Last white Christmas saw river freeze ‘for first time in 70 years’
WHITE Christmasses in Wales these days seem to be confined to the festive films we watch and greeting cards we send.
People of a certain age will tell of the great blizzard of 1947, which blanketed Wales in very deep snow and bone-chilling temperatures, while the last really significant snowfall came in the blizzard of January 1982.
Snow started falling on the evening of January 7,
and did not stop for 36 hours – Wales hasn’t quite matched it since for snowfall.
Deep drifts – sometimes up to 6m (19ft) high – caused schools to be closed for up to two weeks, and many remote towns and villages in Mid and South Wales were cut off, even the M4 was brought to a standstill.
These days you can probably count on one hand the amount of times we have had any snow in Carmarthenshire in the past two decades – let alone over Christmas
itself.
But there is one year, a decade ago to be precise which, while not on par with the blizzards of yesteryear, did bring a white Christmas and a cold snap to start the new year.
Snow started falling towards the end of November 2010, and continued on and off until January.
Carmarthen, along with much of West Wales, was a picture-perfect scene of snow.
However, one of the most startling sights was that of the River Towy
freezing over in the town, for what was believed to be the first time in 70 years.
Records show the river had frozen prior to that in 1940 and also in 1878 and 1860.
While the ice wasn’t as thick as those previous years – and certainly not able to be walked over – it was quite a sight to see the river packed across its surface.
It was something many had not seen before in their lifetime.
People gathered to see the icy river with clumps of snow and ice congealed along a stretch of river through the town.
Eager photographers, amateur and professionals alike, were quick to snap the rare scene, along with other parts of the town covered in the white stuff – which no doubt gave everyone a little extra festive tingle that year.
The ice finally started to break up and melt in midJanuary – but it wasn’t just Carmarthen that witnessed a rather rare phenomenon that Christmas and new year period.
Pendine Sands – famous for being the site of many land speed record attempts – appeared to have a frozen seashore in December 2010 and again in January as temperatures continued to hover around or below freezing.
With temperatures plummeting through most of the country in the early hours of January 29, Pendine village gained the unusual sight of a apparently frozen sea edge.
On average sea water starts to freeze at -2C, and temperatures exceeded that on many occasions that winter in the county.
Images of the beach were captured by the then Pendine Community Council chairman Simon Morris and beach warden Tony Gray.
Mr Morris said at the time: “It has been freezing along the tide line this week. We had it happen during the cold spell in December as well.
“It’s quite spectacular at the far end of the beach but does rely on the tides being right. The sea itself does not freeze, water comes onto the beach, some if it freezes and this frozen stuff is pushed into a line, very akin to how normal flotsam and jetsam accumulates on a tide line.”
The last decade has not seen much, if any, snowfall to write home about in Carmarthen itself and once again we are probably looking at a festive season for 2020 without snow, but will the River Towy ever freeze over again? It probably will at some point in the future, but whether that is next year, 20, 50 or in a 100 years’ time is anyone’s guess.