fbpx
Wikipedia

Winter of 2010–11 in Great Britain and Ireland

The winter of 2010–11 was a weather event that brought heavy snowfalls, record low temperatures, travel chaos and school disruption to the islands of Great Britain and Ireland. It included the United Kingdom's coldest December since Met Office records began, with a mean temperature of −1 °C (30 °F), breaking the previous record of 0.1 °C (32.2 °F) in December 1981. It was also the second coldest December in the narrower Central England Temperature (CET) record series which began in 1659, falling 0.1 °C short of the all-time record set in 1890.[1] Although there are no xx, December 2010 is thought to be colder than December 1890 over the United Kingdom as a whole, as Scotland was up to 2 °C warmer than England[clarification needed]. Hence, it is thought to be the coldest December across Great Britain since before 1659.[2]

Winter of 2010–11
Snow falling in Sheffield, South Yorkshire; 1 December 2010
Seasonal boundaries
First event started24 November 2010
Last event concluded13 March 2011
Seasonal statistics
Maximum snowfall accumulation1.5 m (5 ft) at Sheffield, United Kingdom
Total fatalities20 total
Total damageUnknown
Related articles

The winter of 2010 in England saw the earliest widespread winter snowfall since 1993 with snow falling as early as 24 November across Northumberland and North Yorkshire. A maximum snow depth of 76 cm (30 in) was recorded on 1 December in the Peak District, Sheffield, Doncaster, the Cotswold Hills and the Forest of Dean.[citation needed] In this event Scotland and Northern England were most severely affected. On 9 December temperatures recovered across much of the UK, causing a partial thaw.

Later, on Thursday 16 December a cold front reintroduced a cold, arctic airstream. This cold spell brought further snow and ice chaos back to Ireland and Britain with Southern England, Wales, the Republic of Ireland (excluding the westerly coastal regions) and Northern Ireland bearing the brunt of the wintry conditions. This led to severe disruption to the road and rail network with several airports being closed including London Heathrow Airport for a time. Several local temperature records were broken including a new record low for Northern Ireland of −18.7 °C (−1.7 °F) recorded at Castlederg on 23 December 2010.

By the new year a thaw had begun, and there was no recurrence of the extreme conditions for the remainder of the winter. There was some snowfall in early January, and there was an anticyclonic spell at the end of the month that brought some cold, frosty days. February was above average in temperature and ended on a mild note, although the snow returned in much of Scotland during March.

Background edit

During the latter part of November, northern blocking established over Greenland which resulted in the jet stream moving south, allowing cold air to flow in from the east. Forecasters warned of the potential for severe winter weather from weeks in advance[3] and the Government stated that they were prepared for winter weather after the previous British winter of 2009–2010 caused widespread disruption. The cold weather arrived in Britain and Ireland on 22 November and by 24 November, snow showers brought by a stiff northerly wind fell over the North East of England and Northern and Eastern Scotland which resulted in 10–20 cm (4–8 in) locally and gridlock in many of the major roads within Aberdeen during the evening rush hour of 24 November.

In the following days, the snow fell far more widely leading to widespread travel disruption, school closures and cancellation of sporting fixtures. The Met Office confirmed that it was the most widespread snowfall in the United Kingdom for 17 years.[citation needed] By 2 December, most of the United Kingdom and much of Ireland was covered with snow, accumulations in the north and east of Scotland and England were over 50 cm (20 in) in places, with over 1 m (39 in) of snow lying on much of the Scottish mountains. Snow depths elsewhere were between 5–30 cm (2–12 in) widely. Temperatures fell widely below −10 °C (14 °F) with some areas staying sub-zero by day. On 2 December there was particularly low temperatures in major towns and cities, particularly in Scotland where it dropped to −18 °C (0 °F) in Aberdeen and on 3 December temperatures in England broke records. However, the lowest temperature of the winter of −21.2 °C (−6.2 °F) was recorded at Altnaharra, Sutherland at 10 am on 2 December and Braemar and Kinbrace both dropped to −20 °C (−4 °F) on the night of 2 December. 7 people have been confirmed to have died due to the cold weather.

Reported effects edit

Deaths edit

 
Map of fatalities in Ireland and the UK caused by Windstorm Carmen, Windstorm Becky and other blizzard or storm events between 8 November and 31 December. Click for legend.
  • On 30 November in Newport, South Wales a man was found dead in the street—it was assumed that he froze to death after collapsing with a heart attack.[4]
  • Two old-age pensioners were found in the snow in their gardens dead from hypothermia at the beginning of December.[5]
  • On 2 December two teenage girls died in a car crash caused by ice on the A595 in Cumbria.[6]
  • On 6 December a 70-year-old man was found dead in the snow in a caravan park in Cleethorpes,[7] and a man died trying to clear snow outside his home in Darlington, County Durham.[8]
  • There were several deaths on 18 December: a 17-year-old boy from Bilsington, Kent, was killed when his car left the road;[9] two pedestrians died after being hit by a Range Rover in Glasgow;[9] a woman in her 60s from the Inverness area, was killed in a three-vehicle pile-up in Huntly, Aberdeenshire;[9] and a man in his early 30s suffered life-threatening injuries when his Mini was in a crash with a highways vehicle near Eastbourne, East Sussex, and died after an ambulance being driven by a police officer left a country road in poor weather conditions and careered into a bush on Standard Hill, in Ninfield.[9]
  • On 19 December there were several more deaths. A 33-year-old man died after falling through the ice on Doggetts Lake in Rochford, Essex;[10] a road crash killed 16-year-old James Doran and Jordan Kenny when the car they were travelling in lost control on an icy road in Liverpool and ploughed into a garden wall;[10] a 15-year-old girl died in a sledding accident in Douglas, County Cork, Ireland;[11] and a 35-year-old woman and her 9-year-old son were killed in a car crash caused by ice and snow near Castlebellingham in County Louth, Ireland.[12]
  • On 22 December, a 48-year-old man died from hypothermia, after sleeping overnight in the Bible Gardens, behind the cathedral in Bangor, North Wales.[13]

