the severe weather of december, 1944, to january, 1945

8
551.5062 (41/2) 551424.37 THE SEVERE WEATHER OF DECEMBER, 1944, TO JANUARY, 1945 By L. F. LEWIS, B.Sc. January, 1945, though cold, was not nearly so cold as the exceptionally cold January of 1940. Over the country generally, it was about as cold as January, 1941, and colder than February, 1942, though the latter month was colder on the whole in England. The months January, 1940, January, 1941, ,and February, 1942, were remarkable also, since they occurred in three successive winters. In the appendix to volume 55 of the Radcliffe Observations, monthly mean dry bulb temperatures at Oxford are given from 1815 to 1930. These observations have been carefully scrutinised by H. Knox-Shaw and J. G. Balk, and corrections applied to make them a s homogeneous a set as possible. From 1925 onwards, the mean has been calculated from the arithmetic mean of the mean maximum and minimum temperatures and a correction applied to bring them into line with values for previous years. During the long period from 1815-1945, monthly mean temperature at Oxford has been equal to or less than 32.7" F., the corrected mean temperature for January, 1945, during the following months :- January, 1815, 1820, 1823, 1829, 1830, 1838, 1879, 1880, 1881, 1895, and 1940. February, 1855, 1895, 1929, and 1942. December, 1874 and 1890. The coldest of these were January, 1838 (28.7"F.), January, 1940 {29.3"F.), February, 1855 (29.0°F.), February, 1895 (28.5"F.), and December, 1890 (29.3"F.). It is proposed to make some comparisons of the months February, 1895, January, 1940, and January, 1945. The three charts in Fig. 1 give the distribution of mean tem- perature over the British Isles reduced to mean sea level by adding 1°F for each 300 ft. of altitude during these three months. The charts for Febr,uary,'1895, and January, 1940, have been drawn from those given by J. Glasspoole (1944). The one for January, 1945, was prepared in the British Climatology Division of the Meteorological Office. Theisothermsaredrawnforevery2"F. and the partsleft unshaded show the areas where the mean temperature fell below 30°F. In February, 1895, this area covered practically all the inland districts of Great Britain. In Ireland there was no part where the mean temperature was below 30"F., but over a large central area it was below 32°F. Mean temperature was below 88°F. over the Grampians, the southern uplands and in sniaii scattered areas in England and Wales. In January, 1940, the areas with a mean temperature below 30°F. were not so extensive, while a mean of less than 28°F. was confined to a small area over Piorfolk. The cold of January, 1940, was relatively not so extreme in Scotland or Ireland as in England

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551.5062 (41/2) 551424.37

THE SEVERE WEATHER OF DECEMBER, 1944, TO JANUARY, 1945

By L. F. LEWIS, B.Sc.

January, 1945, though cold, was not nearly so cold as the exceptionally cold January of 1940. Over the country generally, it was about as cold as January, 1941, and colder than February, 1942, though the latter month was colder on the whole in England. The months January, 1940, January, 1941, ,and February, 1942, were remarkable also, since they occurred in three successive winters.

In the appendix to volume 55 of the Radcliffe Observations, monthly mean dry bulb temperatures at Oxford are given from 1815 to 1930. These observations have been carefully scrutinised by H. Knox-Shaw and J. G. Balk, and corrections applied to make them as homogeneous a set as possible. From 1925 onwards, the mean has been calculated from the arithmetic mean of the mean maximum and minimum temperatures and a correction applied to bring them into line with values for previous years. During the long period from 1815-1945, monthly mean temperature at Oxford has been equal to or less than 32.7" F., the corrected mean temperature for January, 1945, during the following months :-

January, 1815, 1820, 1823, 1829, 1830, 1838, 1879, 1880, 1881, 1895, and 1940.

February, 1855, 1895, 1929, and 1942. December, 1874 and 1890. The coldest of these were January, 1838 (28.7"F.), January, 1940

{29.3"F.), February, 1855 (29.0°F.), February, 1895 (28.5"F.), and December, 1890 (29.3"F.).

I t is proposed to make some comparisons of the months February, 1895, January, 1940, and January, 1945.

