January 1987

Without doubt the most significant snowfall I can remember occurred back then. I'm not sure of the dates but I guess it began around a week after school started back after the New year holidays (11th January?). Sunday seen the first snowfalls, lasted all day long. By Sunday night a good eight inches had fallen and it was perfect weather as far as kids were concerned. I had vague memories of seeing snow as deep as that before, this time I was old enough to appreciate it's wonders. Needless to say the neighbourhood sledges were out in full force and still the snow fell heavily. It must have snowed all night long as by Monday morning there was around a foot of snow lying. My parents decided I wasn't going to school that morning as the conditions appeared to be deteriorating. By midday all the schools in the district had closed, to "re-open when conditions allowed". Nirvana for kids....extra school holidays.

For the next 5 days it snowed regularly, mostly at night. I'd guess the mean snow depth reached around 2½ feet with drifts way over my head. Days filled with some of my happiest childhood memories; Sledging at great speeds down the Clyde valley roads, (with one or two bumps and accidents into the bargain!) Building giant igloos with my friends, digging out buried cars, baking bread with my parents (as the shops had run out of fresh food supplies), throwing snowballs at 12 feet long icicles that were hanging menacingly from roofs. A whole fun-packed, unforgettable week off school.

Myself and my mother back in '87

Building an igloo for my nephews in the early nineties

Snows of late February 2005

Not particularly significant in a historical sense, but worth a mention due to the increasingly mild tendency of recent winters. The last 9 days of February 2005 were marked by snowy conditions. Peaking with six inches of snow lying on the morning of the 24th at this site. The cold air had travelled from Scandinavia on a North easterly flow, picking up moisture over the North sea and remaining just cold enough and strong enough to deposit snow. Mainly affecting the eastern half of North Lanarkshire, areas from Motherwell westwards escaped the bulk of the snows. The snow hung around for quite a few days and was partially replenished from time to time. Below is the familiar panorama from the house, looking out upon the snowy dawn of the 24th.

Clubbers blizzard: 11th/12th March, 2006

A night I'll never forget. The evening of Saturday the 11th March was one I spent with friends at a Comedy show in Glasgow city centre. (one of whom, Gail, would celebrate her birthday at midnight). Earlier we had all met up at Motherwell train station and we all discussed how cold it was and whether there would be snow later, I concluded there would be, but it wouldn't be much to worry about. The acts at the comedy club were fantastic - and I later discovered that the attractive compere for the evening actually turned out to be my future partners then partner (and was the butt of many jokes!)

Anyway, by the time the show was over (at O'Neil's on Sauchiehall Street for those who know it) and the disco music kicked in, I'd heard it was beginning to snow lightly outside. Soon after midnight, and all the celebrations for my friends birthday - I decided to move on to another club. As I walked down Sauchiehall street the snow was falling heavily and settling readily as many a scantily clad, frozen footed clubber passed me by. By the time I reached the Merchant city the roads were all covered and traffic seemed strangely light on the roads. I entered a club and noticed that most people were leaving, rather than entering (most strange in Glasgow at 12.30am on a Saturday night!) I decided I would call my friend William in Wishaw to discover how the weather was back home... He was straight to the point, it was diabolical and the taxi's were going off the road.

Fresh with this news, I decided I had better make a move myself - or I might not get home at all. I plodded up to George Square in the hope of finding a taxi to take me home, and alerted the friends I had left on Sauchiehall street to do the same. The roads were now almost totally deserted and had 3 inches of snow upon them, a very surreal sight to witness in Glasgow city centre... I realised if this is how bad it was in the city - it must be much worse outside. Standing for what seemed like an age in the freezing cold and driving snow outside the Millennium hotel on George square, I pondered whether it would be wise to just get a hotel room for the night... Where upon a taxi appeared as if by magic and the driver miraculously agreed to drive me the 20 or so miles to Wishaw... This was just the beginning of my nightmare! The earlier forecasts of non problematic snow were very wrong!

