45 replies to this topic

[WhiteFox]

For the Reading area, 1988/89 and 1989/90 are the winners I reckon. In fact, after the January 1987 freeze, I'm almost certain that we had just about no lying snow until February 1991. We had come to expect snow every year by 1988 after a run of winters containing decent cold snaps/spells, but following 1987 it became a case of desperately watching for any cold air to filter across the south.
After 1991, it was a similar story in terms of snow, but I do remember spells of very frosty weather during 1991/2. Really, it's easier to pick the winters that did have lying snow in Reading over a period, so I'll work through and exclude those years.
From my memory (no written records), winters with no lying snow in Reading since 1987 (which I'm defining as at least a covering on the ground when I leave for work - patches do not count!):

1988/9
1989/90
1991/2
1992/3
1994/5
1996/7
1997/8
1998/9
1999/2000
2001/2
2002/3
2004/5

[Seven of Nine]

weather ship, on 05 February 2012 - 23:31 , said:

I actually assumed nothing. Just took the title of the thread on trust. I didn't realise it had a hidden agenda which is bloody stupid on my part knowing the forum. Apologies for being so thick and digressing from your point,

Wasn't a dig at your good self WS, just one or two others. There's no hidden agenda by the way, it does what it says on the tin so too speak.

[Thundery wintry showers]

I hope I wasn't one of the "others" as I gathered what was meant by "best" and "worst" but just pointed out that the terms are heavily subjective (hence Weather Ship's cite of 1962/63 being a legitimate answer to the question).

I'm not sure how I would've fared in 1962/63 myself, though I suspect I would have enjoyed it up until the point when the snow became icy (following a temporary partial thaw and refreeze) and then started hoping for a thaw (albeit probably just a temporary thaw to get rid of the ice, rather than the end of the wintry weather as a whole). I doubt that I would have enjoyed February 1947 as while the shortage of sunshine in NE England wasn't quite as extreme as further south, if February 2012 was to produce a similar sunshine total at Durham (unlikely) then it would make it the dullest February since 1980.

Although I was alive during 1988/89 and 1989/90 I was too young to be recording the weather diligently back then so I can't really rate those two winters. 1989/90 had a lot of potent Atlantic activity which for windstorm lovers would have helped to offset the lack of cold and snow, though the winds also caused a lot of problems for some with the storm on the 25/26 January 1990 causing more problems overall than the October 1987 one, due to slightly lower intensity being offset by a greater area of coverage.

[Seven of Nine]

Thundery wintry showers, on 06 February 2012 - 10:52 , said:

I hope I wasn't one of the "others" as I gathered what was meant by "best" and "worst" but just pointed out that the terms are heavily subjective (hence Weather Ship's cite of 1962/63 being a legitimate answer to the question).

I'm not sure how I would've fared in 1962/63 myself, though I suspect I would have enjoyed it up until the point when the snow became icy (following a temporary partial thaw and refreeze) and then started hoping for a thaw (albeit probably just a temporary thaw to get rid of the ice, rather than the end of the wintry weather as a whole). I doubt that I would have enjoyed February 1947 as while the shortage of sunshine in NE England wasn't quite as extreme as further south, if February 2012 was to produce a similar sunshine total at Durham (unlikely) then it would make it the dullest February since 1980.

Although I was alive during 1988/89 and 1989/90 I was too young to be recording the weather diligently back then so I can't really rate those two winters. 1989/90 had a lot of potent Atlantic activity which for windstorm lovers would have helped to offset the lack of cold and snow, though the winds also caused a lot of problems for some with the storm on the 25/26 January 1990 causing more problems overall than the October 1987 one, due to slightly lower intensity being offset by a greater area of coverage.

Off course not TWS, yours was as ever a very constructive post.

[TonyH]

Most memorable Winter's for me:

Whilst in Coventry:

The run of mild Winters between about 1973 and 1975: Little in the way of snow or hard frosts, boring for a teenager wanting snow!
1978/9: Cold and snowy almost throughout. Heavy falls at times
1981/82: Two of the most amazing cold and snowy spells experienced; heavy snow and -16c in December, and then repeat in January (still the coldest in Coventry since then).
1987: If only for the experience of Winter at it's most fierce- heavy drifting snow, maximum of -6c!
Think it was 1988/89? For mildness, no snow, and dryness, and walking the footpaths across fields which were not muddy, not because they were frozen, rather because it was so dry
December 1990: The deepest snow I have experienced, 31cm in Coventry, the people getting together to clear the roads. Nearly all gone a few days later!
February 1998: The warmest ever experienced in Winter. Walking the countryside sporting a T-shirt as it was a sunny 18c.

And in west Wales. Most Winter's have seen at least one snow fall, although not always very much:

January 2010: An outstanding Winter month of cold and snow, very severe frosts, down to -16.7c. Made better after somewhat having given up on such spells returning to this land!
November to December 2010: Three such severe cold episodes in one calender year! Very unusual for a freeze up in November and for the snow not to thaw. Then remarkable cold, and 20cm snow in December, beautiful scenes. The lowest temperature I have recorded of -17.7c on Christmas morning (I was not there to experience it though). A truly snowy and freezing Christmas Day spent in the Midlands.

Edited by TonyH, 06 February 2012 - 14:10 .

[WhiteFox]

Actually, you're right Tony; we did have one day in December 1990 (a Saturday I believe - the next day brought rain) when we had about two inches on the ground in Reading, so I should remove 1989/90 from my list. It was so transient I'd forgotten about it!