As many will be aware, it is 18 years since the great cold spell of January
1987 which delivered daytime maximums below -5C.
I had -8C and I believe that a maximum of -9.1C was recorded in Surrey
or Sussex. Apparently this spell delivered the coldest 48 hour period in
Britain since 1740.
Does anyone have any idea what the lowest daytime maximum temperature
recorded in the UK home counties actually is?
Notice that I said home counties. I know that in Scotland Braemar holds
the Scottish record with a maximum of -19C in January 1982. To us lot in
East Anglia and the home counties area, that is just academic really.
To get an idea one has to look at the months of

January 1684

January 1740.

January 1795.

January 1814

February 1895.

Those are the months that I can think of. I may have left one or 2 out.


--

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Gavin Staples.

Horseheath. Cambridge, UK. 93m ASL.
www.gavinstaples.com
site regularly updated

"Some people get lost in thought because it's such unfamiliar territory". ~
G. Behn

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2005.
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"Gavin Staples" wrote in message
...
As many will be aware, it is 18 years since the great cold spell of
January
1987 which delivered daytime maximums below -5C.
I had -8C and I believe that a maximum of -9.1C was recorded in Surrey
or Sussex. Apparently this spell delivered the coldest 48 hour period in
Britain since 1740.
Does anyone have any idea what the lowest daytime maximum temperature
recorded in the UK home counties actually is?
Notice that I said home counties. I know that in Scotland Braemar holds
the Scottish record with a maximum of -19C in January 1982. To us lot in
East Anglia and the home counties area, that is just academic really.

Gavin, academic or not, Braemar holds the record.
And I would suggest the end of December 1995 delivered a considerably colder
48 hour period than the one you have quoted as being the coldest in Britain
since 1740. Albeit academically/merely in Scotland.
Temperatures at this site remained below -10ºC for 72 hours on that
occasion. And I'm sure this was exceeded at other locations - albeit in the
academic part of the country.
:-)
Alex.

Gavin, academic or not, Braemar holds the record.
And I would suggest the end of December 1995 delivered a considerably
colder 48 hour period than the one you have quoted as being the coldest in
Britain since 1740. Albeit academically/merely in Scotland.
Temperatures at this site remained below -10ºC for 72 hours on that
occasion. And I'm sure this was exceeded at other locations - albeit in the
academic part of the country.
:-)
Alex.

;-) ... we love you in Scotland, really, Alex! I think Gavin was trying to
say it would be cold in the Highlands compared to the balmy S.E. (or was
that barmy). Like Iceland can probably beat Braemar's minimum.
Gavin - I have a feeling it was Benson, Oxfordshire, or nearby, that was the
coldest that spell and holds the England min record. Not exactly The Home
Counties but a notoriously cold region for night mins.

Dave, jealous of the Motherwell snow.

I wonder just exactly how cold the cold weather that MY DREAMS(!) would
have been during Tom Presutti's "it will be difficult for the
forecaters to predict where the snow will
lie at times" February of 2002?

I am still waiting, Tom. Waiting for my dreams....

This can however by rectified QUITE EASILY - by putting me out of my
wait with just one measly little APOLOGY, STARTING with your February
2002 forecast.

Weather dunce.

D.

"Damien" wrote in message
ups.com...
I wonder just exactly how cold the cold weather that MY DREAMS(!) would
have been during Tom Presutti's "it will be difficult for the
forecaters to predict where the snow will
lie at times" February of 2002?

I am still waiting, Tom. Waiting for my dreams....

This can however by rectified QUITE EASILY - by putting me out of my
wait with just one measly little APOLOGY, STARTING with your February
2002 forecast.

Weather dunce.

D.


I'd suggest the easiest way to rectify things, would be for you to get a
life.
It's only the weather at the end of the day *sigh*

"JP":

I'd suggest the easiest way to rectify things, would be for you to
get a
life.

I've got one. And so far, it's one WITHOUT A CHILDHOOD.:-(

NEVER forgiven, NEVER forgotten.

It's only the weather at the end of the day *sigh*

It's only:
1. MY childhood,
2. MY DREAMS,
3. What I have been most probably over some ten times PROMISED!
:-(

D.

According to a book I have "The Met Office BBC Weather Watch" by Stephen
Moss and Paul Simons (1992) the lowest temperature was -27.2C (-17F) in
Braemar, Scotland on the 11th February 1895 and the 10th January 1982. It
also mentions that Shawbury in Shropshire came close too.

