The winter of 1981–1982 in the United Kingdom (also called ''The Big Snow of 1982'' by the press) was a severe

cold wave A cold wave (known in some regions as a cold snap, cold spell or Arctic Snap) is a weather phenomenon that is distinguished by a cooling of the air. Specifically, as used by the U.S. National Weather Service, a cold wave is a rapid fall in temp ...

that was formed in early December 1981 and lasted until mid-late January in 1982. It was one of the coldest Decembers recorded in the United Kingdom. At the end of November 1981, a strong high-pressure

anticyclone A high-pressure area, high, or anticyclone, is an area near the surface of a planet where the atmospheric pressure is greater than the pressure in the surrounding regions. Highs are middle-scale meteorological features that result from interpl ...

over southern England was keeping temperatures around the average for the time of year. Numerous strong low-pressure

extratropical cyclone Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of p ...

s passing to the north of

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

dragged cold upper-level air down from the Arctic, but the anticyclone to the south of the United Kingdom deflected the coldest air away from the British Isles. On 23 November 1981, a

cold front A cold front is the leading edge of a cooler mass of air at ground level that replaces a warmer mass of air and lies within a pronounced surface Trough (meteorology), trough of Low-pressure area, low pressure. It often forms behind an extratropica ...

crossing the United Kingdom, fuelled by humid subtropical air from the south colliding with this colder Arctic air from the north, spawned 104 tornadoes as part of a record-breaking nationwide tornado outbreak. Following the passing of the cold front, the anticyclone to the south began to break down, allowing the colder Arctic air to move in over Great Britain and Ireland from the north and precipitating the start of the severe

at the start of December. The Central England Temperature region (CET) recorded a daily mean temperature of and a daily minimum temperature of , for December, the coldest December recorded in the 20th century. The CET region also reported its lowest minimum December temperature at on the 13th. The lowest temperature recorded in December was recorded in Shawbury, Shropshire on the 13th, and is the lowest December temperature recorded in England.

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

also recorded its lowest recorded December temperature during the cold wave, with a temperature of recorded at Corwen, Denbighshire also on the 13th. The lowest temperature recorded in the United Kingdom during the cold wave was recorded in Scotland with a temperature of recorded in

Braemar Braemar is a village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, around west of Aberdeen in the Highlands. It is the closest significantly-sized settlement to the upper course of the River Dee, sitting at an elevation of . The Gaelic ''Bràigh Mhàrr'' p ...

, Aberdeenshire on 10 January, and is the lowest temperature ever recorded in the United Kingdom. England also recorded its lowest temperature during the cold wave at which was recorded at Newport, Telford and Wrekin, also on 10 January.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1981-1982 United Kingdom cold wave 20th-century cold waves 1981 meteorology 1981 natural disasters 1982 meteorology 1982 natural disasters

Cold wave A cold wave (known in some regions as a cold snap, cold spell or Arctic Snap) is a weather phenomenon that is distinguished by a cooling of the air. Specifically, as used by the U.S. National Weather Service, a cold wave is a rapid fall in temp ...

Cold waves in the United Kingdom 1981 disasters in the United Kingdom 1982 disasters in the United Kingdom