My Weather Diary of February 2013
Entry posted by A Winter's Tale
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1st February: It is now the final month of winter as the days are noticeably longer than they were a month ago. This winter has seen a cold first half of December followed by an unsettled second half full of flooding problems then the New Year arrived and the first third of January was very mild, the SSW contributed to quite a significant and prolonged cold spell before a return to floods, rain and wind to finish January. We've completed one chapter of the year in weather and it will be interesting to see what this month bring to the weather of 2013 aswell as the conclusion of the winter 2012/2013. This winter, December was below average in Scotland and January probably will be close to average so it's all to play for in February to complete winter jigsaw - will it end up below average? Well, traditionally the atlantic is quieter at this time of year and some may argue that February is the coldest month whilst others beg to differ with regards to increased sunlight. It's been a while since we've seen a notably cold February. Last year, it was quite a cold first third but a notably mild period thereafter, 2011 was also on the mild side in the cold winter of 2010/11 and in 2010, February was a cold one overall in Scotland but didn't stand out. And 2009 saw a significant cold spell in the first half before mild and wet conditions took control. Well, here in Glasgow and surrounding areas of the central belt, temperatures were around average, as of 11.20pm max/min was 7/0C with an air frost to start the month. There was some rain in the morning but northerly winds pushed bands of precipitation/cloud southwards and skies cleared in the afternoon with some wintry sunshine and it is now obvious that dusk is about an hour later than it was a month ago. A lovely, cold, calm evening with a fantastic starry and clear night sky with a frost forming on cars. The cold air has fed further south and temperatures are around/below freezing. There was some snow showers in parts of northern Scotland today and these should continue overnight aswell as down eastern parts of England and some areas could wake up to a covering. A widespread air frost and a super saturday with glorious winter sunshine for many, just a few snow showers in a northerly wind and temperatures distinctly seasonal at around 2 to 6C. Milder and wetter conditions should arrive on Saturday night from NW, rolling ontop of an area of high pressure in the Atlantic but with low pressure centred to the north of Scotland, cold and strong westerly winds early next week could bring some severe gales and heavy snow showers to Scotland in a polar maritime airmass and these can really deliver. This makes for an active and seasonal start to the week followed by a northerly wind on Wednesday. There is real uncertainty beyond mid next week with regards to developments of a key player - Canadian Vortex - but there could be fluctuating mild and cold spells which makes for a changeable and varied theme but in this case, it's very hard to call and there is a likelyhood of a different pattern altogether to emerge. It's all up in the air for February.
2nd February: A cold day with maximum temperature of 5C in the early afternoon and a low of -4C at Glasgow airport before dawn. So seasonal temperatures for the second day of February and there was some glorious sunshine and blue skies here and across the UK. Feeling chilly in the northerly wind and there was some snow showers down eastern parts of England and northern Scotland which soon died away. A starry sky following dusk but cloud cover has increased from the west with a milder sector toppling over high pressure and arriving from the north west. The temperature is rising and there should be some wet weather overnight, much milder then a drier interlude tomorrow before another front sweeps the country. Then, with low pressure to the north, cold and strong westerly winds arrive on Monday with possible blizzard conditions across parts of Scotland. And the cold weather continues for the first part of the week and this makes for a cold, seasonal start to February with some pleasant conditions such as today aswell as active and interesting weather for the start of next week. For the remainder of the week and it is still all to play for but there's a fair chance of it staying cold, synoptic details and patterns are yet to unfold so watch this space.
3rd February: 4C in the very hours was the minimum temperature as a front brought rain overnight and milder temperatures with a maximum of 9C. The rain overnight was quite heavy, eventually cleared and there was some pleasant conditions in the afternoon for a time with clear intervals and some sunshine. However, inevitably cloud cover increased in the evening and rain soon followed with the arrival of another front. However once this clears, the polar westerlies should mean that temperatures drop but there'll be a strong wind and plenty of wintry showers tomorrow and lasting into Tuesday before the flow turns to a northerly making for a notable presence of cold weather early in the month. There's real uncertainty and mixed signals about what will folllow, synoptically it's incredibly hard to call but a cold theme could prevail but how cold and whether it's the form of cold zonality or high pressure or whatever remains to be seen.
4th February:
Well, the day started mild with temperature of 9C in the early hours but cold air in the polar westerly flooded in and showers in the morning readily turned wintry with a mix of everything plus strong winds making it feel cold. Some sunshine inbetween with the impressive structure of cumulonimbus clouds also visible. There was some mini blizzards as the day went on, widespread snow showers across Scotland and this first snowfall here this month. There was a dusting through the evening but from around 10pm there has been an incredible snowfall, almost blizzard like intense snowfall here which has lead to a depth of around a cm and the first proper winter wonderland scene since 2nd/3rd December 2012. And there is lightning right now thundersnow. Excelllent winter's weather more updates tomorrow, god knows what it will be like but I'm very satisfied.
5th February:
I woke up to a proper and fine covering of snow this morning, on confirmed depth but it was around 2-4cm which is a similar depth to the event earlier this winter on the 2nd/3rd of December. Certainly it was the second proper lying snow event of the winter, which equals last winter but they all occured before Christmas 2011 whereas this time it's more balanced and it's probably overall been a better winter this year. Another thing of note is that it may have been the best February snowfall here since 2009. There were further snow showers overnight, some whiteouts I believe and snow lying vertically on some walls with the westerly wind and stars visible in the tranquility of the night sky between showers. However, despite the success of having a significant snowevent with lying snow for around 12hrs, the temperatures did rise in the morning and precipitation turned to rain and there was an impresssive thaw of all the snow in a short space of a time. There was some heavy rain/sleet as a front crossed Scotland and the sunshine and blue skies appeared afterwards making for quite pleasant conditions and temperatures reaching a maximum of 7C. Minimum today was 0C. A pleasant clear wintry dusk as the stars came out. Some rain this evening as a front clears southwards and colder northerly winds arrive, further snow for parts of the country but it will probably stay dry and cold here, temperatures around 3-5C by day and some air frosts, so fairly seasonal conditions all in all. Some fronts make enrodes later in the week with the potential for further snowfall, possible height rises over Scandinavia puts the spanner in the works and it's a messy and unclear situation beyond 4/5 days but as ever, it's always something to look forward to finding out how everything pans out. Certainly, the month has got off to a good start weatherwise with variable, seasonal, at times wild and pleasant conditions aswell as a very decent snow-event and other interesting types of weather.
