Hi

I finally received the Global Surface Archive data from Weather Graphics in Texas. I was stung for VAT when they arrived, and had to pay a handling fee imposed by Parcel Force, but I think for someone like me, who started is working life as a weather observer for the Met Office in 1970, the wait has been worth it. So far the DVD's seemed to have behaved themselves, and the files unzip as they should. I've had a brief look at the data before 1973, but although there is some global data , there doesn't seem much if any UK observations, so bang goes my ideas for 1947 or 1963! Perhaps some day the Met Office will open up their vast Aladdin's cave of observational and climatological data that they sit on in Exeter and produce data sets like Weather Graphics have - I can but dream...

Anyway I've had to do a bit of work to get the files processed and I have had to add some entries to my stations list from sites that no longer exist. Sites such as Spurn Head for example, which as assistants at Manby we had to phone each hour (or was it three hourly?) to collect their observation which invariably would have 7 oktas of type 7 medium level alto-cumulus as one of the cloud layers. Some other firm favourite stations such as Binbrook, Finningley, Blackpool, Manchester Airport, Coltishall, Manston, Gatwick and Glenlivet all make a reappearance, in fact I would say the coverage then was so much better than it is now, with no hole in the observational coverage over central Northern England as it was once called. The other thing that strikes you when looking at a plotted chart from 1975, is the fact that there are absolutely no automatic stations which is quite refreshing. You will also notice that because the SYNOPs have been reconstructed from the old SYNOP format, temperatures and dew points are in whole numbers.

To start off my look into the archives I thought I would look at the case of snow in June, the year being 1975 and the day being Monday the 2nd. Along with the surface chart I could also add a 1000-850 hPa thickness chart and the Aughton tephigram, because I now also have the Global Upper Archives for Weather Graphics too, but I still have to figure out I am going to do that and even my enthusiasm has its limits. So keep and eye on the blog for further charts such as these.

One thing you can say about the 2 June 1975 was it was a remarkably cold day for June! I should imagine that the 1000-500 hPa thicknesses wasn't far of 5280, and obviously this meant deep instability, with lots of troughs embedded in the cyclonic flow. I remember we had snow in Sheffield but it was an early morning or overnight thing and was soon gone. I think that the famous snow at Buxton was maybe later in the day and came from one of these active troughs.

The other thing I remember about the following week in June 1975 was that we had a very hot spell which marked the beginning of a very good summer. I include another screenshot for the 7 June 1975 to illustrate that.

Bruce.

PS I did notice this article from the Met Office that gives more information.

On Wed, 9 Oct 2013 03:44:03 -0700 (PDT)
exmetman wrote:

One thing you can say about the 2 June 1975 was it was a remarkably
cold day for June! I should imagine that the 1000-500 hPa thicknesses
wasn't far of 5280, and obviously this meant deep instability, with
lots of troughs embedded in the cyclonic flow. I remember we had snow
in Sheffield but it was an early morning or overnight thing and was
soon gone. I think that the famous snow at Buxton was maybe later in
the day and came from one of these active troughs.

The other thing I remember about the following week in June 1975 was
that we had a very hot spell which marked the beginning of a very
good summer. I include another screenshot for the 7 June 1975 to
illustrate that.

Bruce.

PS I did notice this article from the Met Office that gives more
information.
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/media/pd..._June_1975.pdf

That Met Office article is pitiful. The 'band of rain' referred to in
the second paragraph of the general summary is, in fact, what brought
heavy snow to East Anglia in the morning. It mentions snow showers in
the SE but, although I could be wrong, I don't recall any showers that
afternoon.

I was in Rushden, Northants, when the fun started. The front passed
through about 08Z. It began with rain and strong SW winds but, on the
passage of the front, winds veered suddenly and hail began rattling on
my north-facing bedroom window (I was packing at the time, not still in
bed). Shortly afterwards, I heard a splattering noise on the window and
thought it sounded like sleet, which I thought was impossible. Anyway,
I turned round to look out the window and saw that it was now snowing
with large wet flakes. The snow did not last long enough to settle.

Shortly afterwards, I drove east along the A45 as it was then (now the
A13) towards my workplace of Wattisham. In Suffolk, the frontal cloud
was beginning to break with occasional glimpses of sun. Snow was still
lying on roofs and lawns (about half-cover). Later, I heard that the
snow had settled in Bury St Edmunds on roads and pavements. It was
estimated to be a couple of inches deep but this guess was from a
first-floor window so can't be too reliable although, from what I had
seen on my drive, it may not have been far from the truth. It's
possible that they may also have had hail preceding the snow - although
I didn't have a report of that - which could have assisted the snow to
settle.

