Temperatures fall to -13C as Northamptonshire hit by Arctic blast
WEATHER watchers were sent scrambling for the record books this weekend as temperatures in Northamptonshire dropped to -13C, with the county hit by th bitter Arctic chill.
Official meteorological recording equipment at Pitsford Hall weather station captured an overnight low of -13C on Saturday, meaning people were left to wrap up warm and contend with the second coldest February morning in 95 years.
Weather expert Mike Lewis said calm conditions, combined with snow on the ground, had seen temperatures plummet. He said: “It certainly took me by surprise when I woke up on Saturday. I was expecting a low of minus four or five but it was one of the coldest mornings we have ever recorded at Pitsford.
“The county woke to the coldest February morning since 1986 and the second coldest since 1917. A low of -13C was recorded at Pitsford with freezing fog and rime creating a classical winter landscape.
“A low of –15.4C was recorded in the February of 1986 and in the February of 1917 temperatures fell to –13.8C. S now still lies on the ground at Pitsford, but this is expected to thaw over the next few days as milder air is introduced from the north.”
The Hope Centre in Ash Street, Northampton, opened its doors to 18 homeless men and women on Friday night as the cold set in. Volunteers at the centre offer homeless people food and a place to stay overnight when the temperatures drop below freezing.
Manager Richard Appleby said: “It’s vital that people who have nowhere to stay, for whatever reason, have somewhere to come in temperatures like these. We lose people on the streets every year and with weather like this it’s a great programme to help the homeless.”
Several Chron readers braved the cold to send in photos of thermometers in their gardens, with Elizabeth Dyke in Roade recording a reading of -12C, the coldest she has ever seen.
Charities urged people to check on the welfare of elderly neighbours in the cold snap while bin lorries were still trying to clear the backlog of roads which have not had their rubbish collected due to the snow and ice.
The temperature was expected to rise to around 6C in some parts of the county today, according to weather reports from Pitsford.
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Weather for Northampton
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: East
Comments
There are 5 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
Kingsthorpe Chap
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 10:38 AMIt was coldest day I spent at work wasn't fun standing on standing on a railway station platform
lady muck
Monday, February 13, 2012 at 11:25 PMyears ago I had a freezer in the garage. The thermostat was set to minus 14 and the temperature was minus 15, so minus 13 is toasty..
willi eckaslyke
Monday, February 13, 2012 at 04:51 PMThen of course, there's 'scotch mist' - plenty of that around these parts.
Finker
Monday, February 13, 2012 at 12:11 PMDunners, you are being a bit literal, you can use Arctic to describe very cold weather even if it is not from that region. If you want something that is misused try indian summer.
Dunners1
Monday, February 13, 2012 at 09:08 AMThe Arctic is to the North of the UK. This cold air has originated from continental Europe after coming from Russia so maybe not quite an Arctic blast but in any event in was feeling Baltic on Saturday morning. Colder than December 2010 and that was cold enough! Any way its 'warming up this week' - maybe up to 7c!
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