1963 United Kingdom cold wave
Encyclopedia
The winter of 1962–1963 (also known as The Big Freeze of 1963) was one of the coldest winters on record in the United Kingdom
. Temperatures plummeted and lakes and rivers began to freeze over. In the Central England Temperature
(CET) record, extending back to 1659, only the winter (defined as the months of December, January and February) of 1683–84 has been significantly colder, with 1739–40 being slightly colder than 1962–63. However, the winter did not rank so highly in Scotland
for its severity as it did in England and Wales
.
) continuing into 27 December.
swept across the South West of England and Wales
. Snow drifted to over 20 feet (6.1 m) deep in places, blocking roads and railways. The snow stranded villagers and brought down powerline
s. The near freezing temperatures meant that the snow cover lasted for over two months in some areas. Snow lay to 6 inches (15 cm) depth in Manchester city centre
, 9 inches (23 cm) in Wythenshawe
, and about 18 inches (45 cm) at Keele University
in Staffordshire
.
In January 1963 the sea froze for 1 mile (1.6 km) out from shore at Herne Bay, Kent
; BBC television
news expressed a fear that the Strait of Dover
would freeze across. The upper reaches of the River Thames
also froze over, though it did not freeze in Central London
, partly due to the hot effluent
from two thermal power station
s, Battersea
and Bankside
: the removal of the old multi-arched mediaeval London Bridge
, which obstructed the river's free flow, and the river embankments
, make the river less likely to freeze in London than in earlier times (see River Thames frost fairs
). The ice was thick enough in some places that people were skating on it. Icicles hung from many roof gutterings; some of these were as long as a metre (3 feet, 3 inches).
(gale force winds).
A 36-hour blizzard caused heavy drifting snow in most parts of the country. Drifts reached 20 feet (6.1 m) in some areas. Gale force winds howled with wind speeds reaching up to 81 mph (130 km/h). On the Isle of Man
, wind speeds were recorded at 119 mph (191 km/h).
and Scottish league
s suffered because of the severe effects of the winter weather. Several ties in the 1962–63 FA Cup had to be scheduled more than ten times. From 8 December to 16 February, Bolton Wanderers played no competitive matches. Both codes of rugby
, union
and league
, went much the same way. All this occurred in the days well before under-soil heating
became widespread at major venues. By the time the thaw arrived, huge backlogs of fixtures had to be hastily dealt with.
National Hunt
horse racing was also badly affected, with 94 meetings cancelled during the freeze. There was no racing in England between 23 December and 7 March inclusive, although a meeting at Ayr
in Scotland went ahead on 5 January.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Temperatures plummeted and lakes and rivers began to freeze over. In the Central England Temperature
Central England temperature
The Central England Temperature record was originally published by Professor Gordon Manley in 1953 and subsequently extended and updated in 1974, following many decades of painstaking work...
(CET) record, extending back to 1659, only the winter (defined as the months of December, January and February) of 1683–84 has been significantly colder, with 1739–40 being slightly colder than 1962–63. However, the winter did not rank so highly in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
for its severity as it did in England and Wales
England and Wales
England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...
.
December 1962
A very cold easterly set in on 22 December and parts of the South of England in particular had heavy snow late on 26 December (Boxing DayBoxing Day
Boxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth nations. In Ireland, it is recognized as...
) continuing into 27 December.
29–30 December 1962
On 29–30 December 1962, a blizzardBlizzard
A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong winds. By definition, the difference between blizzard and a snowstorm is the strength of the wind. To be a blizzard, a snow storm must have winds in excess of with blowing or drifting snow which reduces visibility to 400 meters or ¼ mile or...
swept across the South West of England and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. Snow drifted to over 20 feet (6.1 m) deep in places, blocking roads and railways. The snow stranded villagers and brought down powerline
Electric power transmission
Electric-power transmission is the bulk transfer of electrical energy, from generating power plants to Electrical substations located near demand centers...
s. The near freezing temperatures meant that the snow cover lasted for over two months in some areas. Snow lay to 6 inches (15 cm) depth in Manchester city centre
Manchester City Centre
Manchester city centre is the central business district of Manchester, England. It lies within the Manchester Inner Ring Road, next to the River Irwell...
, 9 inches (23 cm) in Wythenshawe
Wythenshawe
Wythenshawe is a district in the south of the city of Manchester, England.Formerly part of the administrative county of Cheshire, in 1931 Wythenshawe was transferred to the City of Manchester, which had begun building a massive housing estate there in the 1920s to resolve the problem of its inner...
, and about 18 inches (45 cm) at Keele University
Keele University
Keele University is a campus university near Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. Founded in 1949 as an experimental college dedicated to a broad curriculum and interdisciplinary study, Keele is most notable for pioneering the dual honours degree in Britain...
in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
.
January 1963
In January 1963 the country started to freeze solid with temperatures as low as −16 °C (3.2 °F) in places. Freezing fog was a hazard for most of the country.In January 1963 the sea froze for 1 mile (1.6 km) out from shore at Herne Bay, Kent
Herne Bay, Kent
Herne Bay is a seaside town in Kent, South East England, with a population of 35,188. On the south coast of the Thames Estuary, it is north of Canterbury and east of Whitstable. It neighbours the ancient villages of Herne and Reculver and is part of the City of Canterbury local government district...
