"John Hall" wrote in message
...
In article
,
"Keith (Southend)G" writes:
On Jan 4, 5:45 pm, Richard Dixon wrote:
On Jan 4, 5:37 pm, "Keith (Southend)G"
wrote:

Mmm, do I sense a carrot Will, I'm beginning to lean towards my
original 'it was an early winter so Jan/Feb will be average' thoughts,
but a long time to go yet ;-)

Certainly sounds reasonable from the viewpoint of "things balance out
after a while" point of view. Although you'd have been waiting a long
time in 62/63 for that compensatory milder spell...!

Richard

Ah, but 1962/63 didn't start until Boxing Day.

That's a bit of an over-simplification. There had been a couple of brief
cold spells earlier in the month, though admittedly nothing out of the
ordinary. (There had also been quite a sharp cold snap in mid-November.)
And though the snow at the end of the month didn't arrive till Boxing
Day (at least in the south), the bitter easterlies had set in on about
the 22nd or 23rd and that's when I would regard the winter as having
really started.
--
John Hall
"I look upon it, that he who does not mind his belly,
will hardly mind anything else."
Dr Samuel Johnson (1709-84)

You forgot the smog John during periods of pre christmas high pressure over
western europe.

On Jan 4, 7:17*pm, Graham P Davis wrote:
On Tuesday 04 Jan 2011 17:51, Keith (Southend)G scribbled:



On Jan 4, 5:45 pm, Richard Dixon wrote:
On Jan 4, 5:37 pm, "Keith (Southend)G"
wrote:

Mmm, do I sense a carrot Will, I'm beginning to lean towards my
original 'it was an early winter so Jan/Feb will be average' thoughts,
but a long time to go yet ;-)

Certainly sounds reasonable from the viewpoint of "things balance out
after a while" point of view. Although you'd have been waiting a long
time in 62/63 for that compensatory milder spell...!

Richard

Ah, but 1962/63 didn't start until Boxing Day.

I'm reminded of a discussion during a cold spell in November '63. Someone
remarked on how cold it was and wondered whether winter was starting earlier
than the last one. He got the answer that in November '62 there had already
been a week of persistent frost by the same time.

There were also freezing spells in December and I recall the week before
Christmas being one of those sub-zero spells. I think it was that week when
we had a fall of ice-needles in the form of large flakes. The snow began on
Boxing Day but it had been freezing hard before that. One of the reasons for
the persistence of the snow and cold weather was attributed by some to the
ground being frozen hard before the Boxing Day snowfall.

CET for November '62 was 1.1C below average (1951-80) and December was 1.9C
below.

--
Graham Davis, Bracknell
It was raining cats and dogs and I fell in a poodle. [Chic
Murray(1919-1985)]

Thanks for that Graham, for some reason I always thought prior to
Boxing Day the weather had been average, I should have checked. I have
webified the November and December 1962 data of Bob Pritchard's, who
kept records in Southend at the time.

http://www.southendweather.net/11_1962_BP.htm
http://www.southendweather.net/12_1962_BP.htm

Keith (Southend)
http://www.southendweather.net
"Weather Home & Abroad"

In article m,
Lawrence Jenkins writes:

"John Hall" wrote in message
.. .
In article
,
"Keith (Southend)G" writes:
On Jan 4, 5:45 pm, Richard Dixon wrote:
On Jan 4, 5:37 pm, "Keith (Southend)G"
wrote:

Mmm, do I sense a carrot Will, I'm beginning to lean towards my
original 'it was an early winter so Jan/Feb will be average' thoughts,
but a long time to go yet ;-)

Certainly sounds reasonable from the viewpoint of "things balance out
after a while" point of view. Although you'd have been waiting a long
time in 62/63 for that compensatory milder spell...!

Richard

Ah, but 1962/63 didn't start until Boxing Day.

That's a bit of an over-simplification. There had been a couple of brief
cold spells earlier in the month, though admittedly nothing out of the
ordinary. (There had also been quite a sharp cold snap in mid-November.)
And though the snow at the end of the month didn't arrive till Boxing
Day (at least in the south), the bitter easterlies had set in on about
the 22nd or 23rd and that's when I would regard the winter as having
really started.

You forgot the smog John during periods of pre christmas high pressure over
western europe.


