Decembers 1961 & 1971

by P. Homewood, Jan 7, 2022 in NotaLotofPeopleKnowThat


 

December 1961 can be summed up in two words – cold and snow. The month was the 9th coldest on record since 1884.

The first week saw widespread snow and severe gales, whilst the Christmas week was one of the coldest of the century, with more heavy snow:

https://digital.nmla.metoffice.gov.uk/SO_7498a04d-6a40-4207-a27f-772663ffd2fc/

In this monthly lookback through the archives, two things are abundantly clear for every month we have checked:

1) Weather was every bit as extreme in the past

2) The weather can vary enormously from one year to another. This can not be better exemplified than the series for December, which has offered up very mild months to very cold ones, very dry ones to very wet, and very snowy ones to very little snow.