1963’s Big Freeze was the coldest snap of weather in Britain since 1740, according to the Met Office, with temperatures dropping as low as -20oC bringing on blizzards, snow drifts and even freezing over the Thames.
How cold was the winter of 1963 UK?
-20 °C
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.
What was lowest temperature in UK in 1963?
In Braemar, Scotland, the temperature plummeted to -22.2°C on 18th January. The thaw didn’t truly begin until the beginning of March when mild, southwesterly winds led to an increase in the temperature. By 6th March, there were no frosts anywhere in the UK, and the temperature in London reached 17°C.
Was there a big freeze in 1963?
The winter of 1962–1963, known as the Big Freeze of 1963, was one of the coldest winters (defined as the months of December, January and February) on record in the United Kingdom. Temperatures plummeted and lakes and rivers began to freeze over.
How cold was the 1962/63 winter?
-30C
With temperatures plummeting to -30C at a time before most homes had the benefit of central heating, this was cold like people had never experienced before. It froze rivers, waterfalls, fountains and bottles of milk. That is, if the milkman could even reach your doorstep to deliver.
When was the worst winter in the UK?
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.
How long was the freeze of 1963?
three months
The Big Freeze, as it came to be known, began on Boxing Day 1962 with heavy snowfall and went on for nearly three months. Drifts reached up to 20 feet in places and the whole of the country was caught in its icy grip. Off the coast of Kent, the sea froze for up to a mile from shore as temperatures reached record lows.
What was the hottest day in 1963?
September 26, 1963
The highest temperature recorded during that time there was 111 degrees Fahrenheit (44 Celsius) on September 26, 1963.
San Diego – Highest Temperature for Each Year.
| Max °F | Date | Max °C |
|---|---|---|
| 97 | November 01, 1966 | 36 |
| 104 | October 22, 1965 | 40 |
| 97 | October 19, 1964 | 36 |
| 111 | September 26, 1963 | 44 |
When did the big freeze of 1963 end?
The big freeze started in December and carried on through January and February, before ending in early March. It began with a cold easterly wind reaching the UK on December 22, as an anticyclone formed over Scandinavia and cold continental winds blew in from Russia.
Why was 1963 such a cold winter?
The Big Freeze was all down to an anticyclone which hovered over Scandinavia and drew cold, continental air from central Russia all the way to Britain. A westerly wind usually brings mild, wet air in from the Atlantic but in 1963 this was blocked by an area of high pressure near Iceland.
When was the coldest day in the UK?
Cambridge Botanic Garden Weather Station taken on the day after a national record of 38.7 °C was recorded in 2019.
Lowest temperature by nation.
| Constituent country | Scotland |
|---|---|
| Temperature | −27.2 °C (−17.0 °F) |
| Date | 30 December 1995 |
| Place(s) | Altnaharra, Sutherland |
What year was the big freeze in the UK?
South Today has taken a look back in its archives at the winter of 1963 when a cold spell gripped the UK for several months. Viewers were also asked to send in their images depicting how snow and ice covered Berkshire, Dorset, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and Oxfordshire.
How long did big freeze in 1962 last?
The Big Freeze started on Boxing Day in 1962, when snow began to fall. The freezing conditions didn’t relent for 10 weeks, marking the coldest recorded winter in the country since 1739, a year when temperatures plummeted to minus 22 degrees.
What was the winter of 1962 like in England?
The winter of 1962-63 was one of the coldest Britain has known. After a week of catastrophic, lung-clogging smog in early December in which many hundreds of people lost their lives, snow began to fall on Boxing Day 1962 … and did not stop for the next ten weeks.
When did the winter of 63 start?
Occasionally mild air approached the south west, but the great winter was set until to the end of February 1963. Over much of the country snow lay from December 26th until March 2 (67 consecutive days).
What year was the coldest winter on record?
Brutal cold in Antarctica, impressive even for the coldest place on Planet Earth. The end of September came close to the world record for lowest temperature in October (-80°C). The all-time cold record is −89.2 °C (−128.6 °F) from Vostok Station on 21 July 1983.
2022 Heat Tracker.
| Average Year-To-Date | 40 |
|---|---|
| Last Year | 48 |
Will it be a cold winter 2023 UK?
“The most likely scenario as we head into 2023 is for the risk of high-pressure to decrease, and a return to more unsettled conditions with wet, windy, and mild spells possible. However, there is still a risk we could see a Sudden Stratospheric Warming.
Is this the worst summer ever 2022 UK?
A long-running drought, likely Europe’s worst in 500 years, and series of extreme heatwaves made summer 2022 the continent’s hottest on record, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service.
What is the coldest year on record in the UK?
1962/63
The coldest winter in 200 years – 1962/63
Believed to be the coldest winter since 1740, the ‘Big Freeze of 1963’ is considered the worst in modern British history.
What was the coldest summer in the UK?
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.
What is the hottest day in UK history?
A UK national record highest daily maximum temperature of 36.7°C at Raunds, Northamptonshire, stood for almost 80 years before it was broken on 3 August 1990.