As a weather historian and enthusiast, I am bound to love many different weather events from studying or researching about them or better yet, experience them for myself. I, Sryan Bruen, will be discussing my top 10 personal favourite weather events/seasons that have happened in Ireland OR the UK since 1860. I do not have to have experienced the event for myself but as long as I have studied it in-depth via books, statistics or archives, it can participate in the ranking of my favourite weather events. This ranking is only based on my opinion of studying, researching or discussing them, not how extreme they are so please don't throw a hissy fit at me that my opinion is not the same as yours or "objectively wrong".... this is a completely subjective list from my point of view.
I will give a reason(s) why I am a particular fan of that event or season with some facts or statistics to back myself on why I think they're so amazing. Some parts of this ranked list were hard to pick as there are just so much weather history I love/adore. Without further ado, let's get onto the list.
#10 - Summer 1947
At #10, I have the Summer of 1947. Where do I start with this fantabulous Summer? Well let's go to May. May was the second warmest of the twentieth century at a Central England Temperature (CET) of 13.5c. Camden Square reached a maximum of 32.2c (90f) on May 31st which was only one of five occasions in the twentieth century when 32c was recorded this early in the year. If that wasn't amazing enough, at least 31.7c was recorded somewhere in the UK for three consecutive days from May 29th to 31st 1947.
London recorded a maximum of 34.4c on June 3rd, the highest temperature on record for the UK for that early in the year.
In July, 102mm of rain fell in the space of 75 minutes during a thunderstorm in Wisley (Surrey). A whole 24-hour period is quite uncommon to record that rainfall total at many stations in the UK and Ireland, never mind 75 minutes! Hang on, I'm not finished yet.
August was a gem of a month for hot, dry and sunny weather but sadly very forgotten! It was the hottest August on record at the time with a CET of 18.6c (has since been beaten by 1975, 1995 and 1997) and the hottest month of the 20th century up to that point of time too. It was the sunniest August on record for a good portion of the UK and Ireland so it was an absolute classic Summer month that would wet the appetites of Summer lovers very much. Last but not least, places recorded a long absolute drought (minimum 15 consecutive days with 0.2mm of rain or less) in August/September 1947 including one that was 50 days long in Kent from 30 July to 17 September 1947, longest drought at the time in the UK since Spring 1893. Meanwhile, Dublin Airport had its longest absolute drought on record (and still is to this day) with a total of 31 days from 7 August to 6 September 1947.
The fact that such an incredible Summer was preceded by an equally phenomenal Winter (you'll see that mentioned in this ranking list too!) shows just how vintage the year 1947 was for weather enthusiasts. 1947 is what they dream of every night! Wish Summer 1947 got as much discussion as Winter 1946-47 though.
#9 - The ice storm of January 1940
The #9 spot could be higher up (well I guess technically lower) on the list but this is one of the most unprecedented events (of any kind) the UK has suffered through in its rich history of weather. Of course, this is the ice storm of January 1940. January 1940 in general was a remarkable month. It was the first subzero CET month of the 20th century and the coldest January since 1881 with a CET of -1.4c. The 10th-24th January 1940 had a CET of -3.5c.
On the 27th January, with a well established cold and snowy UK, the Atlantic tried to come back with a vengeance bringing up an area of low pressure from the southwest. This low was to become infamously known for the terror it caused in Britain; this was the ice storm. Got to remember that this was during WW2 and weather forecasts had disappeared from radio or newspapers during the period. Therefore, you were not allowed to speak about the day's weather and reports on the weather were only allowed to appear approximately six weeks after the event's occurrence. Could you imagine yourself being hit by one of nature's most cruel disasters with little to no warning alerting you about the incoming ice storm? It must have been really dreadful.