Economy edit

The severe cold spell came in the run up to Christmas and was estimated to cost the British economy up to £1.2 billion a day[14] with a total cost of £13 billion.[15] Retailers were particularly badly hit by lost sales with footfall down nearly 20% compared to the same period the previous year and as much as 30% in the West Midlands and South East.[15] Some experts suggested that it may have a knock on effect in delaying or reversing economic growth.[14] Christmas is usually the most profitable period for the pub and restaurant industry, however, due to disruptions to delivery routes, numerous stock outs and disappointing trading updates were reported.[16]

Transport edit

Road edit

On 1 December the M1 motorway was temporarily closed,[citation needed] and the Forth Road Bridge was closed for over ten hours due to heavy snowfall. This was the first time the bridge had been closed because of snow.[17] The same day, the A57 was closed in the evening between Anston and Worksop and over 100 motorists were stranded overnight.[18] Thousands of motorists across Sheffield became stranded on 1–7 December as up to as much as 61 cm (2 ft) of snow fell on the city with severe disruption across the county of South Yorkshire including the suspension of all bus services for 24 hours.[citation needed] On 6 December, vehicles were trapped on the M8 for over 10 hours, and more than 1,000 vehicles became stuck on the M876.[19]

Rail edit

Eurostar rail services to the continent were cancelled on 20 December causing severe delays with queues at St Pancras station stretching more than 800 metres (12 mi) as far back as the British Library. At the same time. services were cancelled on the East Coast Main Line between London and Peterborough due to damage to overhead power cables caused by accretion of ice.[citation needed]

Air edit

At Newcastle Airport, a plane overshot its target stop position on the runway, but remaining on the hard surface. This caused the airport to be temporarily closed. No passengers were injured.[20] Gatwick Airport and Edinburgh Airport were closed all day on 1 December due to heavy snow.

Other effects edit

7,000 schools in the UK were closed on 2 December.[21]

Timeline edit

November 2010 edit

In late November, a snow storm had moved from southern Sweden, reaching Northumberland and the Scottish Borders Region during 23 November.[22] The Met Office issued a number of weather warnings, and snow began to fall in the early evening of 24 November, with 2 inches (5 cm) recorded in Newcastle upon Tyne.[citation needed]

 
Snow in Northumberland on 25 November

By 26 November, nighttime temperatures fell well below 0 °C (32 °F), with the Welsh towns of Sennybridge and Trawscoed being among the coldest places at −10.2 °C (13.6 °F).[citation needed] The cold snap heralded the earliest winter snow fall for 17 years.[23] The AA dealt with an estimated 15,500 calls regarding breakdowns on the same day.[24] The night of the 26/27 November saw a thunder storm damage electrical systems and flood roads, causing disruption transport services on 27 November, including to trains in Dublin.[25] Elsewhere in Ireland, the Irish Insurance Federation revealed there were 22,450 claims from the public, the majority of which involved snow or ice damage to people's homes.[25] The DART and the northern commuter and Maynooth commuter lines were not running and Belfast and Rosslare train services out of Dublin were also affected. The main runway at Dublin Airport due to snow and ice for most of the day.[25]

Later in November, the Met Office's warnings remained in place across much of the UK, with Scotland and North East England predicted to have the heaviest snowfalls, with new warnings in place for icy roads in Northern Ireland and Wales.[26] Snow was causing problems on some roads, with gritters deployed as temperatures dipped to -3 °C (27 °F).[24] The AA reportedly faced a 40% increase in call-outs, compared to an average November.[27] Motorists in Wales and Northern Ireland struggled with icy roads while Scotland was facing more heavy snow and drifts thanks to a biting wind.[27]

The CET (Central England Temperature) was −4.0 °C (24.8 °F) on 28 November, the lowest November CET mean since −4.6 °C (23.7 °F) was recorded on 24 November 1904.[28] The lowest temperature of the month was also recorded on this day, with −17.5 °C (0.5 °F) recorded at Llysdinam, Wales.[citation needed] The Met Office at RAF Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire recorded a record low for November of −11.2 °C (11.8 °F); earlier that month on the 4th it had recorded a record maximum for November of 17.6 °C (63.7 °F).[29]

December 2010 edit

According to the Manley Central England Temperature record (beginning in 1659), the second-coldest December ever recorded in central England. Also the coldest December in the UK since UK records began in 1890,[citation needed] and the coldest December in Ireland since official records began.[citation needed]

 
Photograph of snow in Ireland taken by the NASA Aqua satellite on 2 December 2010

In early December, a minimum of −21.1 °C (−6.0 °F) was recorded at Altnaharra, Scottish Highlands.[citation needed] A band of snow moving north affected Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, South and West Yorkshire, giving significant accumulations here, with further frequent heavy snow showers to North East England and Eastern Scotland. Up to 40 cm (16 in) of snow was recorded in Rotherham and Sheffield, 20 cm (8 in) of fresh snow in Mansfield[30] (bringing total depths to over 30 cm), 20 to 30 cm (8 to 12 in) in Leeds, 30 cm (12 in) in Pontefract and up to 40 cm (16 in) in parts of Lincolnshire.[citation needed]

 
Very heavy snow that had fallen in Sheffield on 1 December 2010

On 3 December, an all-time record low of −17.9 °C (−0.2 °F) recorded at RAF Leeming (since records began at Leeming in 1945) and −19.0 °C (−2.2 °F) at RAF Topcliffe in North Yorkshire.[31]

By 6 December, snowfall in the Central Belt in Scotland led to the closure of the M8 motorway for two days with hundreds of motorists stranded overnight. The resulting political furore led to the resignation of Scottish Minister for Transport, Stewart Stevenson.[32]

By mid-December, a cold front reached the Shetland Isles and moved southwards across Scotland. Mild air preceded the front, with cold air straight from the Arctic following it, resulting in some rapid temperature drops throughout Scotland and its Isles. An unofficial temperature of 11.6 °C (52.9 °F), the highest of the month so far, was recorded near Lairg, Scottish Highlands at around 7pm in the milder air.[33] The cold front continued to move southwards across the UK passing Northern Ireland and Northern England.

 
A blizzard on 18 December 2010, at Leamington Spa, Warwickshire.
 