6th February:
Maximum temperature of 6C and a minimum temperature of -2C so far. It was a lovely winter's day with plenty of fantastic sunshine lighting up the entire area and wonderful blue skies and scattered clouds. It's now obvious that the days are getting a little longer now but dusk certainly still has that renowned wintry atmosphere to it with the evening stars emerging, the super blending of colours as darkness nears and some thin and small clouds scattered across the sky with the orange glow of the city. It felt cold in the northerly wind that brought some snow showers down eastern parts of England and Scotland. A brilliant winter's night here with a crystal clear, starry night sky. Tomorrow will be a cold day, should be another air frost and temperatures will struggle to reach above 3C. A band of precipitation moving in from the west could bring a spell of snow to western and central parts in the evening. Staying on the chilly side with temperatures around 5/6C, some sunshine aswell as fronts edging towards the country during the next few days and maybe some snow in the weekend. The picture beyond is still far from certain but I'm hopeful that a clearer picture of the overall theme beyond the weekend will appear over the coming days.
7th February:
A very benign and quiet day with grey, overcast skies but feeling cold with no sunshine and temperatures reaching 5C, minimum of 0C at Glasgow airport. Mostly dry but there may have been a little bit of rain from the patchy remains of a front moving in from the west. Quiet conditions over the coming days, but Sunday is looking interesting with potentially a significant snowfall in parts of the British Isles. A Scandinavian high introduces an easterly flow for the start of next week but Sunday's events is even uncertain so details will change but I would think that there is the potential for further seasonal conditions to be extended into next week.
8th February:
It was a cold start with a minimum of 0C. It was brighter in the morning and early afternoon with some thin cloud cover but it got more overcast as the afternoon and evening went on with another weak front bringing a spell of rain this evening and it is currently overcast and the ground is damp. After a maximum of 7C, a milder night is on course with cloud cover and more of an atlantic influence - colder and brigter further east. This weak front should hang around through tomorrow, temperatures shouldn't increase by much during the day then another front intially bringing a spell of rain to western parts of the British Isles will turn to snow on Sunday with widespread and distruptive snowfall. The exact positioning will change but it seems like the front may not reach as far north-east as the Clyde-Forth valley but eastern areas could see some snow showers on Sunday and into the early part of next week with an easterly wind. The seasonal theme does continue, Scandi high firmly set-up and should persist through next week but I suspect we'll see a battleground situation and as a result there is very little confidence beyond 7 days.
9th February:
Average temperature wise at 5/3C, and benign and quiet weatherwise with overcast, grey days for pretty much all of today and the best part of the past few days as a result of the presence of a weak weather front that has brought some light rain and drizzle this evening. It's meant to be a little colder tomorrow and into the start of next week, frontal snowfalls is set to affect parts of British Isles such as northern England but the front may not make much progress across Scotland but there could be some snow present across parts of Scotland during the next 24-36hrs or so. A breakdown on Wednesday could result in another snow event. A synoptic battle is set to continue into next week and beyond and as I said last night there's very little confidence - anything is possible and as ever it's always intuiging to see how chapters of our weather evolves and unfolds.
10th February:
Slowly but surely, this morning the precipitation turned to snow and it stayed as snow for a good few hours at least but no accumilations here with the ground already wet. Snow did settle at slightly higher elevations and it was very white on the Campsie Fells. The precipitation however turned to rain/sleet. Temperatures are now as high as it has been all day with todays high/low at Glasgow airport being 4/1C. Anyway here it has been the 3rd day of snow this month. It's also snowing in a number of parts of England aswell and this may continue into tomorrow before dying out. A few cold days to start next week before another front moves in from the west and should fall as snow initially at least. Thereafter and it's a right old synoptic mess.
11th February:
After overnight rainfall it cleared up for a time early in the morning. Later in the morning and throughout the evening and afternoon it was fairly bright with the skies alternating between partly cloudy and scattered clouds but now it's starting to get clearer once more. A seasonal day once more temperaturewise at 5/2C as of 11pm. Some snowfall earlier across parts of eastern England and the Midlands with the remains of the front and there was some accumilations in a number of places. A cold night to come and day tomorrow with an easterly wind and a few snow showers in eastern areas. Then a front arriving on Tuesday night and early on Wednesday morning will start as snow and there could be snowfall across Scotland and northern England for more than 6 hours and there is the potential for significant accumilations before it turns back to rain. Less cold for a bit afterwards and it's still uncertain but there is a suggestion of high pressure being close to the British Isles.
12th February:
Another cold day with max/min of 4/1C but generally cloudy with a south easterly flow and quite murky conditions and there was a little snow flurry in Bearsden in the morning. Tonight a front arriving from the west should fall as snow and across the central belt there could be 2-4cm before it turns to rain around lunchtime and quite a wet and windy afternoon and evening to follow. Brighter but less cold following the front and it could stay less cold for a while.