What happens during ice storms like this one in January 1940 is: When water droplets exist in liquid form at several degrees below zero without a nucleus (basically microscopic dust and soil particles), they are "supercooled". Supercooled water droplets play an important role in the exact way that rain forms during Winter time in particular. When these supercooled solid water droplets pass through a layer of the atmosphere that is above freezing on their way to the ground, they melt into a liquid. However, if deep cold air is established on the ground courtesy of a preceding cold spell or heavy snowfalls, the droplets become supercooled again. Once these droplets land on the surface that is very cold, they freeze and form a "glaze of ice". This is called freezing rain and it is very rare to occur in Ireland and the UK. What made this freezing rain or ice storm event in January 1940 so severe was the fact that fronts laid stationary to the southwest of the UK for more than a day resulting in continuous freezing rain with maximum temperatures between -2 to -4c. Telegraph poles and wires got severely damaged by the heavy ice. Birds were unable to fly because ice accumulated on their wings. Travelling anywhere was next to impossible. Roads became skating rinks basically and slopes were impossible to climb because they were completely frozen over with extreme ice and if you attempted to, you would hurt yourself badly and slip.
What an awful experience that was! Fortunately, ice storms are uncommon here in the UK and when they do happen, they don't tend to last long as the mild air wins the battle fast much of the time from the Atlantic. January 1940 was a major exception to the rule. Meanwhile, America tends to get a few ice storms every Winter so I think we should call ourselves lucky here!
#8 - The Great Irish Frost of 1740
I have put the Great Irish Frost of 1740 here at the #8 spot here. I say specifically "Irish" frost in this because 1740 is particularly famous in Ireland whilst Winter 1683-84 was also known as the Great Frost in the UK (or the Lorna Doone Winter). Very original names! CETs for Winter 1739-40 were:
December; 3.2c
January; -2.8c (fourth coldest on record)
February; -1.6c (fourth coldest on record)
Winter; -0.40c (second coldest on record)
Both January and February were exceptionally cold months with reports of a very persistent Scandinavian High causing the pattern to be so unusually cold and prolonged. Winter was overall the second coldest on record for the CET behind only 1683-84 and slightly ahead of 1962-63. Reports state the Thames froze over for a good portion of January and February with people walking over it and a frost fair taking place. George Smith of Richmond (Surrey) says it was the severest frost he'd ever known.
There was the forgotten Irish famine during the long cold Winter here too that little people remember or discuss about. You always hear about the Great Irish Famine of 1845-49 but rarely the Irish Famine of 1740. This famine was as a result of the severe cold Winter and drought that was brought in by the persistent cold weather. There were poor grain harvests, a shortage of milk and frost damage to potatoes. It is estimated that 20-38% of the Irish population in 1740 (2.4 million) were killed as a result of this famine.
The frosting on the cake of why I think this Winter particularly stands out other than the above was that the Winters preceding 1740 were relatively mild. Not to mention, the 1730s decade was the warmest decade on record for the CET, De Bilt (Holland) and Uppsala (Sweden) until beaten by the 1990s. The rapid warming in the CET record from the 1690s to the 1730s and then the extreme cold year of 1740 are examples of the magnitude of natural changes which can potentially be recorded in long series. Consideration of variability in these records from the early 19th century, therefore, may underestimate the range that is possible.
There were reports of temperatures near -30c in Ireland and just over -30c in the UK which is crazy to think of. Of course, due to the maritime climate, temperatures in Ireland would have been likely to be around -20 to -22c rather than -30c (especially considering our official record low was -19.1c on January 16th 1881). -30c could have certainly been possible in the UK though.
#7 - The Great Irish Blizzard of April 1917
Meteorologically, it was the middle of Spring but nature said so otherwise at the beginning of April 1917. On 1st April 1917, East Clare in the west of Ireland experienced a massive snowstorm with snowfall depths of up to 46cm. Many places were cut off for several days with drifts of up to 3 metres. For this to happen at the beginning of April (and in the west of Ireland....) is surely near unprecedented levels. As a comparison, the greatest snowstorm on record they had preceding this event occurred on February 19th 1892 when depths of snow were up to 13cm. The closest competition to the April 1917 blizzard since has been February 1933, February 1947, December 1962, January 1982 (which you'll see mentioned in this ranking list) and March 2018.
