>A proper old-fashioned snowfall
North Wales 9th February 2007

Following on from the snowfall which affected Weybridge on 8th February 2007, the cold air across the UK had simply not budged, killing off the attempts by frontal systems to introduce warmer air. However, on 9th February a much stronger frontal system edged in slowly from the south and this was powerful enough to eventually shift the colder air. The net result, however, was some impressively heavy snowfall for recent times, particularly so in north Wales where the EOTS team headed as soon as the snow began to fall.

The snow first arrived across southern England during the morning of the 9th, when light snow began to fall in Weybridge. However, it soon became obvious that the heavy and persistent snow was going to edge north through the Midlands and Wales instead. Not wanting to miss the action, the EOTS team packed up and made the drive from south-east England to north Wales.

Below is the synoptic chart from the UK Met Office, which shows the setup at midnight on 10th February, thanks to Wetterzentrale:

We hit the road by early afternoon, beneath leaden, grey skies and cold easterly winds. The first hour of the journey was snow-free, but heading north over the Chilterns towards Oxfordshire, cars heading southwards on the opposite side of the road had snow welded to the front lights and radiators. It wasn't long before snow began to fall in mid-Oxfordshire and that would set the scene for the rest of the journey. The following set of photographs shows the road conditions through the Midlands and into north Wales, a journey which would end up taking nine hours. Despite the chaotic and dangerous road conditions it was a truly magical drive through snow-blanketed countryside. As the evening hours rolled on and darkness fell, everywhere was still glowing orange-white as the sheet of snow grew deeper and deeper - it was a scene that is sadly rare in the UK today. The heaviest snow was by far in north-east Wales and the north-west Midlands, where roads were covered by around 6 inches generally, but up to 10 inches in places.

The M40 just southeast of Birmingham, and the snow had started settling on the main motorway carriageway. It was going to be an interesting 100 miles from here....

Rush hour on the M6 toll road, further north. The road had been salted, but such
was the intensity of the snowfall, it was settling on top of the treatment.

We still had over 70 miles to go, so it was time for a break. This was the scene
on the M6 Toll services, with 3" of level cover on the ground and snow continuing to fall.

Motorway driving, face-first into heavy snowfall meant that the nose
of my car was completely welded solid with brown ice.


Another view of the snowy motorway services.


With breaktime over, it was time to rejoin the motorway and
complete the last 70 miles or so. It was a daunting task.

We arrived back in northeast Wales at around 11:30pm, a full nine hours after we started our 200 mile journey. Despite the length of time taken, there were surprisingly few holdups. It was just a case of slow and stately progress, with sideways cornering kept to a minimum.

This was the scene in Hope, north-east Wales, at around midnight on 10th March 2007. The road had been kept relatively clear, but 7" of snow sat happily on the roadside.

The snow had not finished, however, and bursts of fresh snowfall
continued beyond midnight and into the early hours of the 10th.

A quick snow clearance and measurement revealed that between 6 and 7 inches
of level snow had fallen so far, varying whether on grass or concrete.

The back garden as the snow continued to fall. This scene reminded me of something
from the classic cartoon 'The Snowman' which is shown on tv every Christmas.

The snow was very sticky and wet, so even the smallest of branches
and twigs accumulated a decent coating of the white stuff.

Despite the midnight darkness, it was like an orange daylight across the surrounding countryside. Just a few streetlights were all that were needed to produce this glow!

Here is the folks' washing line, which had nearly quadrupled in size!

I've included this one purely because I love the warm glow
of the house against the cold, snowy world outside :-)

Outside, the telephone cables were taking the strain as the snow continued to fall.

It was now 2am and the snow had stopped, allowing visibility to improve. The effect of
this improved visibility was the reduction of orange glow from the street lights, so the landscape took on a darker appearance. It was till very pretty though.

An almost red glow across the snowy landscape. No adjustments
have been made to these images whatsoever.

The snow eventually became lighter and lighter, turning into the characteristic ice pellets which signifies the end of a prolonged snowfall. By 3am the snow had stopped and we headed to bed for the evening.

We fully intended to make the most of the next day (10th February) by reverting to our childhood and spending a day in the snow. We were up at first light, and the next series of photos shows how we spent our winter wonderland day:

The scene slowly came into view at first light.

A good 7 inches of snow remained from the overnight period, despite
an increase in temperature and almost continuous drizzle.

We may have been planning a day in the snow but some people had to go to work. Just as Bren used to do as a child, when snowfalls were regular, he spent some time clearing the drive and the roadside of snow to allow his parents' cars out.

More photographs from this wonderful snowfall event continue on page 13 ->