I was living in Swansea at the time and the sight of chunks of ice
on the beach at a location so far to the SW was incrediable..
I remember the constant and bitter east wind raising clouds of
dust, it was so dry. As far as I can remember no snow apart from
a few flurries.

Col - your message brings back memories of living in the Brynmill area (Bay
View Cres. - overlooking the sea and the met. station!), watching the wind whip
up the sand. Total rainfall in Swansea and Gower - a trace. The first such
occurrence since June 1925 and a reminder of how dry that area can be in the
all-too rare easterly months. Remarkable also for the amount of money saved on
rock salt - the salt layer on the roads simply never washed off.

Let's not forget though the first week of January 1997 for a cold easterly.

Julian
Julian Mayes, West Molesey, Surrey.