The blizzard wasn't the only notable event of this April. Newton Rigg in Cumbria recorded an air minimum of -15.0c on April 2nd 1917 which to this day is the April record low for the UK. 1917 holds the record lows for the following April dates in the UK:
1 -11.7 (1917, 1922, 1967)
2 -15.0
3 -12.2
6 -12.2
11 -13.3
This phenomenal April cold spell occurred within a long cold Winter. 1916-17 took place during World War I and before 1946-47 (eventually 1962-63 too), was the coldest Winter of the 20th century. This was one of two Winters which truly stood out during the early 20th century pre-1940, along with 1928-29. CETs for 1916-17
December; 1.9c
January; 1.6c
February; 0.9c
Winter; 1.5c
Poet Wilfred Owen perfectly captures the hell soldiers would have faced during World War I combined with this very cold Winter, in his poem below:
Our brains ache, in the merciless iced east winds that knife us...
Wearied we keep awake because the night is silent...
Low drooping flares confuse our memory of the salient...
Worried by silence, sentries whisper, curious, nervous,
But nothing happens.
Watching, we hear the mad gusts tugging on the wire.
Like twitching agonies of men among its brambles.
Northward incessantly, the flickering gunnery rumbles,
Far off, like a dull rumour of some other war.
What are we doing here?
The poignant misery of dawn begins to grow...
We only know war lasts, rain soaks, and clouds sag stormy.
Dawn massing in the east her melancholy army
Attacks once more in ranks on shivering ranks of gray,
But nothing happens.
Sudden successive flights of bullets streak the silence.
Less deadly than the air that shudders black with snow,
With sidelong flowing flakes that flock, pause and renew,
We watch them wandering up and down the wind's nonchalance,
But nothing happens.
Pale flakes with lingering stealth come feeling for our faces -
We cringe in holes, back on forgotten dreams, and stare, snow-dazed,
Deep into grassier ditches. So we drowse, sun-dozed,
Littered with blossoms trickling where the blackbird fusses.
Is it that we are dying?
Slowly our ghosts drag home: glimpsing the sunk fires glozed
With crusted dark-red jewels; crickets jingle there;
For hours the innocent mice rejoice: the house is theirs;
Shutters and doors all closed: on us the doors are closed -
We turn back to our dying.
Since we believe not otherwise can kind fires burn;
Now ever suns smile true on child, or field, or fruit.
For God's invincible spring our love is made afraid;
Therefore, not loath, we lie out here; therefore were born,
For love of God seems dying.
To-night, His frost will fasten on this mud and us, Shrivelling many hands and puckering foreheads crisp. The burying-party, picks and shovels in their shaking grasp, Pause over half-known faces. All their eyes are ice, But nothing happens.
#6 - January to March 1947 severe cold, blizzards and record floods
Coming at the #6 spot is the early 1947 period from January to March. This was a very historical period of weather in the UK and Ireland for a number of reasons.
Firstly, it involved the longest easterly known on record to persist with a duration of nearly 2 months without a break. In a changeable maritime climate like the UK and Ireland, that is just incredible. Even 1962-63 wasn't as persistent as that with its northerlies and easterlies. Constant severe blocking over Scandinavia and Siberia drove this pattern.
Winter 1946-47 was believed to be the snowiest Winter of the 20th century and possibly rhe snowiest since 1813-14. The 1930s and 1940s were a period of warming but February 1947 (back to 1659 I may add) was the coldest on record for the CET with a mean temperature of -1.9c. The mean CET maximum for February 1947 was only 0.1c! Maximum temperatures were suppressed throughout the late January to early March period with many places not getting above 5c during this period as a result of a lot of cloud and persistent easterly winds. Several blizzard events occurred for the UK and Ireland including the most severe one known to hit Ireland on February 24th/25th 1947. I'll let the following paragraphs from the book Ireland's Arctic Siege of 1947 to describe the events of the blizzard in the Emerald Isle:
About midday on 24 February, a cable from Russia had Dublin's "weather experts" buzzing over news that Moscow's temperature had reached 33 degrees fahrenheit (1c) by 8 a.m, with scattered rain. This created a "meteorological hubbub", which prompted some prognosticators to conclude that the warmer weather in Russia "may at least indicate that Europe's icy spell is ending." The Irish Independent blared the good news: "Hopes for a break in cold spell."