13th February:
Today saw by far the best snowfall of the winter with a depth of 7cm in the early afternoon and the last time this region experienced such an event and depth was probably in that very famous spell of late November and early December 2010. Today's snowfall was the 15th of the winter, and the 4th this month. It was also the third event that brought depths of atleas an inch but on this occasion is was 3 inches. A cold start with temperatures close to freezing before the front arrived around 4am. I woke up at 20 to 6 and saw a decent covering of snow and the very orange sky. I soon fell a sleep again and woke up to further snowfall and an improved depth at 8am and by this stage the depth was around 3cm. The snowflakes weren't large but fine small flakes, and they were coming down at a fair rate and the temperature stayed close to freezing and fluctuated in the morning. After an hour I thought that the temperature had increased as the snow depth had not increased by much but the precipitation turned heavier and the temperature dropped and the snow depth increased during the late morning and early afternoon. I went on plenty of walks enjoying the winter wonderland. The trees and roofs were absolutely covered in snow with mini avalanches, the main roads weren't treated well with plenty of slush and some cars struggled and the minor roads were very poor to drive on. The snow peaked at 7cm and the depth was consistent on just about all surfaces as everything was buried. Then some larger snowflakes fell in the afternoon but the flakes were wetter and this was followed by ice pellets and then rain. And the rain was heavy too but the decent snow cover in Bearsden remained into the evening and now although I can't see much I believe there is still lying snow on atleast some surfaces. Some really heavy rain in the evening too. The snow was also fairly widespread across the northern half of the UK and across other parts of Scotland depths at fairly modest elevations were even higher than here. Certainly, a very impressive snowfall and snowcover. In early December this winter, the notable snowfall and decent lying snow was already in the bag and has kept the run of winters that have delivered decent snowfalls since 2009. But this was on a level higher than other two notable lying snow events and is on the same line as the best snowfalls of 2009 and 2010 and also 2011. It was a shame that the cover couldn't last longer but the significance of today's event is all that matters and has improved what has been a decent winter up to now. Compared to some recent February's, this year has certainly delievered very well interms of snow. Now tomorrow will be brighter and less cold but the possibility of showers from the westerly wind before a ridge of high pressure moves in on Friday. And there is a suggestion of a Scandinavian high in around 7 days time which makes for an interesting end to this decent winter and possibly heralding a cold start to Spring. This winter and start to 2013 will be interesting to look back on later this year - considerably better than 2012 interms of both falling and lying snow. [url="http://forum.netweather.tv/gallery/album/1281-snowfall-13th-february-2013/"]http://forum.netweat...-february-2013/[/url]
14th February:
There was still a covering of snow into the small hours but I would imagine that the depth wouldn't be much more than a cm. Just about all the snow was gone by morning. A milder day at 8/6C but also a brighter day with some pleasant spells of late winter sunshine but skies were changeable with shower mostly to the north and west of Glasgow but there were some regular sunny showers during the day and some heavier showers in the evening but they cleared pretty quickly. Skies during the evening was mostly cloudy but the stars and the moon was visible through the gaps and the thinner cloud cover. A sunny day tomorrow, possibly a few wetter and windier days here in the north west of the British Isles afterwards and then during the middle of next week there could be a return to colder conditions.
15th February:
There was some lovely Spring-like sunshine and blue skies at times today. There was a little bit of rain in the afternoon and it became more overcast in the afternoon and into the evening. But looking out right now it's a calm night with a layer of cloud that's thin enough to see through it and not too long ago a good proportion of the sky was clear with stars visible. Maximum of 10C earlier, minimum of 2C recently. Maybe some fog and a touch of frost during the coming days, maybe a spell of rain in the weekend across northern areas and some cloud cover associated with it. Then during the middle of next week, a Scandinavian high looks set to deliver cold easterly winds to the British Isles.
16th February:
A mostly cloudy day with some overcast and fairly dull conditions. Very quiet after a cold start with a low of 2C. Temperatures reached a high of around 9C and have stayed at around 8C throughout the evening. There was a period with clear patches allowing for the dusk to be visible but right now it's again overcast and quiet. The quiet theme should continue for quite a few days to come, possibly some brightness for the next few days in the west of Scotland and certainly in other areas, but during next week it may be more overcast and also colder with easterly winds.
17th February:
A brilliant day. Fantastic and glorious sunshine and clear skies with just a few cirrus clouds and haze. Went for a drive down the coast of the Firth of Clyde past Largs and towards Irvine and it was a super sunset over the water and after dusk, this evening has been cold with a current low of 1C and a crystal clear night sky with the moon and stars visible. It very much felt like early Spring with a high of 10C, but during the coming days it should be colder and progressively cloudier.
18th February:
Another brilliant late winter/early spring day. A very cold start, a minimum temperature of -5C was the coldest temperature at Glasgow airport since the first half of December. As the days are longer now and the sun is a bit stronger too, the temperature does rise fairly quickly and reached a maximum of 8C which is fairly typical of this time of year but certainly it's much brighter now and the sunshine and totally clear skies (other than some haze and cirrus) made for a stunning day and it's wonderful to see the moon and evening stars coming out at dusk and then the fantastic moonlit and starry night that soon follows. A very cold evening with the temperature dropping after sunset and temperatures are at -3C at Glasgow airport and another cold night is on the cards. There could be quite a few more air frosts during the final period of February. A very dry and settled conclusion is also likely but it may be quite overcast after tomorrow. Perhaps there might not be another snowfall before the 28th but this month and indeed the winter as a whole has done alright with snow.
