April 1981 disruptive snow

The 23rd to 26th April 1981 brought the coldest spell of weather the UK had experienced at this time of year since 1908. Heavy snow blanketed covered much of the country and northeasterly winds brought freezing temperatures.

During mid-April relatively warm air was covering the UK and much of northwestern Europe with high pressure centred just to the north of the UK. By the 20th April things were changing as high pressure retrogressed northwestwards and colder Arctic air began moving down to lower latitudes.

What caused the cold spell?

As is often the case in the UK, the cold spell resulted from high pressure building in the North Atlantic and over Greenland. This cut off the flow of weather fronts from the west and allowed cold arctic air to flood southwards towards the UK.

By 23rd April most of the UK was sitting under cold air with 850hPa temperatures (about 1500m above sea level) at or below -5C, and showers were starting to fall as snow. The cold air remained in place during the next few days but an area of low pressure developed to the west of the UK and tracked southeastwards into the continent bringing prolonged and heavy outbreaks of wet snow.

Synoptic charts

The chart below shows sea level pressure on 26th April 1981. Pressure is high to the north and west of the UK and low over the near continent.

The chart below shows the 850hPa temperature anomaly on 26th April 1981. The air mass over western regions was close to a massive 10C colder than the average for this time of the year. 

Snow depths and consequences

Early in the cold spell most of the snow fell in the form of showers and quickly melted as the strong April sun got to work. On the 25th and 26th things changed as the outbreaks of wet snow became heavy and persistent.

In areas as far apart as southern Scotland and the Isle of Man drifts of up to 10 feet were reported and in the Peak District and Cotswolds level snow depths of up to 60cm were recorded. The snow led to power cuts, cars being trapped and huge loss of livestock. Phone lines were also downed by the weight of snow and, as this was well before mobile phones were widely available, many people were left cut off and without a means of communication.

The snow was widespread and not confined to high ground. Accumulations of about 10cm were common in cities such as Birmingham and York.

What followed?

After the 27th April high pressure in the Atlantic collapsed southwards allowing milder air to return. Winter was over! Nonetheless, the cold spell stands out for being exceptionally late, bringing widespread and disruptive snowfall.

The summer of 1981 was mixed although August brought a lot of fine and warm weather. The winter which followed was notable for the exceptional cold and snow of December 1981 and the first half of January 1982.

View the reanalysis charts

Reanalysis charts going back to 1851 can be viewed on the Historic weather charts section of the website. Alternatively, you can jump straight into the April 1981 reanalysis charts.

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