Talking of icicles, I've dug through my phone. Here's the last time I saw them in person - back in Feb 2021, in the so-called lockdown (so-called as we still had to go into work!)

A leaky gutter in the school quad, and my 20-something colleague, expressing amazement at a) seeing actual real icicles and b) how deep the snow was.

I didn't have the heart to tell her they'd barely be worth mentioning if it were the 80s! 😂

No icicles at home, incidentally, as it went above freezing every day once we had enough snow.

https://ukwct.org.uk/weather/ic1.jpg 


https://ukwct.org.uk/weather/ic2.jpg 

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I remember as a young kid it started snowing as we sat in a school class (I was in South Yorkshire at the time) and the teacher told us kids that if we made a single sound that the snow would stop and never come back. Of course, looking back, she just wanted to keep us quite and saw the snow as an opportunity, but for some reason, I still hold that thought in my head to this day. Quietness is required when the snow is falling...  or else. 

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For those that can remember back to Mid Feb 1979..After a cold January, it briefly turned milder towards the end and start of Feb. The extreme cold never got swept away from NE Europe. Around the 13th a cold N Easterly established bringing Snow showers. Living in Northamptonshire at the time the 14th 15th bought what I still recall as the most brutal winter conditions I've ever experienced. It snowed constantly for 2 days , heavy most of the time with drifting in a strong ENE wind..daytime here was around -6c ..it left drifts where I lived then 9ft deep...14 years old at the time and the lengthened half term was fun 😊

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Icicles 2023, anyone? 20/1/23, in a sunken lane with seepage from the field above, near Bramshott, Hants


 

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There were loads of icicles around here last week, including on buildings but also on cars where the snow had partially melted en route but had then refrozen as icicles on bar bumpers etc.

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As an aside, it's periods like we've had this month that reminds you whose posts are worth reading in the MO thread.... and whose you can ignore as just trolling guff.

😊

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Kinlochewe in north west Scotland has hit 16.9c this morning, which is provisionally the warmest January day on record for the village.

Kinlochewe in north west Scotland has hit 16.9c this morning, which is provisionally the warmest January day on record for the village.

Old news Gav it's smashed the January UK record already 19.2c
 

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Well it's the 45th anniversary this week of the infamous February 1979 blizzards.   Thought I would add my recollections of the event, and although it is 45 years ago now, a lot of that week's weather is still etched into my mind.   I was 12 years old at the time, and up until this event I had long had a bit of an interest in the weather, but this weather event I think made me into a full blown weather enthusiast for life, and is when I actually started a weather diary, which I've kept on an almost continuous basis since then.

So the Sunday 11th Feb was basically a cold, dry day with a W-NW wind, but by the following day, Monday 12th, the wind had switched 180 degrees into the East, and snow started to fall, coming from a depression that was edging in from the southwest.   The snow was relentless during the day, and reached about 5 inches deep by the end of the day.   I remember that we were sent home from school at lunchtime, and not because of the snow, but because the heating had failed!   I then remember Bill Giles doing the BBC evening forecast for the next day, and showing snow symbols plastered over most of the UK, so I thought, wow, yet more snow tomorrow!

So on waking up the next morning (Tuesday 12th) I was eagerly anticipating us to be buried in snow, and therefore a likely day off school!   Opened the curtains, and to my disgust, the previous day's snow cover was being washed away by pouring rains which set in for most of the day.  Schools were open.   I think we were unlucky because I reckon that the milder air had only just crept to the north of us, and there was still a snowstorm ongoing across Yorkshire and North Wales.   In fact the rain did turn back to snow during the evening, although it didn't settle at that point.  

On Wednesday 13th, the cold air had returned with a vengeance, this time it was brutally cold air being blown by a strong N-NE wind, it was well below freezing-point all day.   Such a contrast with the previous day, the day started with intense snow squalls blowing dry snow into deeper and deeper drifts.  Such was the strength of the wind that hardly any snow lay on open ground, but I remember at school that day, finding a snowdrift that was already at least a foot deep.  The morning period especially was dominated by very frequent heavy snow showers, these moving through so quickly that the sun would come out for a few minutes, before the next snow squall was already incoming. As the snow fell, the flakes were just gliding across open ground - I had never seen anything like this before!   The wind chill this day must've been incredibly low.  Later in the day, it became dry and sunny, before the real fun and games was to begin.   I think it was Ian McCaskill doing the forecast that evening, and he was showing snow moving into much of England for Thursday.   I looked out the window at around 8pm, and there was already a covering of snow from the new snowfall.