That afternoon, the Evening Herald predicted that Tuesday the 25th would be a dandy day with "fine weather... moderate winds... good bright periods." Around the country, spirits rose.
In the middle of the night of 24/25 February, the storm slammed into Ireland with meteoric impact. Under the cover of darkness, it churned across the landscape like some giant locomotive. By 3 a.m. the snow was so dense that "visibility was reduced almost to nil" accumulating inches per hour. A replica of the other blizzards - only far mightier.
Early on Tuesday morning, an ESB spokesman revealed that damage to the major trunk lines was so "very much worse" than with the previous blizzards that "conditions beggar description". In like manner, Post Office officials stated that their "entire telephone trunk line" was so badly torn asunder that "communications are in chaos". People around the country were cut off from communicating with one another and with the outside world. In the capital, emergency services - hospitals, doctors, fire brigade, ambulances, Garda stations - were unreachable. City life was brought to a halt. Legislators living in the suburbs and outside counties were stranded, with 131 of the combined Dáil and Seanad membership of 198 absent that day.
The countryside was smothered. Three to six feet of new snow atop that already embedded. In parts of the midlands, Connacht and Co. Wicklow drifts of twenty feet were common. When Christy Wynne awoke in Boyle, Co. Roscommon, everything had "disappeared under a huge blanket of snow.... There were drifts fifteen feet high. The town looked like a lost village in Siberia". The reliable Irish Times would verify at least one "50-foot drift near Glencree" and that the "hamlet of Moneystown at Roundwood has been lost in the snow".
Landscapes were wildly and weirdly transformed by the heavy snow and drifting caused by gale-force winds. A "white desert" one person called it; to another it was a "white wilderness". Unknown. Forbidding. Entire animal herds had simply vanished. Some farmers barely recognised their own strangely distorted land. In Co. Sligo, Thomas Crosby found that the freezing temperatures had "solidified the surface, and it was possible to walk over submerged trees". Scenes out of a fantasy world, or science fiction. Amidst the tortured terrain, an unknown number of people were missing and dead.
People were calling this monstrous blizzard the "Big Snow". The Dublin Evening Mail identified it as the "white enemy". In after years old-timers would remember it as the "daddy of them all".
What a blizzard that was on top of already snowed covered ground pretty much across the board. There was certainly no shortage of snow during February 1947.
Ireland recorded its all-time March record low on the 3rd March 1947 with -17.2c at Markree Castle, Co. Sligo.
Have to remember that this was at a time when the UK and Ireland were recovering from the aftermath of World War II and a lot of essential items were rationed.
If nature wasn't cruel enough, all the melting of the snow combined with the wettest March on record (and still is to this day) in 1947 with an England & Wales Precipitation (EWP) of 177.5mm caused record breaking floods like scenes below.
#5 - The exceptional heatwave of September 1906
The #5 spot is the September 1906 heatwave. I won't go into too much detail with this as it was discussed only very recently here on the blog. However, this heatwave of September 1906 was one of the most exceptional heatwaves on record that would be amazing in the heart of Summer, never mind the beginning of September.
The 1st September 1906 recorded Ireland's all-time highest September maximum temperature with a high of 29.1c at Clongowes Wood College, Co. Kildare. On this same day, Malin Head, Co. Donegal (Ireland's most northerly point) recorded its highest ever temperature FOR ANY MONTH with 28.9c.
The 2nd September 1906 recorded the UK's all-time highest September maximum temperature with a high of 35.6c at Bawtry, South Yorkshire. This was the warmest day of the year in the UK to no surprise and the eight hottest day for the UK of the 20th century. The 2nd September 1906 was the joint warmest day at this point of time for the CET with 18th August 1893 since the 20th July 1878.
If it wasn't phenomenal enough for ya, despite the heat during this period, the CET for September 1906 was only 13.9c courtesy of a much cooler flow taking over the pattern afterwards The CET for the first half of September (1st-15th) 1906 was 16.2c but the second half (16th-30th) was just 11.6c. The CET for the period 30th August to 3rd September 1906 was 20.5c.
If this heatwave had happened in July or August, the temperatures would have been even more phenomenal and 100f would not be out of the woods!
