February 2009 Great Britain and Ireland snowfall

The February 2009 Great Britain and Ireland snowfall was a prolonged period of snowfall that began on 1 February 2009. Some areas experienced their largest snowfall levels in 18 years. Snow fell over much of Western Europe. The United Kingdom's Met Office and Ireland's Met Éireann issued severe weather warnings in anticipation of the snowfall. More than of snow fell on parts of the North Downs and over in parts of the London area. Such snow accumulation is uncommon in London. On the morning of 6 February the majority of Great Britain and Ireland had snow cover, with the area surrounding the Bristol Channel ( South Wales (Cardiff area) and South West England (Bristol area)) being most affected – had settled overnight around Okehampton, Devon, South West England with similar depths in South Wales. In Ireland the highest totals were recorded around East Kildare and Wicklow County's were up to fell around Naas, County Kildare and even more along the Wicklow Mountains. The last time such widespread snowfall affected Britain was in February 1991. On the 2nd a total of had fallen in Leatherhead, Surrey just south of the M25. Also had fallen over the South Downs and in higher areas of Brighton.

On 2 February, all London Buses were removed from service and there were severe delays on London Underground. All train services on Southeastern railway services between London, Kent and East Sussex were cancelled, as were those on Southern. South West Trains operated an emergency timetable with reduced service. Severe disruption occurred on First Capital Connect services, c2c services, First Great Western and Eurostar services from St Pancras International. In Ireland Dublin Bus routes were also severely disrupted while in England all bus services in Brighton, Crawley and Royal Tunbridge Wells had been severely disrupted.

Heathrow Airport was closed and British Airways cancelled all departures for a period. London City, Luton, Aberdeen, Bristol, Cardiff, Birmingham and Southampton were also affected. The Gatwick Express railway service was suspended. In Ireland on 5 February Dublin Airport was closed for a period to allow snow to be cleared from the runways, delaying flights. Flights at the airport were cancelled the following day.

Other effects included lost work time and disruption to education. Costs, mainly in terms of lost work time, are estimated to amount to around £1.2 billion, although this may be underestimated. The adverse weather conditions caused schools in some areas of the United Kingdom to close during 2, 3 and 5 February in the Midlands.

A winter storm swept across the south of England on 9–10 February bringing heavy rain and snow, which caused flooding in southern England. In France, Paris's Charles de Gaulle Airport was closed. In Aviemore, in the Scottish Highlands, a temperature of — according to the Met Office, was recorded; the lowest temperature recorded in the UK since 2003.

The maximum depth of the event was in Okehampton, Devon on 6 February. Other high amounts were Drybrook, Gloucestershire which had on 2 February reported in Leatherhead, in Purley, in Croydon, in Greater London, on the South Downs, in Brighton and on higher areas of Brighton.

The weather conditions severely disrupted the month's sporting schedule.

Synopsis

The February 2009 snowstorm followed an intense Sudden stratospheric warming in the previous month. These events often help to set up surface weather patterns that give rise to cold spells and snowfall in Europe. The snow then resulted from several factors starting on 1 February, the main component of which was a strong low pressure area near Spain. A strong high pressure area over Scandinavia created a tight pressure gradient between the two systems. A cold front also was tracking over Britain at this time. After passing through the region, cold air set in behind it, enhanced by an upper-level low over Germany. An inverted trough then extended out from the cold front, bringing precipitation to England. Late on 2 February, a surface-low pressure system, the actual snow storm, developed over the English Channel.

Effects

School closures

* Over 4,500 schools across the United Kingdom were closed on 3 February and the reasons given were mostly either accessibility or heating problems, although the blanket closures across whole districts demonstrate that this was not always the case. All schools in West Yorkshire, including all 197 in the City of Bradford district were closed, while Leeds City Council said it was the headteacher's decision whether a school opened. One school in Halifax, Calderdale, West Yorkshire remained closed from 2 to 6 February. Schools in Ireland were also affected.
* All of Surrey's 403 schools closed on 2 and 3 February. 500 schools closed in Wales as up to of snow fell in some areas.
* Most of the schools in East and West Sussex were closed on 2 and 3 February, nearly all schools in Brighton were closed on 2 and 3 February.
* Every school in the boroughs of Birmingham, Dudley and Solihull in the West Midlands was shut, after a decision was taken the previous day, while more than 200 other schools in the area were closed. 110 schools were not open on 2 February and many of the decisions on keeping the schools shut for a second day were taken during the same day.
* In Scotland, all 74 schools in the Borders were shut for two days. More than 250 schools were closed across the south-west, with some areas under of snow.
* The majority of schools reopened on 4 February, although around 200 remained closed in Wales while other regions saw up to 100 closures.
* On 5 February, over 500 schools closed due to snow in the English Midlands
* In Ireland, schools across the country were shut from 2 February onwards, with the worst affected areas being County Donegal, County Carlow, County Kilkenny and County Meath.

The school closures in the United Kingdom prompted negative comments from parents who were unhappy about the "confusing and contradictory" messages they received. Some laid the blame of the excessive closures: ''not'' on the public's actual ability to make alternative travel arrangements - to 'cope', but on council and school administrators' having an unhelpful risk-averse 'health and safety driven' legal attitude. Other concerns included parents having to take time off work when the weather was not quite as bad as it seemed.