So on Thursday 14th, I woke up, expecting perhaps an inch or two on the ground and snow falling.  Opened the curtains, and wow!   A winter wonderland.  I had never seen this much snow in my life before, and venturing outside,  the deep snow came almost to the top of my Wellington Boots.   Level snow was at least 7 inches, drifts at least double that, if not triple that.   School was cancelled that day, and the day after.   Conditions would've been much more severe out in the local countryside, compared to in town.   Many places were cut off for a time.  Although snow fell right through that day, and also carried on into Friday, the temperature was gradually rising, and a slow thaw was evident.  The snow turned to drizzle at the weekend, and by the 23rd, most of the snow had disappeared. 

Since that event, I've seen 4 snow events that surpassed this one in terms of severity, but I still have a great fondness of this one, perhaps because it was unique in the way that it played out, and was the first properly severe wintry spell of my lifetime.  

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When I was little, I was pretty obsessed with fireworks. One Christmas, my mum and dad got me a box of indoor fireworks.

I was full of wonder as my mind wandered to amazing images of fireworks... but in the house!!! 

A few days later, with a metal tray set on the tiled kitchen floor, my mum, dad and older brother gathered to witness my amazing indoor firework display. I was itching with excitement and anticipation.

I lit the first. It sputtered a little, with a few sparks reaching the heady height of about 4 inches, then fizzled out. No matter, it was probably a dud and the next one would be better. This just seemed to make a lot of smoke without doing much. Onto the next, and it produced a curling, black blob of something like squidgy foam. Hmmm... starting to have doubts now. Next was a repeat of the first. And so it continued, much to the increasing mirth of my older brother and chagrin of my parents. There were about a dozen and half in the box, and we ended the misery at ten or so.

This winter feels very much like how deflated I was that day: starting with a bit of excitement that didn't ultimately live up to expectations - but with the tantalising promise that it could get better, yet each subsequent attempt at something good fell flat, and before you know it you've given up before the finish.

 

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When I was little, I was pretty obsessed with fireworks. One Christmas, my mum and dad got me a box of indoor fireworks.

I was full of wonder as my mind wandered to amazing images of fireworks... but in the house!!! 

A few days later, with a metal tray set on the tiled kitchen floor, my mum, dad and older brother gathered to witness my amazing indoor firework display. I was itching with excitement and anticipation.

I lit the first. It sputtered a little, with a few sparks reaching the heady height of about 4 inches, then fizzled out. No matter, it was probably a dud and the next one would be better. This just seemed to make a lot of smoke without doing much. Onto the next, and it produced a curling, black blob of something like squidgy foam. Hmmm... starting to have doubts now. Next was a repeat of the first. And so it continued, much to the increasing mirth of my older brother and chagrin of my parents. There were about a dozen and half in the box, and we ended the misery at ten or so.

This winter feels very much like how deflated I was that day: starting with a bit of excitement that didn't ultimately live up to expectations - but with the tantalising promise that it could get better, yet each subsequent attempt at something good fell flat, and before you know it you've given up before the finish.

 

😁

I had a very similar indoor firework experience (and growing up in NI you could not have your own private displays as an alternative anyway). I remember the anticipation, very distinctive smell and the “was that it?” feeling!

Locally this winter has, to continue the analogy, been more of a small-scale slightly disappointing local fireworks display. Better than the damp squib inside variety but lacking a few “oohs” and ”ahs”!

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When I was little, I was pretty obsessed with fireworks. One Christmas, my mum and dad got me a box of indoor fireworks.

I was full of wonder as my mind wandered to amazing images of fireworks... but in the house!!! 

A few days later, with a metal tray set on the tiled kitchen floor, my mum, dad and older brother gathered to witness my amazing indoor firework display. I was itching with excitement and anticipation.

I lit the first. It sputtered a little, with a few sparks reaching the heady height of about 4 inches, then fizzled out. No matter, it was probably a dud and the next one would be better. This just seemed to make a lot of smoke without doing much. Onto the next, and it produced a curling, black blob of something like squidgy foam. Hmmm... starting to have doubts now. Next was a repeat of the first. And so it continued, much to the increasing mirth of my older brother and chagrin of my parents. There were about a dozen and half in the box, and we ended the misery at ten or so.