I also remember the local paper here in Sheffield reported a temperature
of -15C in January 1982. Still the coldest its been here in Sheffield since
then as far as I know.

"JP" wrote in message
...

"Damien" wrote in message
ups.com...
I wonder just exactly how cold the cold weather that MY DREAMS(!) would
have been during Tom Presutti's "it will be difficult for the
forecaters to predict where the snow will
lie at times" February of 2002?

I am still waiting, Tom. Waiting for my dreams....

This can however by rectified QUITE EASILY - by putting me out of my
wait with just one measly little APOLOGY, STARTING with your February
2002 forecast.

Weather dunce.

D.


I'd suggest the easiest way to rectify things, would be for you to get a
life.
It's only the weather at the end of the day *sigh*

In article ,
Gavin Staples writes:
As many will be aware, it is 18 years since the great cold spell of January
1987 which delivered daytime maximums below -5C.
I had -8C and I believe that a maximum of -9.1C was recorded in Surrey
or Sussex. Apparently this spell delivered the coldest 48 hour period in
Britain since 1740.

The Weather Log for the month says cautiously: "...it seems likely that
it was one of the coldest spells of weather in the south since January
1740..."
--
John Hall
"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism
by those who have not got it."
George Bernard Shaw

As many will be aware, it is 18 years since the great cold spell of
January
1987 which delivered daytime maximums below -5C.
I had -8C and I believe that a maximum of -9.1C was recorded in
Surrey
or Sussex. Apparently this spell delivered the coldest 48 hour period
in
Britain since 1740.


The Weather Log for the month says cautiously: "...it seems likely that
it was one of the coldest spells of weather in the south since January
1740..."
--
John Hall


I recorded a 12-hr max of -9.2°C (08Z to 20Z) on 12 Jan 87
here at Warlingham, Surrey, 556ft (169m). The 24-hr max was -8.9°C.
It's a COL grade B station. It was sunny, with a snow cover of about 3
inches and a light ENE'ly. In the early evening snow started to fall
out of cloud so thin you could easily see the moon and it continued on
and off for another 48 hrs or so until a level depth of 39 cm (16") lay
in the back garden. Melted and measured it all came to 27.8 mm.
There were 10 consecutive maxima below 0°C and 3 below -5°C. The max
on the 12th seems to have been about the lowest anywhere but it was
probably about a degree colder a few miles to the south at the top of
the Downs at 877 ft (267 m).
The upper air sounding showed a DALR from the surface to about
700 mb and the 1000-500 mb thickness was 498 dam, a record or nearly so
for the region.
When I started recording in 1983 I thought the lowest max I
would ever record would be about -6°C, possibly -7°C, in a nasty
Sc-laden 15-kn ENE'ly. I could scarcely believe my eyes, out to the
screen every half-hour or so. The sun was out, there was a gentle
breeze, but it just wouldn't warm up!
Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, Surrey. TQ 3516 5955.

I was working at a Wastewater Treatment Plant in Rainham, Essex and the
sewage entering the plant (which would normally be about 10C) was freezing
on the screen bars and forming an ice wall blocking the flow. An engineer
developed some in-situ heaters to prevent the whole system backing up.Also
the whole N/NE facing area had to be insulated with tarpaulins to prevent
the wind chill.This has never happened before or since as far as I know.

Dave
I recorded a 12-hr max of -9.2°C (08Z to 20Z) on 12 Jan 87
here at Warlingham, Surrey, 556ft (169m). The 24-hr max was -8.9°C.
It's a COL grade B station. It was sunny, with a snow cover of about 3
inches and a light ENE'ly. In the early evening snow started to fall
out of cloud so thin you could easily see the moon and it continued on
and off for another 48 hrs or so until a level depth of 39 cm (16") lay
in the back garden. Melted and measured it all came to 27.8 mm.
There were 10 consecutive maxima below 0°C and 3 below -5°C. The max
on the 12th seems to have been about the lowest anywhere but it was
probably about a degree colder a few miles to the south at the top of
the Downs at 877 ft (267 m).
The upper air sounding showed a DALR from the surface to about
700 mb and the 1000-500 mb thickness was 498 dam, a record or nearly so
for the region.
When I started recording in 1983 I thought the lowest max I
would ever record would be about -6°C, possibly -7°C, in a nasty
Sc-laden 15-kn ENE'ly. I could scarcely believe my eyes, out to the
screen every half-hour or so. The sun was out, there was a gentle
breeze, but it just wouldn't warm up!
Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, Surrey. TQ 3516 5955.