The three charts in Fig. 1 give the distribution of mean tem- perature over the British Isles reduced to mean sea level by adding 1°F for each 300 ft. of altitude during these three months. The charts for Febr,uary,'1895, and January, 1940, have been drawn from those given by J. Glasspoole (1944). The one for January, 1945, was prepared in the British Climatology Division of the Meteorological Office. Theisothermsaredrawnfor every2"F. and the partsleft unshaded show the areas where the mean temperature fell below 30°F. In February, 1895, this area covered practically all the inland districts of Great Britain. In Ireland there was no part where the mean temperature was below 30"F., but over a large central area it was below 32°F. Mean temperature was below 88°F. over the Grampians, the southern uplands and in sniaii scattered areas in England and Wales. In January, 1940, the areas with a mean temperature below 30°F. were not so extensive, while a mean of less than 28°F. was confined to a small area over Piorfolk. The cold of January, 1940, was relatively not so extreme i n Scotland or Ireland as in England

34 SEVERE IVEATHER OF DECEMBER 1944 TO JANUARY 1945

SEVERE WEATHER OF DECEMBER 1914 TO JAYUARY 1945 35

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SEVERE WEATHER OF DECEMBER 1944 TO JANUARY 1945 37

and Wales. The third chart for January, 1945, indicates clearly that over England and Wales this month was not nearly so cold as either of the others; in Cornwall, however, it was colder than January, 1940, but not so cold as February, 1895. In Scotland the difference in temperature in the January of 1940 and 1945 is small. In northern Ireland, mean temperature in January, 1945, was about as low as in January, 1940, but not so low as in February, 1895.

I n Fig. 2 isopleths of the absolute minimum temperature are drawn for the same three months. The unshaded portions show areas with a minimum temperature below O'F., and there is a 5-degree difference between the lines. In February, 1895, there were fairly large areas in Scotland, and a large area stretching across central England, with temperatures below 0°F. In January, 1940, there were areas in similar districts in Scotland with values below O'F., but they were not so large ; while in England and Wales the area with values below 0°F. did not extend so far east. In January, 1945, there was again an area below 0°F. over the Grampians, but none over the southern uplands, while in England the area was reduced to a very small one in Herefordshire. In northern Ireland, on the other hand, there was a small area below 5°F. and a fairly large area below 10°F. which are missing in January, 1940.

The table gives the weekly deviation from the average temperature in degrees Fahrenheit for the various districts of the British Isles.

A scrutiny of the values brings out very clearly that the six weeks' cold spell in 1945 was not nearly so severe as the cold spells of similar length in 1940 and 189.5, but the one week ending January 27th, 1945, was intensely cold, and colder over the country as a whole than any similar week in 1940, and nearly as cold as the coldest week in 1895. A thaw took place, however, a day or two later, and the opening days of February were comparatively mild. Another interest- ing point was the widespread nature of this cold spell : it covered the whole of the British Isles as it did in 1895. In 1940 the difference from the average for the week in Scotland, though great, was not so great as in England and Wales and north Ireland. The cold spell in the last week in December, 1944, occurred only in England, and was most pronounced in the southern half of the country and the Midlands.

Some notes about the coldest spell in January, 1945, may be worth considering :-At numerous stations the temperature remained at 32°F. or below for seven consecutive days. The thermograph at Whipsnade Zoological Park (720 ft.) showed that frost was continuous there for a period of 261 hours, from 13h. G.M.T. on the 19th to 10h. on 30th. The absolute minimum temperature a t Cardiff, 2°F. on the 26th, was the lowest registered there since records were first taken in 1904, and some remarkably low maximum temperatures u-ere also registered, for example, 18°F'. a t Tork and l5'F. a t Leeming on the 24th and 18°F. a t Hawarden on the 26th. There was considerable snowfall and by the 28th it was lying to a depth of nearly one foot in places. At Cardiff there was betvceen two and three feet on the 25th. In parts of Scotland there were drifts of 10 to 20 feet.

