It's time to batten down the hatches again - the weather warning has gone out and the big freeze is on its way. Our winters are usually very, very cold; but once in a while you get an especially cold season and that is what the weathermen are forecasting for 2005 _ which looks like it's going to see the biggest freeze since the winter of 1962/63. You may remember that particular year, it was not only really cold, but it seemed to last for months - in fact, looking at the records, it did. Your Evening Chronicle reported on the big freeze and continuous snowstorms all through November, December, January and February. It was so bad that two shepherds died in massive snowdrifts. As early as mid-November the Chronicle was carrying reports of Arctic blizzards, driven by 50mph winds, bringing chaos to the North East. Villages were fast being cut-off and motorists stranded. Ships were battling against the gales to make the safety of the Tyne, Wear and Blyth ports. Telephones were cut-off and electricity supply to villages were failing. By December 16 the region was being blasted with 100 mph gales, blowing roofs off buildings, and ripping up trees. As temperatures plummeted, Newcastle and Gateshead was hit by a giant traffic jam on December 28. Roads were paralysed for more than four hours. The cause was black ice under layers of slush. Football fans were disappointed as Newcastle's home match with Charlton was postponed because of the icy pitch and terraces. A pile-up on the A1 near Birtley involved 30 cars and five people were taken to hospital. One story, in January, reported that one of the worst blizzards of the winter had slowed traffic on Tyneside to a crawl after snowfalls of three to six inches. The RAC said the situation was chaotic and they couldn't cope with all the break-downs. "In some parts of Newcastle it is so bad that even our vans are getting into trouble. Outside the city it is even worse," said a spokesman. On the Gateshead side of the river cars couldn't get up the steep banks after crossing the bridges. "There isn't a clear road in the North East," said an AA spokesman. "Conditions are getting worse by the hour." Reports of crashes were coming into the police at an alarming rate. Out in the countryside, there were reports of a pack of killer dogs targeting flocks of sheep. The freeze-up and following thaw led to a massive water shortage as pipes began to burst. Water was delivered by lorry to villages, but Durham City ran out of water completely. On January 25, the whole of the North East dimmed because of a reduction in voltage. But 1962/3 was still not considered as bad as the winter of 1947 when villages were cut-off for weeks at a time. | 
Tyne Bridge Publishing