We agreed a price almost double that of the usual fare to Wishaw, due to the circumstances I wasn't expecting much better and I didn't see any other taxi's around to barter with. So we set off slowly at about 1.30am. Pretty quickly we had to climb some steep hills in the city centre in order to reach the motorway... The taxi coped, just! And all the while the snow kept on falling very heavily. The motorway was virtually empty and had not been gritted or ploughed. This made driving upon it very hazardous. We trundled along in the slight ruts left over from previous cars at around 10mph or less, frequently skidding and sliding. Towards the outskirts of the city, about an hour into the journey, the taxi's windscreen wiper lost its blade and became useless. Within seconds the driver had no view of the world outside as the snow covered the window. We had to stop, get out and try and repair it - In the middle of the motorway!

By now the snow was about 15cm's deep, and was drifting a little in the freezing breeze. We only took a moment to repair the wiper's blade, but that was too long. When we got back in the car, the driver tried to move away, but with no success. So I had to get back out and try and push the car out of the rut... It worked! We were underway again. Noticing how empty the other side of the motorway was, the driver became increasingly anxious about his chances of returning to the city, the snow was unrelenting. I told him it was mostly downhill on the return leg and this eased his fears somewhat, but we did agree he shouldn't leave the major roads and that I should walk the last 2 or 3 miles of the journey.

It was around 3.30am when we exited the M8 motorway at the Newhouse hotel junction, road conditions weren't any worse off the motorway - nor any better mind you! We trundled for another 30 minutes along the Lanark Road and then I suggested I should disembark at Bellside, just outside the village of Cleland. I realised the taxi would have no chance on the minor roads and steep hills closer to my home. So I had about three miles to walk in the heavy, deep snow. I was on my phone for most of the duration of the walk home, chatting to the others I had left behind in Glasgow - most of whom were also fortunate enough to persuade a taxi to drive them home and equally slowly were getting there. On the way I passed a few stranded and abandoned vehicles stuck on the steeper slopes of the Calder valley. About 90 minutes later, and almost frozen solid, I reached my house and dusted off the 3 inches of snow that had accumulated on my head. I had never been so glad to be home - It felt like I was back from a war such was my relief and exhaustion.

Something old or something new? - Winter of 2008/2009

It all began in the last few days of November. The 30th saw the coldest November day on site records and the coldest November day locally for 23 years. Freezing fog led to an ice day on the and temp's didn't reach above -1.4ºC. To begin December ice was widespread, treacherous condition for the first three days of the month on all path's and untreated sidewalks. A snowfall during the early hours of the second, which turned to rain then rapidly froze didn't help matters. During the afternoon of the second I was called out to work to attend an urgent meeting. Within walking distance I hurriedly scurried over ice and snow taking all the shortcuts I knew, only to slip on a treacherous grassy bank and injure my hand and my pride. It was not going to be a good day. At the meeting my company announced it had gone into administration - a victim of the credit crunch, and within 10 days my job was history.

The ice had gone by the 5th of December, but widespread morning frosts continued until the 16th. It then turned milder until the end of the year when moderate frosts returned. It had been the coldest December since 2001.

The beginning of January 2009 began in the same vein. Widespread overnight frosts and cold days with the odd flurry of snow. Not to unusual in January mind you. For the final week the wind gently swung round to the South east. Then on the first of February it came from the east, from the cold continent. Weather forecasts were dominated by the oncoming cold onslaught. I meanwhile was on the stunning isle of Barra on the outer hebrides with my mate Laurie, but aware that the snowy weather may well disrupt our flight home on the 2nd.

Heavy snow began to fall early in the morning in Wishaw on 2nd February and lasted for several hours. By midday 14cm were lying in Wishaw and with this knowledge I was concerned that my flight may well be diverted to Prestwick rather than landing at Glasgow. From the vantage point of the aeroplane there was no snow lying on the ground until we crossed over the firth of Clyde. From then on everything below was a winter wonderland and the turbulance was marked! The news carried stories of how London had come to a halt. But no such problems with transport in the central lowlands. It was dark by the time we arrived in Wishaw, with heavy snow and sleety showers. The youth were out in force pelting every passing car. A niussance sure, but hell, they've probably only had the opportunity to do this once or twice in their lives.

