On Saturday 7th of January Channel 5 broadcast a programme called "The
Big Snow of '82" claiming "20ft drifts and giant icebergs floating down
the River Severn as the UK ground to a halt." I don't recall this at
all. I remember 1982, where I was and what I was doing. Of course there
was snow (common in the winter in those days) but nothing of note,
unlike the winter of 1962/3 which I also remember.

--
Max Demian

"Max Demian" wrote in message news:tphk8o$8fdl$2@dont-email.me...

>On Saturday 7th of January Channel 5 broadcast a programme called "The Big
>Snow of '82" claiming "20ft drifts and giant icebergs floating down the
>River Severn as the UK ground to a halt." I don't recall this at all. I
>remember 1982, where I was and what I was doing. Of course there was snow
>(common in the winter in those days) but nothing of note, unlike the winter
>of 1962/3 which I also remember.

I was only 4 so a bit light on detail. Living in S Wales valleys.

However I can remember snow up to our window sills, never before or since
Snow brought down the roof of the concert hall in Cardiff
Dad having to walk to the local phone exchange as he couldn't get the 12
miles to Cardiff and anyone who couldn't travel was deployed to nearest
premises

So pretty bad at least in S Wales/West. Think it's fair to say, nothing
like 1962/3, but fairly bad.

James

On 09/01/2023 05:52 pm, Max Demian wrote:

> On Saturday 7th of January Channel 5 broadcast a programme called "The
> Big Snow of '82" claiming "20ft drifts and giant icebergs floating down
> the River Severn as the UK ground to a halt." I don't recall this at
> all. I remember 1982, where I was and what I was doing. Of course there
> was snow (common in the winter in those days) but nothing of note,
> unlike the winter of 1962/3 which I also remember.

Oh no... the winter of early 1982 was a bad 'un.

We couldn't get out safely for nearly a week.

"Max Demian" <max_demian@bigfoot.com> wrote in message
news:tphk8o$8fdl$2@dont-email.me...
> On Saturday 7th of January Channel 5 broadcast a programme called "The Big
> Snow of '82" claiming "20ft drifts and giant icebergs floating down the
> River Severn as the UK ground to a halt." I don't recall this at all. I
> remember 1982, where I was and what I was doing. Of course there was snow
> (common in the winter in those days) but nothing of note, unlike the
> winter of 1962/3 which I also remember.

I was at university in Bristol. I measured temperatures of -13 deg C on the
windowsill outside my room. It would probably have been colder away from the
heat from inside going through the single-glazed window.

I don't recall large amounts of snow, just very cold. I remember thinking
that I might have to spend some of my precious beer money on getting the bus
to lectures rather than walking the 2 miles or so as I normally did.

On Tue, 10 Jan 2023 09:39:19 -0000, "NY" <me@privacy.invalid> wrote:

>"Max Demian" <max_demian@bigfoot.com> wrote in message
>news:tphk8o$8fdl$2@dont-email.me...
>> On Saturday 7th of January Channel 5 broadcast a programme called "The Big
>> Snow of '82" claiming "20ft drifts and giant icebergs floating down the
>> River Severn as the UK ground to a halt." I don't recall this at all. I
>> remember 1982, where I was and what I was doing. Of course there was snow
>> (common in the winter in those days) but nothing of note, unlike the
>> winter of 1962/3 which I also remember.
>
>I was at university in Bristol. I measured temperatures of -13 deg C on the
>windowsill outside my room. It would probably have been colder away from the
>heat from inside going through the single-glazed window.
>
>I don't recall large amounts of snow, just very cold. I remember thinking
>that I might have to spend some of my precious beer money on getting the bus
>to lectures rather than walking the 2 miles or so as I normally did.

I remember winter 1982. It was when my daughter was born. It wasn't particularly
cold in the Netherlands. The really cold winter was in 1978-1979, when the
IJsselmeer was frozen a metre thick and in N Yorks the road between Pickering
and Whitby was like driving in a canyon of snow. Prior to that the winter of
1969 in NL and 1962-1963 and 1947 1944 in UK.
--

Martin in Zuid Holland

On 10/01/2023 09:39, NY wrote:
> "Max Demian" <max_demian@bigfoot.com> wrote in message
> news:tphk8o$8fdl$2@dont-email.me...