19th February:
Another stunning day. This morning was one of the coldest of the winter so far with a minimum of -7C. However the temperature rose quickly when the sun was up to a maximum of 8C in the early afternoon and it was another glorious day with crystal clear skies and it is evident that despite it is still winter, we have well and truly progressing into Spring. However, this evening a cold front moving in from the north sea saw a wave of cloud cover makes progress from the east and the moon and evening stars became more faint before being covered. Temperature now hovering at 5C and tonight will probably be the mildest for a while. About half of the sky has cloud cover in the form of scattered clouds with clear patches. Quite a calm night. Staying settled, cold and possibly on the cloudy side for the coming days.
20th February:
Quite cold overnight with a low of 2C and some clear skies at times in the early hours. But it was generally cloudy and benign today but during the evening sky became clearer and now the temperature is currently below freezing - now -1C at Glasgow airport after a max of 6C. It's also a crystal clear, calm and starry night too. The cold conditions are set to continue for the coming days and this may well contribute to a cold enough finish to the season that may result in the winter 2012/2013 being below average overall. This winter has been alright/quite good and then it's onto Spring, starting with March which can be very wintry month in the transition to Spring.
21st February:
Another cold and clear start with a minimum of -3C. It turned a bit cloudier later and has stayed mostly cloudy ever since whilst the maximum temperature was 4C. A cold couple of days to come as the settled theme continues and now there are signs of a northerly blast for the start of March.
22nd February:
A quiet day with benign conditions and mostly overcast skies but felling very cold in the wind. The temperature rose from a low of 0C to a high of 3C which is the lowest of the month so far. Currently cloudy and cold. There was some snow flurries in eastern parts of England and the risk of snow continues into the weekend. The cold, seasonal and settled conditions look set to continue for at least the next 5 days and this could result in this winter ending up below average overall. It has been a pretty decent winter, and there is the potential for a continuation of wintry and seasonal weather for the start of Spring. I'm certainly looking forward to March and the transition of the seasons. It's a magical, special and transitionary period of the year.
23rd February:
-1C minimum temperature overnight and there was a light snow shower here aswell as light snow showers in various other parts of the British Isles thanks to an easterly wind. A lovely winter's day it turned out to be in the afternoon and evening with mostly clear skies other than some scattered clouds across parts of the sky. Fantastic sunshine and sunset and I went for a drive down the coast of the Clyde and through northern Ayrshire into Renfrewshire. The dusk sky reflected against the water and the outline of the mountains and islands standing out against the sky was marvelous aswell as bright moon and the stars that soon followed. Colder where the sky was clearer further west, but it was a chilly evening back in the central belt and greater Glasgow area but later in the evening and right snow it's now overcast. There could be some snow showers making progress through the Forth-Clyde valley tomorrow and if it does snow it maybe the last of the meteorological winter. Certainly, today's snowfall was a surprise with the last snowfall being on the 13th earlier this month. A cold and dry end to the winter seems likely. March could possibly start on the cold side.
24th February:
The settled and chilly theme continued today as eastern parts of Scotland woke up to some snow, with an inch of lying snow in some places. I believe that there may have been some snow flakes here earlier this morning which should surely be the last of the winter. Skies alternated between cloudy and bright, crystal clear, partly cloudy with clear intervals and overcast. A cold start with a low of -3C, the 15th day with an air frost this month. The temperature in the afternoon however did rise to a maximum of 6C. Quite a calm night with mostly clear moonlit and starry sky. Temperature already below freezing at Glasgow airport so there could be at least a few more days with an air frost before the month is out and the settled theme should continue into the start of March.
25th February:
A glorious day. After a very cold and frosty morning and a low of -4C, the stronger sun as we enter Spring resulted in temperatures rising to a max of 8C making for typical early Spring conditions. But it was a super day with stunning sunshine and clear blue skies which made the entire land look magnificent from sunrise to sunset. A cold evening with a clear, bright moon and stars, very calm and very little clouds, Now there is some cloud cover but another cold night should follow and the settled and chilly theme looks set to continue.
26th February:
Another glorious February day here and across much of Scotland. A chilly start with a minimum of 0C at Glasgow airport but much lower in the highland glens. But in this stage in the season, in the sunlight the temperature quickly rises and today the maximum temperature was 9C. But it was the wall to wall sunshine and clear, blue skies that made for another spectacular day of late winter/early Spring weather. A fantastic dusk with a wintery look to it: an orange haze on the horizon to the west, a sharp tint of light blue whilst to the east darkness rolls in aswell as the stars and a very large full moon. Certainly there is still a wintry element but the more hours of daylight and maximum temperatures rising towards 10C certainly puts into context that we are very much at the end of winter and are well into the transition into Spting. It's been a fairly decent month so far and the recent spell of sunny and dry weather may continue into tomorrow. It should also stay settled for the coming days and into the start of March.
27th February:
And today was another fantastic day here and across much of Scotland. A chilly start at 1C C and some fog but there was wall to wall sunshine and blue skies after noon which made it another outstanding day in this spell of stunning late winter weather. There is still elements of winter with cold mornings and evenings that still look and feel like winter, very wintery looking sunset and colours too, but there also elements of early Spring including longer days, dusk now later in the evening and the temperature rises very quickly in the sunshine and today the maximum was 10C. Anyway, the characteristics put into perspecitive that we are at the final stage of winter and we're now at a cross-over point into Spring. Eariler I went on a fantastic run up the eastern shore of Loch Lomond. An outstanding winter sunset and colours and the loch looked amazing with a perfect reflection. Some patches of snow on the mountains. And after sunset, in the evening it becomes dark very quickly with the stars coming out. A cold evening with a current low of -1C, the 18th day with an air frost this month and 10th in a row Some dense freezing fog outside just now with the moon visible. Certainly a unique time in the year for weather as winter draws to a close and this opens the door to remarkable rituals, colours, characteristics and scenes at this stage in the season. It's been a very settled end to an interesting winter. And quite possibly a settled start to March. As always, it'll be enjoyable to see how the weather this year evolves and it'll be fun to look back at various periods of weather of the year. This current one has been very good and it'll be fascinating to see what follows next as we enter early Spring and follow the continued transition of the weather, daylight and nature.