The ungritted roads in the town centre in Banbury, Oxfordshire, on 18 December 2010.

Later in December, the M5 became gridlocked, and shops in the Birmingham area closed early on the last Saturday before Christmas.[citation needed] A number of passengers travelling by coach had to spend the night at Birmingham Coach Station due to not only coaches for onwards destinations being unable to depart and arrive Birmingham, but also widespread disruption to train services making onwards alternatives impossible.[citation needed] Airports including Heathrow Airport closed some its runways for a time, with Gatwick also cancelling a number of flights.[34][35]

 
The Oxford Canal in Banbury, frozen solid on 19 December 2010.

A minimum temperature of −19.6 °C (−3.3 °F) was recorded in Shawbury, Shropshire.[36] And a minimum temperature of −17.6 °C (0.3 °F) was recorded at Castlederg, a new record for Northern Ireland and −19.6 °C (−3.3 °F) was recorded at Chesham, Buckinghamshire.[35] Heavy snow fall was also reported over large parts of Devon causing major travel disruption.[37] Dublin Airport and City of Derry Airport were forced to fully close, 15 cm (6 inches) of snow was recorded at Dublin Airport.[38] Only three days after breaking the record minimum for Northern Ireland, Castlederg broke the record again with a low of −18.7 °C (−1.7 °F).[39]

On 24 December, it was decided to cancel the 27th IRFU's Celtic League meeting with Leinster as Ulster's Ravenhill pitch froze under heavy snow.[citation needed] Both northern and southern Ireland were under heavy snow.[40]

25 December 2010 was also the coldest Christmas Day since 1830, with a CET of −5.9 °C (21.4 °F).[41] The Republic of Ireland's lowest-ever December temperature on record was also recorded on Christmas Day, at −17.5 °C (0.5 °F) at Straide, County Mayo.[citation needed]

At the end of December, thousands of homes and businesses in Northern Ireland and Wales were without water as melting snow and ice revealed many burst pipes. Northern Ireland Water said it was alternating supplies from reservoirs in order to help alleviate the crisis in which some properties had been without supplies since before Christmas.[42]

January 2011 edit

January again was colder than average across the UK, though much milder than December, with a mean temperature across the UK of 3.1 °C (37.6 °F).[43] In contrast to December, it was dry across most of the country (except South East England which was wetter than average[44]). It had more frost than average across most of the UK.[45] However, freezing rain caused disruption in Shropshire, and Greater Manchester experienced heavy overnight snow which affected travel on the morning of the 4th.[46] and snow fell in the West Midlands and parts of Wales, Cheshire and Lancashire on 7 January.[47]

Welsh flood warnings stay in place in four areas, with roads closed after heavy bursts of rain affecting Conwy and Gwynedd. By 15.55 GMT, there were four flood warnings and six flood alerts 16 January 2011.[48]

February 2011 edit

February was a mild month (the 9th mildest in the last century[49]) with very little frost and much of the country having its first snow-free February since 1998. The only significant wintry weather came on the 18th-21st when some overnight dustings of snow fell as far south as the Midlands.

March 2011 edit

Heavy snow once again started to cover parts of Scotland, affecting travel from 9 March,[50] with fresh snowfalls bringing more travel disruption on 12 March.[51] Persistent snow affected much of the Highlands of Scotland during the 12th-13th of the month, with reports of 40 cm (16 in) of lying snow near Fort William and 60 cm (24 in) of lying snow to the north of Aviemore, with severe drifting.[52]

Weather statistics and records edit

In Ireland it was the coldest month since records began and in the UK it was the coldest December since Met Office records began in 1910, with a mean temperature of −1 °C (30 °F). It broke the previous record of 0.1 °C (32.2 °F) in December 1981.

December 2010 has the lowest CET, −0.7 °C (30.7 °F),[53] since a CET of −1.1 °C (30.0 °F) was recorded for February 1986. December 2010 can also be confirmed to be the coldest December for 120 years, since a monthly CET of −0.8 °C (30.6 °F) was recorded for December 1890 and the second-coldest December since records began in 1659. Probably the most notable record of the winter is the new all-time record low for Northern Ireland, of −18.7 °C (−1.7 °F) recorded on 23 December at Castlederg, County Tyrone. In addition, all of these sites recorded their all-time record lows since recording began, this winter:[54]

  • Andrewsfield at −13.8 °C (7.2 °F) on 20 December
  • Aultbea at −8.5 °C (16.7 °F) on 18 December
  • Ballykelly at −13.3 °C (8.1 °F) on 23 December
  • Belfast Aldergrove Airport at −14.9 °C (5.2 °F) on 21 December
  • Capel Curig at −17.5 °C (0.5 °F) on 20 December
  • Carlisle lowest maximum of −7.9 °C (17.8 °F) on 8 December[55]
  • Church Fenton at −17.5 °C (0.5 °F) on 3 December
  • Cranfield at −12 °C (10 °F) on 20 December
  • Crosby at −17.6 °C (0.3 °F) on 21 December
  • Dishforth at −15 °C (5 °F) on 6 December
  • Dunkeswell Aerodrome at −9.2 °C (15.4 °F) on 19 December
  • Exeter Airport at −16.5 °C (2.3 °F) on 26 December
  • Farnborough at −14.2 °C (6.4 °F) on 20 December
  • Gravesend-Broadness at −10.5 °C (13.1 °F) on 20 December
  • Hawarden at −12.6 °C (9.3 °F) on 20 December
  • Hereford Credenhill at −15.8 °C (3.6 °F) on 26 December
  • Holbeach at −9.8 °C (14.4 °F) on 7 December
  • Humberside at −14 °C (7 °F) on 7 December
  • RAF Leeming at −17.9 °C (−0.2 °F) on 3 December
  • Linton-on-Ouse at −17.3 °C (0.9 °F) on 3 December
  • Redesdale Camp at −19.2 °C (−2.6 °F) on 3 December
  • RAF Scampton at −13.6 °C (7.5 °F) on 3 December
  • Strathallan at −19.0 °C (−2.2 °F) on 3 December
  • RAF Topcliffe at −19.0 °C (−2.2 °F) on 3 December
  • Warcop at −11.7 °C (10.9 °F) on 21 December

