It never ceases to amaze me what people who live inland consider
windy. (Mind you a single snowflake can cause considerable exitement
here!)

The wild and windy bit was certainly 'wild'n'windy', but I said the wind was
gusting to 40 mph. That was recorded at my reasonably quiet '6 miles inland'
and sheltered site, but on top of Woodbury Common near the coast it is about
as exposed as you could ever get and I suspect the wind there was gusting
over 60 mph which was wreaking havoc with the trees which were still in full
leaf cover.

The snowflake thing reminded me of November 25th 2005 when in the village we
awoke to a dusting (maybe an inch on the grass but less everywhere else) of
snow and the locals stood around in amazement. By noon it had all melted.
That was the last time snow has actually settled here. In early April this
year I saw snow (it was really snow grains/ice pellets) falling briefly but
not settling, this was the first 'white stuff' to fall in over two years.

My neighbour who is rather on the ancient side assures me that even down
'ere, snow has fallen in such large quantities that the lanes have been
blocked and the villages cut off for days. Hmmm, this maybe but I think they
were always a rare occurrence and not the regular 'every year' thing he
remembers. He has well over 80 years to remember but insists every winter
had snow and frost, but the only ones I can agree with him on a 1947,
1962/63, 1978.

Does here on the south coast of Devon have hidden snow secrets I am not
aware of.
_______________
Nick.
Otter Valley, Devon
83 m amsl
http://www.ottervalley.co.uk