OTD: 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 25, 1963 temperatures dropped to -21 degrees Celsius, a record low at the time.

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

Freezing fog was also a hazard and a 36-hour blizzard produced gale-force winds reaching 81 miles per hour on the mainland and speeds of 119 miles per hour 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 22, 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 8, 1963.