I think the smog was in the first of those earlier cold spells that
December. The Clean Air acts were already starting to have an effect, or
it might have been as bad in London as the one ten years earlier.
--
John Hall
"I look upon it, that he who does not mind his belly,
will hardly mind anything else."
Dr Samuel Johnson (1709-84)

"John Hall" wrote in message
...
In article m,
Lawrence Jenkins writes:

"John Hall" wrote in message
. ..
In article
,
"Keith (Southend)G" writes:
On Jan 4, 5:45 pm, Richard Dixon wrote:
On Jan 4, 5:37 pm, "Keith (Southend)G"
wrote:

Mmm, do I sense a carrot Will, I'm beginning to lean towards my
original 'it was an early winter so Jan/Feb will be average'
thoughts,
but a long time to go yet ;-)

Certainly sounds reasonable from the viewpoint of "things balance out
after a while" point of view. Although you'd have been waiting a long
time in 62/63 for that compensatory milder spell...!

Richard

Ah, but 1962/63 didn't start until Boxing Day.

That's a bit of an over-simplification. There had been a couple of brief
cold spells earlier in the month, though admittedly nothing out of the
ordinary. (There had also been quite a sharp cold snap in mid-November.)
And though the snow at the end of the month didn't arrive till Boxing
Day (at least in the south), the bitter easterlies had set in on about
the 22nd or 23rd and that's when I would regard the winter as having
really started.

You forgot the smog John during periods of pre christmas high pressure
over
western europe.


I think the smog was in the first of those earlier cold spells that
December. The Clean Air acts were already starting to have an effect, or
it might have been as bad in London as the one ten years earlier.
--
John Hall
"I look upon it, that he who does not mind his belly,
will hardly mind anything else."
Dr Samuel Johnson (1709-84)

Not in SE London couldn't go to school for several days , couldn't see
across Grove Lane.

On Jan 4, 4:40*pm, "ronaldbutton" wrote:
It has come to my attention lately ,that several members of this happy breed
seem to take grave exception to those of us who attempt making long range
forecasts,
well ,I for one, actually enjoy reading most of 'em,even the south London
Piers attempts !,.
If there are enough mugs around to pay good money for their ravings well so
be it,but why do people get so upset because they try ?.Most of us have a
vicarious streak in us ,which needs feeding every so often,so keep up the
good work lads( I say lads because women don't seem prone to this phenomena)
Unashamably I now look forward to Wills ,Philip Eden,the Met Office,Old
Moores Almanac,and any other brave soul willing to put their necks on the
line so that I may daydream about the next blizzard ,heatwave ,or whatever
turns you on.
Thankyou and goodnight

RonB

Name and shame Ronald. I may think they are generally garbage and over
time *no-one* gets them right on enough occasions to deserve trust,
but they certainly give me a great deal of entertainment every winter
- and at other times too!

"John Hall" wrote in message
...
In article m,
Lawrence Jenkins writes:

"John Hall" wrote in message
. ..
In article
,
"Keith (Southend)G" writes:
On Jan 4, 5:45 pm, Richard Dixon wrote:
On Jan 4, 5:37 pm, "Keith (Southend)G"
wrote:

Mmm, do I sense a carrot Will, I'm beginning to lean towards my
original 'it was an early winter so Jan/Feb will be average'
thoughts,
but a long time to go yet ;-)

Certainly sounds reasonable from the viewpoint of "things balance out
after a while" point of view. Although you'd have been waiting a long
time in 62/63 for that compensatory milder spell...!

Richard

Ah, but 1962/63 didn't start until Boxing Day.

That's a bit of an over-simplification. There had been a couple of brief
cold spells earlier in the month, though admittedly nothing out of the
ordinary. (There had also been quite a sharp cold snap in mid-November.)
And though the snow at the end of the month didn't arrive till Boxing
Day (at least in the south), the bitter easterlies had set in on about
the 22nd or 23rd and that's when I would regard the winter as having
really started.

You forgot the smog John during periods of pre christmas high pressure
over
western europe.


I think the smog was in the first of those earlier cold spells that
December. The Clean Air acts were already starting to have an effect, or
it might have been as bad in London as the one ten years earlier.
--
John Hall
"I look upon it, that he who does not mind his belly,
will hardly mind anything else."
Dr Samuel Johnson (1709-84)


Yes it was earlier December John but very dense and widespread

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/d...00/3251001.stm

In article m,
Lawrence Jenkins writes:

"John Hall" wrote in message
.. .
In article m,
Lawrence Jenkins writes:

"John Hall" wrote in message
...
In article
,
"Keith (Southend)G" writes:
On Jan 4, 5:45 pm, Richard Dixon wrote:
On Jan 4, 5:37 pm, "Keith (Southend)G"
wrote:

Mmm, do I sense a carrot Will, I'm beginning to lean towards my
original 'it was an early winter so Jan/Feb will be average'
thoughts,
but a long time to go yet ;-)

Certainly sounds reasonable from the viewpoint of "things balance out
after a while" point of view. Although you'd have been waiting a long
time in 62/63 for that compensatory milder spell...!