28th February:
The final day started with an air frost and some dense freezing fog that lasted up until lunchtime. Today was the 19th day with an air frost this month. Once the fog lifted it was sunshine and blue skies. However, a weak front moving south resulted in cloudy skies moving in pretty quickly in the afternoon. Albeit, quite thin cloud cover with some small pockets of clear sky but it was noticeably duller. Temperature rising to around 9C with Spring around the corner. Right now, a mosaic of thin cloud cover and clear patches. A calm night to finish winter. It has indeed been a much better winter compared to 11/12 in many respects but far from a classic and far from a disapointment. Overall this winter was quite decent/alright. It started with a cold spell in early December, with around 13 or so consecutive days with an air frost. There was a heavy snowfall on the night of the 2nd/3rd which dumped around and an inch of snow which stayed on the ground for a few days. A brief less cold spell was followed by a very cold and settled spell before midmonth with the coldest day of the year/winter with max/nin of 0C/-8C. However, thereafter, it was less cold, but noticeably much more unsettled and pretty wet. Quite a similar contrast to December 2011, but this year the month turned out below average with some excellent winter weather in the first half, and the second half was an improvement from 2011 with some snow. January started with a showery New Year's day, but with high pressure to the south, it was generally a very mild, dull and quite damp first third. Then there was the two week cold spell that saw maximum temperatures below 5C for a sustained period but minimum temperatures were not as low as the first half of December. It was quite a snowy spell with a respecable total of 7 snow days at Glasgow airport. But Glasgow in general missed out on the significant accumilating snow that affected large parts of the UK, but there was a brief covering of snow on numerous occasions. January ended up close to/slightly above average with the month ending on a milder and unsettled note. And then this month, started on a changeable note with cool, sunny days and then a polar westerly bringing an intense heavy snowfall with thunder on the night of the 4th/5th which left a covering of around an inch. Some quiet and average weather prevailed for a good number of days until the 13th which saw a frontal snowfall bring the best snowfall of the winter here, and the best snowfall here since Nov/Dec 2010 with a depth of 8cm which melted quickly. Unsettled and less cold weather followed for a few days and then a very fine and settled spell of late February weather from the 17th until the end of the month. 11 dry days with the 23rd having precipitation in the form of snow (the last of the official winter). A fantastic combination of weather, with sunshine and clear skies, feeling warm in the sunshine with temperatures at times as high as 10C but also some cold, winter's day and also cold winter's night with 11 consecutive days with an air frost and minimum temperatures as low as -7C (lowest of 2013 so far). February should turn out to be below average, with 19 days with an air frost at Glasgow airport. Certainly an interesting month with decent and varied February weather with the last of winter, and the transition into Spring. Details of the winter as a whole will be revealed in the coming days. That's it for the official winter which certainly was an interesting one. Next it's that wonderful season, Spring, starting with March. Anything could happen and it will be a joy to watch the transition of weather and environment continue in the coming months.
2nd February: A cold day with maximum temperature of 5C in the early afternoon and a low of -4C at Glasgow airport before dawn. So seasonal temperatures for the second day of February and there was some glorious sunshine and blue skies here and across the UK. Feeling chilly in the northerly wind and there was some snow showers down eastern parts of England and northern Scotland which soon died away. A starry sky following dusk but cloud cover has increased from the west with a milder sector toppling over high pressure and arriving from the north west. The temperature is rising and there should be some wet weather overnight, much milder then a drier interlude tomorrow before another front sweeps the country. Then, with low pressure to the north, cold and strong westerly winds arrive on Monday with possible blizzard conditions across parts of Scotland. And the cold weather continues for the first part of the week and this makes for a cold, seasonal start to February with some pleasant conditions such as today aswell as active and interesting weather for the start of next week. For the remainder of the week and it is still all to play for but there's a fair chance of it staying cold, synoptic details and patterns are yet to unfold so watch this space.
3rd February: 4C in the very hours was the minimum temperature as a front brought rain overnight and milder temperatures with a maximum of 9C. The rain overnight was quite heavy, eventually cleared and there was some pleasant conditions in the afternoon for a time with clear intervals and some sunshine. However, inevitably cloud cover increased in the evening and rain soon followed with the arrival of another front. However once this clears, the polar westerlies should mean that temperatures drop but there'll be a strong wind and plenty of wintry showers tomorrow and lasting into Tuesday before the flow turns to a northerly making for a notable presence of cold weather early in the month. There's real uncertainty and mixed signals about what will folllow, synoptically it's incredibly hard to call but a cold theme could prevail but how cold and whether it's the form of cold zonality or high pressure or whatever remains to be seen.
4th February:
Well, the day started mild with temperature of 9C in the early hours but cold air in the polar westerly flooded in and showers in the morning readily turned wintry with a mix of everything plus strong winds making it feel cold. Some sunshine inbetween with the impressive structure of cumulonimbus clouds also visible. There was some mini blizzards as the day went on, widespread snow showers across Scotland and this first snowfall here this month. There was a dusting through the evening but from around 10pm there has been an incredible snowfall, almost blizzard like intense snowfall here which has lead to a depth of around a cm and the first proper winter wonderland scene since 2nd/3rd December 2012. And there is lightning right now thundersnow. Excelllent winter's weather more updates tomorrow, god knows what it will be like but I'm very satisfied.
