July 2008- has it ever snowed in the south of the UK in July?
http://www.ukweathershop.co.uk/articlelive/articles/84/1/July-2008--has-it-ever-snowed-in-the-south-of-the-UK-in-July/Page1.html
Dave Wiseman
By Dave Wiseman
Published on 25th Jun 2008
There are a lot of apocryphal stories about it having snowed in July, that do the weather rounds. However on inspection of such events it usually turns out that what was actually witnessed was soft hail. This occurs in thunderstorms quite often and mixed with rain can appear very like sleet at times. When large falls of hail occur they can cover the ground and again give the appearance of a snowfall. The give-away is often that the drifts on inspection consist of bolides (balls) and not the fine crystals that we associate with snow. An example of such an event, in July 2007, where the observer mixes up a snowfall with hail can be seen on Youtube just here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihiqA5KBvXA
This video, taken at around the same time in south London on July 3rd 2007 clearly shows the hail stones bouncing as they fall: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkQnDLS9llA&feature=related
In 1947 it was so snowy during the winter that reputedly remnants of snowdrifts lasted in the Cotswolds well into July. However there is no photographic evidence of this and it does seem rather doubtful.
However, we have to go back 120 years to find any record of snow in the south in July that seems reasonable likely to be accurate. The period from around July 9th-12th 1888, was certainly very chilly and a number of observers reported seeing snow fall in the London suburbs during the night of the 11th. A rather deep low pressure area over Scotland moved SSE into the North Sea and brought in its wake a cold northerly gale to many exposed spots as it dragged cold arctic maritime air very far south.
On the 9th July there were reports of snow on hills above 1000m across Drumnadrochit and Loch Ness in Scotland. On the 10th there was a slight fall of snow at Mansfield and snow was reported during the night at Abergwesyn, Powys. In N Ireland there was 5cm of snow reported at the top of Mount Trostan in Co Antrim and snow also fell during the night on the mountains of Cumberland and Westmoreland- Skiddaw in the Lake Distict was seen to be white on the 11th.
On the 11th July itself there was a report of snow as far south as Canterbury and Cudham (both Kent); likewise it was reported at Horsham in W Sussex and even on the coast at Portsmouth (Hants) with further falls in the north. Observers up at 3am in the north London suburbs also reported a snow fall, although it is not mentioned if it lay at all. During the day the temperature only reached 9C at Dungeness, exceptionally chilly for mid July and 12C in central London.
With such widespread and well documented reports, there must be a reasonable chance that this was indeed a rare July snowfall in the southern parts of England.
Snow in London in July? Surely not!?
Has it snowed in July in southern England?
There are a lot of apocryphal stories about it having snowed in July, that do the weather rounds. However on inspection of such events it usually turns out that what was actually witnessed was soft hail. This occurs in thunderstorms quite often and mixed with rain can appear very like sleet at times. When large falls of hail occur they can cover the ground and again give the appearance of a snowfall. The give-away is often that the drifts on inspection consist of bolides (balls) and not the fine crystals that we associate with snow. An example of such an event, in July 2007, where the observer mixes up a snowfall with hail can be seen on Youtube just here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihiqA5KBvXA
This video, taken at around the same time in south London on July 3rd 2007 clearly shows the hail stones bouncing as they fall: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkQnDLS9llA&feature=related
In 1947 it was so snowy during the winter that reputedly remnants of snowdrifts lasted in the Cotswolds well into July. However there is no photographic evidence of this and it does seem rather doubtful.
However, we have to go back 120 years to find any record of snow in the south in July that seems reasonable likely to be accurate. The period from around July 9th-12th 1888, was certainly very chilly and a number of observers reported seeing snow fall in the London suburbs during the night of the 11th. A rather deep low pressure area over Scotland moved SSE into the North Sea and brought in its wake a cold northerly gale to many exposed spots as it dragged cold arctic maritime air very far south.
On the 9th July there were reports of snow on hills above 1000m across Drumnadrochit and Loch Ness in Scotland. On the 10th there was a slight fall of snow at Mansfield and snow was reported during the night at Abergwesyn, Powys. In N Ireland there was 5cm of snow reported at the top of Mount Trostan in Co Antrim and snow also fell during the night on the mountains of Cumberland and Westmoreland- Skiddaw in the Lake Distict was seen to be white on the 11th.
On the 11th July itself there was a report of snow as far south as Canterbury and Cudham (both Kent); likewise it was reported at Horsham in W Sussex and even on the coast at Portsmouth (Hants) with further falls in the north. Observers up at 3am in the north London suburbs also reported a snow fall, although it is not mentioned if it lay at all. During the day the temperature only reached 9C at Dungeness, exceptionally chilly for mid July and 12C in central London.
With such widespread and well documented reports, there must be a reasonable chance that this was indeed a rare July snowfall in the southern parts of England.