8 replies to this topic

[Mr_Data]

After a beautiful start to May 1997 with glorious warm sunshine, it went belly-up during Bank Holiday Monday and wintry weather returns

[Timmytour]

I was on my honeymoon during this time so missed it, but heard about it.

Simply astonishing to see a chart which shows a temp of 17 for London show snow over it for less than 12 hours later!

[Mr_Data]

Many places saw virtually no wintry preciptation let alone snow between early January 1997 and this event. I think some locations could even go as far to say that May 1997 was the third snowiest month of 1997.

[Miguel Hugo Roberto]

Funny how snow was readily shown over the country with temps between 9-12C yet in this most recent spell they couldn't make their minds up with the temps between -1-2C.

[Thundery wintry showers]

It is mainly about the airmass stability and temperatures at upper levels. During the recent spell we've had Atlantic systems bring wintry precipitation associated with an inversion, thus even with temperatures close to or below freezing at ground level, some places saw rain, freezing rain and/or ice pellets due to temperatures well above freezing several hundred metres up.

On the 6th May 1997 850hPa temperatures were between -6 and -9C across the country and the reason for the maxima of 9-12C was the strong May sun which generated a very strong thermal contrast between the surface and a few hundred metres up. As a result the snowflakes only had to pass through a very thin layer of the atmosphere with temperatures well in excess of freezing, and temperatures tended to drop rapidly once any showers got underway. Dew points were mostly a little below freezing which also helped.

Of course, trust the May Day Bank Holiday to be the dull wet day during the transition from the heatwave to the snow showers...

[slaphead]

Remember this vividly. After Blair got in it seemed initially like New Labour had laid on an early summer. I was staying at friends on the south coast and we had a picnic on the beach and went swimming in the channel on the 2nd and 3rd. I was back in Leicester by the 5th and walking across Victoria Park that evening to Uni it snowed quite heavily, although it didn't settle. Certainly a turn-around!

[Mr_Data]

The evolution of the crash....

[Eugene]

Have to say i have no recollection of this event, was busy doing other things back then i guess.

Mr data just wondering but do you know the coldest first week of June since records began that you could show us?

I'm guessing that the first week of June has the potential to be the coldest week of the summer season(June 1st to August 31st) due to cool ish seas still and some polar air still to our north

[AderynCoch]

Interesting to see Boulmer recording its highest ever May temperature with 23C. Hard to believe it had never been hotter than that.