The weather was fine in Barra and the plane took off from one of it's stunning white beaches on time. Meanwhile in Wishaw a few hours earlier the snow was accumulating. The picture below was taken on the afternoon of the 9th of Feb, 2009

On the 3rd the snow increasingly turned to rain and a thaw got underway. But it never quite disappeared - not for 13 days it wouldn't! Because further cold weather throughout and snowfalls on the 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th & 12th maintained a decent cover until the last patch disappeared in Wishaw around the 14th. The rest of February was particularly mild, but those first two weeks seen the coldest fortnight here since 1995 and, the longest continuous snow cover in Wishaw since 1987. The snow returned on the 3rd of March and lasted for the best part of a week again. All in all it was the coldest and most snowy winter for 8 years. Notable, but not remarkable in the grand scale of things.

The 2nd winter of discontent?

The Great Winter of 2009/2010

December 2009

The last couple of days of November 2009 were cold, but nothing like last year. The first snowflakes of the winter came on December 1st, slightly later than normal for Wishaw and then it was slightly mild until the 10th. Around the 6th of December forecast models began to show a trend of cold weather arriving from Russia and the pole for the second half of the month for much of Europe including the UK. This often happens with forecast models at a range beyond a week and as the time nears the models refine and it never quite turns out as bad as was initially foreseen, or it lasts a few days and then milder Atlantic weather returns. But not this time! No! The signals grew stronger and stronger and agreement became widespread. An extended cold spell was going to arrive, but how cold? And how extended? And it was all so ironic as the Copenhagen global warming conference was just about to get underway.

The first frost of the period arrived under high pressure on the morning of December 10th. A cold, frosty, foggy few days were in store. Little did we know at the time there would be a frost recorded every day for the rest of the month and well beyond! The 12th was spent blanketed in thick freezing fog which cleared on the 13th to fine conditions but the temperature only just nudged 0ºC. On the morning of the 14th it was still calm but as the high pressure gently slipped north a band of rain arrived, this turned immediately to ice as it reached the frozen ground leading to the first day of driving hell on roads. The next couple of days a gentle breeze arrived from the north which lifted temperatures enough to melt the ice slowly during the day. But it returned at night.

The 17th of December dawned with ice still a problem. The weather was now being influenced by a gentle fetch from northern Russia via a certain global warming conference in Denmark. Gradually as the morning went on the skies clouded and then came rain mixed with sleet, then sleet mixed with snow and before the sun went down we were left with a couple of inches lying on the ground. This would be the un-melting snow base right up to the end of the year and beyond. A hard frost followed to consolidate the snow. And my colleague had a hard time opening her car after her backshift that evening - having to climb in via the boot due to frozen locks. Temperatures remained sub-zero throughout the 18th with further gentle flurries of snow in the afternoon.

 On the 19th the air mass switched to being northerly - coming all the way from the deepest Arctic. Initially there was a sector of milder air before a frontal system heralded the arrival of polar air. And what a system. At 2pm on Saturday the 19th it began raining heavily. The lying snow and ice took a pounding and the depth fizzled from 5cm's down to 2cm's in the next 20 minutes. Just when it looked as though it was all about to go I heard a loud rumble of thunder (at 2.20pm) and immediately the rain changed to exceptionally heavy snowfall. Possibly the heaviest I've seen in my life. For half an hour it fell at an incredible rate and visibilities were down to 20 or 30 meters because of the volume of snow falling. The thunder rumbled away several times throughout - no chance of seeing the lightning through the virtual whiteout. And all the time the temperature is falling fast (from over 3ºC at 2.20pm to sub zero 20 minutes later). The snow ended as quickly as the rain had arrived and we were now left with 3 inches lying on the ground. In the clear skies that followed the temperature tumbled down to -10ºC by midnight.

