Colchester memories of snow in the city in pictures

Colchester had light snow just weeks ago but the last time the city experienced heavy snow was more than a year ago.

According to the Met Office, Colchester will see further cloudy and rainy outbreaks across the region over the Christmas period.

Beachy: beach huts in West Mersea in 2010 (Image: David Williams)

Despite snow not being predicted for the upcoming month, it’s great to look back at memories from snow days in previous years.

Some serious snow hit Colchester in January of 2010, which was said to have been the worst since 1979.

Highway: the A12 in 2010 (Image: Public)

Photographs in the Gazette archive show the thick snow and the fun and unique ways residents made the most of the conditions.

Highlights include an 11ft tall snowman built by neighbours in Tiptree and people of all ages out sledging across the city.

Creation: Tiptree neighbours Michael Sibley, Ricky Pulford, Joe Lee, Ben Ager, Wayne Smith and Charlotte Clarke 2010 snowman (Image: Public)

Four inches of snow fell on December 17 and a further six centimetres fell on January 6. Thick snow also fell in December 2017, and hilarious pictures show residents with their snow creations.

We also saw some heavier snow at the end of February 2018, covering parts of Colchester with four inches of snow.

Impressive: St John's residents with their giant snowman in 2017 (Image: Public)

Known as the Beast from the East, cold weather was blown in from Siberia and we saw sub-zero temperatures and chaos on the roads.

There was a 17-vehicle pile-up on the A120 and the majority of schools were closed except St John’s Green Primary School.

Slippery: a bus navigating the snow in North Hill in 2018 (Image: Public)

Icy: Colchester Castle Park in 2018 (Image: Public)

There was also a significant amount of snow in December 2020, it was short-lived however and the snow quickly turned to slush.

In February 2021, Storm Darcy blanketed Colchester and surrounding areas.

Artistic: snow in Great Tey in 2020 (Image: Belinda Trenfield)

The storm caused heavy snow and there were strong winds of up to 55mph. The 2021 storm was compared to the Beast from the East in 2018, with experts saying the air was not as cold.

More recently, in December 2022, gritters were out in full force and all flights were suspended at Stansted Airport.

Walks: snow in Colchester Castle Park in 2021 (Image: Emma Louise)Pawsome: dogs enjoying the snow in 2022 (Image: Public)

There was slow traffic along the A12 as snow fell across the county.

Snow is not in the upcoming forecast for Colchester as far as the Met Office is concerned and it is not known when it can next be expected.