Apologies but I attached the wrong blog on that last post

Of interest to contributors in the Home Counties I have published a snow survey / winter index on my blog for my area in east London. It is inspired by the old Snow Survey of Great Britain which ceased publication after the 1991/92 season.

Further to Dave Cornwell's comment a few weeks back that people mostly remember a winter through the amount of days with snow lying I decided to use the data I produced for my winter forecast and try to find out what snow cover has been like in my area going back to 1946/47 - the first year of the original snow survey. I then divided the snow lying days by the winter mean to give the index. I realise there is the work of Bonacina to consider but as this is national I wanted to look more indepth

Not surprisingly the 62/63 season came out a long way ahead of the rest - mostly through the sheer sustained depth of the cold. There's also one or two surprises - strange how the memory can fool you.

It is a work in progress and I would welcome any input.

http://wp.me/p2VSmb-iS

On Tue, 17 Dec 2013 02:25:57 -0800 (PST)
Scott W wrote:

Apologies but I attached the wrong blog on that last post

Of interest to contributors in the Home Counties I have published a
snow survey / winter index on my blog for my area in east London. It
is inspired by the old Snow Survey of Great Britain which ceased
publication after the 1991/92 season.

Further to Dave Cornwell's comment a few weeks back that people
mostly remember a winter through the amount of days with snow lying I
decided to use the data I produced for my winter forecast and try to
find out what snow cover has been like in my area going back to
1946/47 - the first year of the original snow survey. I then divided
the snow lying days by the winter mean to give the index. I realise
there is the work of Bonacina to consider but as this is national I
wanted to look more indepth

Not surprisingly the 62/63 season came out a long way ahead of the
rest - mostly through the sheer sustained depth of the cold. There's
also one or two surprises - strange how the memory can fool you.

It is a work in progress and I would welcome any input.

http://wp.me/p2VSmb-iS

Thanks for that, Scott.

I see that 7 of my 13 schoolboy winters are in the top 20 which agrees
with my memory of snowy winters during that time.

Number 2 on the list is the first winter of which I have any
memory (at age 31 months) and number 1 is the first winter I
experienced after starting work.

--
Graham P Davis, Bracknell, Berks. Mail: 'newsman' not 'newsboy'.
'Don't let old age put you off starting complicated jigsaws. If you
don't finish, it will give guests something fun to do at your funeral.'
- Bridget&Joan's Diary.

On Tuesday, December 17, 2013 10:25:57 AM UTC, Scott W wrote:
Apologies but I attached the wrong blog on that last post



Of interest to contributors in the Home Counties I have published a snow survey / winter index on my blog for my area in east London. It is inspired by the old Snow Survey of Great Britain which ceased publication after the 1991/92 season.



Further to Dave Cornwell's comment a few weeks back that people mostly remember a winter through the amount of days with snow lying I decided to use the data I produced for my winter forecast and try to find out what snow cover has been like in my area going back to 1946/47 - the first year of the original snow survey. I then divided the snow lying days by the winter mean to give the index. I realise there is the work of Bonacina to consider but as this is national I wanted to look more indepth



Not surprisingly the 62/63 season came out a long way ahead of the rest - mostly through the sheer sustained depth of the cold. There's also one or two surprises - strange how the memory can fool you.



It is a work in progress and I would welcome any input.



http://wp.me/p2VSmb-iS

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
It's good work Scott.
Of course snow figures highly in most peoples perception of winter.
One very mild month, eg Feb 2011, can skew the winter mean towards mild.

But that winter (2010-2011)had Dec 2010 as remarkably snowy and therefore remembered by Jo public as being cold. It does not rank as cold overall though in the last 60 odd years.

Len
Wembury, SW Devon, where it rarely snows

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Len Wood wrote:
On Tuesday, December 17, 2013 10:25:57 AM UTC, Scott W wrote:
Apologies but I attached the wrong blog on that last post



Of interest to contributors in the Home Counties I have published a snow survey / winter index on my blog for my area in east London. It is inspired by the old Snow Survey of Great Britain which ceased publication after the 1991/92 season.



