I'm trying to find the some historical data on the worst snow/coldest weather for the region. So far all I've managed to find is:
During the Winter of 1614 the Friars Bridge in Doncaster was destroyed by the resulting flood. The bridge was rebuilt by Doncaster Corporation later that year.
The worst winter ever recorded was during the mini-ice age in 1683. bad Frosts and snow meant the ground was frozen up to a depth of 27 inches in Manchester. Ice flow after a quick thaw destroyed both Newark and Nottingham (Hethbeth?) bridges across the Trent. The frost lasted for 13 weeks around Doncaster according to "The History and Antiquities of Doncaster and its Vicinity". The next 16 years also have six of the worst winters on record following this.
The winter of 1739/1740 was the second worst winter on record another severe frost occurred commonly known as the "Hard Frost" or "Great Frost".
In 1795 between 24th December and 9th January there was a hard frost and heavy snowfall. The snow and frost melted pretty quickly leading to flooding along the Trent Valley.
In 1838 the River Don was frozen for ten weeks, during this time ice-skating and a cricket match were played on the river in Heeley.
In 1860 the river Ouse froze over enabling horse and carts to cross. The Trent at Gainsborough froze stopping sailing from the port. The occurred again in 1879
The worst modern blizzards in this area occured during 1933 when drifts of up to 14 feet were widespread through Derbyshire.
During January 1940 there was severe snow which was only surpassed by 1963. Sheffield witnessed over 4 feet of snow. Heavy snowdrifts occurred. Due to a ban on weather reporting during the war no-one was informed the sow was coming. The Woodhead Route between Sheffield and Manchester became blocked on more than one occasion with teams of soldiers having to dig steam trains out of the snowdrifts.
1947 is probably the longest winter in our lifetime. Snow fell everyday in the UK between 22nd January and 17th March. There was still snow on the hills in the Peak District until summer. Nottingham experienced 320 hours of frost, 602 hours of temperatures below 0c and a staggering 38 days of snow on the ground. At the end of this even there was widespread flooding. During February there was a lack of visible sun for 22 days noted in Nottingham (79%). Many roads in the Peak District were cleared by German prisoners of war who were still interred nearly two years after the end of hostilities in Europe.
The temperatures during the 1962/1963 winter, make it the coldest of the 20th century. During 1963 the temperature fell to 4f and parts of the Rivers Derwent and Trent froze. This was the first time the Trent had frozen since January 1895 when the river was frozen for ten days. The Trent also froze in 1855. The Humber froze over at Brough. After the thaw the Trent burst its banks at Gainsborough leading to widespread flooding. Snow was on the ground in many parts of the country for 67 consecutive days. It was the coldest January since 1814.
There were two snow events in 2010 which brought the country to a standstill, the first happened in January when hard snow fell. At the end of the November a Baltic blast brought over a foot of snow in less than 24 hours. Snow fell pretty much every day between the 27th November and 3rd December. The A57 at Todwick became a no-go area with scores of lorries stuck. They were rescued by the rescue teams from Woodhead more used to mountain rescue. Temperatures reached -17c in some areas of Yorkshire and daytime temperatures didn't fair much better. Later the next week the M8 in Scotland became impassible under similar circumstances which resulted in the Transport Minister resigning. Robin Hood airport was closed after a light commercial jet slid off the runway.
On December 16th an Arctic high brought further snow and once again temperatures were reduced into sub zero degrees for much of the next few days. By the 17th December the south of the country received a heavy covering of snow closing most airports. On the night of the 17th there was light snow in our area but due to the temperatures being around -10c this instantly froze to the roads and pavements and mixed with a light frost.
There were two snow events in 2010 which brought the country to a standstill, the first happened in January when hard snow fell. At the end of the November a Baltic blast brought over a foot of snow in less than 24 hours. Snow fell pretty much every day between the 27th November and 3rd December. The A57 at Todwick became a no-go area with scores of lorries stuck. They were rescued by the rescue teams from Woodhead more used to mountain rescue. Temperatures reached -17c in some areas of Yorkshire and daytime temperatures didn't fair much better. Later the next week the M8 in Scotland became impassible under similar circumstances which resulted in the Transport Minister resigning. Robin Hood airport was closed after a light commercial jet slid off the runway.
On December 16th an Arctic high brought further snow and once again temperatures were reduced into sub zero degrees for much of the next few days. By the 17th December the south of the country received a heavy covering of snow closing most airports. On the night of the 17th there was light snow in our area but due to the temperatures being around -10c this instantly froze to the roads and pavements and mixed with a light frost.
I'll keep updating as I collate more data. Last update: 18/12/10 10:10
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