Swansea University was closed on Tuesday 3 February through concern of the safety of students and staff using icy roads. The University of Exeter was closed from 15:00 on Friday 6 February because of icy conditions on its hilly campus, while the University of the West of England in Bristol and neighbouring institutions the University of Bath and Bath Spa University were closed on Thursday 5th and Friday 6th for similar reason

Flooding

On 9 February, heavy rain and melting snow caused flooding in southern England, exacerbated by high tides which trapped water in river systems. Heavy snow and floods closed roads in Cornwall, Devon, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Hampshire and Sussex. Areas of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire endured power cuts because of damage caused by the weight of snow on equipment or trees falling onto power lines. In Somerset, 20 people were rescued from their cars in Taunton and Yeovil because of floods, and rivers burst their banks.

Transport

Transport links in many parts of the regions were greatly affected by the bad weather. Railway services were reduced in frequency, with the south-east of England most affected, but were reintroduced over the following two days. South West Trains's services to and from Waterloo were disrupted, as were Southeastern and Southern trains services from Kent and the South Coast. By 3 February, only the District line saw route delays through London.

Many rural and urban bus services in Britain and Ireland were suspended. Transport for London reported that several bus routes had been "suspended or redirected" due to blocked roads. All buses were cancelled on 2 February after 20 buses slid off the road the previous day. London did not have enough snowploughs to cope with the widespread problems.

In Ireland Dublin Bus experienced delays on 3 February, particularly in the southside of the city, around Lucan, Tallaght, Rathfarnham and Enniskerry. No buses were able to gain access to Lucan village or estates in Tallaght. Dublin's M50 experienced severe delays throughout with many commuters reporting lengthy periods until they reached their homes following work.

In other areas buses generally took amended routes, avoiding side roads or rural lanes and using only main roads.

In England and Wales both Severn crossings were closed on 6 February because ice began falling from overhead gantries, affecting both the M4 and M48 motorways across the Severn Estuary; traffic was diverted into Gloucestershire and onto the M50. This was the first closure because of a weather-related incident of the second Severn crossing since the structure opened in 1996. They reopened on 10 February.

The A23 between Brighton and Haywards Heath saw severe disruption on 2 February and the A27 through Brighton was closed because of the huge volume of snowfall.

Air traffic delays

Heathrow Airport closed both of its runways; one was later reopened. British Airways cancelled all departures. London City, Luton and Southampton Airports were closed. The Gatwick Express railway service was suspended. Temporary closures also affected other international airports at Cardiff, Birmingham and Bristol.

On 5 February heavy snowfalls closed Dublin Airport in Ireland, leading to the cancellation of approximately half the flight operation or almost 200 flights. The airport closed at 01:00, blaming slippery runways, and flights were diverted to other airports. It reopened at 19:45 that evening but flights were disrupted by the weather again the following day.

Casualties

The icy conditions led to many casualties on roads and exposed areas. Hospitals across the region reported great increases in injuries sustained from falling in the snow as large numbers of people came outside to partake in the winter weather. Sites across south-central England, covering Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, reported that their emergency departments were very busy with minor injuries, with figures of more than one-quarter of all patients suffering falls.
* Two military helicopters were called in to assist ambulance crews in Devon and Cornwall, some parts of which were under of snow and claimed to be cut off. North Devon District Hospital and several hospitals in the region cancelled all outpatient appointments, while others in the area restricted their services to emergencies only.
* In Kelty in Fife, Scotland, two ambulance crew members were injured when the vehicle overturned on the A909 en route to an emergency call on 2 February.
* Five girls were involved in an accident while sledging on a makeshift sledge, reported by BBC News Online to have been the roof of an old Land Rover, at Rother Valley Country Park in South Yorkshire. One was airlifted to Sheffield Northern General Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, while the others went by ambulance, having sustained non-critical injuries.
* Three men were injured while sledging at Devil's Dyke in West Sussex and were rescued by a 4 x 4 support vehicle.
* In the West Midlands of England, two men were airlifted to hospital after injuring themselves in separate accidents, one at Baggeridge Country Park in Sedgley.
* On 2 February, four road accidents were reported on one stretch in County Sligo, Ireland.
* Amidst heavy snowfalls on the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland, four motorists became stranded in two 4X4 vehicles in the Sally Gap on 3–4 February. Mountain rescuers on skis had brought them food and blankets until they could be airlifted to Blessington.
* Around 200 motorists had to be rescued in Devon on 6 February, after their vehicles became stranded in heavy snow.
* A mother gave birth to twins in Devon after firefighters were mobilised to her aid when ambulances and rescue helicopters were hindered by the snow.

Deaths

* A man died of hypothermia in Aberdeen where the temperature dropped to .
* A man was killed in a car crash at Sandy Bridge in Llanelli, Wales on 2 February.
* A 16-year-old girl died whilst sledging down a hill on a car bonnet near Rotherham, South Yorkshire.
* A 6-year-old boy died after falling through an iced-over pond at Streethouse, West Yorkshire on 7 February. He was airlifted to Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield, but later died.

News coverage

News coverage of the snow received very high ratings, with over 7 million watching the BBC
...