The Worst Scottish Winters
Scotland, being the northern-most part of the British Isles, tends to see worse winters than anywhere else in the United Kingdom. Snow-capped mountains are thus not an uncommon feature there from December to February, nor are scores of skiing tourists from both within the country and abroad. Yet while the average Scottish winter wonderland is a pleasant destination it can all too easily get out of hand. Suffice it to say that the following winters -- the worst that have occurred in known history – were anything but pleasant or enjoyable.
As Scotland is part of the UK it stands to reason that the worst UK winters have also been the worst Scottish winters by default. This is more or less correctly assumed. The winters of 1739-41 were among the worst still remembered, with heavy snowing and unusually cold temperatures lasting for unusually long periods. While the winters of 1947 and 1962-63 do not stand up to this record, they were the snowiest and coldest winters respectively in over a hundred years' time and wreaked considerable havoc throughout the country. These winters aside, however, Scotland has had its fair share of tough times in years during which the southern end of the Isles enjoyed comparatively mild weather.
The coldest winter in Scotland occurred in 1779-80. Temperatures were incredibly low and snowstorm after snowstorm hit various parts of Scotland, though the depth of snow was nowhere near the amount that was to come in later winters. Although the winters 1764-65, 1794-95, 1962-63 and 2009-2010 are also remembered as particularly cold winters – indeed, even rank among as the top five --they were nowhere near as intense as this one; never mind that in terms of schools, roads and other means of transport shutting down the winters in the nineteenth and twentieth century appears to have had a larger impact on the country as a whole. On the other hand they were all roughly equal to the coldest Scottish winter ever recorded in terms of snowfall, which in turn suggests that occurrences of extreme coldness and extreme amounts of snow not necessarily related.
If rated by snowfall, the worst Scottish winters occurred from the 18th century and on. The winters of 1851-1853 were particularly harsh in this respect. Heavy snowfall affected Scotland primarily and threatened to cut off railway links to the south on more than one occasion. Aside from damage to Scottish infrastructure, several lives were lost to blizzards all over the country. 1977-78 was not as stormy, but snowfalls occurred regularly from January to the end of February with huge drifts as a result.
Finally the winters of 1937-42, although hardly noted for their cold, featured sporadic heavy snowfall with intermittent periods of thaw and flooding. Even Wales and the Southwest of England suffered over the course of these winters, but never quite as badly as the north of England and Scotland, where a record number of snow shovels were sold across the region. A particularly fierce blizzard occurred in late January 1940, though insufficient data makes it difficult to say whether it was comparable to those of worse winters or simply blown up by popular opinion for seeming fiercer than other snowstorms at the time.
As Scotland is part of the UK it stands to reason that the worst UK winters have also been the worst Scottish winters by default. This is more or less correctly assumed. The winters of 1739-41 were among the worst still remembered, with heavy snowing and unusually cold temperatures lasting for unusually long periods. While the winters of 1947 and 1962-63 do not stand up to this record, they were the snowiest and coldest winters respectively in over a hundred years' time and wreaked considerable havoc throughout the country. These winters aside, however, Scotland has had its fair share of tough times in years during which the southern end of the Isles enjoyed comparatively mild weather.
The coldest winter in Scotland occurred in 1779-80. Temperatures were incredibly low and snowstorm after snowstorm hit various parts of Scotland, though the depth of snow was nowhere near the amount that was to come in later winters. Although the winters 1764-65, 1794-95, 1962-63 and 2009-2010 are also remembered as particularly cold winters – indeed, even rank among as the top five --they were nowhere near as intense as this one; never mind that in terms of schools, roads and other means of transport shutting down the winters in the nineteenth and twentieth century appears to have had a larger impact on the country as a whole. On the other hand they were all roughly equal to the coldest Scottish winter ever recorded in terms of snowfall, which in turn suggests that occurrences of extreme coldness and extreme amounts of snow not necessarily related.
If rated by snowfall, the worst Scottish winters occurred from the 18th century and on. The winters of 1851-1853 were particularly harsh in this respect. Heavy snowfall affected Scotland primarily and threatened to cut off railway links to the south on more than one occasion. Aside from damage to Scottish infrastructure, several lives were lost to blizzards all over the country. 1977-78 was not as stormy, but snowfalls occurred regularly from January to the end of February with huge drifts as a result.
Finally the winters of 1937-42, although hardly noted for their cold, featured sporadic heavy snowfall with intermittent periods of thaw and flooding. Even Wales and the Southwest of England suffered over the course of these winters, but never quite as badly as the north of England and Scotland, where a record number of snow shovels were sold across the region. A particularly fierce blizzard occurred in late January 1940, though insufficient data makes it difficult to say whether it was comparable to those of worse winters or simply blown up by popular opinion for seeming fiercer than other snowstorms at the time.
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