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Data" (PDF). www.metoffice.gov.uk. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  2. ^ "MWR_1890 | Met Office UA".
  3. ^ A.Maidens, A. Arribas, A.A. Scaife, C. MacLachlan, D. Peterson, and J. Knight (2013). "The Influence of Surface Forcings on Prediction of the North Atlantic Oscillation Regime of Winter 2010/11". Monthly Weather Review. American Meteorological Society. 141 (11): 3801–3813. Bibcode:2013MWRv..141.3801M. doi:10.1175/MWR-D-13-00033.1.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ Bingham, John (30 November 2010). . The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 3 December 2010.
  5. ^ Helen Carter (3 December 2010). "Two Cumbria pensioners found dead in their frozen gardens | UK news". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  6. ^ "Families pay tribute to women killed in A595 crash". Cumbria.police.uk. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
  7. ^ "Man's body found in snow at Cleethorpes caravan park". BBC News. 6 December 2010. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  8. ^ "UK Drivers Continue To Face The Freeze - UK Broadcast Film and Television News". 4rftv.co.uk. 6 December 2010. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
  9. ^ a b c d Corbishley, Christopher (18 December 2010). "Coldest December on record puts brakes on start of the big getaway". The Independent. London.
  10. ^ a b "Dad dies in frozen lake plunge while walking dog". Mirror.co.uk. 20 December 2010.
  11. ^ "Gardaí investigate Cork sledding accident". RTÉ.ie. 19 December 2010.
  12. ^ "Investigation into fatal Louth car crash". RTÉ.ie. 19 December 2010.
  13. ^ "Man found at Bangor park died from hypothermia". BBC News. 23 December 2010.
  14. ^ a b Wallop, Harry (22 December 2010). . London: Telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 24 December 2010.
  15. ^ a b Brown, Jonathan (20 December 2010). "Economy feels chill as UK grinds to a halt". London: Independent.co.uk.
  16. ^ Brumby, Mark (6 January 2011). "UK Leisure: 2011 Report" (PDF). London: langtoncapital.co.uk.
  17. ^ Brown, Angie (1 December 2010). "Forth Road Bridge reopens after 'unprecedented' snow". BBC News Edinburgh, East & Fife. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
  18. ^ "Drivers stranded on A57 after heavy snowfall". BBC News South Yorkshire. 1 December 2010. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
  19. ^ "M8 motorway in Scotland reopens after big freeze". BBC News Scotland. 8 December 2010. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
  20. ^ "Holiday plane overshoots landing at Newcastle Airport". BBC News. 26 November 2010. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  21. ^ "Snow shuts nearly 7,000 schools across the UK". BBC News. 2 December 2010. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  22. ^ "The big chill: Your stories of UK snow". BBC News. 28 November 2010. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  23. ^ "UK On Snow Alert: Severe Weather Warnings In Place For Most Of UK With Heavy Snow Forecast | UK News | Sky News". News.sky.com. Retrieved 29 November 2010.
  24. ^ a b "Snow hits West Midlands « Express & Star". Expressandstar.com. 27 November 2010. Retrieved 29 November 2010.
  25. ^ a b c Cormac Murphy (27 November 2010). "and it's Novembrrr as snow blankets the city". Herald.ie. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  26. ^ "Snow and ice predicted for Scotland and Northern England". BBC News. 27 November 2010.
  27. ^ a b Harrison, David (27 November 2010). . The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 28 November 2010.
  28. ^ "UK CLIMATE". Hadobs.metoffice.com. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  29. ^ "Records tumble as winter tightens its grip". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  30. ^ "In pictures: Snow in December 2010". BBC News. 1 December 2010.
  31. ^ "Winter temperature records tumble across Yorkshire". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  32. ^ "Transport minister resigns over Scotland's snow chaos". London: Guardian.co.uk. 11 December 2010. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  33. ^ "PWS - Station Observations for IV274DH". Pwsweather.com. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  34. ^ "Gatwick Airport reopens but flights still cancelled". BBC News. 18 December 2010.
  35. ^ a b "Snow causes travel chaos, as temperatures fall to minus 20c". Channel4.com. 20 December 2010. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  36. ^ Ingham, John. "Now grit is running out | UK | News". Daily Express. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  37. ^ "Heavy snow causes major disruption across Devon". bb.co.uk. 20 December 2010. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
  38. ^ "Dublin Airport closed until Wednesday morning". RTÉ News. 21 December 2010.
  39. ^ "Record low temperature of -18.7 for NI". BBC.co.uk. 27 December 2010.
  40. ^ "Humphreys to miss Leinster contest". The Irish Times.
  41. ^ "Daily HadCET, 1772 to date". www.metoffice.gov.uk. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  42. ^ "Water chaos affects thousands in Northern Ireland". BBC News. BBC. 28 December 2010. Retrieved 28 December 2010.
  43. ^ "Regional values - January 2011". Met Office. 13 June 2011. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  44. ^ "UK climate: January 2011". Met Office. 19 November 2008. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  45. ^ "UK climate - Anomalies". Met Office. 31 August 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  46. ^ "Icy New Year begins with spate of car crashes « Shropshire Star". Shropshirestar.com. 4 January 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  47. ^ "The Midlands - Cold Spell Discussion Part 20 - Page 16 - Weather Discussion and Chat - Netweather Community Forums". Forum.netweather.tv. 7 January 2011. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  48. ^ "BBC News - Flooding closes roads in Conwy and Powys". Bbc.co.uk. 16 January 2011. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  49. ^ "UK climate: February 2011". Met Office. 19 November 2008. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  50. ^ "Spring snow fall covers Highlands and Islands". BBC News. BBC Online. 9 March 2011. Heavy snow has hit many parts of the Highlands and has led to disruption at Inverness Airport. ... In the Borders, the A68 and A7 had been affected by snow along with higher routes in Berwickshire.
  51. ^ "Scotland hit by fresh snowfalls". BBC News. BBC Online. 12 March 2011. Heavy snow has covered much of Scotland as Arctic conditions returned to the country. ... Freezing conditions caused disruption to roads, with routes in Stirling, Perth and the Highlands affected.
  52. ^ "404 - File or directory not found". www.ukweatherworld.co.uk. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  53. ^ "Met Office Hadley Centre observations datasets". Hadobs.metoffice.com. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  54. ^ "Climate United Kingdom - Historical weather records". Tutiempo.net. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  55. ^ "Day temperatures in Carlisle hit record low". BBC News. 9 December 2010.

