Winter of 1962–63 in the United Kingdom From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Deep snow near
Burrow-with-Burrow, Lancashire, England, January 1963
Snow in Lancashire, January 1963
The
winter of 1962–1963 (also known as
The Big Freeze of 1963) was one of the coldest winters on record in the
United Kingdom.[SUP]
[1][/SUP] Temperatures plummeted and lakes and rivers began to freeze over. In the
Central England Temperature (CET) record, extending back to 1659, only the winter (defined as the months of December, January and February) of 1683–84 has been significantly colder, with 1739–40 being slightly colder than 1962–63. However, the winter did not rank so highly in
Scotland for its severity as it did in
England and Wales.
[h=2]December 1962 The beginning of the month was very foggy, with
London suffering its last great smog before
clean air legislation and the reduction in the use of coal fires had their full effect. A short wintry outbreak brought snow to the country on 12th-13th. A very cold easterly set in on 22 December as an anticyclone formed over Scandinavia, drawing cold continental winds from Russia. Over the Christmas period, the Scandinavian High collapsed, but a new one formed near Iceland, bringing Northerly winds. Significant snowfall occurred as the air mass moved south and parts of the
South of England in particular had heavy snow late on 26 December (
Boxing Day) continuing into 27 December.[SUP]
[2][/SUP] The cold air became firmly established.
[h=3]29–30 December 1962 On 29–30 December 1962 a
blizzard swept across the
South West of England and
Wales.
Snow drifted to over 20 feet (6.1 m) deep in places, driven on by gale force Easterly winds, blocking roads and railways. The snow stranded villagers and brought down
powerlines.[SUP]
[2][/SUP] The near-freezing temperatures meant that the snow cover lasted for over two months in some areas. Snow lay to 6 inches (15 cm) depth in
Manchester city centre, 9 inches (23 cm) in
Wythenshawe, and about 18 inches (45 cm) at
Keele University in
Staffordshire. By the end of the month, there were snow drifts 8 feet (2.4 m) deep in Kent and 15 feet (4.6 m) deep in the west.
[h=2]January 1963 January 1963 was the coldest month of the 20th century, and the coldest since January 1814, with an average temperature of −2.1°C.[SUP]
[3][/SUP] Much of England and Wales was snow-covered throughout the month.[SUP]
[2][/SUP] The country started to freeze solid, with temperatures as low as −19.4 °C at
Achany in
Sutherland on the 11th. Freezing fog was a hazard for most of the country.[SUP]
[4][/SUP]
In January 1963 the sea froze for 1 mile (1.6 km) out from shore at
Herne Bay, Kent.[SUP]
[5][/SUP][SUP]
[6][/SUP] The sea also froze inshore in many places, removing many British inland water birds' usual last resort of finding food in estuaries and shallow sea. The sea froze 4 miles out to sea from
Dunkirk, and
BBC television news expressed a fear that the
Strait of Dover would freeze across.[SUP]
[2][/SUP] The upper reaches of the
River Thames also froze over,[SUP]
[4][/SUP][SUP]
[7][/SUP] though it did not freeze in
Central London, partly due to the hot
effluent from two thermal
power stations,
Battersea and
Bankside: the removal of the old multi-arched
London Bridge, which obstructed the river's free flow, and the river
embankments, make the river less likely to freeze in London than in earlier times (see
River Thames frost fairs). On 20 January, 283 workers had to be rescued by RAF helicopters from
Fylingdales, where they had been snowbound for several days.[SUP]
[2][/SUP][SUP]
[8][/SUP] The ice was thick enough in some places that people were skating on it,[SUP]
[2][/SUP] and on 22 January a car was driven across the frozen Thames at
Oxford.[SUP]
[2][/SUP][SUP]
[8][/SUP]
Icicles hung from many roof gutterings; some of these were as long as a metre (3 feet, 3 inches).
[h=2]February 1963 In February 1963 more snow came. It was also stormy with winds reaching Force 8 on the
Beaufort scale (gale force winds).
A 36-hour blizzard caused heavy drifting snow in most parts of the country. Drifts reached 20 feet (6.1 m) in some areas and there were gale force winds reaching up to 81 mph (130 km/h). On the
Isle of Man, wind speeds were recorded at 119 mph (191 km/h).
[h=2]March 1963