#4 - December 1981/January 1982 cold spells, snowstorms and windstorms
As a result of my book, I have researched a lot about Winter 1981-82. It should be no surprise then why this is appearing here if you've read my sample I shared of it, December 1981 and January 1982 were wonderful Winter months with notable cold spells, snowstorms and windstorms occurring. It was certainly a unique Winter in that regard.
For the Central England region, December 1981 was the coldest since 1890 and the eighth coldest on record at the time of its recording, now the ninth coldest as of 2010 with a mean temperature of just 0.3c. It was also the snowiest December in the United Kingdom since 1878. The combination of these two extremes made it among the most severe cold months of the twentieth century.
December 1981 was very strange for such a cold month as unlike other extremely cold months, it was windy and unsettled with several windstorms.
From Seán Bruen's book 'The Day After Tomorrow: Winter 1981-82':
Heavy snowfalls from the 8th to the 11th (including 26cm at Heathrow) was followed by very severe frosts that had unprecedented intensity. The night of the 12th/13th December was one of the coldest nights of the twentieth century with air minimum temperatures getting below -20c in multiple places even as far south as England. A village called Shawbury in the English county of Shropshire recorded an air minimum of -25.2c on this night which made it the lowest minimum recorded during December since 1879 in the United Kingdom and a December record for England. The same place had an air minimum of -22.6c on the night of the 11th/12th followed by a daily air maximum of only -12.1c on the 12th. At this time, it was England’s record low air minimum temperature but it was soon to be beaten in the big snow and freeze of January 1982 (in the same Winter!). Wales had a new record low air minimum temperature for December too on this night with -22.7c recorded at Corwen in Denbighshire.
An intense low arrived from the west on the 13th December 1981 turning the winds briefly into a southerly direction. It was formed as a secondary low starting with violent winds and snow which reached Cornwall in the southwest of England during the morning of the 13th. A deep cold pool of course was over the British Isles before this low approached which gave away to blizzards occurring and drifting snow with a temporary thaw in the south of the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The blizzards persisted for much of Scotland and northern England on the 14th. The Yorkshire Dales were buried under a metre of snow as a result. Even the Queen could not escape. She was stranded for several hours in a Cotswold pub. In the evening, spring tides combined with a 1.45 metre (4.8 ft) storm surge resulting in the highest water levels recorded in the Bristol Channel since the start of the twentieth century. Water from the melting snow, caused by milder weather accompanying the depression, added to the flooding. The maximum surge at Hinkley Point was measured at 1.3 metres (4 ft 3 in) above the 7.4 metres (24 ft) tidal level Ordnance Datum at 2025 hours, and 1.3 metres measured at Avonmouth. The wind was measured at 40 knots (74 km/hr) from the west. Over topping of the sea defences along a 7 miles stretch of the North Somerset coast at 22 locations from Clevedon to Porlock began after 19:30 and continued until approximately 21:30 when the wind speed had reached 50 knots (93 km/hr) from the west. Although there was no loss of life, the resultant flooding covered 12,500 acres of land, affecting 1072 houses and commercial properties. Over £150,000 worth of livestock was killed and £50,000 of feed and grain destroyed. Wessex Water Authority estimated the total cost of the damage caused by the windstorm at £6 million, resulting in a three-year programme of sea defence assessment, repair and improvement.
The MV Bonita, an 8000 tonne Ecuadorian cargo ship sailing from Hamburg to Panama was caught in the storm in the English Channel. 29 were rescued from the ship, 4 by helicopter until the storm was too strong for the helicopter to operate. The remaining crew were rescued by the Guernsey lifeboat though there were two fatalities unfortunately. One of the rescued people was John Aicher.