winter, 2010, great, britain, ireland, winter, 2010, weather, event, that, brought, heavy, snowfalls, record, temperatures, travel, chaos, school, disruption, islands, great, britain, ireland, included, united, kingdom, coldest, december, since, office, record. The winter of 2010 11 was a weather event that brought heavy snowfalls record low temperatures travel chaos and school disruption to the islands of Great Britain and Ireland It included the United Kingdom s coldest December since Met Office records began with a mean temperature of 1 C 30 F breaking the previous record of 0 1 C 32 2 F in December 1981 It was also the second coldest December in the narrower Central England Temperature CET record series which began in 1659 falling 0 1 C short of the all time record set in 1890 1 Although there are no xx December 2010 is thought to be colder than December 1890 over the United Kingdom as a whole as Scotland was up to 2 C warmer than England clarification needed Hence it is thought to be the coldest December across Great Britain since before 1659 2 Winter of 2010 11Snow falling in Sheffield South Yorkshire 1 December 2010Seasonal boundariesFirst event started24 November 2010Last event concluded13 March 2011Seasonal statisticsMaximum snowfall accumulation1 5 m 5 ft at Sheffield United KingdomTotal fatalities20 totalTotal damageUnknownRelated articles2010 11 North American winterThe winter of 2010 in England saw the earliest widespread winter snowfall since 1993 with snow falling as early as 24 November across Northumberland and North Yorkshire A maximum snow depth of 76 cm 30 in was recorded on 1 December in the Peak District Sheffield Doncaster the Cotswold Hills and the Forest of Dean citation needed In this event Scotland and Northern England were most severely affected On 9 December temperatures recovered across much of the UK causing a partial thaw Later on Thursday 16 December a cold front reintroduced a cold arctic airstream This cold spell brought further snow and ice chaos back to Ireland and Britain with Southern England Wales the Republic of Ireland excluding the westerly coastal regions and Northern Ireland bearing the brunt of the wintry conditions This led to severe disruption to the road and rail network with several airports being closed including London Heathrow Airport for a time Several local temperature records were broken including a new record low for Northern Ireland of 18 7 C 1 7 F recorded at Castlederg on 23 December 2010 By the new year a thaw had begun and there was no recurrence of the extreme conditions for the remainder of the winter There was some snowfall in early January and there was an anticyclonic spell at the end of the month that brought some cold frosty days February was above average in temperature and ended on a mild note although the snow returned in much of Scotland during March Contents 1 Background 2 Reported effects 2 1 Deaths 2 2 Economy 2 3 Transport 2 3 1 Road 2 3 2 Rail 2 3 3 Air 2 4 Other effects 3 Timeline 3 1 November 2010 3 2 December 2010 3 3 January 2011 3 4 February 2011 3 5 March 2011 4 Weather statistics and records 5 See also 6 ReferencesBackground editDuring the latter part of November northern blocking established over Greenland which resulted in the jet stream moving south allowing cold air to flow in from the east Forecasters warned of the potential for severe winter weather from weeks in advance 3 and the Government stated that they were prepared for winter weather after the previous British winter of 2009 2010 caused widespread disruption The cold weather arrived in Britain and Ireland on 22 November and by 24 November snow showers brought by a stiff northerly wind fell over the North East of England and Northern and Eastern Scotland which resulted in 10 20 cm 4 8 in locally and gridlock in many of the major roads within Aberdeen during the evening rush hour of 24 November In the following days the snow fell far more widely leading to widespread travel disruption school closures and cancellation of sporting fixtures The Met Office confirmed that it was the most widespread snowfall in the United Kingdom for 17 years citation needed By 2 December most of the United Kingdom and much of Ireland was covered with snow accumulations in the north and east of Scotland and England were over 50 cm 20 in in places with over 1 m 39 in of snow lying on much of the Scottish mountains Snow depths elsewhere were between 5 30 cm 2 12 in widely Temperatures fell widely below 10 C 14 F with some areas staying sub zero by day On 2 December there was particularly low temperatures in major towns and cities particularly in Scotland where it dropped to 18 C 0 F in Aberdeen and on 3 December temperatures in England broke records However the lowest temperature of the winter of 21 2 C 6 2 F was recorded at Altnaharra Sutherland at 10 am on 2 December and Braemar and Kinbrace both dropped to 20 C 4 F on the night of 2 December 7 people have been confirmed to have died due to the cold weather Reported effects editDeaths edit nbsp Map of fatalities in Ireland and the UK caused by Windstorm Carmen Windstorm Becky and other blizzard or storm events between 8 November and 31 December Click for legend On 30 November in Newport South Wales a man was found dead in the street it was assumed that he froze to death after collapsing with a heart attack 4 Two old age pensioners were found in the snow in their gardens dead from hypothermia at the beginning of December 5 On 2 December two teenage girls died in a car crash caused by ice on the A595 in Cumbria 6 On 6 December a 70 year old man was found dead in the snow in a caravan park in Cleethorpes 7 and a man died trying to clear snow outside his home in Darlington County Durham 8 There were several deaths on 18 December a 17 year old boy from Bilsington Kent was killed when his car left the road 9 two pedestrians died after being hit by a Range Rover in Glasgow 9 a woman in her 60s from the Inverness area was killed in a three vehicle pile up in Huntly Aberdeenshire 9 and a man in his early 30s suffered life threatening injuries when his Mini was in a crash with a highways vehicle near Eastbourne East Sussex and died after an ambulance being driven by a police officer left a country road in poor weather conditions and careered into a bush on Standard Hill in Ninfield 9 On 19 December there were several more deaths A 33 year old