I was telling my weather helpers this morning about this great day 23
years ago today!

0900hr readings

Dry bulb -14.8C
Ice bulb -15.0C

Air min -14.8C
Grass min -18.5C

Snow lying for 11 days in this wintry spell, snow falling on 6 days.

Maximum temperature on 13th = -3.5C

This followed the blizzard of 8th January when......................

Instruments under 5 feet of drifting snow, so had to scramble around on
hands and knees looking for grass/slab/ minimum and soil thermometers,

Easterly gale - average speed at 0900hr 40mph

Cycled 5 miles to even get to the weather station from home on deserted
roads which were impassable to cars - walked most of the way, setting
off at 7-30 or so.

Remember all of this came just 5 weeks after our lowest ever temperature
of -16.1C on 13th December 1981 in another prolonged freeze with snow
lying from 8th right to the end of the month after another blizzard.

If
only.............................................. .......................
................................
--
Steve Jackson
Bablake Weather Station
Coventry
UK
http://www.netlink.co.uk/users/bws

Steve Jackson wrote:
I was telling my weather helpers this morning about this great day 23
years ago today!

0900hr readings

Dry bulb -14.8C
Ice bulb -15.0C


That was *the best* cold spell I can remember. I was living in Caterham
(Surrey) at the time, and that Monday when the temperature didn't get
above -9c all day, even in the sunshine, was brilliant. I can remember
cleaning ice off the *inside* of the car windscreen at midday! Of
course, by the next day cars were unusable as the snow arrived in vast
quantities.

--
Chris
www.ivy-house.net
Swaffham, Norfolk

In article ,
Succorso writes:
Steve Jackson wrote:
I was telling my weather helpers this morning about this great day 23
years ago today!
0900hr readings
Dry bulb -14.8C
Ice bulb -15.0C


That was *the best* cold spell I can remember. I was living in Caterham
(Surrey) at the time, and that Monday when the temperature didn't get
above -9c all day, even in the sunshine, was brilliant. I can remember
cleaning ice off the *inside* of the car windscreen at midday! Of
course, by the next day cars were unusable as the snow arrived in vast
quantities.

I believe you are thinking of 1987 rather than 1982.
--
John Hall
"It is a very sad thing that nowadays there is so little useless
information."
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

In message , John Hall
writes
I believe you are thinking of 1987 rather than 1982.

sorry, it *was* 1982 - I have the Met Office diary and data sheet I
wrote at the time in front of me now!
--
Steve Jackson
Bablake Weather Station
Coventry
UK
http://www.netlink.co.uk/users/bws

Steve Jackson wrote:

In message , John Hall
writes
I believe you are thinking of 1987 rather than 1982.

sorry, it *was* 1982 - I have the Met Office diary and data sheet I
wrote at the time in front of me now!

It was 1982. We'd recently arrived from western Canada and were living
in a bedsit in Surrey (large Victorian room with bay window, heated only
by a small 3-bar gas fire; shared bathroom and kitchen were unheated). I
have never been so cold in my life before or since!

regards
sarah


--
Think of it as evolution in action.

"sarah" wrote It was 1982. We'd recently arrived from western Canada
and were living
in a bedsit in Surrey (large Victorian room with bay window, heated only
by a small 3-bar gas fire; shared bathroom and kitchen were unheated). I
have never been so cold in my life before or since!

Dec 81/Jan 82 was the classic cold spell for me living as I was in Durham
and we've had fond and detailed discussions about it on this ng before,
with diesel freezing, ice floes on the river Wear, frozen water pipes and
frost heave under my porch. The cold let up for Xmas, after being intense
earlier in December, but returned just after the New Year.

I don't recall it lasting as far into the month as the 14th, where I was,
but I think that further south did get it worse.

- Tom.

On Fri, 14 Jan 2005 15:29:43 -0000, "Tom Bennett"
wrote:

"sarah" wrote It was 1982. We'd recently arrived from western Canada
and were living
in a bedsit in Surrey (large Victorian room with bay window, heated only
by a small 3-bar gas fire; shared bathroom and kitchen were unheated). I
have never been so cold in my life before or since!

Dec 81/Jan 82 was the classic cold spell for me living as I was in Durham
and we've had fond and detailed discussions about it on this ng before,
with diesel freezing, ice floes on the river Wear, frozen water pipes and
frost heave under my porch.

My memory of December 1981 was taking the car into one of those
new-fangled car washes and coming out with a one inch coating of ice
over the whole car.


--
Paul

Tom Bennett wrote:

[-]
Dec 81/Jan 82 was the classic cold spell for me living as I was in Durham
and we've had fond and detailed discussions about it on this ng before,
with diesel freezing, ice floes on the river Wear, frozen water pipes and
frost heave under my porch. The cold let up for Xmas, after being intense
earlier in December, but returned just after the New Year.

I don't recall it lasting as far into the month as the 14th, where I was,
but I think that further south did get it worse.

I don't remember how long it lasted, but I do remember ice on the inside
of the windows, and my first and only case of chilblains!

regards
sarah


--
Think of it as evolution in action.

Yes. I was a Met Office observer at Cardiff Airport (Rhoose) in Jan 82
and the snow started just before the beginning of my night shift at
2100 on the Thursday and did not cease until mid-afternoon on the
Saturday, most of it moderate or heavy and with an easterly gale and a
temperature well below zero.
Cardiff was almost cut off, and in the SW Wales Valleys where
conditions were even worse, most home-owners were trapped in their
houses as the snow had drifted up to the bedroom windows.
My car was trapped at the airport for over a week as the snow was so
deep but fortunately walking to work was not too bad because I only
lived a mile away. The difficult thing was trying to avoid the deep
level snow which was waist high and difficult to get out of if you
stepped onto it by mistake.
The amazing thing was how close the warm air came to the South Wales
coast, as at one time we had minus 3C with a 30 knot northeasterly,
while Chivenor had a 20 knot southwesterly and a temperature of plus
6C. Talk about convergence....

Being only 9 years old at the time, the winter of 81/82 was my first taste
of 'real' snow, it was amazing as all the snowfalls experienced before
amounted to nothing more than a slight dusting.

Was the 14th of January a Saturday? If so, I think I remember that day very
well, it was sunny with a cloudless sky but bitterly cold. The next day
warnings were issued on the television (just before Space 1999) for people
to stay indoors as severe weather was expected, that Sunday afternoon I
remember a complete whiteout as strong winds and blizzards set in. That
evening it started to thaw and the next day there was snow, slush & water
everywhere.
_______________________________
Nick

Worcester
45 AMSL
http://www.worcesterweather.co.uk

"sarah" wrote in message
. ..
Tom Bennett wrote:

[-]
Dec 81/Jan 82 was the classic cold spell for me living as I was in Durham
and we've had fond and detailed discussions about it on this ng before,
with diesel freezing, ice floes on the river Wear, frozen water pipes and
frost heave under my porch. The cold let up for Xmas, after being
intense
earlier in December, but returned just after the New Year.

I don't recall it lasting as far into the month as the 14th, where I was,
but I think that further south did get it worse.

I don't remember how long it lasted, but I do remember ice on the inside
of the windows, and my first and only case of chilblains!

regards
sarah


--
Think of it as evolution in action.