Unfortunately, another storm occurred on the 19th bringing high winds and this caused havoc in the coastal waters. Off the coast of Cornwall, the lifeboat Solomon Browne, based at the Penlee lifeboat station near Mousehole, went to the aid of the vessel Union Star after its engines failed in high seas. After the lifeboat had rescued four people, both vessels were lost with all hands. Under the circumstances of this tragic event, all sixteen people on board died including the eight volunteer lifeboatmen. In the aftermath of the disaster, wreckage from the Solomon Browne was found along the shore, and the Union Star lay capsized onto the rocks, west of Tater Du Lighthouse. Some, but not all, of the sixteen bodies were eventually recovered. The loss of the Solomon Browne was in consequence of the persistent and heroic endeavours by the coxswain Trevelyan Richards and his crew to save the lives of all from the Union Star. Such heroism enhances the highest traditions of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution in whose service they gave their lives. Coxswain Richards was posthumously awarded the Royal National Lifeboat Institution’s gold medal, while the remainder of the crew were all posthumously awarded bronze medals. The station itself was awarded a gold medal service plaque. The disaster prompted a massive public appeal for the benefit of the village of Mousehole which raised over £3 million (equivalent to £10.6 million in 2016) although there was an outcry when the government tried to tax the donations. This Penlee lifeboat disaster and the windstorm of the 13th are a reminder to us weather enthusiasts that no matter how much we enjoy extreme weather, it can be very tragic and leave severe impacts on our countries.
The severe cold spell of December 1981 had finally broke on the 26th as fronts approached from the Atlantic bringing first snow to those areas still well and truly within a deep cold air mass. The milder air displaced the colder air and the snow quickly turned to rain afterwards. The period up to New Year was considerably milder than any day of the preceding two weeks. However, northern blocking was still a huge thing over Greenland and the Arctic. Forecasters were unaware that Siberia was going to bite back in just another week after this initial milder spell.
The main event people remember this Winter for though was the blizzard and then big freeze of January 1982. The CET for January 1982 was an unremarkable 2.6c due to the milder second half. Northerly to northeasterly brought down much colder air during the first week of January after a benign mild end to December with air temperatures dropping to -26.8c at Grantown-on-Spey on the 8th. The pressure gradient was increasing in the south as a front moved up from the Bay of Biscay to displace the cold air. The winds strengthened and snow began to fall which drifted in the wind. The next 36-48 hours brought chaos to eastern parts of Ireland and the south of the United Kingdom with continuous snowfall and strong easterly winds disrupting transport dramatically. A small low in the southwest of the United Kingdom provided extra moisture for the system. The Cotswolds, south Wales and Herefordshire recorded snow depths of 30-40cm, Newport in Gwent had 60cm, Camarthen had 60cm and Swansea had 40cm. Drifts were well in excess of 7 metres in places.
In Ireland, this snowstorm was widespread except for a few western and northern areas. Easterly winds reaching gale force, caused extensive and deep snow drifts particularly in the east. Snow depths were generally between 10-40cm across the east of Ireland but some localised locations were much deeper than this range of depths of the official Irish weather stations. Some parts of Dublin City had up to 2.5ft of snow while the drifts rose to five and six feet in the suburbs. Wicklow was the worst county hit, with thousands of sheep and a large number of deer losing their lives. With drifts more than two metres deep, it got so bad that the Canadian government took pity on the Emerald Isle and donated six snowmobiles to the nation. Hundreds of motorists were rescued from their cars on the Naas dual carriageway. Meanwhile, opportunist thieves ransacked abandoned cars on this dual carriageway. One Garda reported: “They behaved like wolves in the snow. I’ve lost all faith in human nature with what I’ve seen over the weekend.” The village of Oldtown, near Swords in County Dublin, was completely cut off for five days, during which it had no electricity, while the phones were also down for three days. The conditions were very ideal for tobogganing and in fact the hills were alive with youngsters jetting off down the slopes on wooden sleighs, old car bonnets and fertilizer bags. Postmen, milkmen and council workers got around with snow chains whilst snowmobile sales rocketed. The government duly appointed the late Michael O’Leary subsequently nicknamed the ‘Minister for Snow’, to coordinate emergency services. Power cuts, bread and milk shortages were widespread for a while but talking to anyone who remembers it, you get an overriding sense that everybody secretly loved the Big Snow of January 1982. However, Irish Independent reporter Gerard O’Regan wrote that it was the worst ESB blackout since 1956, while Paul Drury related his tale of a 12-hour journey from Galway to Dublin on what he called “CIE’s Siberia Express”.