Richard

Ah, but 1962/63 didn't start until Boxing Day.

That's a bit of an over-simplification. There had been a couple of brief
cold spells earlier in the month, though admittedly nothing out of the
ordinary. (There had also been quite a sharp cold snap in mid-November.)
And though the snow at the end of the month didn't arrive till Boxing
Day (at least in the south), the bitter easterlies had set in on about
the 22nd or 23rd and that's when I would regard the winter as having
really started.

You forgot the smog John during periods of pre christmas high pressure
over
western europe.


I think the smog was in the first of those earlier cold spells that
December. The Clean Air acts were already starting to have an effect, or
it might have been as bad in London as the one ten years earlier.

Yes it was earlier December John but very dense and widespread

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/d.../6/newsid_3251
000/3251001.stm


Thanks for the link. Very interesting.
--
John Hall
"I look upon it, that he who does not mind his belly,
will hardly mind anything else."
Dr Samuel Johnson (1709-84)

In message , John Hall
writes
In article
,
"Keith (Southend)G" writes:
On Jan 4, 5:45*pm, Richard Dixon wrote:
On Jan 4, 5:37*pm, "Keith (Southend)G"
wrote:

Mmm, do I sense a carrot Will, I'm beginning to lean towards my
original 'it was an early winter so Jan/Feb will be average' thoughts,
but a long time to go yet ;-)

Certainly sounds reasonable from the viewpoint of "things balance out
after a while" point of view. Although you'd have been waiting a long
time in 62/63 for that compensatory milder spell...!

Richard

Ah, but 1962/63 didn't start until Boxing Day.

That's a bit of an over-simplification. There had been a couple of brief
cold spells earlier in the month, though admittedly nothing out of the
ordinary. (There had also been quite a sharp cold snap in mid-November.)
And though the snow at the end of the month didn't arrive till Boxing
Day (at least in the south), the bitter easterlies had set in on about
the 22nd or 23rd and that's when I would regard the winter as having
really started.


I'm puzzled and possibly embarrassed by the conflict between my
recollection of the first evening of heavy snow on New Years Eve at
Woking and the more general recollection that snowed earlier, Boxing Day
or so.

My memory insists that the major event of very heavy snow was the night
of 31/12/62 - 1/1/63. Memorable for my father - technically disabled -
cheerfully helping get guests' cars under way on leaving, before being
hospitalised the next day with what thankfully turned out to be only
anaemia. That day and night I remember as being when the snow all came.

Have I simply forgotten? Was there snow in west Surrey earlier?


And the sledging was super.
--
Peter Thomas

In article ,
Peter Thomas writes:
I'm puzzled and possibly embarrassed by the conflict between my
recollection of the first evening of heavy snow on New Years Eve at
Woking and the more general recollection that snowed earlier, Boxing
Day or so.

My memory insists that the major event of very heavy snow was the night
of 31/12/62 - 1/1/63. Memorable for my father - technically disabled -
cheerfully helping get guests' cars under way on leaving, before being
hospitalised the next day with what thankfully turned out to be only
anaemia. That day and night I remember as being when the snow all
came.

Have I simply forgotten? Was there snow in west Surrey earlier?

I think you may have it confused with the previous year. There was heavy
snow on New Year's Eve, 1961. In 1962, there was heavy snow on 26-27 Dec
and then again on 29-30 Dec. (And there was some on the evening of the
31st as well, but not as heavy as the other two falls.)
--
John Hall
"I look upon it, that he who does not mind his belly,
will hardly mind anything else."
Dr Samuel Johnson (1709-84)

In message , John Hall
writes
In article ,
Peter Thomas writes:
I'm puzzled and possibly embarrassed by the conflict between my
recollection of the first evening of heavy snow on New Years Eve at
Woking and the more general recollection that snowed earlier, Boxing
Day or so.

My memory insists that the major event of very heavy snow was the night
of 31/12/62 - 1/1/63
.....

Have I simply forgotten? Was there snow in west Surrey earlier?

I think you may have it confused with the previous year. There was heavy
snow on New Year's Eve, 1961.

Could well have done - thank you, John. It was quite a while ago.

In 1962, there was heavy snow on 26-27 Dec
and then again on 29-30 Dec. (And there was some on the evening of the
31st as well, but not as heavy as the other two falls.)

So '62 or '63 could equally have been the winter of sledging down
unmade roads and failing to negotiate the left-hander after the steep
section. As for cycling after school-friends and having them turn to see
the bike slide from beneath me on the ice. And walking on the frozen
Basingstoke Canal from Horsell to Woodham - we had proper winters then.
--
Peter Thomas