The next two days were dominated by snow showers, each one piling up on the last. Temperatures would barely scrape above zero by day. And by the morning of the 22nd there was 5 inches of snow lying (12cm's). On the afternoon of the 22nd the snow returned with a vengeance. I'd just made it home from work by the time it really became a problem. But it fell very heavily for 3 hours here and by the end of it we had 28cm's (11inches) of snow lying. I'll often wonder if this was a polar low formation that caused such a heavy fall. Locally recorded baroclinic and wind measurements would suggest it was, as well as satellite imagery. Transport routes were again in chaos, air, road and also rail this time. When I made my way to work on the morning of the 23rd - which is nowadays in Strutherhill, Larkhall for those who might know it. They'd clearly had even more snow than Wishaw from the snowstorm. With over 1 foot of lying snow. An easy shift followed, the last before a two week break for the festive period. I headed into Glasgow that evening with my friend Wullie, onroute (by train) a flash of sparks and flame flew up past the carriage windows accompanied by a loud whooshing sound giving all the passengers quite a fright. The driver got out his cab and looked back up the track once we pulled into the next station (Hamilton west). He then announced that it was probably due to ice on the tracks after a telephone discussion with his HQ.

On the morning of the 24th it was severely cold, temperatures had dropped in Wishaw to -11.8ºC. And they remained well below zero throughout Xmas eve. On Xmas morning there were falls of sleet and freezing drizzle - another layer of ice. Much later, whilst I was enjoying a festive drink in the pub, the snow came on heavily again. On seeing this I decided to walk home, waiting on a taxi was pointless - the roads were pretty much undrivable again. On the walk the snow changed to heavy rain and a fair thaw begun, at least in places where the ice wasn't too thick. The main roads quickly became alright for once, taxi's were fine. But I got home soaked. Our 11 inches had now shrivelled down to 6 inches by morning. From the 26th til the 30th the story continued, hard frost at night, slight thaw by day with occasional dustings of snow / sleet and freezing rain maintaining the snow depth. By the 30th the layer of ice on top of the snow was thick enough to hold an adults weight in most places. Roughly 2 inches thick - but measured as snow depth! On the evening of the 30th the snow returned again with another heavy fall. Snow depth back up to 22cm - so many layers of snow and ice now! If repeated in mountainous areas there must be an extraordinary avalanche risk.

January 2010

On Hogmanay 2009 it turned bitterly cold again, by the time the bells rang in the new year the temperature was -10ºC and there was a blanket of thick freezing fog in Wishaw. Typical of new year's celebrations, me and some of my friends were out in the small hours "first footing" our friends. My friend Kirsty, be-dressed in sensible high heeled shoes shuffled her way through the 8 inches of lying snow on a quarter mile walk between houses at one point. Good job she had my arm to hold onto! And quite a bit of alcohol to keep out the cold definitely helped! The maximum temperature on New Years day 2010 was only -3.0ºC, this made it the coldest day since the record breaking late December of 1995. A further 3 inch snowfall on the 2nd re-established the peak snow depth to 28cm. Intensely cold and mostly dry days followed, minimum's on the 3 days (3rd-5th January) were; -11.4ºC, -12.3ºC and -10.1ºC respectively. Could it get any colder? Yes!...

Another heavy snowfall greeted the morning of the sixth, it was fairly short lived, but laid down another 3cm of snow. As skies cleared that day it was beautiful to look out upon. But as sunset approached temperatures fell like a stone. By midnight it was -13.5ºC, it was indeed the lowest temperature since the record breaking spell in December 1995. Overnight a minimum of -14.1ºC was attained and I had to walk a mile from Wishaw town centre home after a nightshift in the severe frost. I quickly realised that the hood I had for the walk was not keeping out the cold. And by the time I got home I felt slightly ill with tinges of frostbite on my face and rather frosty nostrils. (For a few days afterwards I would have an annoying head cold). On the afternoon of the 7th I went a walk down to the local river Calder, very well wrapped up this time it should be said, the river had indeed began to freeze over, still a long way to go though. Well, perhaps not. Strathclyde park in Motherwell meanwhile was been completely frozen over by now - except where the outflows are. The temperature fell quickly that evening to -13ºC again, only to rise a little with the onset of a cloud cover followed by freezing fog overnight.

