[summer '85]

January and February 1983 were very contrasting winter months. January 1983 was a very mild wet and sometimes a stormy zonal month, whilst February 1983 was a colder, frostier more blocked month

January 1983

 A succesion of Atlantic systems moved through the country during January and any dry interludes were brief. It was mild with temperatures reaching 12C somewhere everyday for the first 9 days. There were brief colder interludes behind fronts and some snow showers were reported in the north especially on the 7th, where 10cm of lying snow was recorded in central Scotland. The coldest spell of that month came around the 19th and 20th, where the Azores high was further north than usual and this allowed a cold northerly to come across the UK with snow showers in the north and the east. There was also a frost with Gatwick recording a minimum of -6.8C The milder weather soon returned and it was particularly mild on the 27th with London recording 15.1C

February

 There were severe west to northwest gales across the UK on the 1st and these introduced colder weather with some snow in the north. A ridge moved across the UK on the 3rd bringing clearer frostier weather. The next depression moved to the north of UK but instead of moving through Scandinavia it moved down to the Low Countries whilst a strong high moved into the central north Atlantic. This set up introduced a cold northerly to the UK and snow showers. As the high in the Atlantic began to tip towards the UK, the flow became increasingly easterly, so by the 8th many eastern counties were having snow showers with some heavy falls in Kent.
A front moving down from the north brought snowfalls and introduced a very cold northerly gale to Scotland with sub zero maxima. On the 11th, a warm front moving around the high and this introduced milder weather to Scotland and Northern Ireland but it was still colder to the south with snow showers and low maxima. Very gradually, the high in the Atlantic moved into Scandinavia and an easterly airstream was introduced to the UK.During the last of February, fronts moving into the SW introducing milder weather to the UK.

 

Data for the months
January 1983 CET: 6.7 (+3.1)
February 1983 CET: 1.7 (-2.0)

The drop in CET from January to February is the largest ever recorded.

January 1983 is 7th mildest January ever recorded
February 1983 is joint 44th coldest February ever recorded

The first half of January 1983 was warmer than the first half of April 1983

January 1983 CET mean max: 9.3
February 1983 CET mean max: 4.3

January 1983 CET mean min: 4.0
February 1983 CET mean min: -1.0

Mildest CET daily maximum day in January: 13.3   5th
Mildest CET daily maximum day in February: 10.4  26th

Coldest CET  daily maximum day in January: 5.2  19th
Coldest CET  daily maximum day in February: 1.0 10th

Coldest CET daily minimum night in January: -2.5 20th
Coldest CET daily minimum night in February: -5.8  4th

 8th-23rd February: 0.3

Heathrow
Jan mean max: 9.7     Jan mean min: 5.0
Feb mean max: 5.4    Feb mean min: 0.2
Jan air frosts: 3          Feb air frosts: 19
Jan falling snow: 2      Feb falling snow: 10

Elmdon
Jan mean max: 8.9    Jan mean min: 4.3
Feb mean max: 3.9   Feb mean min: -1.1
Jan air frosts: 3         Feb air frosts: 22
Jan falling snow: 4    Feb falling snow: 11

Manchester
Jan mean max: 8.4   Jan mean min. 4.3
Feb mean max: 4.7   Feb mean min: 0.1
Jan air frosts: 2         Feb air frosts: 18
Jan falling snow: 4    Feb falling snow: 12
 

11th February 1983
http://www.one2one-development.com/uploads/fitzwilliam/mainsite/Old%20Photographs/fitz-hotel-11th-feb-1983.jpg