In message , Adam Lea
writes
On 25/02/2017 19:52, Norman Lynagh wrote:

I have a vague memory of walking through 'canyons' in the snow in 1947 in
Largs, North Ayrshire. Anecdotal evidence is that a blizzard in 1940 in Largs
was more severe than anything in 1947.


But how widespread was the blizzard in Largs? One factor which made the
effects of winter 1947 so bad is that it affected a large percentage of
the population. The freezing cold spell in January 1987 brought
temperatures down to levels comparable with winter 1962/63, and with
more snow, (below -20C so I've heard, and up to 30 inches of snow in
the North Downs), but its effects were localised in the SE.

Severe weather in January 1940 affected much of the country, and it's
perhaps fortunate that this was still (I think) the period of the
"phoney war" and before the U-boats had French or Norwegian bases to
operate from. I'm sure Trevor Harley won't mind me quoting his
description of January 1940:

1940 The coldest month of any kind since 1895 (-1.4C CET), and
eventually he second coldest January of the century (after 1963). The
month started with a northerly airstream, but early in the month the
winds turned to the east, bringing very cold continental air. It was
clear and sunny, with hard frosts at night and several frost days. There
was a severe blizzard on the 16th. On the 17th, the Thames was frozen
over for the first time since 1880. The morning of the 21st gave the
lowest temperature of the month: -23.3C was recorded at Rhayader
(Wales), the record lowest Welsh minimum, with many places continuously
well beneath freezing (e.g. only -4C maximum at Boscombe Down, Wilts.).
There were heavy snowfalls in Scotland, with many places cut off. By the
third week the Atlantic westerlies tried to return, bringing some heavy
snowfalls. Most remarkably, there was a great snow and Ice Storm during
the 27-30th, peaking on the 28th, but continuing in parts into February.
Mild air approaching behind warm fronts from the SW met the cold
easterly all the way from Russia. There was heavy snow over the north;
four feet of snow in Sheffield on the 26th, and 10' drifts reported in
Bolton on the 29th. Further south the lower air was warming up and was
too warm for snow, but the rain froze as it fell, coating everything
with a thick layer of glaze. The effects of the freezing rain was one of
the most extreme weather events of the century. The south was
particularly badly affected. Everything was coated in a thick layer of
ice: phone wires 1.5 mm thick were coated with a 300mm diameter sheath
of ice - up to 15 times their weight. Many large tree trunks and power
lines were brought down. The area affected by the glaze reached from
Kent to Exmoor and the Cotswolds, and from Sussex to Cambridgeshire and
the north Midlands. It was a week before all the ice thawed; some places
had snow on top of the glaze, with both remaining until the 4th
February. Heavy snow and a violent gale swept the southwest.
--
John Hall
"One can certainly imagine the myriad of uses
for a hand-held iguana maker"
Hobbes (the tiger, not the philosopher!)