1937

Every year has something of note ... and in 1937 March was the coldest month of the "winter".

January. Cold. Temperatures stayed below freezing all day on the 29th in a snowstorm.

February. Most notable for a great blizzard on the 28th. Deep drifts across the west and north (12-13' in Nairn). Some drifts were reported to last throughout March. Mostly the month was mild and wet in the south; the wettest for 67 years in many areas, leading to flooding of the Thames valley. The severe weather started with a deep depression moving east on the 27th (974 mbars over Norfolk); another followed, strengthening the northerly winds. 107 mph recorded on Holyhead. Kew recorded 194mm of rain this month.

March. A cold month, with more heavy rain and snow following from February's, particularly in the first half. It was drier in the NW. On the first 14 inches of level lay at Macclesfield. There was severe flooding in the Fens midmonth; and a severe snowstorm in the north, affecting Scotland and Northern Ireland, from the 11-13th, and particularly on the 12th. March was the coldest month of the winter.

April. Very warm (9.2C CET) ‚ the warmest April of the 30s. It was however very dull in places in the east.

May. Dull and wet in the southeast and east, dry and sunny in Scotland, the NW of England, and Wales. Warm spell between the 23rd and 30th. 12 May was the Coronation Day of George VI, and it was largely cloudy, turning very wet (but at least not too cold).

June. A dry month, apart from some thunderstorms in the NW and Scotland.

July. A very dull month. Torrential rain on St. Swithin's Day (15th) as a result of thunderstorms over England. (I don't know what happened for the next 40 days.) In some places it was described as the worst day in many years. It happened as a cold front moving in from the Atlantic met a depression rising coming north from the Bay of Biscay. Many places across the south recorded over 50mm. Waltham-on-the-Wolds (Leics.) had 145mm, Boston (Lincs.) had 137mm, and Pensford (Somerset) had 106mm. Further to the east downpours were more localised depending on where the thunderstorms were. Stanstead had 68mm. Three thunderstorms affected Bristol, causing double flooding. There was flooding in Weymouth. Traffic disruption, power cut off, lightning damage.

August. Very dry, warm and sunny. 33C (92F) was recorded at Canterbury and Tunbridge Wells on the 7th.

September. Dry but on the cool side. However, the temperature reached 26C in north Wales and Lancashire on the 27th. It was very sunny 1st-7th and 26th-30th.

October. Dry, especially in Scotland. Quite a foggy month. It was dry across much of the country from the 2nd to 20th, when it turned more unsettled.

November. Dry and foggy. There were widespread fogs on 21 days this month. Mansfield (Notts.) recorded fog on 19 mornings.

December. The month had a cold first half, with frequent frost, and 50 cm of lying snow in places. A 105 mm of rain fell at Newport (IOW) on the 7th. On the 11th there was eleven inches of snow at Durham. There was a minimum of -21.7C at Braemar on the 13th - the lowest reading of the year (and indeed of the 1930s).