Some notes comparing the special features of the cold spells in the three years under discussion are given below :-

38 SEVERE WEATHER OF DECEMBER 1944 TO JANUARY 1945

1945 :--- (1) Copious deposits of rime occurred during the last week in

December, 1944, in England and a similar deposition of rime occurred over a wide area in the British Isles during the cold spell towards the end of January. [Slides were shown of photographs taken in Gloucestershire, Northern Ireland and Yorkshire.]

(2) Toboganning occurred throughout the country, and skating in some parts ; for example, Lincolnshire, Rridlington, London (Wimbledon, Hampstead and Hendon).

(3) Rivers were partially frozen :- ( a ) PtIr. R. G. Sandeman, the Observer a t Crickhowell,

reported pancake ice coming down the River Usk, with thick frost smoke rising. Ice formed all along the river sides, extending some 10 feet out in places.

(b ) In The Times of January 30th, there was a picture showing pancake ice on the Thames near Windsor.

(c) The River Tyne was frozen for miles of a tidal stretch from Scotswood to Ryton: also part of the Tees and a thin crust on the \$’ear.

(d) There were large blocks of ice floating in Folkestone Harbour. Notes (b) , (c) and ( d ) taken from T h e Times.

1940 :- (1) There was an exceptionally severe glazed frost a t the end of

January. On the Cotswolds, for example, trees, telegraph wires, etc., were broken down by the sheer weight of the enormous quantity of ice. [Slides were shown of photographs taken in Gloucestershire by S. Poulton and published in the Meteorological Magazine for February, 1940.1 There are also articles in the Quarterly J o w n a l for April, 1940, and the Meteorological Magazine for March, 1940. Mr. J. F. Nixon, of Micheldever, Hants., said : “ I think the most amazing sight of all was to see some pheasants which were unable to fly because their wings had become glued ! ” (Meteoro- logical Magazine, March, 1940.) A similar glazed frost was experienced in France (La Mitt’orologie, Jan.- June, 1940).

(2) There was a long spell of skating: it was reported in the April number of the Sussex County Magazine (P. C. Spink, 1940) that skating began at the end of December, 1939, and lasted five weeks. There was also skating on the Cherwell.

(3) Canals and rivers frozen :- ( a ) The Thames-Severn Canal a t Stonehouse, Glos. (b ) The River Parrett a t Bridgewater (see photograph in

Meteorological Magazine for April, 1940). (e) The River Cherwell was frozen for approximately five

miles. 1895 :--

February.

(1) Skating.

The following notes are extracts from a paper by

Rivers, lakes, ponds, etc., became frostbound. In Regent’s Park, skating was yermitted on the lak from January 9-13,

Bayard and Marriott in Q. I . , Vol. 21, 1895 :- .

CORRESPONDENCE A S D YOTES 3 9

and from January 29 to Narch 8 ; the ice was 10 inches thick on February 18. There was skating on the Serpentine from February 8-21.

(a) Cherwell. At Oxford, a coach-and-six was driven over the Cherwell. [Photograph was shown on the screen.]

( b ) Thames. From February 9-17, the whole river was more or less blocked with ice . . . it being quite impossible for full-powered steamers to force their way up or down except with the tide ; ice floes were six or seven feet. . . . (Capt. D. Wilson-Barker, of H.M.S. Worcester, off Greenhithe, supplied these notes.)

(3) Animal and vegetable life suffered. (u) Large numbers of rabbits, hares and game were frozen. ( b ) Deer left the forests in Scotland and came in herds to

the different farn-yards. (c) Many hardy shrubs perished.

(2) Frozen rivers.

I am indebted to the Director of the Meteorological Office for permission to publish this article and to use the data and photographs received in the office.

REFERENCES Bayard and Marriott. 1895 " The frost of January and February, 1895, over

the British Isles." Qiiavterly Journa l , 21, D 141.

Border, H. 1940

Botley, C. M. 1940

Cave, C. J . P. 1940

Dines, J . S., and 1940

Glasspoole, J 1944 Pattinson, J

London Meteorological 1940 Office

Sanson, J . 1940

" Th'e freezine of a tidal river." Meteorolotwal v

Magazane , 75, p. 55. " The great frost of 1939-40 in Sussex." Quarterly

Journal , 66, p. 215.

Journal, 66, p. 143.

