 | TORRO Annual Review 2005 |
 | Heavy Snowfalls & Blizzards |
 | Richard Wild |
 | Weathernet Ltd, Kingsland House, 21 Hinton Road, Bournemouth, BH1 2DE email: rick @ weathernet.co.uk |
OVERVIEW
The year 2005, saw 25 heavy snowfall days, which is the joint highest year with 1876 for the heaviest
snowfalls across the United Kingdom between the years 1861-2005.
Saturday 1 January 2005 - Sunday 2 January 2005
Snow affected N Scotland on the 1st, while snow affected many areas of Scotland and N England, particularly
the Highlands on the 2nd. The snow caused some travel disruption with some roads being forced to close
across the Highlands.
Wednesday 12 January 2005
Snow and blizzard conditions with winds up to 100mph affected the high ground of the Highlands. Snow also
affected parts of S Scotland, NE England and the Midlands.
Monday 17 January 2005 - Tuesday 18 January 2005
Snow affected much of Scotland late on the 17th, forcing some major roads to close. In Ayrshire, a
56-year-old motorist, Alan Kennedy, of Hollow Park, Ayr, was killed when his car collided with another
vehicle on the A77 near Ayr. Snow continued into the 18th, to affect Scotland, N Ireland and N England
at first. The heaviest snow affected Central and Eastern districts of Scotland with significant drifting
in places due to up to 25cm of snow falling in places. Aberfeldy, Perthshire reported a snow depth of
15cm. The snow forced the closure of several roads across Scotland.
Sunday 23 January 2005
Heavy snow showers affected E Scotland, N Scotland, E England and CS England, while minor snowfalls
affected the Midlands and over some high ground in SW England. The snow caused problems on the M90 in
Fife, while 29cm of lying snow was reported from Boltshope Park, County Durham.
Sunday 20 February 2005 - Monday 21 February 2005
Snow showers affected the Midlands, N England, SE England and N Scotland. It was reported that Normandy,
Cleveland had snow lying to a depth of 14cm by late morning. Snow showers claimed the life of a 20
year-old man in Cramlington, Northumberland, due to a sledging accident that occurred during Sunday
evening. In Scotland, particularly over high ground, blizzards forced the closure of more than 30 schools
in Aberdeenshire on Monday. Up to 13cm of snow was reported to have fallen across the higher ground of
E. Scotland.
Thursday 24 February 2005 - Friday 25 February 2005
On the 24th, heavy snow fell across N England, the East Midlands, Wales and S Scotland. Parts of the
Pennines received a snowfall up to 15cm, while drifts up to 1.5m high were recorded. The snow forced
more than 600 schools to close across many parts of the UK. On the A479 at Pengenford, between Tretower
and Talgarth, Powys a van left the road due to snow lying on the ground. Snow depths on the 24th
included 37cm at Boltshope Park, County Durham and 22cm at Carterhouse, Roxburghshire.
On the 25th, heavy snow affected many central and eastern districts of England. The snow caused 54 flights
to be cancelled at Heathrow Airport, while hundreds of schools were forced to close across Kent as up to
27cm of snow fell across the county. At Boltshope Park, County Durham, 50cm of snow was lying on the
ground on the morning of the 25th.
Sunday 27 February 2005 - Friday 4 March 2005
During the morning of the 27th, snow showers fell over NE Wales and N England for a while. Grosmont on the
North Yorkshire Moors, snow was reported to be 10cm in depth that morning. During the afternoon of the
27th, heavy snow occurred in E England. It was reported that 50cm snowdrifts occurred in parts of Kent
and East Sussex. The snow caused a series of accidents to occur on the roads of Kent.
Heavy snow affected SE England and the Channel Isles on the 28th, closing schools and affecting postal
deliveries on Guernsey and Jersey. Guernsey and Jersey Airports were closed for a time, so the snow on
the runways could be cleared. In Herne Bay, Kent, 15cm of snow fell during the early morning.
On the 1st, up to 30 vehicles were involved in an accident on the M8 between Glasgow and Edinburgh, as
heavy snow affected many parts of Scotland. It was reported that snow fell up to 13cm in parts of
Aberdeenshire, Angus, Dundee, Fife, Edinburgh and the Borders. The snow also caused more than 140
schools in Fife and 30 schools in Aberdeenshire to close or partially close, along with 20 schools and
nurseries in Angus.
During the 2nd, heavy snow affected Kent, Surrey and East Sussex causing the closure of 400+ schools. The
snow across Kent caused the M20 and the M2 to close. The snowfall also resulted in 200 homes to lose their
electricity supply. This snowfall was reported as the heaviest snowfall to occur across Kent in the month
of March in 10 years; with Rochester receiving 19cm. Heavy snow also affected NE Scotland forcing 80
schools to close. Three people were injured in a road accident due to the wintry conditions at Udny,
Grampian. Heavy snow also occurred across N England with 15cm of snow being reported at
Carlton-in-Cleveland, North Yorkshire. The snow also forced many schools to close across North and West
Yorkshire.
Forty children from St Mary's RC School in Longbenton, Tyne and Wear were suspended for two days on the
3rd after taking part in a snowball battle with passing motorists. The snow also resulted in the A171 in
North Yorkshire between Whitby and Scarborough to close. At Copley, County Durham, it was reported that
24cm of snow was lying that morning. Heavy snow also affected East Sussex. The snow caused a bus to crash
on the A259 at East Den, near Eastbourne, East Sussex during the late afternoon of the 3rd. The heavy snow
also forced 30 schools to close across East Sussex.