5th February:
I woke up to a proper and fine covering of snow this morning, on confirmed depth but it was around 2-4cm which is a similar depth to the event earlier this winter on the 2nd/3rd of December. Certainly it was the second proper lying snow event of the winter, which equals last winter but they all occured before Christmas 2011 whereas this time it's more balanced and it's probably overall been a better winter this year. Another thing of note is that it may have been the best February snowfall here since 2009. There were further snow showers overnight, some whiteouts I believe and snow lying vertically on some walls with the westerly wind and stars visible in the tranquility of the night sky between showers. However, despite the success of having a significant snowevent with lying snow for around 12hrs, the temperatures did rise in the morning and precipitation turned to rain and there was an impresssive thaw of all the snow in a short space of a time. There was some heavy rain/sleet as a front crossed Scotland and the sunshine and blue skies appeared afterwards making for quite pleasant conditions and temperatures reaching a maximum of 7C. Minimum today was 0C. A pleasant clear wintry dusk as the stars came out. Some rain this evening as a front clears southwards and colder northerly winds arrive, further snow for parts of the country but it will probably stay dry and cold here, temperatures around 3-5C by day and some air frosts, so fairly seasonal conditions all in all. Some fronts make enrodes later in the week with the potential for further snowfall, possible height rises over Scandinavia puts the spanner in the works and it's a messy and unclear situation beyond 4/5 days but as ever, it's always something to look forward to finding out how everything pans out. Certainly, the month has got off to a good start weatherwise with variable, seasonal, at times wild and pleasant conditions aswell as a very decent snow-event and other interesting types of weather.
6th February:
Maximum temperature of 6C and a minimum temperature of -2C so far. It was a lovely winter's day with plenty of fantastic sunshine lighting up the entire area and wonderful blue skies and scattered clouds. It's now obvious that the days are getting a little longer now but dusk certainly still has that renowned wintry atmosphere to it with the evening stars emerging, the super blending of colours as darkness nears and some thin and small clouds scattered across the sky with the orange glow of the city. It felt cold in the northerly wind that brought some snow showers down eastern parts of England and Scotland. A brilliant winter's night here with a crystal clear, starry night sky. Tomorrow will be a cold day, should be another air frost and temperatures will struggle to reach above 3C. A band of precipitation moving in from the west could bring a spell of snow to western and central parts in the evening. Staying on the chilly side with temperatures around 5/6C, some sunshine aswell as fronts edging towards the country during the next few days and maybe some snow in the weekend. The picture beyond is still far from certain but I'm hopeful that a clearer picture of the overall theme beyond the weekend will appear over the coming days.
7th February:
A very benign and quiet day with grey, overcast skies but feeling cold with no sunshine and temperatures reaching 5C, minimum of 0C at Glasgow airport. Mostly dry but there may have been a little bit of rain from the patchy remains of a front moving in from the west. Quiet conditions over the coming days, but Sunday is looking interesting with potentially a significant snowfall in parts of the British Isles. A Scandinavian high introduces an easterly flow for the start of next week but Sunday's events is even uncertain so details will change but I would think that there is the potential for further seasonal conditions to be extended into next week.
8th February:
It was a cold start with a minimum of 0C. It was brighter in the morning and early afternoon with some thin cloud cover but it got more overcast as the afternoon and evening went on with another weak front bringing a spell of rain this evening and it is currently overcast and the ground is damp. After a maximum of 7C, a milder night is on course with cloud cover and more of an atlantic influence - colder and brigter further east. This weak front should hang around through tomorrow, temperatures shouldn't increase by much during the day then another front intially bringing a spell of rain to western parts of the British Isles will turn to snow on Sunday with widespread and distruptive snowfall. The exact positioning will change but it seems like the front may not reach as far north-east as the Clyde-Forth valley but eastern areas could see some snow showers on Sunday and into the early part of next week with an easterly wind. The seasonal theme does continue, Scandi high firmly set-up and should persist through next week but I suspect we'll see a battleground situation and as a result there is very little confidence beyond 7 days.
9th February:
Average temperature wise at 5/3C, and benign and quiet weatherwise with overcast, grey days for pretty much all of today and the best part of the past few days as a result of the presence of a weak weather front that has brought some light rain and drizzle this evening. It's meant to be a little colder tomorrow and into the start of next week, frontal snowfalls is set to affect parts of British Isles such as northern England but the front may not make much progress across Scotland but there could be some snow present across parts of Scotland during the next 24-36hrs or so. A breakdown on Wednesday could result in another snow event. A synoptic battle is set to continue into next week and beyond and as I said last night there's very little confidence - anything is possible and as ever it's always intuiging to see how chapters of our weather evolves and unfolds.
10th February:
Slowly but surely, this morning the precipitation turned to snow and it stayed as snow for a good few hours at least but no accumilations here with the ground already wet. Snow did settle at slightly higher elevations and it was very white on the Campsie Fells. The precipitation however turned to rain/sleet. Temperatures are now as high as it has been all day with todays high/low at Glasgow airport being 4/1C. Anyway here it has been the 3rd day of snow this month. It's also snowing in a number of parts of England aswell and this may continue into tomorrow before dying out. A few cold days to start next week before another front moves in from the west and should fall as snow initially at least. Thereafter and it's a right old synoptic mess.
11th February:
After overnight rainfall it cleared up for a time early in the morning. Later in the morning and throughout the evening and afternoon it was fairly bright with the skies alternating between partly cloudy and scattered clouds but now it's starting to get clearer once more. A seasonal day once more temperaturewise at 5/2C as of 11pm. Some snowfall earlier across parts of eastern England and the Midlands with the remains of the front and there was some accumilations in a number of places. A cold night to come and day tomorrow with an easterly wind and a few snow showers in eastern areas. Then a front arriving on Tuesday night and early on Wednesday morning will start as snow and there could be snowfall across Scotland and northern England for more than 6 hours and there is the potential for significant accumilations before it turns back to rain. Less cold for a bit afterwards and it's still uncertain but there is a suggestion of high pressure being close to the British Isles.
