1963 Winter Tales

[denlin]

47 was the year for snow 63/4 was more of a freezer, it snowed in 63 and the temperature didn't go above freezing again at night till about March 64.

Unfortunately many of us still had outside toilets back then so it must have been a bumper year for the candle makers.

I know my nans had a leak at the top of the filler pipe that ran to the tank in her outside toilet and you have to remember that the toilets back then had their tanks about 7 or 8ft off the ground.

The pressure from the leak meant that no matter how thick the ice got there was still a fine spray of water running down it so eventually the whole back wall and the toilet bowl it self was encased in a solid block of ice.

 

It was the winter of 62/63 that was bad with snow. I know because my neighbour had her youngest child in March 1963 and it snowed in Oct 62 and was there without respite until after he was born. The ambulance had a reight performance, I was almost 12 then and remenber it well see the attached images

 

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=winter+of+1962&qpvt=winter+of+1962&FORM=IGRE

Edited January 18, 2015 by denlin

[fatrajah]

It was the winter of 62/63 that was bad with snow. I know because my neighbour had her youngest child in March 1963 and it snowed in Oct 62 and was there without respite until after he was born. The ambulance had a reight performance, I was almost 12 then and remenber it well see the attached images

 

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=winter+of+1962&qpvt=winter+of+1962&FORM=IGRE

 

This definitely not how I remember that winter.

See http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/education/teens/case-studies/severe-winters

for a comparison of '47 & '63.

[denlin]

It says 62/63 was worse than 47 and as I said the snow was still here without respite in March 1963

 

---------- Post added 18-01-2015 at 15:13 ----------

 

I quote from your attachment and refers to the winter between 1962/3 not 1963/4

 

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.

Edited January 18, 2015 by denlin

[Annie Bynnol]

In North Wales, 1963 is remembered for the coldest in peoples memory.

 

The area being surrounded on two sides by the sea can deal with large quantities of snow which melts fairly quickly but not the three months of sub zero temperatures due to the east wind. Most properties had little lagging and schools were closed more than a month.

 

As water mains were small and near the surface they froze quickly and remained so for weeks in rural areas. Rivers, lakes, sea shores and large stretches of the Menai Straits and Red Wharf Bay froze.

 

Local resources and manpower were diverted to the Midlands and Merseyside as the conditions there were potentially worse.

 

When the thaw came there was a drought as the mountain lakes were shallow and still frozen while the burst main and domestic supplies leaked copious amounts.

 

The death rate amongst the ponies and sheep was catastrophic.

 

There were, allegedly many extra flights from Valley to Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides which was basking in unusually warm weather.

 

For the first time since 1939 trade flourished between North Wales and Ireland with the usually empty returning cattle trains being filled with starving livestock at the Junction, Bangor and Holyhead bound for the unfrozen fields of Ireland.

Edited January 18, 2015 by Annie Bynnol

[fatrajah]

My memories of the 1962/63 winter are as follows: October 1962 mild & rainy; no snow.

November 1962 mild & rainy; no snow. December 1962 becoming colder with severe frost & freezing fog, no snow until Boxing Day. Rest of 1962 & January & February 1963 considerable falls of snow accompanied by intense cold & strong winds. Snow begins to clear in early March. I am quite confident that my recollections are correct in principle & I would put money on it.

Edited January 18, 2015 by fatrajah

[SILLY]

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/education/teens/case-studies/severe-winters

 

I thought the snow started just before Christmas as I remember we had a white Christmas that year. Looking at this it says boxing day but wonder if that was down in London and we had it a bit sooner.

 

Sorry Fatraja just seen that it's the same link that you put on. I remember it most as being frozen for weeks rather than deep. The snow got trodden down and got very solid and icy underfoot.

Edited January 18, 2015 by SILLY

[fatrajah]

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/education/teens/case-studies/severe-winters

 

I thought the snow started just before Christmas as I remember we had a white Christmas that year. Looking at this I was right.

 

Definitely wasn't a white xmas in Sheffield. The snow started on Boxing Day;

I remember looking out of the window that evening & seeing the snow starting to fall.

[pitsmoorlad]

I remember that winter every time I look in the mirror. We lived near the top of Andover Street and there was a great ice slide down part of it. One day I was sliding down it and had turned so I was going backwards. Then I got to a junction with a side street and ran out of pavement. Splat, nose first onto the ice. The trail of blood led back to our Maisonette and was there for about 3 weeks. My nose still leans a bit to one side.

[Daven]

[hobinfoot]

I remember that winter every time I look in the mirror. We lived near the top of Andover Street and there was a great ice slide down part of it. One day I was sliding down it and had turned so I was going backwards. Then I got to a junction with a side street and ran out of pavement. Splat, nose first onto the ice. The trail of blood led back to our Maisonette and was there for about 3 weeks. My nose still leans a bit to one side.

Andover St must have been great to sledge down stopping not so great wouldn't fancy pulling it back up tho.