During the 4th, heavy snow affected parts of Kent, the S Midlands, London and East Anglia. Hundreds of
schools were forced to close across the region. Luton and Stansted Airports were temporarily closed for
a period of time, so to clear the runways of snow.
Sunday 13 March 2005 - Monday 14 March 2005
Heavy snow with blizzard conditions across higher ground affected N Scotland during the evening of the
13th and the morning of the 14th. The snow disrupted rail links into Wick, Caithness.
Thursday 7 April 2005
Heavy snow affected the Highlands in Scotland, blocking many high level roads across the area.
Thursday 24 November 2005 - Friday 25 November 2005
Heavy wintry showers affected Northern Scotland and Northern Ireland during the morning and afternoon of
the 24th which then spread southwards during the evening and the morning of the 25th to affect parts of
North Yorkshire, Wales, East Anglia and SW England. On the afternoon of the 24th, 4 men were rescued from
the Cairngorms after being stranded due to blizzard conditions. The four men all in their 30's from the
Dundee area got lost as they descended from the summit of Ben Macdui, Aberdeenshire. The four men raised
the alarm by mobile phone on Thursday morning after spending the night in survival bags. Up to 35cm of
snow fell in parts of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Highland and Aberdeenshire, approximately
4,000 homes were left without power, while 100 schools were forced to close across Scotland as a whole
due to the snow.
During Friday, parts of the higher ground of Cornwall and Devon saw a snowfall up to 30cm, with 2m drifts.
This included Dartmoor where a shuttle service using 4x4 vehicles were set up to courier staff to work at
Dartmoor Prison. The snowfall also trapped approximately 1000 people on the A30 near Kennards House across
Bodmin Moor, Cornwall after several snow related accidents blocked the road. The snow caused a six-mile
tailback and people were advised by the police to remain in their vehicles. A Royal Marine and two RAF and
Navy helicopters and a convoy of four-wheel drive vehicles organised by Devon and Cornwall police, took
stranded drivers to leisure centres and emergency shelters for the night, including the Dragon Leisure
Centre and the Jamaica Inn Pub, both close to Bodmin. Also across Cornwall, Head teachers closed 68 of
Cornwall's 273 primary and secondary schools because of the snow. The snow also closed Newquay Airport
for a time. In Wales, 460 schools were forced to close. The snow also caused flight delays at Cardiff
International Airport. The snow killed a motorcyclist in a crash at 0530 GMT on the A394 between Sithney
and Breage, near Porthleven, Cornwall.
Monday 28 November 2005
Heavy snow showers fell across Grampian and the Highlands throughout the day. Heavy snow showers also
affected N England, particularly around the Manchester, Pennine area and the North Yorkshire Moors,
before pushing southwards to affect the Midlands and Lincolnshire during the afternoon and evening. Up
to 13cm of snow fell across the higher parts of Grampian and Gloucestershire particularly around
Cirencester, Stroud and the South Cotswolds between 1700-2000 GMT. Approximately 400 cars were abandoned
on the A417 between Gloucester and Cirencester due to snowy conditions. The snow also closed the A57
Snake Pass across the Pennines for a time. Snow also forced the abandonment of horseracing at
Wolverhampton, West Midlands.
Tuesday 27 December 2005 - Wednesday 28 December 2005
On the 27th, heavy snow from the Baltic region affected parts of East Anglia and SE England. Snow up to
30cm fell across the higher parts of Kent. The snow caused the Channel Tunnel terminal in Kent, to close
during the early evening to traffic for two hours. Also in Kent, the snow closed the A20 and the A2 roads
around Dover. The snow caused an abandonment of several train services including Hastings, East Sussex to
Tonbridge, Kent. Several villages across Kent became isolated due to the snow with the exception to 4x4
vehicles. These villages included Elham, Newington, Sellinge and Brabourne.
On the 28th, heavy snow affected Norfolk, Lincolnshire, the East Midlands, West Yorkshire and NE England.
North Yorkshire accumulated 20cm across the higher ground. The snowy weather caused the postponement of
the Premier League football match between Newcastle United and Charlton Athletic at St. James Park in
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear. Horse racing at Catterick, North Yorkshire also had problems due to
the snow. The snow caused huge tailbacks on the A1 between Alnwick and Berwick; Northumberland during the
afternoon as the single carriageway road was blocked when a tanker broke down near Adderstone.
Friday 30 December 2005
Heavy snow affected NE England, East Anglia and E Scotland, with up to 20cm falling across the higher
ground of North Yorkshire. The snow caused hundreds of drivers to be stranded on the A1079 during the
late morning at Arras Hill, East Yorkshire. Humberside Fire Service helped to clear the snow off the road
with 4x4 vehicles and supplied hot drinks to stranded travellers. Snow had blown onto the road from
nearby fields creating snowdrifts up to 1m high burying cars. One man fatally died on the A614 near
Londesborough, East Yorkshire when his van collided with a lorry due to the snowy conditions, while a
second man died and two were hurt in a multi-vehicle crash on the A80 at Auchenkilns in North Lanarkshire
because of the snow. In East Yorkshire, a 46-year-old man from Driffield died after crashing into a lorry
on the A164, while apparently attempting to avoid a snowdrift. In East Lothian, a woman was killed and
four passengers were seriously injured after a four-vehicle pile-up due to snow on the A1 near Torness.
The snowy weather also affected flights out of Newcastle International Airport, with two services
cancelled and six domestic and international flights being delayed. At Stansted Airport in Essex, the
runway was temporarily shut due to the snow diverting two incoming Ryanair flights to Bournemouth,
Dorset, while Luton Airport was also badly affected by snow in Bedfordshire.