Further to Dave Cornwell's comment a few weeks back that people mostly remember a winter through the amount of days with snow lying I decided to use the data I produced for my winter forecast and try to find out what snow cover has been like in my area going back to 1946/47 - the first year of the original snow survey. I then divided the snow lying days by the winter mean to give the index. I realise there is the work of Bonacina to consider but as this is national I wanted to look more indepth



Not surprisingly the 62/63 season came out a long way ahead of the rest - mostly through the sheer sustained depth of the cold. There's also one or two surprises - strange how the memory can fool you.



It is a work in progress and I would welcome any input.



http://wp.me/p2VSmb-iS

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
It's good work Scott.
Of course snow figures highly in most peoples perception of winter.
One very mild month, eg Feb 2011, can skew the winter mean towards mild.

But that winter (2010-2011)had Dec 2010 as remarkably snowy and therefore remembered by Jo public as being cold. It does not rank as cold overall though in the last 60 odd years.

Len
Wembury, SW Devon, where it rarely snows

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Len - if you haven't already check out the duplicated thread above as
more replies.
Dave

Scott

I can't agree with you when you say that the winter of 1962/63 is a magnitude 10 more severe than 1947 - or should that 460 read 46.0?

Bruce.

On Tuesday, December 17, 2013 7:24:45 PM UTC, exmetman wrote:
Scott I can't agree with you when you say that the winter of 1962/63 is a magnitude 10 more severe than 1947 - or should that 460 read 46.0? Bruce.

Bruce, you're right.

I have modified the spreadsheet and used Kelvin instead of mean temp. I have divided snow lying by average mean Kelvin then multiplied by 100 to give it a chunky figure.
The temperature stats refer to the meteorological winter - December, January, February. The snowfall stats refer to October to May. I realise this is not consistent but I was merely trying to give a 'perception' of each winter. One could argue that I should include temp stats to go with the snowfall data ie October to May - but then this would introduce its own inconsistencies in not being 'meteorological winter'. With a couple of exceptions all my snowfall occurs December to March. Further feedback welcomed.

Here is a link to the new spreadsheet
http://sdrv.ms/1hZwtkG

With a couple of exceptions all my snowfall occurs December to March.

Apologies, I meant to say December to February

--

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wrote:
With a couple of exceptions all my snowfall occurs December to March.

Apologies, I meant to say December to February

-----------------------------------------------------
One observation I have made over the years is that most statistics and
data seem to show 1962-63 to be a more severe winter than 1947 IN THE
S.E. But quite a lot of people I have spoken to that lived through both
(including my dad) seem to think otherwise. Perhaps it caused more
hardship just after the war. There was a fuel shortage (although this
was also the case in '63). My father had to go looking for wood for
heating when my brother was born in March 1947. They only had that
source of heating whereas in 1963 we were living in a house with better
(though not central) heating. Travel was much more on public transport
than by car so a lot more standing at bus stops, although even by '63 a
car was still something for the somewhat better off.
Dave.

Dave Cornwell wrote:

wrote:
With a couple of exceptions all my snowfall occurs December to March.
Apologies, I meant to say December to February

-----------------------------------------------------
One observation I have made over the years is that most statistics and data
seem to show 1962-63 to be a more severe winter than 1947 IN THE S.E. But
quite a lot of people I have spoken to that lived through both (including my
dad) seem to think otherwise. Perhaps it caused more hardship just after the
war. There was a fuel shortage (although this was also the case in '63). My
father had to go looking for wood for heating when my brother was born in
March 1947. They only had that source of heating whereas in 1963 we were
living in a house with better (though not central) heating. Travel was much
more on public transport than by car so a lot more standing at bus stops,
although even by '63 a car was still something for the somewhat better off.
Dave.

It's difficult to make comparisons. 1962/63 was a much longer winter. It
started around Christmas and lasted through till about early March. It was very
cold but, relatively speaking, quite dry. There was snow on the ground for a
very long time. 1947 had more snow but it was a shorter cold spell. The cold
didn't set in till the last week of January then persisted through till early
March but I think there was more snow than in 1962/63. All thoughts from memory
so not necessarily completely accurate :-)

--
Norman Lynagh
Tideswell, Derbyshire
303m a.s.l.