>> On Saturday 7th of January Channel 5 broadcast a programme called "The
>> Big Snow of '82" claiming "20ft drifts and giant icebergs floating
>> down the River Severn as the UK ground to a halt." I don't recall this
>> at all. I remember 1982, where I was and what I was doing. Of course
>> there was snow (common in the winter in those days) but nothing of
>> note, unlike the winter of 1962/3 which I also remember.
>
> I was at university in Bristol. I measured temperatures of -13 deg C on
> the windowsill outside my room. It would probably have been colder away
> from the heat from inside going through the single-glazed window.
>
> I don't recall large amounts of snow, just very cold. I remember
> thinking that I might have to spend some of my precious beer money on
> getting the bus to lectures rather than walking the 2 miles or so as I
> normally did.

Wouldn't deep snow be as much (if not more) impediment to a bus as to
walking? Wasn't most of the snow during Christmas vacation?

I was living about a mile from Manchester University at the time, and
usually drove or cycled there. I also drove home (dahn saaf) for
Christmas. I don't recall *any* problem going where I wanted to go.

--
Max Demian

On Mon, 9 Jan 2023 17:52:25 +0000, Max Demian <max_demian@bigfoot.com>
wrote:

>On Saturday 7th of January Channel 5 broadcast a programme called "The
>Big Snow of '82" claiming "20ft drifts and giant icebergs floating down
>the River Severn as the UK ground to a halt." I don't recall this at
>all. I remember 1982, where I was and what I was doing. Of course there
>was snow (common in the winter in those days) but nothing of note,
>unlike the winter of 1962/3 which I also remember.

I remember the snow drifts making driving to work difficult. I had to
drive through the deep snow from my house to the M62 approach road.
The traffic on the motorway was down to about 20 MPH and so it took me
ages to get to work in Manchester. Driving home from Manchester wasn't
too bad.

On 09/01/2023 17:52, Max Demian wrote:
> On Saturday 7th of January Channel 5 broadcast a programme called "The
> Big Snow of '82" claiming "20ft drifts and giant icebergs floating down
> the River Severn as the UK ground to a halt." I don't recall this at
> all. I remember 1982, where I was and what I was doing. Of course there
> was snow (common in the winter in those days) but nothing of note,
> unlike the winter of 1962/3 which I also remember.
>

i would have been 9 and living in wales. i recall deep snow and
impassable roads, my brother and I trecked to a local shop where it was
known milk could be obtained to fill our schoolbags for ourselves and
our elderly neighbours. it did seem to last for quite some time,
everytime the roads were cleared the snow was dumped into the entrance
of our cul de sac causing great joy for the kids and unhapiness for the
parents who needed to get to work.

"Max Demian" <max_demian@bigfoot.com> wrote in message
news:tpjkar$hh9j$1@dont-email.me...
> On 10/01/2023 09:39, NY wrote:
>> "Max Demian" <max_demian@bigfoot.com> wrote in message
>> news:tphk8o$8fdl$2@dont-email.me...
>
>>> On Saturday 7th of January Channel 5 broadcast a programme called "The
>>> Big Snow of '82" claiming "20ft drifts and giant icebergs floating down
>>> the River Severn as the UK ground to a halt." I don't recall this at
>>> all. I remember 1982, where I was and what I was doing. Of course there
>>> was snow (common in the winter in those days) but nothing of note,
>>> unlike the winter of 1962/3 which I also remember.
>>
>> I was at university in Bristol. I measured temperatures of -13 deg C on
>> the windowsill outside my room. It would probably have been colder away
>> from the heat from inside going through the single-glazed window.
>>
>> I don't recall large amounts of snow, just very cold. I remember thinking
>> that I might have to spend some of my precious beer money on getting the
>> bus to lectures rather than walking the 2 miles or so as I normally did.
>
> Wouldn't deep snow be as much (if not more) impediment to a bus as to
> walking? Wasn't most of the snow during Christmas vacation?
>
> I was living about a mile from Manchester University at the time, and
> usually drove or cycled there. I also drove home (dahn saaf) for
> Christmas. I don't recall *any* problem going where I wanted to go.