On the 10th, the high pressure over Greenland had moved down to over top of the British Isles but within an already established very cold air mass. The subsequent clear skies and deep snow cover from the blizzard allowed intense cooling producing record low air minimum temperatures and very low air maximum temperatures too. Newport in Shropshire, England recorded an air minimum of -26.1˚C on the 10th which became the lowest air temperature to be recorded in England. Braemar meanwhile on the same night got down to an air minimum of -27.2˚C which equalled the lowest ever recorded air minimum temperature in the United Kingdom from the 11th February 1895, 30th December 1995 later equalled this for a third time. That same afternoon, Braemar rose to an afternoon maximum temperature of only -19.1˚C but overnight cloud cover resulted in a 24-hour maximum of -9.9˚C so not breaking records here. The current low maximum temperature record for the United Kingdom of -15.9˚C at Fyvie Castle on December 30th 1995 still stands with -15.8˚C at Altnaharra on December 22nd 2010 at a close second. At this time believe it or not, the United Kingdom was colder than the South Pole. This shouldn’t be too hard to believe because they were in the middle of their Summer season but having the British Isles to be colder than one of the coldest places on the entire planet is crazy. This was when the most widespread distribution of air temperature recordings of -20˚C or less took place. Air maximum temperatures on the 10th were -0.8˚C at London, -3.5˚C at Edinburgh, -1.2˚C at Cardiff and -0.2˚C at Belfast. Air maximum temperatures of -10˚C and -9˚C were recorded at Benson and Shawbury respectively on the 13th. Birr had the lowest air minimum temperature during the freeze over Ireland waking up to -14.6˚C on the 12th.
The extreme weather did not go on after 15th January as the rest of the Winter was generally mild but December 1981 into the first half of January 1982 was a super period of cold and severe snowy weather. Probably the best period for snowstorms since 1947. You can see now why I decided to do a book specifically on this Winter!
#3 - January 1881 cold spell/snowstorm
When forgotten events or seasons comes up in discussion, January 1881 has to be part of the conversation. I rarely hear January 1881 getting the light it deserves outside of Philip Eden's books. Firstly, the month had a CET of -1.5c which made it the joint 8th coldest January on record. The CET for 8th to 27th January 1881 was only -4.4c and this was largely down to the severe frosts that were recorded which were prolonged as well as intense. -26.7c was recorded at Kelso, Scotland on January 17th whilst -26.7c was also recorded at Blackadder, Scotland on January 26th. There was a report of -30c at Blackadder too on January 17th but this is not official. The Ireland record low temperature of all-time was recorded this month on January 16th with -19.1c at Markree Castle. -20c was recorded somewhere in the UK every day from January 14th to 26th 1881 bar the 20th. These unusually severe frosts were as a result of severe Greenland blocking and constant northeasterly winds - similar in vein to December 2010.
On January 17th/18th 1881, a severe blizzard hit southern parts of the UK and this became one of the worst blizzards on record here. Low pressure rapidly developed in the English Channel and snowfalls began to fall on the 17th in the southwest of England. Gale force easterly winds occurred with heavy blizzards and drifting snow. All transport, communication and trade was absolutely paralysed. Drifts were up to 14 feet in Kent whilst snow accumulations/depths were up to 34 inches (86cm!) at Newport on the ISLE OF WIGHT. No, you're not blind. You read that correctly!
There isn't a lot of information on this event because it was such a long time ago but it was a beauty of a month and event for cold/snow lovers.
#2 - The extraordinary cold spell of November 1919
November 1919 was not the coldest November on record for the CET as November 1782 was with a mean temperature of 2.3c whilst November 1915 just 4 years preceding 1919 was the second coldest on record with a CET of 2.8c. November 1919 was the 7th joint coldest November on record for the CET. What made 1919 stand out against the rest was its intense cold and snowy spell near mid-month.
Bitterly cold northeasterly winds brought unusually low temperatures to the British Isles in the second week of November 1919 with sunny spells and heavy snow showers. These snow showers only helped to lower the temperatures overnight in clear skies. Braemar fell to an air minimum of -23.3c on 14th November 1919 which is extremely remarkable. This would be an amazing low temperature in the middle of Winter, never mind it occurring in November! This has to be one of the most extreme temperatures recorded in the UK. -11.1c was recorded at Markree Castle in Ireland on the same day which before November 2010 was the Irish record low for November. -22.8c and -18.3c were recorded on November 15th and 16th 1919 too in the UK. The closest we've gotten since this is -20.9c on 30th November 1985.