When I started on my journey, I heard warnings on the radio of blizzards
in East Anglia and that drivers should take care and use headlights in
the snow.

--
Graham P Davis, Bracknell, Berks.
'In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is
bacteria.' - Benjamin Franklin

Not sure you'd want to be at Spurn now Bruce, quite a Northerly getting going now and the first showers are arriving as I write. Winter here we come!
I was in London 2 June and I'm sure there were snow showers, but memory not so good. When I moved to Penistone my neighbours talked about inches of snow falling that day.

David Mitchell. Langtoft. East Riding.

On 09/10/2013 22:47, David Mitchell wrote:
Not sure you'd want to be at Spurn now Bruce, quite a Northerly getting going now and the first showers are arriving as I write. Winter here we come!
I was in London 2 June and I'm sure there were snow showers, but memory not so good. When I moved to Penistone my neighbours talked about inches of snow falling that day.

David Mitchell. Langtoft. East Riding.


It was snowing in Wolverhampton at about 7.30am that morning. I was
half a sleep, lying in bed, thinking that I'll have to get up for
school. I heard my Mom shouting that it was snowing. I was thinking that
it was hail. When I looked out of the bedroom window, I was absolutely
gobsmacked.

I was in London 2 June and I'm sure there were snow showers,
but memory not so good. When I moved to Penistone my
neighbours talked about inches of snow falling that day.

David Mitchell. Langtoft. East Riding.


It was snowing in Wolverhampton at about 7.30am that morning.
I was half a sleep, lying in bed, thinking that I'll have to
get up for school. I heard my Mom shouting that it was
snowing. I was thinking that it was hail. When I looked out
of the bedroom window, I was absolutely gobsmacked.
Joe Egginton

I was living in Wester Ross at the time, and an Australian
cousin had come to visit. I don't think she had ever seen snow
before, and I don't think she was impressed, and I don't think
she believed me, or anyone else we encountered, when we
expressed our astonishment at the unseasonal weather.

Anne

"exmetman" wrote in message
...
Hi

One thing you can say about the 2 June 1975 was it was a remarkably cold day
for June! I should imagine that the 1000-500 hPa thicknesses wasn't far of
5280, and obviously this meant deep instability, with lots of troughs
embedded in the cyclonic flow. I remember we had snow in Sheffield but it
was an early morning or overnight thing and was soon gone. I think that the
famous snow at Buxton was maybe later in the day and came from one of these
active troughs.

The other thing I remember about the following week in June 1975 was that we
had a very hot spell which marked the beginning of a very good summer. I
include another screenshot for the 7 June 1975 to illustrate that.

Bruce.

PS I did notice this article from the Met Office that gives more
information.
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/media/pd..._June_1975.pdf

PPS see my blog for charts.
http://xmetman.wordpress.com/




I was living near Cambridge at that time. It snowed around breakfast time,
but I can't recall the actual time. And it was proper snow, large flakes
falling quite thickly. After it had stopped, we went for a walk to the local
village, and the feeling was surreal, still with a pinch of cold in the air,
some thin snow on the ground and fields, and a hot sun blazing down.
Although we had seen the snow falling, it was difficult to comprehend that
it was the 2nd June.

--
Bernard Burton

Wokingham Berkshire.

Weather data and satellite images at:
http://www.woksat.info/wwp.html

On Wednesday, 9 October 2013 11:44:03 UTC+1, exmetman wrote:
Hi



Perhaps some day the Met Office will open up their vast Aladdin's cave of observational and climatological data that they sit on in Exeter and produce data sets like Weather Graphics have - I can but dream...

The US stuff is also available on WetterZentrale I don't know how far back though, nor the amount of data but it covers a lot more North Atlantic than the Met Office's version. You can get charts covering Britain from WetterZentrale too. I have their first DVD offering but it is upper atmosphere stuff and not interesting to me. I think they wanted about a fiver for it a few years back.

No link too to either, neither.

Doesn't the MetO allow full access to visitors (hence the removal from anything approaching central Britain -Southern England but nearer London at one time.)

It will be interesting to see how sociable with weather records the Scottish Raving Loony Party will be when Britain ends. (Time to go home and dig up my bow and arrows for our turn when that happens.)