The Midlands - Weather Chat

[Snowshine]

Hey midlanders, it's cloudy and mild

Well... Such a lot to look forward to...

Edited February 7, 2015 by Cirrocumulus Storm

[Midlands Ice Age]

Guys,

Thanks for memories of that 1990 snowfall.

I live somewhere in the middle of Solihull, Acocks Green and Shirley. I am remembering measuring 18 inches of level snow in the middle of my lawn. But it had drifted a bit towards the fences, so the middle could have been a low point!!. Seems incredible now, but that is a minmum of 37cms!!!

Just measured it with a ruler and I still cannot believe it from a 14 hour snowfall.

Started here with a lot of flashes of what I thought was lightening, but could have been powerlines shorting out. This was about 5 mins before huge flakes of extremely heavy wet snow blew in, sticking to everything immediately. The temperature then fell and the snow continued with similar intensity all night until 13:00 the next day (Sat). Truly remarkable around here.

MIA

Edited February 7, 2015 by Midlands Ice Age

[Midlands Ice Age]

Meanwhile more mundane business today..

I have just been out and about and I cannot call it mild!!

My max temp was 4.6C about 13:00 and it is now dropping again.

Current 4.4C with a dp of still -0.1C (humidity 73%)

So I think it is raw with still an even layer of grey cloud and just a gentle NNE breeze.

Beginning to think we could end up with another hardish frost tonight as a clearance is due to move down about 19:00.

MIA

[The Wolf]

Best snow event was easily 1987. I was only a young kid but we had around two feet

of snow with huge drifts.

I remember being sent home early from school and my mums car getting

stuck in the snow in our country lane. The farmer had to come and help get the car out and

our car was a four wheel drive car!

[fizz511]

Guys,Thanks for memories of that 1990 snowfall.I live somewhere in the middle of Solihull, Acocks Green and Shirley. I am remembering measuring 18 inches of level snow in the middle of my lawn. But it had drifted a bit towards the fences, so the middle could have been a low point!!. Seems incredible now, but that is a minmum of 37cms!!!Just measured it with a ruler and I still cannot believe it from a 14 hour snowfall.Started here with a lot of flashes of what I thought was lightening, but could have been powerlines shorting out. This was about 5 mins before huge flakes of extremely heavy wet snow blew in, sticking to everything immediately. The temperature then fell and the snow continued with similar intensity all night until 13:00 the next day (Sat). Truly remarkable around here.MIA

Although it did bring power lines down, it was thunder snow that evening.

I was a young scout leader at the time, and we had taken the scouts out on a Night Hike in Sutton Park (so you can tell it wasn't forecast!). We sent them all off in patrols to do the route at about 11pm, and within an hour the we started to see lightening on the horizon, followed very quickly by snow starting to fall. Within 30 minutes it was so torrential we were driving round Sutton park like mad things trying to round up all these kids in the dark!

The plan for the evening was that they were all supposed to sleep at the church hall on our return, but we drove them all home, banging on doors at 1 in the morning to wake their parents up because we could tell we weren't going to be able to get them home in the morning.

When I did get up later that morning the snow had drifted so high up my front door there was a wall of it when you opened the door!

Quite a night!

[Midlands Ice Age]

 

Although it did bring power lines down, it was thunder snow that evening.

I was a young scout leader at the time, and we had taken the scouts out on a Night Hike in Sutton Park (so you can tell it wasn't forecast!). We sent them all off in patrols to do the route at about 11pm, and within an hour the we started to see lightening on the horizon, followed very quickly by snow starting to fall. Within 30 minutes it was so torrential we were driving round Sutton park like mad things trying to round up all these kids in the dark!

The plan for the evening was that they were all supposed to sleep at the church hall on our return, but we drove them all home, banging on doors at 1 in the morning to wake their parents up because we could tell we weren't going to be able to get them home in the morning.

When I did get up later that morning the snow had drifted so high up my front door there was a wall of it when you opened the door!

Quite a night!

Fizz...

Thank goodness it was a good memory.

I too was involved in scout and guide work around that time......

