Weather history: The Great Freeze of 1962-63

On this day we mark the anniversary of Britain’s Great Freeze of 1963, one of the coldest winters ever recorded in the country.

The frigid conditions began on Boxing Day of 1962 and persisted until March the next year. So why did we choose today specifically to mark the occasion? On February 25th 1963, temperatures dropped to -21°C, a record low at the time.

So severe was the cold that rivers, lakes, and some parts of the sea froze while 95,000 miles of roads were snowbound.

Freezing fog was also a hazard, and a 36-hour blizzard produced gale-force winds reaching 81 mph on the mainland and speeds of 119 mph on the Isle of Man.

Snow drifts were measured at 20 feet as telephone lines were cut, and power outages left communities stranded without any information on when conditions may change.

The cause of all this turmoil? On December 22nd 1962 a high-pressure system arrived in the north-east of Britain producing bitter winds across the country, and heavy snow remaining in place for the entire winter before a thaw finally arrived on March 8th 1963.