12th February:
Another cold day with max/min of 4/1C but generally cloudy with a south easterly flow and quite murky conditions and there was a little snow flurry in Bearsden in the morning. Tonight a front arriving from the west should fall as snow and across the central belt there could be 2-4cm before it turns to rain around lunchtime and quite a wet and windy afternoon and evening to follow. Brighter but less cold following the front and it could stay less cold for a while.
13th February:
Today saw by far the best snowfall of the winter with a depth of 7cm in the early afternoon and the last time this region experienced such an event and depth was probably in that very famous spell of late November and early December 2010. Today's snowfall was the 15th of the winter, and the 4th this month. It was also the third event that brought depths of atleas an inch but on this occasion is was 3 inches. A cold start with temperatures close to freezing before the front arrived around 4am. I woke up at 20 to 6 and saw a decent covering of snow and the very orange sky. I soon fell a sleep again and woke up to further snowfall and an improved depth at 8am and by this stage the depth was around 3cm. The snowflakes weren't large but fine small flakes, and they were coming down at a fair rate and the temperature stayed close to freezing and fluctuated in the morning. After an hour I thought that the temperature had increased as the snow depth had not increased by much but the precipitation turned heavier and the temperature dropped and the snow depth increased during the late morning and early afternoon. I went on plenty of walks enjoying the winter wonderland. The trees and roofs were absolutely covered in snow with mini avalanches, the main roads weren't treated well with plenty of slush and some cars struggled and the minor roads were very poor to drive on. The snow peaked at 7cm and the depth was consistent on just about all surfaces as everything was buried. Then some larger snowflakes fell in the afternoon but the flakes were wetter and this was followed by ice pellets and then rain. And the rain was heavy too but the decent snow cover in Bearsden remained into the evening and now although I can't see much I believe there is still lying snow on atleast some surfaces. Some really heavy rain in the evening too. The snow was also fairly widespread across the northern half of the UK and across other parts of Scotland depths at fairly modest elevations were even higher than here. Certainly, a very impressive snowfall and snowcover. In early December this winter, the notable snowfall and decent lying snow was already in the bag and has kept the run of winters that have delivered decent snowfalls since 2009. But this was on a level higher than other two notable lying snow events and is on the same line as the best snowfalls of 2009 and 2010 and also 2011. It was a shame that the cover couldn't last longer but the significance of today's event is all that matters and has improved what has been a decent winter up to now. Compared to some recent February's, this year has certainly delievered very well interms of snow. Now tomorrow will be brighter and less cold but the possibility of showers from the westerly wind before a ridge of high pressure moves in on Friday. And there is a suggestion of a Scandinavian high in around 7 days time which makes for an interesting end to this decent winter and possibly heralding a cold start to Spring. This winter and start to 2013 will be interesting to look back on later this year - considerably better than 2012 interms of both falling and lying snow. [url="http://forum.netweather.tv/gallery/album/1281-snowfall-13th-february-2013/"]http://forum.netweat...-february-2013/[/url]
14th February:
There was still a covering of snow into the small hours but I would imagine that the depth wouldn't be much more than a cm. Just about all the snow was gone by morning. A milder day at 8/6C but also a brighter day with some pleasant spells of late winter sunshine but skies were changeable with shower mostly to the north and west of Glasgow but there were some regular sunny showers during the day and some heavier showers in the evening but they cleared pretty quickly. Skies during the evening was mostly cloudy but the stars and the moon was visible through the gaps and the thinner cloud cover. A sunny day tomorrow, possibly a few wetter and windier days here in the north west of the British Isles afterwards and then during the middle of next week there could be a return to colder conditions.
15th February:
There was some lovely Spring-like sunshine and blue skies at times today. There was a little bit of rain in the afternoon and it became more overcast in the afternoon and into the evening. But looking out right now it's a calm night with a layer of cloud that's thin enough to see through it and not too long ago a good proportion of the sky was clear with stars visible. Maximum of 10C earlier, minimum of 2C recently. Maybe some fog and a touch of frost during the coming days, maybe a spell of rain in the weekend across northern areas and some cloud cover associated with it. Then during the middle of next week, a Scandinavian high looks set to deliver cold easterly winds to the British Isles.
16th February:
A mostly cloudy day with some overcast and fairly dull conditions. Very quiet after a cold start with a low of 2C. Temperatures reached a high of around 9C and have stayed at around 8C throughout the evening. There was a period with clear patches allowing for the dusk to be visible but right now it's again overcast and quiet. The quiet theme should continue for quite a few days to come, possibly some brightness for the next few days in the west of Scotland and certainly in other areas, but during next week it may be more overcast and also colder with easterly winds.
17th February:
A brilliant day. Fantastic and glorious sunshine and clear skies with just a few cirrus clouds and haze. Went for a drive down the coast of the Firth of Clyde past Largs and towards Irvine and it was a super sunset over the water and after dusk, this evening has been cold with a current low of 1C and a crystal clear night sky with the moon and stars visible. It very much felt like early Spring with a high of 10C, but during the coming days it should be colder and progressively cloudier.
18th February:
Another brilliant late winter/early spring day. A very cold start, a minimum temperature of -5C was the coldest temperature at Glasgow airport since the first half of December. As the days are longer now and the sun is a bit stronger too, the temperature does rise fairly quickly and reached a maximum of 8C which is fairly typical of this time of year but certainly it's much brighter now and the sunshine and totally clear skies (other than some haze and cirrus) made for a stunning day and it's wonderful to see the moon and evening stars coming out at dusk and then the fantastic moonlit and starry night that soon follows. A very cold evening with the temperature dropping after sunset and temperatures are at -3C at Glasgow airport and another cold night is on the cards. There could be quite a few more air frosts during the final period of February. A very dry and settled conclusion is also likely but it may be quite overcast after tomorrow. Perhaps there might not be another snowfall before the 28th but this month and indeed the winter as a whole has done alright with snow.