This winter feels very much like how deflated I was that day: starting with a bit of excitement that didn't ultimately live up to expectations - but with the tantalising promise that it could get better, yet each subsequent attempt at something good fell flat, and before you know it you've given up before the finish.

 

For some these winter disappointment posts always remind me of this IT Project cartoon

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Being 66 and growing up in Yorkshire I've known plenty of heavy snow events. I can even remember snow up to the downstairs windows in 62-63 on the edge of the Pennines.

I was thinking about another classic today. Does anyone remember Saturday/Sunday December 12th/13th 1981?

Living at 170m on the eastern Pennine slopes we'd had a cold December with -26 C near Shrewsbury. Into that cold air came a deep Low with snow moving in on a strong to gale force south-easterly. The snow was supposed to reach West Yorks around lunchtime but slowed down. I waited all day......and then just as dusk fell, fine powder snow began and pretty soon we had a classic snowstorm for about 12 hours. Think I spent most of the night watching the blizzard raging. Next morning we had about 2ft of level snow with drifts in the town up to 6ft. It lay thickly for the rest of December!

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Being 66 and growing up in Yorkshire I've known plenty of heavy snow events. I can even remember snow up to the downstairs windows in 62-63 on the edge of the Pennines.

I was thinking about another classic today. Does anyone remember Saturday/Sunday December 12th/13th 1981?

Living at 170m on the eastern Pennine slopes we'd had a cold December with -26 C near Shrewsbury. Into that cold air came a deep Low with snow moving in on a strong to gale force south-easterly. The snow was supposed to reach West Yorks around lunchtime but slowed down. I waited all day......and then just as dusk fell, fine powder snow began and pretty soon we had a classic snowstorm for about 12 hours. Think I spent most of the night watching the blizzard raging. Next morning we had about 2ft of level snow with drifts in the town up to 6ft. It lay thickly for the rest of December!

I'm getting a bit old myself these days (my 60th birthday will be coming up later on this year), but I'm not old enough to have been around at the time of that really cold winter of 1962/63 which you've mentioned.

Nevertheless, I can remember many cold and snowy periods in the past, especially during the 1970s and the early part of the 1980s. I have very good memories of the the winter of 1981/82 being a really cold and icy one but in terms of snowfall, what I remember the most is being sent home from school on a number of days during my childhood days back in the 1970s due to the snowfalls of that time.
 

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I can remember the severe winters of 1962-3 and 1978-9 very well but of course living in London for both of these limited the dramatic effect. My most vivid memory is of a lesser know event of 19-20 February 1969 when I was a student living in the foothills of Dartmoor just outside Whitestone in South Devon. This was quite a harsh winter but nowhere near as much so as 62/3 or 78/9 but this overnight blizzard particularly affected S Devon and at an elevation of around 150-200m meant the effects were pronounced

We were cut off for 2 days until the snowploughs arrived but were able to walk around locally when I took these snaps of the scene

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6 years ago today since the 'Beast from the East' arrived dramaticaly after lunch!

Edinburgh had a red warning issued for early afternoon and the media were urging people to get home. That was not an overstatement. The first intense blizzard arrived about 2pm that afternoon and by 8pm the city was paralysed with deep, blowing powder snow.

The snowstorms lasted 3 days. The A1 closed south due to drifting and there were no trains south either on the East or West coast routes

We were literally marooned in a capital city for 3 days with no transport. It was blowing fine powder snow and almost impossible to open your eyes.

Quite remarkable for early March and only 8 years after December 2010 which was even more dramatic!

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6 years ago today since the 'Beast from the East' arrived dramaticaly after lunch!

Edinburgh had a red warning issued for early afternoon and the media were urging people to get home.!

Ah, a bit like that timeshare scene from South Park (Asspen) - a glimpse of what once was common, but cut short even as it started. That said it delivered record-breaking 850s and 500-1000 thicknesses for the time of year.

It was truly remarkable. I still remember waking up, checking the MetO forecast and seeing -12 forecast as a low... it'd been -3 or -4 the night before. It ended up as -14.8 and Brogdale, the nearest official station to here, was the coldest in all of Britain that winter. Not bad for a station that once held the UK record for warmth!

The drive into work is something I'll never forget either. I set off a bit later than usual, and hadn't heard anything from the school. For 12 miles I drove over compacted snow, only seeing the very odd glimpse of tarmac. The A249 dual carriageway, normally choked with 40000+ vehicles a day, was down to one lane... and as I crossed the hills of the Isle my car themometer read -17 or -18 all the way.