man died after falling through the ice on Doggetts Lake in Rochford Essex 10 a road crash killed 16 year old James Doran and Jordan Kenny when the car they were travelling in lost control on an icy road in Liverpool and ploughed into a garden wall 10 a 15 year old girl died in a sledding accident in Douglas County Cork Ireland 11 and a 35 year old woman and her 9 year old son were killed in a car crash caused by ice and snow near Castlebellingham in County Louth Ireland 12 On 22 December a 48 year old man died from hypothermia after sleeping overnight in the Bible Gardens behind the cathedral in Bangor North Wales 13 Economy edit The severe cold spell came in the run up to Christmas and was estimated to cost the British economy up to 1 2 billion a day 14 with a total cost of 13 billion 15 Retailers were particularly badly hit by lost sales with footfall down nearly 20 compared to the same period the previous year and as much as 30 in the West Midlands and South East 15 Some experts suggested that it may have a knock on effect in delaying or reversing economic growth 14 Christmas is usually the most profitable period for the pub and restaurant industry however due to disruptions to delivery routes numerous stock outs and disappointing trading updates were reported 16 Transport edit Road edit On 1 December the M1 motorway was temporarily closed citation needed and the Forth Road Bridge was closed for over ten hours due to heavy snowfall This was the first time the bridge had been closed because of snow 17 The same day the A57 was closed in the evening between Anston and Worksop and over 100 motorists were stranded overnight 18 Thousands of motorists across Sheffield became stranded on 1 7 December as up to as much as 61 cm 2 ft of snow fell on the city with severe disruption across the county of South Yorkshire including the suspension of all bus services for 24 hours citation needed On 6 December vehicles were trapped on the M8 for over 10 hours and more than 1 000 vehicles became stuck on the M876 19 Rail edit Eurostar rail services to the continent were cancelled on 20 December causing severe delays with queues at St Pancras station stretching more than 800 metres 1 2 mi as far back as the British Library At the same time services were cancelled on the East Coast Main Line between London and Peterborough due to damage to overhead power cables caused by accretion of ice citation needed Air edit At Newcastle Airport a plane overshot its target stop position on the runway but remaining on the hard surface This caused the airport to be temporarily closed No passengers were injured 20 Gatwick Airport and Edinburgh Airport were closed all day on 1 December due to heavy snow Other effects edit 7 000 schools in the UK were closed on 2 December 21 Timeline editNovember 2010 edit In late November a snow storm had moved from southern Sweden reaching Northumberland and the Scottish Borders Region during 23 November 22 The Met Office issued a number of weather warnings and snow began to fall in the early evening of 24 November with 2 inches 5 cm recorded in Newcastle upon Tyne citation needed nbsp Snow in Northumberland on 25 NovemberBy 26 November nighttime temperatures fell well below 0 C 32 F with the Welsh towns of Sennybridge and Trawscoed being among the coldest places at 10 2 C 13 6 F citation needed The cold snap heralded the earliest winter snow fall for 17 years 23 The AA dealt with an estimated 15 500 calls regarding breakdowns on the same day 24 The night of the 26 27 November saw a thunder storm damage electrical systems and flood roads causing disruption transport services on 27 November including to trains in Dublin 25 Elsewhere in Ireland the Irish Insurance Federation revealed there were 22 450 claims from the public the majority of which involved snow or ice damage to people s homes 25 The DART and the northern commuter and Maynooth commuter lines were not running and Belfast and Rosslare train services out of Dublin were also affected The main runway at Dublin Airport due to snow and ice for most of the day 25 Later in November the Met Office s warnings remained in place across much of the UK with Scotland and North East England predicted to have the heaviest snowfalls with new warnings in place for icy roads in Northern Ireland and Wales 26 Snow was causing problems on some roads with gritters deployed as temperatures dipped to 3 C 27 F 24 The AA reportedly faced a 40 increase in call outs compared to an average November 27 Motorists in Wales and Northern Ireland struggled with icy roads while Scotland was facing more heavy snow and drifts thanks to a biting wind 27 The CET Central England Temperature was 4 0 C 24 8 F on 28 November the lowest November CET mean since 4 6 C 23 7 F was recorded on 24 November 1904 28 The lowest temperature of the month was also recorded on this day with 17 5 C 0 5 F recorded at Llysdinam Wales citation needed The Met Office at RAF Linton on Ouse in North Yorkshire recorded a record low for November of 11 2 C 11 8 F earlier that month on the 4th it had recorded a record maximum for November of 17 6 C 63 7 F 29 December 2010 edit According to the Manley Central England Temperature record beginning in 1659 the second coldest December ever recorded in central England Also the coldest December in the UK since UK records began in 1890 citation needed and the coldest December in Ireland since official records began citation needed nbsp Photograph of snow in Ireland taken by the NASA Aqua satellite on 2 December 2010In early December a minimum of 21 1 C 6 0 F was recorded at Altnaharra Scottish Highlands citation needed A band of snow moving north affected Lincolnshire Nottinghamshire South and West Yorkshire giving significant accumulations here with further frequent heavy snow showers to North East England and Eastern Scotland Up to 40 cm 16 in of snow was recorded in Rotherham and Sheffield 20 cm 8 in of fresh snow in Mansfield 30 bringing total depths to over 30 cm 20 to 30 cm 8 to 12 in in Leeds 30 cm 12 in in Pontefract and up to 40 cm 16 in in parts of Lincolnshire citation needed nbsp Very heavy snow that had fallen in Sheffield on 1 December 2010On 3 December an all time record low of 17 9 C 0 2 F recorded at RAF Leeming since records began at Leeming in 1945 and 19 0 C 2 2 F at RAF Topcliffe in North Yorkshire 31 By 6 December snowfall in the Central Belt in Scotland