When was the heaviest snowfall in the UK?
The snowiest winter of the twentieth century in the United Kingdom was 1947. Between 22 January and 17 March, snow fell every day somewhere in the country. The most disastrous avalanche in the United Kingdom occurred in Lewes, East Sussex on 27 December 1836.
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Blizzard of January 1881.
Blizzard at its height on 19 January. | |
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Formed | 10 January 1881 |
Dissipated | 23 January |
Lowest pressure | 985 mb (29.09 inHg) |
Lowest temperature | −30.0 °C (−22.0 °F) |
1936-37: Early December saw snow in Scotland, predominantly the North. Late February saw the next big snowfall, with a blizzard in many parts, 1ft recorded in Northern England and Scotland. Early March saw snow for Southern England. A blizzard swept through the whole northern portion of the UK in mid March.
1962/1963. The winter of 1963 was the coldest for more than 200 years. In fact, the temperatures plunged so much that it's known as the 'Big Freeze'. Still considered to be the worst winter in modern British history, it didn't actually break any temperature records.
The winter period, or at least the start of winter 2022-2023 would more than likely bring much colder weather compared to El Niño years.
Kinbrace
With an average of 49 days each year receiving snowfall, Kinbrace is one of the snowiest places in the UK.
The deepest snow ever recorded in an inhabited area of the UK was near Ruthin in North Wales during the severe winter of 1946-47. A series of cold spells brought large drifts of snow across the UK, causing transport problems and fuel shortages. During March 1947 a snow depth of 1.65 metres was recorded.
We look back at The Big Freeze of 1963 - one of the coldest winters on record in the UK. When we look at the Central England Temperature records, which extend back to 1659, only the winters of 1683–84 and 1739-40 have been colder.
The winter of 1963 - the coldest for more than 200 years
With temperatures so cold the sea froze in places, 1963 is one of the coldest winters on record. Bringing blizzards, snow drifts, blocks of ice, and temperatures lower than -20 °C, it was colder than the winter of 1947, and the coldest since 1740.
For most of us it's usually pretty exciting to see snow in the UK, because it doesn't happen all that often. The reason for this is that we are surrounded by relatively warm seas, which can often keep our temperatures up.
Was 1977 a cold winter UK?
The UK was under a cold northerly to northeasterly airflow during the second week of January 1977 caused by a depression over Scandinavia and high pressure over Greenland. A deepening low pressure was moving into the southwest and the frontal systems enegaged the colder air producing widespread snowfalls.
The 2006 London tornado dropped over THE city of London, in England, in the middle of their day and was rated the equivalent to F2 on the Fujita scale.

This was the first time 40°C has been recorded in the UK. A new record daily maximum temperature was provisionally reached on 19 July, with 40.3°C recorded at Coningsby, Lincolnshire, exceeding the previous record by 1.6°C. A total of 46 stations across the UK exceeded the previous UK record of 38.7°C.
In January 1982 the record minimum temperature for England, -26.1°C was recorded when skies cleared immediately following a deep powdery snowfall. Very cold continental airstreams affecting Scotland are subject to greater warming as they approach over longer stretches of sea.
AccuWeather is predicting that a large portion of the country will experience below-normal snowfall. AccuWeather's official 2022-2023 U.S. winter forecast is rather bleak for snow lovers.
We expect this season to start off with warm to hot temperatures and isolated thunderstorms across most of the United States, except for cool and wet conditions over the Appalachians and Ohio Valley. As for the rest of summer, the United States is in for another season of high heat.
The UK is no longer a cold country, scientists have said, as climate breakdown means “previously impossible heatwaves are killing people”. This week temperatures of 40C (104F) have been predicted for the first time by the Met Office, but climate models show these weather events are expected to become more common.
With a daily minimum average temperature of -1.5°C, the coldest place in the UK based on Met Office data is the summit of Cairn Gorm mountain, in the Scottish Highlands.
The average total precipitation during February is 41 mm (1.6 inches). February sees about 6-7 days with at least 1 mm (0.04 inches) of rainfall. February is the snowiest month of the year with 4 days, on average, reporting some snow and 1-2 days with accumulating snow.
Where is the snowiest place on Earth?
Aomori City, Japan
By many accounts, Aomori City is the snowiest place on the planet, receiving around 312 inches of snowfall per year. In general, Japan receives more snowfall than anywhere else, so if you love snow, this is the place to be in the winter.
Sierra Nevada Snow
in the Sierra Nevada Mountains holds the United States record for greatest snow depth ever measured. A maximum snow depth of 451 inches, or 37.5 feet, was recorded on March 11, 1911.
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February 2009 Great Britain and Ireland snowfall.
Satellite image of the snowfall in England and Wales (Click here for false colour image) | |
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Areas affected | British Isles and parts of Western Europe |
The winter of 1880–1881 is widely considered the most severe winter ever known in parts of the United States.
The coldest temperature ever recorded in summer in the UK is -5.6 C recorded on the 9 June 1955 in Dalwhinnie and again on the 1 and 3 June 1962 in Santon Downham in Norfolk.