In spite of the general public feeling very chilly out and about today as
the wind was strong and it was around 5C or 6C early afternoon in many
places below 100 metres, it was relatively mild for a north westerly or
northerly airstream in virtually mid February. Today would almost certainly
have been several degrees colder given a similar situation in Victorian
times and for that matter the 1950s and 1960s. A max of 3C would have been
expected. Even now at 20.00hrs the mercury has risen and is 5C. The
trajectory of the air flow these days has a more westerly component and
seems to me to have backed about 30 degrees compared to bursts of cold in
the 1950s. Good examples I can cite and there were more are the third week
of Jan 1952 and around the 12th in Feb; mid Feb1953 and mid Feb 1955.; the
7th Feb 1958 and late Feb 1958, and mid Jan 1959. Feb 1956 was mostly north
easterly with its severe cold.
I
Still it proved quite a shock for many people after a max of 12C the
previous day and even more so for those in the vicinity of the Downs in the
Reigate area where snow lay 1 to 2cm deep around 08.00hrs this
morning.However it had melted by mid morning even at 230 metres.

Ian Currie-Coulsdon.