led to the closure of the M8 motorway for two days with hundreds of motorists stranded overnight The resulting political furore led to the resignation of Scottish Minister for Transport Stewart Stevenson 32 By mid December a cold front reached the Shetland Isles and moved southwards across Scotland Mild air preceded the front with cold air straight from the Arctic following it resulting in some rapid temperature drops throughout Scotland and its Isles An unofficial temperature of 11 6 C 52 9 F the highest of the month so far was recorded near Lairg Scottish Highlands at around 7pm in the milder air 33 The cold front continued to move southwards across the UK passing Northern Ireland and Northern England nbsp A blizzard on 18 December 2010 at Leamington Spa Warwickshire nbsp The ungritted roads in the town centre in Banbury Oxfordshire on 18 December 2010 Later in December the M5 became gridlocked and shops in the Birmingham area closed early on the last Saturday before Christmas citation needed A number of passengers travelling by coach had to spend the night at Birmingham Coach Station due to not only coaches for onwards destinations being unable to depart and arrive Birmingham but also widespread disruption to train services making onwards alternatives impossible citation needed Airports including Heathrow Airport closed some its runways for a time with Gatwick also cancelling a number of flights 34 35 nbsp The Oxford Canal in Banbury frozen solid on 19 December 2010 A minimum temperature of 19 6 C 3 3 F was recorded in Shawbury Shropshire 36 And a minimum temperature of 17 6 C 0 3 F was recorded at Castlederg a new record for Northern Ireland and 19 6 C 3 3 F was recorded at Chesham Buckinghamshire 35 Heavy snow fall was also reported over large parts of Devon causing major travel disruption 37 Dublin Airport and City of Derry Airport were forced to fully close 15 cm 6 inches of snow was recorded at Dublin Airport 38 Only three days after breaking the record minimum for Northern Ireland Castlederg broke the record again with a low of 18 7 C 1 7 F 39 On 24 December it was decided to cancel the 27th IRFU s Celtic League meeting with Leinster as Ulster s Ravenhill pitch froze under heavy snow citation needed Both northern and southern Ireland were under heavy snow 40 25 December 2010 was also the coldest Christmas Day since 1830 with a CET of 5 9 C 21 4 F 41 The Republic of Ireland s lowest ever December temperature on record was also recorded on Christmas Day at 17 5 C 0 5 F at Straide County Mayo citation needed At the end of December thousands of homes and businesses in Northern Ireland and Wales were without water as melting snow and ice revealed many burst pipes Northern Ireland Water said it was alternating supplies from reservoirs in order to help alleviate the crisis in which some properties had been without supplies since before Christmas 42 January 2011 edit January again was colder than average across the UK though much milder than December with a mean temperature across the UK of 3 1 C 37 6 F 43 In contrast to December it was dry across most of the country except South East England which was wetter than average 44 It had more frost than average across most of the UK 45 However freezing rain caused disruption in Shropshire and Greater Manchester experienced heavy overnight snow which affected travel on the morning of the 4th 46 and snow fell in the West Midlands and parts of Wales Cheshire and Lancashire on 7 January 47 Welsh flood warnings stay in place in four areas with roads closed after heavy bursts of rain affecting Conwy and Gwynedd By 15 55 GMT there were four flood warnings and six flood alerts 16 January 2011 48 February 2011 edit February was a mild month the 9th mildest in the last century 49 with very little frost and much of the country having its first snow free February since 1998 The only significant wintry weather came on the 18th 21st when some overnight dustings of snow fell as far south as the Midlands March 2011 edit Heavy snow once again started to cover parts of Scotland affecting travel from 9 March 50 with fresh snowfalls bringing more travel disruption on 12 March 51 Persistent snow affected much of the Highlands of Scotland during the 12th 13th of the month with reports of 40 cm 16 in of lying snow near Fort William and 60 cm 24 in of lying snow to the north of Aviemore with severe drifting 52 Weather statistics and records editIn Ireland it was the coldest month since records began and in the UK it was the coldest December since Met Office records began in 1910 with a mean temperature of 1 C 30 F It broke the previous record of 0 1 C 32 2 F in December 1981 December 2010 has the lowest CET 0 7 C 30 7 F 53 since a CET of 1 1 C 30 0 F was recorded for February 1986 December 2010 can also be confirmed to be the coldest December for 120 years since a monthly CET of 0 8 C 30 6 F was recorded for December 1890 and the second coldest December since records began in 1659 Probably the most notable record of the winter is the new all time record low for Northern Ireland of 18 7 C 1 7 F recorded on 23 December at Castlederg County Tyrone In addition all of these sites recorded their all time record lows since recording began this winter 54 Andrewsfield at 13 8 C 7 2 F on 20 December Aultbea at 8 5 C 16 7 F on 18 December Ballykelly at 13 3 C 8 1 F on 23 December Belfast Aldergrove Airport at 14 9 C 5 2 F on 21 December Capel Curig at 17 5 C 0 5 F on 20 December Carlisle lowest maximum of 7 9 C 17 8 F on 8 December 55 Church Fenton at 17 5 C 0 5 F on 3 December Cranfield at 12 C 10 F on 20 December Crosby at 17 6 C 0 3 F on 21 December Dishforth at 15 C 5 F on 6 December Dunkeswell Aerodrome at 9 2 C 15 4 F on 19 December Exeter Airport at 16 5 C 2 3 F on 26 December Farnborough at 14 2 C 6 4 F on 20 December Gravesend Broadness at 10 5 C 13 1 F on 20 December Hawarden at 12 6 C 9 3 F on 20 December Hereford Credenhill at 15 8 C 3 6 F on 26 December Holbeach at 9 8 C 14 4 F on 7 December Humberside at 14 C 7 F on 7 December RAF Leeming at 17 9 C 0 2 F on 3 December Linton on Ouse at 17 3 C 0 9 F on 3 December Redesdale Camp at 19 2 C 2 6 F on 3 December RAF Scampton at 13 6 C 7 5 F on 3 December Strathallan at 19 0 C 2 2 F on 3 December RAF Topcliffe at 19 0 C 2 2 F on 3 December Warcop at 11 7 C 10 9 F on 21 DecemberSee also editJanuary 2013 Great Britain and Ireland snowfall