UK Review - January 2010

Snow caused further disruption during January

The very cold, snowy conditions of the second half of December continued until the middle of January.

During this time there were widespread delays to road, rail and air travel, thousands of school closures, interruptions to power supplies, numerous accidents as well as general disruption to businesses and everyday life.

The emergency services and local authorities were put under pressure. At least 30 people are thought to have died in accidents linked to the freezing weather.

This diary gives examples of the impacts during this period.

On the weekend of 2nd and 3rd there were icy roads across much of the country and further snow in northern England and Wales; 30 people celebrating New Year at an inn high in the Yorkshire Dales were trapped there for three days by deep snow.

Temperatures in Scotland remained very low, especially in the Highlands where -17C was recorded at Braemar.

On the 4th parts of north-west England saw some of the heaviest snowfalls with flights from Manchester and Liverpool airports suspended for a time, several hundred schools closed and very difficult road conditions. It was a similar scene across the Pennines into West Yorkshire.

Ice and snow caused further chaos across northern England and Scotland on the 5th. The snow also spread southwards, with accumulations of up to 30cm across much of central southern England, south-west England and South Wales.

Widespread road, airport and school closures resulted. Jack-knifed lorries caused long delays on many trunk roads, including the A1 near Newcastle and motorists were stranded overnight on the A3 in Hampshire.

Concerns arose about road grit and salt supplies running low.

Temperatures early on the 7th plunged well below -10C at many places, with a minimum value of -18C recorded near Manchester and in Oxfordshire.

Electricity supplies to about 25,000 homes were interrupted as trees and ice brought down power lines.

Temperatures dropped again overnight on the 8th, with -22C recorded at Altnaharra in Sutherland.

Sporting fixtures were badly affected on the weekend of the 9th and 10th, with only a few league football matches taking place.

A slight thaw on the 10th and 11th brought some respite, allowing schools to re-open. However, many higher trunk roads in northern England remained closed or had difficult access and train services were disrupted in parts of Scotland.

On the 12th snowfall over the higher ground of south-west England and South Wales brought further road delays, notably to the A38 south-west of Exeter.

Provisionally it was the 8th sunniest January on record. Enlarge Image

This snow spread to other parts of England and Wales on the 13th and brought renewed disruption to road, rail and air travel. Runways at Gatwick, Southampton, Cardiff, Birmingham and London City airports were closed for a time.

By the 15th, temperatures were returning to normal in most areas and a thaw was well underway. Some flooding subsequently affected parts of Wales and south-west Scotland.

Much colder weather returned as the month ended, with frequent snow showers especially in northern Scotland and north-east England.

Statistics

The month was mostly unsettled, the first half being very cold with widespread snowfalls and some sharp frosts. After mid-month, temperatures rose to around normal before a return to colder conditions at month end.

Overall, it was a very cold month with mean temperatures 2.5 to 3.0C below the 1971-2000 normal over England and Wales, 2.5C below over most of Scotland and 2.0 to 2.5C below over Northern Ireland.

Provisionally, it was the coldest January over the UK since 1987 and equal eighth coldest in a series from 1914.

Rainfall was well below normal over many western areas, especially west Scotland and Cumbria and close to normal elsewhere.

Sunshine totals ranged from more than 50% above average in the west to somewhat below average along the east coast. Provisionally, it is the eighth sunniest January in a series from 1929.

A maximum temperature of 12.4C was recorded at Exeter airport (Devon) on the 16th.

A minimum temperature of -22.3C was recorded on the 8th at Altnaharra (Highland), the lowest anywhere in the UK since 1995.

In the 24 hours ending at 0900 on the 16th, 48 mm of rainfall was measured at St Clears (Carmarthenshire).

57 cm of lying snow was reported from Westgate (County Durham) at 0900 on the 7th.