(particularly the 80's)

I hope you were insured as today it would have it the headlines!!!!

MIA

Edited February 7, 2015 by Midlands Ice Age

[Snowyowl9]

Surprisingly felt really cold today max only around the 3 mark,temps are dropping now at 1.9c and cloudy.

[Midlands Ice Age]

 

Surprisingly felt really cold today max only around the 3 mark,temps are dropping now at 1.9c and cloudy.

 

Snowy

Yes some people on the blog are saying how mild it has been today!! They must be mildies!!

I found it quite raw and damp.

My max was 4.6C, but it too is now dropping rapidly and is now at 2.5C with a pinky sky with scuddy clouds. If it clears tonight it will be cold.

MIA

Edited February 7, 2015 by Midlands Ice Age

[Bishop Brennan]

Thanks for sharing the great memories of December 1990 everyone, fascinating reading! 

 

All I know is that I was 13 at the time and it was up to my goolies

 

I trust you've adopted a different technique for measuring local snow depths nowadays, CH     

 

Bish

[cyclonic happiness]

Thanks for sharing the great memories of December 1990 everyone, fascinating reading! 

 

 

I trust you've adopted a different technique for measuring local snow depths nowadays, CH     

 

Bish

Yes, but I'm still waiting for the snow to get up to me goolies again :-D

[cyclonic happiness]

Most folk are saying between 2 1/2 to 3 feet of snow, so I hope that proves that I wasn't exaggerating? :-D

[Terminal Moraine]

A colder day than I expected with just a slow thaw of lying snow. The maximum was 2.3c and there's still a 75% snow cover.

[TonyH]

Alright Mr clever clogs, as everyone is saying, it's difficult to remember exactly. All I know is that I was 13 at the time and it was up to my goolies , you hyad to lift one leg up to get forward one step. Nuneaton was the country's worst affected town and the only things that got through the snow were the larger tractors.  But it was absolutely over two feet. Sorry I cannot be more specific.

 

But don't worry, like I said, we've been paying for it ever since. That was a 'once in a lifetime' blizzard.

Not trying to be clever at all CH its just that I have been recording the weather each day for over 40 years and cant abide inaccuracies or exagerration. I think the fact that you were only 13 has tinted your view of the event, and no doubt you do honestly perceive that there was over 2 feet, all I am saying is that would have been on the side of the road where it had drifted, as there are no measurements of level snow approaching 2 feet in the lowland Midlands for that event. Carry on and believe your perceptions but I actually measured the stuff

All I try to do is inform and provide accurate data from my life long hobby of recording the weather, I am dismayed at the hype that has taken over Netweather and so will leave you all to it.

Edited February 7, 2015 by TonyH

[Midlands Ice Age]

 

Not trying to be clever at all CH its just that I have been recording the weather each day for over 40 years and cant abide inaccuracies or exagerration. I think the fact that you were only 13 has tinted your view of the event, and no doubt you do honestly perceive that there was over 2 feet, all I am saying is that would have been on the side of the road where it had drifted, as there are no measurements of level snow approaching 2 feet in the lowland Midlands for that event. Carry on and believe your perceptions but I actually measured the stuff

All I try to do is inform and provide accurate data from my life long hobby of recording the weather, I am dismayed at the hype that has taken over Netweather and so will leave you all to it.

Tony H

I think that you are correct the authentic max was about 20 inches of level snow. It was recorded in a couple of places around the Solihull to Coventry area, as you suggest.

Quite a few places had depths in excess of this, but it was only where the snow had drifted as it fell.

i do wonder if some of the younger generation know how deep 3 feet is?. It comes up to my waist!.

I have experienced snowfalls of greater than this, but only when skiing in Europe and I can assure everyone on here that when snow comes to the waist you cannot walk in it. Ive taken skis off and tried it and it is not possible even walking down hill!!

Drifts to around 3 feet were however reasonably common in this event.

MIA

Edited February 7, 2015 by Midlands Ice Age

[Snowyowl9]

 

 

Snowy

Yes some people on the blog are saying how mild it has been today!! They must be mildies!!