The freezing fog persisted throughout the day on the 8th and was very thick at times in the early afternoon in Wishaw. This held the temperature well down. Without the warming sunlight of previous days the maximum temperature was only -5.9ºC. The "lowest high" since the infamous and ever quoted December 1995. The last 8 or 9 days of that month were certainly colder, though mainly snow free,  but this current bitter spell has lasted three times as long already with very significant snow cover. Indeed, by now at 23 days, it's the longest continuous snow cover in Wishaw since 1979 -and- it's not going anywhere fast. The 31st air frost on the trot was recorded on the morning of the 9th, this smashes the previous local record (going back to at least 1958) of 29 days (5th Feb - 5th March, 1986). Light snows overnight and on the morning of the 9th prevented the temperature dropping too low (IE sub minus 15ºC) and during the day the temperature almost made it to zero for the first time in over three days. With high pressure forming in the northern north sea, a new drift from the east was about to set in. Perhaps the severe cold would lessen as the wind comes from the non-frozen North sea, but the snows are going nowhere yet.

On the 10th a breeze returned, lifting temperatures sufficiently above zero during the day for a slight thaw to finally get underway and set about the foot of lying snow. The same was true on the 11th, although there was also light snow during the evening as well. The temperature never fell below zero all day on the 11th and thus a run of 32 consecutive air frosts came to an end. It did beat the previous record by three days however. The breeze from the north east was still evident on the 12th and the slight thaw was still ongoing. By now the snow depth was down to around 7 inches, but pavements and untreated roads were perhaps more treacherous than at any stage with a lethal layer of slush on top of the ice. On the 13th the thaw ceased as the wind once again eased off and again ice became an even more serious problem underfoot. A dusting of snow during the morning of the 13th was followed by a more notable fall during the early hours of the 14th and again main roads became tricky to drive on. The snow depth returned to 8 inches, but later on the 14th temperatures rose far enough above zero in a south easterly breeze for a thaw to recommence. Remarkably, the mean temperature for the previous 31 days had dived to an incredible -3.7ºC, a most incredible figure that would sadly be hidden within calendar monthly summaries.  The 15th saw the south easterly rise even more and temperatures climbed over 5ºC for the first time in a month. During the evening of the 15th and into the 16th a dramatic thaw got underway helped by rain on a driving wind.

As the 16th dawned, it brought along a strange new world -- a green one. The snow was now only evident in patches, the majority of the land was once again snow free. Pavements could again be walked upon and at their side were heaps of blackened slush. Bird's were all over the grass feeding on worms and insects to fill their empty stomachs. After 31 days the snow had finally lost it's battle to survive. Would that be the end of it? Hmmm, during the early hours of the 17th I noticed that the now snow free pavements and roads were extremely icy - this despite an air temperature of +3.0ºC and a gentle breeze. Clearly, the air had warmed up, but the ground just under the surface must still be frozen!

On the 18th of January the temperature reached up to the dizzy heights of +9.3ºC in Wishaw, but clearing skies led to another frost setting in later that evening. This would be the last air frost for 10 days, but there would still be some ground frosts due to the cold ground and temperatures by day would still generally be below or well below the usual for the time of year, the high typically being 3 or 4ºC. A fall of wet snow was recorded overnight on the 24th it didn't settle before proper rain set in though. On the 27th some very mild air reached Wishaw and the maximum hit double figures for the first time since November 24th. BUT, on the 28th the wind swung round once again to a northerly direction.

Temperatures on the morning of the 29th January finally returned to a sub zero state, and mid-morning along came a most surprising snow shower. Heavy for all of 10 minutes, but enough to return the ground to condition white. At the time I was in a meeting at my work - in a room with drawn blinds. When the meeting ended and we left the room at 10.30am, the cries of "not again" from my colleagues on seeing the white car park were quite amusing to me, I was personally thinking "yes, again". The snow melted through the day except in shaded areas and temperatures the following night fell below -7ºC, this guaranteed that January would have an average temperature below zero, this first month to do so since December 1995, and the first January to do so since 1987. December 2009 had just missed out on this feat by less than a tenth of a degree! It was equally the coldest January along with 1987 - since 1985.