Yes, *deep* snow would have been: the bus might have struggled up Blackboy
Hill [how long will that name survive in today's woke climate?] and there
could have been drifting across the road over the Downs.

But I said "I don't recall large amounts of snow" - there may have been
enough to make walking a bit more of a problem, but the main reason that I
contemplated walking was that it was f-ing freezing and 2 miles there and 2
miles back is a long way when your ears and face are icy cold.

I think I may have used the bus on a few days, but mostly I just walked -
and wrapped my scarf several times round my head.

On 09/01/2023 17:52, Max Demian wrote:
> On Saturday 7th of January Channel 5 broadcast a programme called "The
> Big Snow of '82" claiming "20ft drifts and giant icebergs floating down
> the River Severn as the UK ground to a halt." I don't recall this at
> all. I remember 1982, where I was and what I was doing. Of course there
> was snow (common in the winter in those days) but nothing of note,
> unlike the winter of 1962/3 which I also remember.

I don't recall the winter of that year specifically. But I remember
having a few feet of snow in our back garden a couple of times when I
was primary school age, one of which could well have been '82.

"Calum" <com.gmail@nospam.scottishwildcat> wrote in message
news:tpshl0$hm0$1@gioia.aioe.org...
> On 09/01/2023 17:52, Max Demian wrote:
>> On Saturday 7th of January Channel 5 broadcast a programme called "The
>> Big Snow of '82" claiming "20ft drifts and giant icebergs floating down
>> the River Severn as the UK ground to a halt." I don't recall this at all.
>> I remember 1982, where I was and what I was doing. Of course there was
>> snow (common in the winter in those days) but nothing of note, unlike the
>> winter of 1962/3 which I also remember.
>
> I don't recall the winter of that year specifically. But I remember having
> a few feet of snow in our back garden a couple of times when I was primary
> school age, one of which could well have been '82.

I can remember in the late 70s when I was in my teens, building an igloo on
my parents' front lawn by shovelling up snow and packing it into walls about
6" thick. It was big enough (area and height) to get inside. And that was
using the snow from a lawn that is probably about 20 feet square, so there
must have been a fairly deep covering of snow.

That same winter we went sledging on a hill nearby - all the kids were out
with their wooden or plastic sledges, or with makeshift binbag-sledges. We
went for a walk through a wood a few days later where there is a very long
and steep slope, and wished I had the sledge with me to join the other kids
who were hurtling down the hill.

I don't remember such long, deep snowfalls since then. A few years ago we
were living at my parents' holiday cottage in between selling our house and
finding a new one, and that is in a tiny hamlet in Wensleydale. Both roads
to the village involve going up or down fairly steep hills. I'd taken my car
in to the garage to get it repaired, and they had lent me a car in exchange.
Then the snow came and very quickly those hilly roads became too steep to
risk driving up or down, so I couldn't get out to return the loan car and
collect mine, for about a week. But looking at the depth of the snow on the
top of the car (I took a photo of a ruler in the snow) it was only about 9"
deep - nothing compared with the several feet I remember (occasionally) as a
child in Leeds.

On 10/01/2023 02:24 pm, Stephen Wolstenholme wrote:
> On Mon, 9 Jan 2023 17:52:25 +0000, Max Demian <max_demian@bigfoot.com>
> wrote:
>
>> On Saturday 7th of January Channel 5 broadcast a programme called "The
>> Big Snow of '82" claiming "20ft drifts and giant icebergs floating down
>> the River Severn as the UK ground to a halt." I don't recall this at
>> all. I remember 1982, where I was and what I was doing. Of course there
>> was snow (common in the winter in those days) but nothing of note,
>> unlike the winter of 1962/3 which I also remember.
>
> I remember the snow drifts making driving to work difficult. I had to
> drive through the deep snow from my house to the M62 approach road.
> The traffic on the motorway was down to about 20 MPH and so it took me
> ages to get to work in Manchester. Driving home from Manchester wasn't
> too bad.

Was that the same year that TV showed a current affairs programme which
depicted a closure of part of the Pennine M62 and the police catching a
driver who had driven down a slip road past the "Road Closed" signs?

After they had dealt with him and sent him on his way (however that
worked), one of the officers did a slide along the ice on the
carriageway for the cameras.