; BBC television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
news expressed a fear that the Strait of Dover
Strait of Dover
The Strait of Dover or Dover Strait is the strait at the narrowest part of the English Channel. The shortest distance across the strait is from the South Foreland, 6 kilometres northeast of Dover in the county of Kent, England, to Cap Gris Nez, a cape near to Calais in the French of...
would freeze across. The upper reaches of the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
also froze over, though it did not freeze in Central London
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
, partly due to the hot effluent
Effluent
Effluent is an outflowing of water or gas from a natural body of water, or from a human-made structure.Effluent is defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as “wastewater - treated or untreated - that flows out of a treatment plant, sewer, or industrial outfall. Generally refers...
from two thermal power station
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
s, Battersea
Battersea Power Station
Battersea Power Station is a decommissioned coal-fired power station located on the south bank of the River Thames, in Battersea, South London. The station comprises two individual power stations, built in two stages in the form of a single building. Battersea A Power Station was built first in the...
and Bankside
Bankside Power Station
Bankside Power Station is a former oil-fired power station, located on the south bank of the River Thames, in the Bankside district of London. It generated electricity from 1952 to 1981. Since 2000 the station's building has been used to house the Tate Modern art museum.-History:The station was...
: the removal of the old multi-arched mediaeval London Bridge
London Bridge
London Bridge is a bridge over the River Thames, connecting the City of London and Southwark, in central London. Situated between Cannon Street Railway Bridge and Tower Bridge, it forms the western end of the Pool of London...
, which obstructed the river's free flow, and the river embankments
Thames Embankment
The Thames Embankment is a major feat of 19th century civil engineering designed to reclaim marshy land next to the River Thames in central London. It consists of the Victoria and Chelsea Embankment....
, make the river less likely to freeze in London than in earlier times (see River Thames frost fairs
River Thames frost fairs
River Thames frost fairs were held on the Tideway of the River Thames at London between the 15th and 19th centuries when the river froze over. During that time the British winter was more severe than now, and the river was wider and slower....
). The ice was thick enough in some places that people were skating on it. Icicles hung from many roof gutterings; some of these were as long as a metre (3 feet, 3 inches).
February 1963
In February 1963 more snow came. It was also stormy with winds reaching Force 8 on the Beaufort scaleBeaufort scale
The Beaufort Scale is an empirical measure that relates wind speed to observed conditions at sea or on land. Its full name is the Beaufort Wind Force Scale.-History:...
(gale force winds).
A 36-hour blizzard caused heavy drifting snow in most parts of the country. Drifts reached 20 feet (6.1 m) in some areas. Gale force winds howled with wind speeds reaching up to 81 mph (130 km/h). On the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
, wind speeds were recorded at 119 mph (191 km/h).
March 1963
The thaw set in during early March; 6 March was the first morning of the year without any frost anywhere in Britain. The temperatures soon soared to 17 °C (62.6 °F) and the remaining snow rapidly disappeared.Sports fixtures and the Big Freeze
One of the most noticeable consequences of the freezing conditions which hit the UK in the winter of 1962/63 was the enormous disruption to the national sporting calendar. For many weeks football matches in both the EnglishThe Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
and Scottish league
Scottish Football League
The Scottish Football League is a league of football teams in Scotland, comprising theScottish First Division, Scottish Second Division and Scottish Third Division. From the league's foundation in 1890 until the breakaway Scottish Premier League was formed in 1998, the Scottish Football League...
s suffered because of the severe effects of the winter weather. Several ties in the 1962–63 FA Cup had to be scheduled more than ten times. From 8 December to 16 February, Bolton Wanderers played no competitive matches. Both codes of rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
, union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
and league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
, went much the same way. All this occurred in the days well before under-soil heating
Under-soil heating
Under-soil heating is a method used in various sports stadia which heats the underside of the pitch to avoid any bad weather, such as snow and ice, from building up and ultimately helps the club avoid having to postpone any matches.The first ground in England to have under-soil heating installed...
became widespread at major venues. By the time the thaw arrived, huge backlogs of fixtures had to be hastily dealt with.
National Hunt
National Hunt racing
National Hunt racing is the official name given to the sport of horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Ireland in which the horses are required to jump over obstacles called hurdles or fences...
horse racing was also badly affected, with 94 meetings cancelled during the freeze. There was no racing in England between 23 December and 7 March inclusive, although a meeting at Ayr
Ayr
Ayr is a town and port situated on the Firth of Clyde in south-west Scotland. With a population of around 46,000, Ayr is the largest settlement in Ayrshire, of which it is the county town, and has held royal burgh status since 1205...
in Scotland went ahead on 5 January.
See also
- Winter of 1946–1947 in the United Kingdom
- January 1987 Southeast England snowfallJanuary 1987 Southeast England snowfallThe January 1987 snowfall was a very heavy lake-effect type snow event that affected the areas of East Anglia, South-East England and London between the 11th and 14th of January and was the heaviest snowfall to fall in that part of the United Kingdom since the winter of 1981/82...
- Winter of 1990–1991 in Western EuropeWinter of 1990–1991 in Western EuropeThe winter of 1990–1991 was a particularly cold winter in Western Europe, noted especially for its effect on the United Kingdom, and for two significantly heavy falls of snow which occurred in December 1990 and February 1991. Sandwiched in between was a period of high winds and heavy rain which...
- European winter storms of 2009–10
- Winter storms of 2009–2010 in Great Britain and Ireland
- The European winter cold snap of 2010-2011
External links
- A daily narration of that winter together with a synoptic chart for each day
- Account of the big freeze in Windsor
- local newspaper history coverage