February 2010

February, just like December and January before it, began on a cold note. The first two mornings had sub -5ºC minimums, then along came yet another un-forecast snowfall before dawn on the 2nd. The interesting cold front passage began with rain, then the wind swung 180º from west to east in an instant, temperatures fell like a stone and the snow did the same. 4cm of snow was back on the ground, half of this thawed in the afternoon sunshine, but the clear skies heralded another hard frost. The temperature overnight going into the 3rd fell to -8.8ºC, this was the coldest February temperature at this site since the last day of February 2001, and we had to go back to 1996 to find a lower mark. It looked as though the day would present us with our first February ice day in 14 years as well. Snow showers during the evening re-established the snow depth to 4cm, but also marked a return of some less cold air and by 11pm the temperature was above zero. No ice day - this time.

The next five days (4th-8th) were pretty tame, with near normal temperatures for the time of year. Pressure was building over the UK, but skies were generally cloudy so no air frosts, though there was the occasional sleety/ rain shower. On the 9th skies began to clear and the frosts returned at night, but by day it was almost pleasant in the stronger late winter sunshine. +6ºC by day, -6ºC by night. Perhaps spring is Just around the corner, but then again, forecasts are beginning to suggest perhaps not! Every night from the 8th until the (ongoing at the 18th) produced a moderate frost. Though in largely dry and fair conditions, daytime temperatures were around normal until the 16th whereupon they began to fall back again.

On the morning of the 16th I witnessed a group of 5 deer in the park beside my house, all five looked rather thin and dishevelled. Clearly the harsh weather has made it difficult for them to feed for quite some time now due to snow cover or frozen ground. I've seen some deer tracks in the snow in the park before, but never witnessed them being so bold and as close to the houses during daytime hours. A sign of desperation perhaps? It's not the only unusual wildlife signal I've seen this winter either. A buzzard has been hanging around a lot recently too, although this is a semi rural area with lots of woodland and parkland, it's not been a frequent visitor over the years. Here today, gone tomorrow, but not this time.  Also seen Jays too, hanging around the trees. A spectacular coloured bird with an interesting rattle like call. Goldfinches, long tailed tit's and even a brief visit from a large flock of waxwings - a bird that shows no fear of humans and will happily munch away on berries when you are within touching distance. Only the second time I've seen them here in my life and awesome colours.

Back to the weather.... The morning of the 18th was blanketed in dense freezing fog as again a slack, cool area of low pressure dominated the UK synoptic charts. Lots of potential for snowy weather, but it seemed to be keeping it's precipitation at bay from the central lowlands. On the 19th the maximum temperature was only +1.3ºC, a combination of mist and haze kept the temperature subdued. From the 20th til the 23rd the pattern was unchanging, sitting inside a large slack area of low pressure with surprisingly sunny but cool days and hard frosts by night. A light flurry began later on the 23trd and signalled that the end of the winter months would have one more surprise.

During the early hours of the 24th snow fell at an increasing rate and by daybreak it was heavy. With temperatures around zero the snow was lying readily. Heavy persistent snow dominated the morning on a bitterly cold wind and by midday we had 14cm's lying in Wishaw - almost 6 inches once again. When the afternoon came, temperatures began to slowly creep upwards so a thaw began - but still (increasingly wet) snow fell throughout. The balance was tipping in favour of the thaw though, and the snow got ever wetter and reached 50% snow and 50% rain in the evening. It was a very wet day indeed, the total precipitation for the 24th was well over an inch, had this all fallen as snow there would have been around 1 foot lying at this site, but because it had steadily thawed and been rained upon post midday, by midnight there was only 6cm's of snow remaining. The mild air wouldn't reach much further north than Wishaw, indeed north of Stirling and away from coasts there would be huge falls of snow over the next 2 days from this stalled warm front. Two very wet and cold days followed in Wishaw, with sleet sometimes creeping into the rain. Indeed, on the 26th the warm front began to move back southwards, introducing the cold air in Wishaw once again. By the afternoon snow had won the battle, but because the ground was so sodden it wouldn't stick. As temperatures fell throughout the evening of the 26th, the ground cooled sufficiently to allow snow to begin to settle. And by the morning of the 27th a couple of centimetres were once again lying on the ground. From the 24th to the 27th almost 70mm of precipitation was recorded here, had the warm front stalled slightly further south during the period, Wishaw would have shared in the immense snowfalls recorded only 50 miles or so to our north with a potential for around 2 to 3 feet of snow. A lucky escape!