Cyclone Carmen Winter of 2010 2011 in Europe 2010 Albania floods 2010 West African floods 2010 Central European floods 2010 Var floods 2010 Northern Hemisphere summer heat wave Arctic dipole anomaly Arctic oscillation Cyclogenesis Flood control in the Netherlands Gulf Stream Muddy flood Winter storm Xynthia storm References edit Data PDF www metoffice gov uk Retrieved 3 November 2021 MWR 1890 Met Office UA A Maidens A Arribas A A Scaife C MacLachlan D Peterson and J Knight 2013 The Influence of Surface Forcings on Prediction of the North Atlantic Oscillation Regime of Winter 2010 11 Monthly Weather Review American Meteorological Society 141 11 3801 3813 Bibcode 2013MWRv 141 3801M doi 10 1175 MWR D 13 00033 1 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link Bingham John 30 November 2010 No let up for blizzard Britain as snow heads south The Daily Telegraph London Archived from the original on 3 December 2010 Helen Carter 3 December 2010 Two Cumbria pensioners found dead in their frozen gardens UK news The Guardian Retrieved 17 February 2016 Families pay tribute to women killed in A595 crash Cumbria police uk Retrieved 10 January 2011 Man s body found in snow at Cleethorpes caravan park BBC News 6 December 2010 Retrieved 17 February 2016 UK Drivers Continue To Face The Freeze UK Broadcast Film and Television News 4rftv co uk 6 December 2010 Retrieved 10 January 2011 a b c d Corbishley Christopher 18 December 2010 Coldest December on record puts brakes on start of the big getaway The Independent London a b Dad dies in frozen lake plunge while walking dog Mirror co uk 20 December 2010 Gardai investigate Cork sledding accident RTE ie 19 December 2010 Investigation into fatal Louth car crash RTE ie 19 December 2010 Man found at Bangor park died from hypothermia BBC News 23 December 2010 a b Wallop Harry 22 December 2010 UK snow bad weather costing economy 1bn a day London Telegraph co uk Archived from the original on 24 December 2010 a b Brown Jonathan 20 December 2010 Economy feels chill as UK grinds to a halt London Independent co uk Brumby Mark 6 January 2011 UK Leisure 2011 Report PDF London langtoncapital co uk Brown Angie 1 December 2010 Forth Road Bridge reopens after unprecedented snow BBC News Edinburgh East amp Fife Retrieved 10 January 2011 Drivers stranded on A57 after heavy snowfall BBC News South Yorkshire 1 December 2010 Retrieved 10 January 2011 M8 motorway in Scotland reopens after big freeze BBC News Scotland 8 December 2010 Retrieved 10 January 2011 Holiday plane overshoots landing at Newcastle Airport BBC News 26 November 2010 Retrieved 17 February 2016 Snow shuts nearly 7 000 schools across the UK BBC News 2 December 2010 Retrieved 17 February 2016 The big chill Your stories of UK snow BBC News 28 November 2010 Retrieved 28 November 2010 UK On Snow Alert Severe Weather Warnings In Place For Most Of UK With Heavy Snow Forecast UK News Sky News News sky com Retrieved 29 November 2010 a b Snow hits West Midlands Express amp Star Expressandstar com 27 November 2010 Retrieved 29 November 2010 a b c Cormac Murphy 27 November 2010 and it s Novembrrr as snow blankets the city Herald ie Retrieved 22 April 2013 Snow and ice predicted for Scotland and Northern England BBC News 27 November 2010 a b Harrison David 27 November 2010 Big freeze causes chaos on the roads The Daily Telegraph London Archived from the original on 28 November 2010 UK CLIMATE Hadobs metoffice com Retrieved 17 February 2016 Records tumble as winter tightens its grip BBC co uk Retrieved 20 December 2010 In pictures Snow in December 2010 BBC News 1 December 2010 Winter temperature records tumble across Yorkshire BBC co uk Retrieved 20 December 2010 Transport minister resigns over Scotland s snow chaos London Guardian co uk 11 December 2010 Retrieved 20 December 2010 PWS Station Observations for IV274DH Pwsweather com Retrieved 22 April 2013 Gatwick Airport reopens but flights still cancelled BBC News 18 December 2010 a b Snow causes travel chaos as temperatures fall to minus 20c Channel4 com 20 December 2010 Retrieved 20 December 2010 Ingham John Now grit is running out UK News Daily Express Retrieved 22 April 2013 Heavy snow causes major disruption across Devon bb co uk 20 December 2010 Retrieved 5 January 2011 Dublin Airport closed until Wednesday morning RTE News 21 December 2010 Record low temperature of 18 7 for NI BBC co uk 27 December 2010 Humphreys to miss Leinster contest The Irish Times Daily HadCET 1772 to date www metoffice gov uk Retrieved 5 March 2022 Water chaos affects thousands in Northern Ireland BBC News BBC 28 December 2010 Retrieved 28 December 2010 Regional values January 2011 Met Office 13 June 2011 Retrieved 22 April 2013 UK climate January 2011 Met Office 19 November 2008 Retrieved 22 April 2013 UK climate Anomalies Met Office 31 August 2011 Retrieved 17 February 2016 Icy New Year begins with spate of car crashes Shropshire Star Shropshirestar com 4 January 2011 Retrieved 17 February 2016 The Midlands Cold Spell Discussion Part 20 Page 16 Weather Discussion and Chat Netweather Community Forums Forum netweather tv 7 January 2011 Retrieved 22 April 2013 BBC News Flooding closes roads in Conwy and Powys Bbc co uk 16 January 2011 Retrieved 11 February 2014 UK climate February 2011 Met Office 19 November 2008 Retrieved 22 April 2013 Spring snow fall covers Highlands and Islands BBC News BBC Online 9 March 2011 Heavy snow has hit many parts of the Highlands and has led to disruption at Inverness Airport In the Borders the A68 and A7 had been affected by snow along with higher routes in Berwickshire Scotland hit by fresh snowfalls BBC News BBC Online 12 March 2011 Heavy snow has covered much of Scotland as Arctic conditions returned to the country Freezing conditions caused disruption to roads with routes in Stirling Perth and the Highlands affected 404 File or directory not found www ukweatherworld co uk a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a Cite uses generic title help Met Office Hadley Centre observations datasets Hadobs metoffice com Retrieved 22 April 2013 Climate United Kingdom Historical weather records Tutiempo net Retrieved 22 April 2013 Day temperatures in Carlisle hit record low BBC News 9 December 2010 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Winter of 2010 11 in Great Britain and Ireland amp oldid 1177255106, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.