winter 12/13 which occurred night time and to some extent December 2010 and Feb 2009. Those snowfalls that gave good accumulations occurred overnight into early hours, when everyone was/is asleep. - So of course no on experienced this. - Only upon waking to see the covering. etc. 

Back to here and now - One thing for sure is certain- It will be a fantastic weekend for skiing in Scotland highlands where the cold is due to last all weekend and plenty of fresh powder there i bet!

I can talk on for ages but will leave it here - Photo's will be added to this message in due course.

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2/10

Most frustrating cold spell ever.Yes we got the cold temps of Easterlies of years gone by and icicles.

But here we only received a dusting of snow,no matter which direction the snow came we were always on the fringes of it.

Yet low pressure bringing rain last night ,right in the middle of it !,

Go chasing an Easterly all winter and produces nothing .Last time I ever do that.

First Siberian blast for over 20 years ,wish it hadn’t bothered.Feel sorry for all the kids here ,not even enough snow for them to go sledging on the Downs behind the village.

March 2013 was a hundred times better here.RIP winter 2018;you utter pile of garbage.

Nr Worthing SE coast

8/10 

2cm Monday

Dusting Tuesday

6 cm Wednesday

6 cm Thursday

8 cm Friday

So probably over 20 cm in total though because of sublimation and it blowing around it never got that deep.

4 or 5 ice days remarkable for time of year

Marks off for longevity including today only 6 days good for recent UK standards but would of been nice for 12 days or more.

And a mark off for no huge dump in one go 20cm + . 

But all in all a great spell but I just want more . Hopefully next year we can get a month long freeze up.

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One other thing I'd add to what I've said on page one.
My wife was getting fed up with me moaning about the inevitability break down which was forecast to happen from Thursday evening onwards. This spoilt the overall enjoyment as in the back of your mind I was so aware it was not going to last. It would of been nice for it to of lasted a week with the age old comment on the radio saying.... Currently no end in sight.....

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For western parts of NW England (I include places in west Manchester such as Sale,) I accept it has been a sh1tshow.. :-( 

I am slightly further west still but I'm not complaining, a bit more snow maybe but that's offset by seeing powdery snow in combination with strong winds has given me the closest to seeing what a blizzard is like. Being more exposed than towns and cities, I have seen snow whipped off the field behind me, whirlwinds of snow, drifts forming, icicles. 

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One word EPIC!! This has been the 1980`s revisited we`v`e now had 4 ice days in a row 3``-5`` inches of pwder snow some severe frosts with minimums down to -7c and coming at the very end of February and going into March.

9 out of 10 the only thing stopping me giving it 10 is we haven`t had the bone chilling temperatures as February 1986.

We here got -6.4°C this time; Feb 86 didn't manage that. I was actually living and working in Winton in Bournemouth in Feb 86 and except at Hurn, the temperatures never dipped below that. What is your lowest from this cold spell?

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6/10 here
About #7 in my all time top 10 (just nudging ahead of Mar ‘70 which was one huge snowfall)

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I'll review the cold spell once it's finished - still snowing here. Wonder if Richard had some more...

Not going to ramble on

It was a good event low temps low windchill. 

Record low temp for March . 

Drifts across the road akin to the 80’s

Ended very well with the snow on Thursday and Friday .

8/10 

 

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I'd give it 8/10 - snow falling on 4 days. Depth got to approx 15cm and the kids of done plenty of sledging (and had great fun). My lowest temperature was -6.7c and we had 2 ice days...

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I'm quite hard to please. But I have to give this one 9/10. Best since 80s, eclipses 91 due to the snow on snow. Without the sublimation, snow depths could've been the same. Drifts that I've walked in are knee deep. 

For it to have gone maximum we'd have needed longevity of the deep cold so more of mby kept the shower/convection for longer (like N/E). 

The double edged sword of time of year (sun strength) and then deep cold (sublimation) ate away the snow so the periods of no snow reduced the cover. 

The wind was amazing. Shame it didn't have snow with it here, except light flurries. Would've liked an Irish blizzard on top of what had fallen.

 

 

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9 out of 10 here.

Positives

48 hours of almost continuous snow showers left 16cms covering of dry powder snow

Snow falling at temperatures between -5c and -2c

4 consecutive ice days

Snow arrived at start of cold spell

However, main feature was the ground blizzard of Thursday with huge clouds of snow racing across the countryside, never seen anything like this in my 56 years, not below 3000 feet anyway!

Negatives

Relatively short compared with 2010 1979 etc

Bit too late in season so any sunshine quickly started melting snow even with below freezing temperatures

MetOwarnings useless as not once were we in Amber zone even when it was a blizzard outside

Euro4 and other models never predicted the snow Cumbria got, they all presumed the Pennines would stop the easterly streamers, as I expected, they didn't 

My garden looks a Bloody mess with branches and debris lying on the snow 

Great spell

More please

Andy

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One more negative.

Philip Eden no longer with us, he would have loved this spell then doing the right up in Weather Magazine

RIP Phil

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Just like an average 60's/70's winter be it late Feb/Mar makes it possibly exceptional, don't think we've seen the last of the beast yet, been interesting tho.

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