Blizzard of January 1881
Encyclopedia
The Blizzard of January 1881 (17–18 January 1881) was one of the most severe blizzard
s ever to hit the southern parts of the United Kingdom.
On 18 January 1881, a low pressure system
rapidly developed in the English Channel
. The snowfalls began on the 17th in the southwest and as the system deepened as it moved through the Channel, a gale force easterly developed over southern parts with heavy blizzards and drifting snow. The effect of the blizzard was to paralysis all transport, communication, trade and industries. Hundred of miles of rail track were blocked by drifting snow, tens of feet high in places. Even in central London, there were 3 feet drifts in places. Around 100 people are believed to have died as a result of the blizzard.
Surrey: About 9 inches generally.
Kent: 3 to 4 inches along coast, 4-6 inches inland, 7 inches nearer London. 14 feet drifts on the Isle of Thanet.
Sussex: 7-8 inches to the north. 24 inches at Worthing, 18 inches at Brighton, 12 inches at St Leonard's, 9 to 12 inches at Littlehampton.
Isle of Wight
and south Hampshire: A staggering 34 inches in two falls at Newport on Isle of Wight. St Lawrence with 22 inches, Osborne and Ventnor with 18 inches and 24 inches at Ryde. Many roads were filled with snow up to halfway on lamp-posts. 12 feet drifts at Cowes. A hall collapsed at Portsmouth due to weight of snow.
Berkshire: Ranging from 9 inches to east up to 15 inches in west.
Hertfordshire: 6 to 9 inches.
Buckinghamshire: About 7 inches in general.
Oxfordshire: 12 to 13 inches. 13 feet drifts in places.
Northamptonshire: 6 inches generally but in the SW of county it was 12 inches.
Huntindgonshire: 5 inches to NE to 8 inches in south.
Bedfordshire: 7 inches, 10 feet drifts.
Cambridgeshire: About 7 inches.
Essex: 6 inches along coast, 9 inches to west.
Suffolk: 2-3 inches along the coast up to 7 inches in west.
Norfolk: 9 inches generally.
Wiltshire: 6 inches at Calne, 36 inches at Warminster. 12 feet drifts.
Dorset: 12-14 inches inland, 18 to 20 inches along coast.
Devonshire: 12 to 14 inches generally, 3 feet over Dartmoor. 15 feet drifts.
Cornwall: 12 inches in far east, 7 inches generally.
Somerset: 12 to 13 inches in the south and east, 8 to 10 inches in west and north.
Gloucestershire: 9 to 10 inches in south, 6 to 7 inches in north. 7 to 10 feet drifts.
Herefordshire: 10 to 11 inches in south, 6 inches in the north.
Shropshire: 3 inches in the north, 5 inches in the south.
Staffordshire: 1 to 4 inches.
Worcestershire: 5 to 6 inches.
Warwickshire: 4 inches in north, 7 to 8 inches over central parts, 12 inches in SE of county.
Leicestershire: 6 inches and 6 feet drifts.
Lincolnshire: 6 to 7 inches.
South Wales: About 6 inches with 9 inches around Monmouthshire.
Radnorshire: 15 inches.
Denbighshire: 6 inches.
From the Wirral to just north of Flamborough Head northwards, no snow fell from this storm although there was a deep cover of snow over a wide area. For instance, parts of the Lancashire plain had a general cover of 6 inches.
for the period of 8th to 27th was -4.4C
Minima
Other low minima.
At Orleton, the maximum never got above -7.0C on the 25th. Rivers in the area had frozen over by the 15th.
Boston: 15 days the mean temp was -6.1C, 6.5 inches thick ice on river.
Haverfordwest: River Cleddan frozen over. A maximum of -7.8C on the 20th.
Killaloe: Large part of Lough Derg frozen over.
An aurora was widely seen over the UK on the 31st.
Blizzard
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...
s ever to hit the southern parts of the United Kingdom.
On 18 January 1881, a low pressure system
Low pressure area
A low-pressure area, or "low", is a region where the atmospheric pressure at sea level is below that of surrounding locations. Low-pressure systems form under areas of wind divergence which occur in upper levels of the troposphere. The formation process of a low-pressure area is known as...
rapidly developed in the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
. The snowfalls began on the 17th in the southwest and as the system deepened as it moved through the Channel, a gale force easterly developed over southern parts with heavy blizzards and drifting snow. The effect of the blizzard was to paralysis all transport, communication, trade and industries. Hundred of miles of rail track were blocked by drifting snow, tens of feet high in places. Even in central London, there were 3 feet drifts in places. Around 100 people are believed to have died as a result of the blizzard.
Reports from around the counties of snow depths
London/Middlesex: Snow started falling around 9am on the 18th and lasted until about midday on the 19th. It was accompanied by a violent gale. General depth of 9 inches and 3 feet drifts.Surrey: About 9 inches generally.
Kent: 3 to 4 inches along coast, 4-6 inches inland, 7 inches nearer London. 14 feet drifts on the Isle of Thanet.
Sussex: 7-8 inches to the north. 24 inches at Worthing, 18 inches at Brighton, 12 inches at St Leonard's, 9 to 12 inches at Littlehampton.
Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
and south Hampshire: A staggering 34 inches in two falls at Newport on Isle of Wight. St Lawrence with 22 inches, Osborne and Ventnor with 18 inches and 24 inches at Ryde. Many roads were filled with snow up to halfway on lamp-posts. 12 feet drifts at Cowes. A hall collapsed at Portsmouth due to weight of snow.
Berkshire: Ranging from 9 inches to east up to 15 inches in west.
Hertfordshire: 6 to 9 inches.
Buckinghamshire: About 7 inches in general.
Oxfordshire: 12 to 13 inches. 13 feet drifts in places.
Northamptonshire: 6 inches generally but in the SW of county it was 12 inches.
Huntindgonshire: 5 inches to NE to 8 inches in south.
Bedfordshire: 7 inches, 10 feet drifts.
Cambridgeshire: About 7 inches.
Essex: 6 inches along coast, 9 inches to west.
Suffolk: 2-3 inches along the coast up to 7 inches in west.
Norfolk: 9 inches generally.
Wiltshire: 6 inches at Calne, 36 inches at Warminster. 12 feet drifts.
Dorset: 12-14 inches inland, 18 to 20 inches along coast.
Devonshire: 12 to 14 inches generally, 3 feet over Dartmoor. 15 feet drifts.
Cornwall: 12 inches in far east, 7 inches generally.
Somerset: 12 to 13 inches in the south and east, 8 to 10 inches in west and north.
Gloucestershire: 9 to 10 inches in south, 6 to 7 inches in north. 7 to 10 feet drifts.
Herefordshire: 10 to 11 inches in south, 6 inches in the north.
Shropshire: 3 inches in the north, 5 inches in the south.
Staffordshire: 1 to 4 inches.
Worcestershire: 5 to 6 inches.
Warwickshire: 4 inches in north, 7 to 8 inches over central parts, 12 inches in SE of county.
Leicestershire: 6 inches and 6 feet drifts.
Lincolnshire: 6 to 7 inches.
South Wales: About 6 inches with 9 inches around Monmouthshire.
Radnorshire: 15 inches.
Denbighshire: 6 inches.
From the Wirral to just north of Flamborough Head northwards, no snow fell from this storm although there was a deep cover of snow over a wide area. For instance, parts of the Lancashire plain had a general cover of 6 inches.
Specific reports
- Andover: 12 inches
- Basingstoke: 4 inches
- Barnstaple: 36 inches
- Dorchester: 36 inches
- Exeter: 12 inches
- Fareham: 30 inches
- Guildford: 8 inches
- Havant: 36 inches
- Lidford: 15 inches
- Okehampton: 36 inches
- Plymouth: 18 inches
- Portsmouth: 30 inches
- Ringwood: 36 inches
- Salisbury: 9 inches
- Southampton: 12 inches
- Tottenham: 8 inches
Temperatures
The severity of the frosts were remarkable probably second to those that occurred during February 1895 in intensity and length. The Central England TemperatureCentral 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...
for the period of 8th to 27th was -4.4C
Minima
- 13th: -18.9C at Cardigan
- 14th: -20C at Corwen, -19.4C at Corwen, -18C at Achonachie, Alston, Ketton and Lauder
- 16th: -24.4C at Blackadder. -23.3C at Stobo, -22.2C at Kelso and Corwen, -18.3C at Blackpool, -17.8C at Chester
- 17th: -30C at Blackadder, -26.7C at Kelso, -26.1C at Stobo, -23.3C at Melrose
- 18th: -26.1C at Stobo
- 20th: -19.4C at Cheltenham
- 21st: -23.3C at Haydon BridgeHaydon BridgeHaydon Bridge is a village in Northumberland, England, with a population of about 2000. Its most distinctive features are the two bridges crossing the River South Tyne; the picturesque original bridge for which the village was named and a modern bridge which used to carry the A69 road...
- 24th: -23.3C at Blackadder
- 25th: -21.7C at Bury St Edmunds
- 26th: -26.7C at Blackadder
Other low minima.
- Canden Square: -11.2C (17th)
- Hitchin: -15C (20th)
- Banbury: -15C (20th)
- Norwich: -17.2C (26th)
- Barnastaple: -14.4C (22nd)
- Bodmin: -13.3C (26th)
- Manchester: -12.2C (17th, 26th)
- Skipton: -18.9C (25th)
- Llandudno: -9.7C (26th)
- Braemar: -20C (17th)
- Aberdeen: -15.6C (17th)
- Cork: -13.3C (15th)
- Waterford: -12C (17th)
- Galway: -10.6C (17th)
- Londonderry: -10C (22nd)
- Omagh: -19.4C (23rd)
At Orleton, the maximum never got above -7.0C on the 25th. Rivers in the area had frozen over by the 15th.
Boston: 15 days the mean temp was -6.1C, 6.5 inches thick ice on river.
Haverfordwest: River Cleddan frozen over. A maximum of -7.8C on the 20th.
Killaloe: Large part of Lough Derg frozen over.
An aurora was widely seen over the UK on the 31st.