Local Forecasts, History & Records
Ice and Snow in Durham UK
This is archived content that used to be on the Met Office website, but isn’t anymore so I decided to resurrect it for posterity, adding my own comments and adaptions. It’s a page to refer to when people talk about the harsh winters of 1946-47 and 1962-63, the two UK winters that are used as benchmarks for how bad winter …
While I was researching weather ‘top tens’, I discovered Jonathan Webb of TORRO’s top 30. He’s given his top fifteen widespread events and his top fifteen convective (more local thunderstorms events). I’ll try to contextualise the widespread events as to how they affected Durham. I’ve also colour coded them (Green = Yes, Red = No) Widespread Events (as defined by …
This photo was taken (we think) in February 1895. It shows people sweeping the ice on the river, perhaps preparing it for skating or maybe a curling competition. The location is just below Prebends Bridge in Durham. February 1895 was one of the coldest Februaries ever recorded in Durham. Trevor Harley Summary of Feb 1895 ”Part of a severe winter, …
Some snow fell on the highest parts of our region yesterday as snow showers peppered the Northern half of the country from the unstable Arctic flow. Dipton, nr Consett saw about 3” of snow. Dipton is about 800ft above sea level. Here’s a couple of photos from ‘GeordieKev’, posted to the NetWeather Forums. The Consett area is one of the …
The first ground frost of Autumn was evident this morning. Frost could be seen on cars and on the grass when I went out about 8am. The air temperature was still well above freezing though, bottoming out around 3.5 degC. This shows how the temperature at ground level can be much lower on clear nights, when the dew point is …
Whilst Winter 1962-63 is regarded as the longest winter, Winter 1946-47 is perhaps remembered as the snowiest. The winters were very different however. January 1947. Cold (2.2C CET), but not excessively so overall. The month is most memorable for the start of a severe, prolonged, and exceptionally snowy cold spell. Although there had been some significant snowfalls in December, and …
An Easterly outbreak, dubbed “The Beast from The East” by the media, dumped a substantial amount of snow on us in Durham at the end of February and early March 2018. When such a weather synoptic occurs, we tend to get plastered in snow here on the North East Coast. Temperatures hover around zero and potent snow showers are readily …
Gritters and Snowploughs battle to keep County Durham roads open Teams across County Durham have been working hard to ensure life in the county is disrupted as little as possible despite snow, ice and freezing temperatures. Gritters and snowploughs were in action last night on all the county’s priority one routes, in addition to priority two routes in the Pennines. …
Durham Weather went on the road in March 2017 for a trip to Iceland. The highlight of the trip was the Golden Circle drive up to Gullfoss waterfall. Not surprisingly, it was incredibly cold! We also visited Geysir where hot springs and bubbling mud pools are regularly interrupted by the erupting Guysers. Iceland is an incredible place for anyone …
It was the coldest March since 1962 for the UK. Forecaster Charlie explains why it was so cold and what kind of weather characterised the month. Here was the scene from the Pennines in County Durham early in April 2013 with the snow cover lingering.
The Winter of 1962-63 was one of the coldest ever recorded in the United Kingdom. Here is a summary of the winter as it occurred. How long did the winter of 1963 last? Here’s an excellent video of how it all unfolded, by Scott Richards. December 1962. Cold (1.8C CET), and generally quite sunny, although smog early in the month …
The harsh winter of 1978-79 The winter of 1978-79 was the coldest winter since the infamous winter of 1962-63. Here is a summary of the winter by month. November 1978. Very warm until a northerly outbreak on the 24th. Although it was mild and dry in the south, it was wet and often stormy in the north. Gale-force Northerlies brought …