It was still reading -14 as I arrived at work (in Sittingbourne), to find the gates of the school chained shut. I turned off the engine of my car, got out, and saw my phone had a text message: "Westlands is closed today!". One three point turn later, in 3 inches of virgin snow, and I was heading home.

I decided to take the long way back, stopped off at Tesco - and aside from a few workers, I was the only car in the car park. The staff (congregated in the lobby) all stared at me as I breezed in, wishing them a cheery "good morning"! (And cheery it was too, as I had a day off to enjoy the snow!)

I drove back, still with the thermometer saying -17, until I got home... at -14. I did the classic "boiling water in the air" trick but it wasn't quite cold enough - only half "poofed" into ice, the rest plopped into the snow. I then enjoyed reading about how SE England had ground to a halt and nobody was going anywhere!

The school was open the following day (as the caretakers had come in at 1AM!) but they closed after it started to snow again... just slight snow, but it spooked them. It was powdery and with the biting wind whipping loose snow from the thick cover on the playground and fields, it just wasn't safe to keep the school open.

The drive home was a nightmare. Tarmac was visible now, but once I got to the neighbouring village I encountered a van driving really, really slowly up the hill. I waited at the bottom (luckily nobody else was around) until I was sure the van would make it up - he did, eventually. The road then became a single ploughed lane, with 2ft-3ft high drifts either side. Going down the hill was a bit dicey, and at the bottom there was a double-decker coming the other way. A few seconds later and I'd have blocked the road, as I wouldn't have been able to reverse up.

Those drifts lasted for two more weeks in sheltered spots, even as the March warmth came surging back. It was quite odd having temperatures in the mid teens and seeing snowdrifts!

All in all, a lovely reminder of what we've lost. I do wonder whether I'll ever see that sort of snow again in my life... every year that goes by makes it less likely, of course. Yet for all the fuss, all the faff, it was on a par with many an 80s spell... just much shorter-lived!

(And a Corsa plus Michelin Crossclimate tyres is a great way to get around on compacted snow at -14 or lower... who needs a 4x4? )

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My time-lapses from the 2018 BFTE from when I lived in Manchester.

26 February 2018: A cold and cloudy day with a few snow flurries as the easterly winds started to drag colder air across the country: https://youtu.be/-lKCVX7gim8 

27 February 2018: Cold with some heavy snow showers in the morning: https://youtu.be/7K0MXETENtk 

28 February 2018: An exceptionally cold day with a sub-zero maximum and heavy snow showers blowing through fairly frequently: https://youtu.be/btD7_wrIfLE 

1 March 2018: Not a time-lapse, but a video of heay and fairly deep snow around where I used to live: https://youtu.be/O4p2w_KxE5k 

2 March 2018: Another very cold day with winds becoming gale-force as Storm Emma appraoched from the south. No snow fell, but lying powder snow did blow around a lot: https://youtu.be/avKlM1rTbnc 

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Being 66 and growing up in Yorkshire I've known plenty of heavy snow events. I can even remember snow up to the downstairs windows in 62-63 on the edge of the Pennines.

I was thinking about another classic today. Does anyone remember Saturday/Sunday December 12th/13th 1981?

Living at 170m on the eastern Pennine slopes we'd had a cold December with -26 C near Shrewsbury. Into that cold air came a deep Low with snow moving in on a strong to gale force south-easterly. The snow was supposed to reach West Yorks around lunchtime but slowed down. I waited all day......and then just as dusk fell, fine powder snow began and pretty soon we had a classic snowstorm for about 12 hours. Think I spent most of the night watching the blizzard raging. Next morning we had about 2ft of level snow with drifts in the town up to 6ft. It lay thickly for the rest of December!

Yes the 12th-13th December 1981 blizzard is one of the most memorable snow events in my lifetime.   I remember the leaden skies during the daytime on that Sunday, with a perishingly cold SE wind, and wondering when the first flakes were going to fall.  Then that fine, thick powder snow starting around 4pm and lasting all evening and into the night.   Never really seen a snowstorm like this since, in terms of a constant blizzard with very fine flakes like you would probably see in Arctic regions.   Also the night sky was bright orange, never seen such an orange glow since either.

Woke up the next day to  around 8 to 10 inches of level snow, with drifts double that.  Not only that, but the snowstorm then returned back over us on the Monday night, and almost a foot was lying by the Tuesday.   I think schools were closed for at least a few days here, perhaps longer in some local parts.   

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