Fifty years ago, overnight on the 29-30th December 1962 (coincidentally
- as this year - a Saturday and Sunday), one of the most notable
blizzards of the 20th century swept across southern England as a
depression approached SW England and then stalled. There had already
been one heavy snowfall a few days earlier, but that had occurred with
very little wind, whereas this time very strong easterly winds resulted
in much drifting: up to 15 feet in the West Country and 8 feet in Kent.

I remember on the Saturday afternoon seeing small pieces of low cloud
being blown across beneath the overcast sky, and my father told me that
this was a bad sign. He was right! At first light I drew back my
curtains to find very reduced visibility with heavy powdery snow being
blown almost horizontally. By about nine o'clock the snow had stopped
and the wind eased. I ventured out with a ruler, and - taking the
average of several readings in different positions on our lawn - as best
I could estimate there was 1' 2" lying. After the previous heavy fall I
had measured 7", so there had been at least an additional 7" - perhaps
rather more since, though there had been no noticeable thawing between
the two falls, there could have been some compaction. (There was a
further 3" on New Year's Eve.)
--
John Hall

"Whenever people agree with me I always feel I must be wrong."
Oscar Wilde