Wintry showers died out on the 27th and the final day of the winter months was a dull, cold and damp affair with further sleet and snow showers overnight, into the morning and the first part of the afternoon. Later on the skies cleared and the month, indeed the winter ended with the mercury once again sub zero... The coldest February since 1986 in Wishaw but snow-wise, February 2001 wins hands down.

March 2010 - Out with a bang!

The first half of March was very dry with frosts every night. Some of which were pretty hard. By day sunshine would lift the temperatures above normal for the time of year. The second half of the month had generally milder nights and was more cloudy. Light rain was often nearby and the tail end of the month had a few wet days. The 29th was a particularly cool day for so late in March, with a maximum of only +5.1ºC. Indeed there was even some sleet early in the morning. The winds were switching round to the north east, the pressure was falling the forecasts were dire, the weather warnings were issued... A blizzard was forecast to end the month.

It never quite came off in Wishaw, winds were very strong but for most of the 30th the precipitation was a mixture of sleet and very wet snow. Not until quite late in the evening did it become cool enough for heavy snow which could settle. Some areas nearby had snow throughout the whole event once more - and quite a bit of drifted snow. Further light snow fell on the 31st, but mild air during the afternoon ensured April would begin on a snow-free note in Wishaw.

Summary of the winter

An unforgettable winter. With a mean temperature of only 0.21ºC for the whole winter it was only a fraction less cold than the winter of 1978/79 which had a mean temperature just 0.06ºC lower. Easily colder than any winter since.  The average maximum for the entire winter of +3.7ºC is the lowest since 1962/63 in Wishaw.

This winter produced the coldest December since 1995 in Wishaw (@ +0.1ºC), the coldest January since 1985 (@ -0.2ºC) and the coldest February since 1986 (@ +0.8ºC). And incredibly it's likely to be the first time since the winter of 1916/17 that all three months recorded mean temperatures below 1.0ºC in this area. IE the most consistently cold winter of almost anyone's lifetime.

Other very notable feats of the winter include; The lowest winter absolute maximum temperature since 1976/77 at 10.0ºC. The lowest 'high' daily winter minimum (at +4.3ºC) that I can find locally in any records since at least 1958 and probably far longer. Also the longest run of consecutive air frosts (December 10th to January 10th - 32 days), eclipses any local records of consecutive air frosts I can find since at least 1958.

With 31 consecutive days of complete snow cover (from December 17th to January 16th) we smash all local  records I can find going back to 1966. 1978/79 had a period with 36 consecutive days snow cover @ 9am - but the cover was interrupted during the 20th of January, 1979 (the 26th day) only to reappear again the next morning. In terms of snow falling 36 days equals the 1978/79 total (winter months only). And 40 days with snow lying at 9am is the most since 1978/79 which had an incredible 56 days (winter months only).

Perhaps the most amazing statistic of all is that the departure from the running mean temperature (previous 30 year period) this winter is the greatest of any winter since the 19th century and possibly beyond!!! Is climate change responsible for such a remarkable statistic? It certainly could be, but it's not in any guides to global warming I've came across. Is it the death of the global warming argument? Certainly not, but....
 

Some pictures I took during the height of the cold spell

...but.... then came along the winter of 2010/11. To read about this please choose from "the new ice age" link on the left hand side

*Other pictures of weather phenomena in this area are in the pictures section of the website, found via the home page.