"John Hall" wrote:
Kate Brown writes:

Could it happen this side of the pond? I mean, ice storms on that kind
of scale?

I think the last time we had something of that severity over a widish
area was probably in January, 1940, when central Southern England was
badly affected. Obviously less severe cases happen more frequerntly.

Yes, 1940, as Martin described. It is widely ascribed in the literature
to a quite exceptional coincidence (and persistence) of circumstances,
and which seems to have no precedent - or even approach - either in
the instrumental era or anecdotally before that.

Mind you, it also freezes solid any chance of persuading the US to take
reduction of carbon emissions seriously.

(What do they mean, winter-'like'? It *is* winter, for heaven's sake!)

Yes, I thought that too.
--
I did too, and then I realised that Americans (or their media, at
least) have this slavish adherance to the astronomical seasons, so
winter doesn't begin until the solstice and anything that happens
before that can therefore only be "winter-like".

Philip