AWagaz im , 75, p. 12 .

Isles." M . 0. fil., 45'2.

1o::iral Maguzine, 75, 11. 22 .

Lrr M&!orologie, p. 66.

'' The icestorm of January 27-29, 1940." Quurterls

" Glazed frost, January, 1940." Meteorological

" Variations of temperature over the British

" The glazed frost of January, 1940." Afeteovo-

" Les froids du mois de Janvier 1940 en Frznce."

551.594.223 Explosion or' a " fire ball " at Kamaran Island, Red Sea

We have received through the courtesy of the Governor of Aden a copy of a report from Mr. D. Thompson, Civil Administrator of Kamaran Island, with regard to the rare and alarming phenomenon of the explosion of a fire ball, or ball lightning, which occurred very close to his house at 0600 local time on Sovember 6, 1944. Mr. Thompson's report continues :-

" The fire ball, reddish in colour, was seen by hundreds of people approaching the island from due west. Unfortunattsly, at that hour I was not myself a spectator but all reports coincide and may be accepted as extremely accurate. According to eye witnesses the ball of fire, ball of gas or ball of lightning, as seen, was about twice the size of a ' rugger ' ball and similar in shape. I t was seen moving s10aly

40 CORRESPONDENCE AND NOTES

over an arc a t about 1000 f t . At the time there was both thunder and lightning and a slight drizzle of rain. As i t exploded there was a terrific roar and a blinding flash. Armed police on the parade threw themselves to the ground, The inhabitants were considerably alarmed and my personal experience and tha t of my servants was not without incident.

" Drinking my morning tea at 0600 L.T. the roar of the explosion was my first intimation ; this was followed by a very curious crack and flash outside my bedroom window. Simultaneously there was a clear ring very similar t o that obtained when striking a glass fingerbowl or tumbler with a knife. I went outside and found my servants in a mild state of panic and my old cook very badly shaken. Apparently, a shaft of lightning from the explosion struck the coral reef on which my cookhouse stands at a point 3 yards from the kitchen door and 6 yards from my bedroom window. i\ sheet of reddish flame entered the kitchen doorway, Several splinters of coral were picked up. On going to my bedroom I switched on the electric light and the fuse box burst into flames. I then discovered that the entire fuse system was out of order and several fan regulators were sparking and fusing dangerously. My wireless set which was switched off refused to function and later a broken connexion inside the set was discovered. The telephone exchange had to be disconnected to stop the bell ringing. Several electric bulbs in bungalows were found damaged and unserviceable.

" At first I considered that possibly a small meteorite had descended upon the island and that a fragment had dropped near my cookhouse. A close search in the area over which the explosion occurred did not reveal any splinters. The following day Squadron Leader R. Frith, R.A.F. Senior Meteorological Officer, Aden (on transfer), passed through Kamaran en route to England. I discussed tl-e matter with him and i t is in his opinion that I gave the conclusion reached that i t was a fire ball. He has asked me to submit a full report because he considers the incident t o be of such rare occurrence over land as opposed to similar incidents over seas and oceans tha t meteorologists all over the world will be interested to receive the details I have now given."

The Director of the Meteorological Office has sent the following note on the weather conditions prevailing a t the time, from S./Leader W. L. Andrew, Senior Meteorological Officer at -4den :

" The thundery conditions a t Kamaran appear to have been due to the passage of a weak cold front down the Red Sea. The front was a fairly active one in N. Egypt on 3rd November, 1944, but was obviously losing energy as i t moved S.E. and it cleared .\den on the 8th, giving cloud only. There was, however, an outbreak of showers at Socotra.

" Tephigrams for Aden for 7th and 8th show little change, though there was somewhat greater instability above after the passage of the front.

They appear to be held by the mountains to the north and to reach the south Arabian coast well east of here first, subsequently drifting down this way."

Kamaran Island, about 16 miles by 4, is situated in the Red Sea some 200 miles from its southern extremity and about 3 miles off the mainland of Arabia ; a description of meteorological conditions there was given in a paper before this Society by Mr. C. W G. Daking (Q.J. . 58, October, 1932. p. 441).

" Fronts reaching Aden seldom do so directly.