I found it quite raw and damp.

My max was 4.6C, but it too is now dropping rapidly and is now at 2.5C with a pinky sky with scuddy clouds. If it clears tonight it will be cold.

MIA

Already down to -0.3c just seen TM`s post today was colder than expected,mild uppers.

[cyclonic happiness]

Not trying to be clever at all CH its just that I have been recording the weather each day for over 40 years and cant abide inaccuracies or exagerration. I think the fact that you were only 13 has tinted your view of the event, and no doubt you do honestly perceive that there was over 2 feet, all I am saying is that would have been on the side of the road where it had drifted, as there are no measurements of level snow approaching 2 feet in the lowland Midlands for that event. Carry on and believe your perceptions but I actually measured the stuff

All I try to do is inform and provide accurate data from my life long hobby of recording the weather, I am dismayed at the hype that has taken over Netweather and so will leave you all to it.

So, basically you're telling me I'm exaggerating, even though I have around 20 people backing me up? It almost smacks of jealously or something.  Funny you'll accept anecdotal 'evidence' from other periods in time, but just not the 1990 blizzard which affect Nuneaton worse than any other town.  I'll again leave you the link so you can gauge how deep the snow actually was.   https://www.facebook.com/groups/NuneatonMemories/10153136316631886/?notif_t=group_comment

 

I really am getting quite annoyed that you always seem to think that I'm either exaggerating or lying.  

[Eye to the sky]

I'd say we had a foot of snow here in 1990.It wasn't the depth of the snow but the wetness that caused the trouble.The snow clung to everything it touched causing a wooden electrical pole and adjoining cables to snap under the sheer weight of the snow.We had no power for over a week.

[Fozfoster]

Frost here this morning but temp just crept above freezing now 0.4c. Some nice memories of December 1990 too.

[Midlands Ice Age]

Foz

Min ovenight of -0.3C

Has now just crept above freezing at 0.4C.

Looking a nice day for walking,etc,

MIA

[picog]

Crumbs that was an unexpectedly cold night. A low of -4.6C, and currently still -0.9C. Very misty and frosty first thing. Now hazy sun and milky blue skies. As you say MIA, lovely weather for walking.

[Terminal Moraine]

A marked temperature inversion last night.

When I drove home last night shortly after midnight the car thermometer was reading -1.5c along the A6 between Belper and Cromford. I reached home around 1240 to find a moderate-fresh NW breeze and the temperature at its' 24 hour maximum of 3.7c. Despite this the lying snow was still frozen hard due to clear skies and a low dew point.

[Polar Maritime]

Apart from being full of flu.. It's a glorious day out with clear sky's and bright sunshine. A low of 1.2c. Large patches of compacted snow/ice remain in the fields.

 

Temp 4.4c

Dp 1.3c

Wind Chill 3c

Wind N/N/E 7mph

Snow cover 40%

[Snowshine]

Once again it's cloudy with no sunshine here and chilli. Not the best day, would be nice to have some sunshine warming things up slightly - but the Midlands is unfortunate to be a victim of one of the areas with the most cloud in the coming days.

[Summer of 95]

Crumbs that was an unexpectedly cold night. A low of -4.6C, and currently still -0.9C. Very misty and frosty first thing. Now hazy sun and milky blue skies. As you say MIA, lovely weather for walking.

You are in a different world down there it seems- only just touched 0C here and that was after 9am, hovered around 1-2 all night. Still foggy now.

The pressure is now over 1040 for the first time since??? And still we can't manage either a frost or any sunshine.

[picog]

You are in a different world down there it seems- only just touched 0C here and that was after 9am, hovered around 1-2 all night. Still foggy now.

The pressure is now over 1040 for the first time since??? And still we can't manage either a frost or any sunshine.

It's odd isn't it. Presumably the difference is due to topography? I am surrounded to some extent or another by highish hills (>300m) all around, Clee Hill, the south Shropshire hills, Welsh hills and the Malverns. I'm not especially high at 93asl. I'm about a mile outside of the village proper, and that is a frost hollow too. Anyway, whatever the reason I am very hapy about it