As the newspaper articles say below, thundersnow was reported in Blackpool during this incredibly historic spell.
To think, Autumn 1919 had been phenomenal already before November is mad to think about. September 1919 contained a heatwave in the second week (with 32.2c being recorded at Raunds on the 11th) but just a week after, there was snow cover on low ground from northern England north and on higher ground in Wales and the southwest as well as high ground in the Midlands on the night of the 19-20th. The snow was 2" deep at Princetown in Dartmoor. Snow cover lasted on Snowdon for a week. October 1919 was the second coldest October of the 20th century at a CET of 7.4c behind October 1905 which was 7.1c for the CET.
#1 - November/December 2010 cold spells
This is an obvious choice if anybody knows Sryan Bruen very well inside out. These two months are my favourite pairing ever to talk about, to research, to study or to experience. Unlike all the rest named on this ranked list, I have actually experienced these cold spells for myself and I can safely say, what a time it was to experience them. I would be very sad if I did not see something that would rival the two in my life in terms of severity of cold, number of days with snow, the length of the cold with little ease etc.
November 2010 broke records for Ireland and Wales in terms of cold. Clonroche, Co. Wexford recorded an air minimum of -11.5c beating the long standing November 1919 record. The same station had a grass minimum of -17.1c which was a new November record for Ireland. Also, the same station again recorded an air maximum of -4.5c on November 28th which was another November record for Ireland. Mucker Broughderg, Northern Ireland had an air minimum of -11.9c on the 28th which was its lowest since 1919 for November and second lowest on record. Llysdinam, Wales recorded a minimum of -18.0c on the same day which was a new November record for Wales.
December 2010 was the second coldest December on record for the CET with -0.7c whilst only December 1890 was colder at -0.8c. December 2010 was likely far more remarkable though because 1890 was during a time of great pollution and the Clean Air Act hadn't been introduced so would have influenced the temperatures at the time to be lower than what they actually would have been. When you look at it this way, December 2010 stands out a lot more. It was the first month with a CET below zero at this time since February 1986. Ireland had their lowest December minimum temperatures on record. Straide, Co. Mayo recorded -17.5c on December 25th, the lowest December minimum ever recorded in the Republic of Ireland. -18.7c was recorded at Castlederg, Co. Tyrone on December 23rd, the lowest December minimum ever recorded in Ireland as a whole. Cavan, Co. Cavan recorded a maximum of -9.8c on December 21st, the lowest ever maximum on record for any month in the Republic of Ireland. Castlederg had a maximum of -11.0c on December 18th and Edenfel, Omagh, Co. Tyrone had a maximum of -11.3c on the 19th, both Ireland and Northern Ireland's lowest all-time maximum temperatures. Altnaharra recorded a maximum of only -15.8c on December 22nd, the lowest in the UK since December 1995 and the second lowest on record. Ten nights were recorded in the UK during December where the minimum dropped beneath -18c somewhere in the UK. Overall, the month had the highest number of days with air frost for December on record for the British Isles with a total of 23 days on average in the UK recording an air frost beating 21 days in December 1981.
The fact that all these cold extremes occurred within a warmer era compared to say November 1919 is what makes it that much more phenomenal if you ask me. Not going in-depth about it bar mentioning stats above because I'm aware that the majority of people understand how severe and historical this period in late 2010 was as it was the most recent severe cold spell of its kind.
So there you have it, that's my favourite weather events to discuss/study/research about ranked here. If I were to do a ranked list based on extremity levels of weather events, this list would be very different and 1952-53 (Lynmouth Disaster, Great Smog of December 1952 and North Sea Flood of 1953), Summer 1976 or Winter 1962-63 would appear which they did not here in my favourites. In this list, I picked my favourites and I can't stress that enough. Hope you've enjoyed it and thanks for reading! It was somewhat stressful putting this together.