On Wednesday, 4 January 2017 11:43:33 UTC, Scott W wrote:
I've written a few lines on my memory of the opening weekend of that cold spell that happened 30 years ago next week. There's loads on the net about it but in this age of mild winters it doesn't hurt to reminisce. http://wp.me/p2VSmb-1WA

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Even here on the SW Devon coast in Wembury, this was the coldest spell I experienced since moving here in 1983.

We had four sucessive ice days and my record min of -10.1 C was recorded which still stands.
Max and min in Jan 1987
11th -1.3 -4.1
12th -2.3 -8.0
13th -3.8 -10.1
14th -4.0 -6.9

We had 2 inches of snow on 12th.

With quite a biting easterly wind it was hard to keep our bungalow warm.
Cold was coming up through the floors so I blocked the air bricks and we covered the floors with anything we had handy, old carpet, blankets...

I remember another effect of the extreme cold was to make all the leaves turn black on the privet hedge down the length of our garden.
They subsequently fell off.
The hedge did recover the next summer though.

Len
Wembury, SW Devon
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