19th February:
Another stunning day. This morning was one of the coldest of the winter so far with a minimum of -7C. However the temperature rose quickly when the sun was up to a maximum of 8C in the early afternoon and it was another glorious day with crystal clear skies and it is evident that despite it is still winter, we have well and truly progressing into Spring. However, this evening a cold front moving in from the north sea saw a wave of cloud cover makes progress from the east and the moon and evening stars became more faint before being covered. Temperature now hovering at 5C and tonight will probably be the mildest for a while. About half of the sky has cloud cover in the form of scattered clouds with clear patches. Quite a calm night. Staying settled, cold and possibly on the cloudy side for the coming days.
20th February:
Quite cold overnight with a low of 2C and some clear skies at times in the early hours. But it was generally cloudy and benign today but during the evening sky became clearer and now the temperature is currently below freezing - now -1C at Glasgow airport after a max of 6C. It's also a crystal clear, calm and starry night too. The cold conditions are set to continue for the coming days and this may well contribute to a cold enough finish to the season that may result in the winter 2012/2013 being below average overall. This winter has been alright/quite good and then it's onto Spring, starting with March which can be very wintry month in the transition to Spring.
21st February:
Another cold and clear start with a minimum of -3C. It turned a bit cloudier later and has stayed mostly cloudy ever since whilst the maximum temperature was 4C. A cold couple of days to come as the settled theme continues and now there are signs of a northerly blast for the start of March.
22nd February:
A quiet day with benign conditions and mostly overcast skies but felling very cold in the wind. The temperature rose from a low of 0C to a high of 3C which is the lowest of the month so far. Currently cloudy and cold. There was some snow flurries in eastern parts of England and the risk of snow continues into the weekend. The cold, seasonal and settled conditions look set to continue for at least the next 5 days and this could result in this winter ending up below average overall. It has been a pretty decent winter, and there is the potential for a continuation of wintry and seasonal weather for the start of Spring. I'm certainly looking forward to March and the transition of the seasons. It's a magical, special and transitionary period of the year.
23rd February:
-1C minimum temperature overnight and there was a light snow shower here aswell as light snow showers in various other parts of the British Isles thanks to an easterly wind. A lovely winter's day it turned out to be in the afternoon and evening with mostly clear skies other than some scattered clouds across parts of the sky. Fantastic sunshine and sunset and I went for a drive down the coast of the Clyde and through northern Ayrshire into Renfrewshire. The dusk sky reflected against the water and the outline of the mountains and islands standing out against the sky was marvelous aswell as bright moon and the stars that soon followed. Colder where the sky was clearer further west, but it was a chilly evening back in the central belt and greater Glasgow area but later in the evening and right snow it's now overcast. There could be some snow showers making progress through the Forth-Clyde valley tomorrow and if it does snow it maybe the last of the meteorological winter. Certainly, today's snowfall was a surprise with the last snowfall being on the 13th earlier this month. A cold and dry end to the winter seems likely. March could possibly start on the cold side.
24th February:
The settled and chilly theme continued today as eastern parts of Scotland woke up to some snow, with an inch of lying snow in some places. I believe that there may have been some snow flakes here earlier this morning which should surely be the last of the winter. Skies alternated between cloudy and bright, crystal clear, partly cloudy with clear intervals and overcast. A cold start with a low of -3C, the 15th day with an air frost this month. The temperature in the afternoon however did rise to a maximum of 6C. Quite a calm night with mostly clear moonlit and starry sky. Temperature already below freezing at Glasgow airport so there could be at least a few more days with an air frost before the month is out and the settled theme should continue into the start of March.
25th February:
A glorious day. After a very cold and frosty morning and a low of -4C, the stronger sun as we enter Spring resulted in temperatures rising to a max of 8C making for typical early Spring conditions. But it was a super day with stunning sunshine and clear blue skies which made the entire land look magnificent from sunrise to sunset. A cold evening with a clear, bright moon and stars, very calm and very little clouds, Now there is some cloud cover but another cold night should follow and the settled and chilly theme looks set to continue.
26th February:
Another glorious February day here and across much of Scotland. A chilly start with a minimum of 0C at Glasgow airport but much lower in the highland glens. But in this stage in the season, in the sunlight the temperature quickly rises and today the maximum temperature was 9C. But it was the wall to wall sunshine and clear, blue skies that made for another spectacular day of late winter/early Spring weather. A fantastic dusk with a wintery look to it: an orange haze on the horizon to the west, a sharp tint of light blue whilst to the east darkness rolls in aswell as the stars and a very large full moon. Certainly there is still a wintry element but the more hours of daylight and maximum temperatures rising towards 10C certainly puts into context that we are very much at the end of winter and are well into the transition into Spting. It's been a fairly decent month so far and the recent spell of sunny and dry weather may continue into tomorrow. It should also stay settled for the coming days and into the start of March.
27th February:
And today was another fantastic day here and across much of Scotland. A chilly start at 1C C and some fog but there was wall to wall sunshine and blue skies after noon which made it another outstanding day in this spell of stunning late winter weather. There is still elements of winter with cold mornings and evenings that still look and feel like winter, very wintery looking sunset and colours too, but there also elements of early Spring including longer days, dusk now later in the evening and the temperature rises very quickly in the sunshine and today the maximum was 10C. Anyway, the characteristics put into perspecitive that we are at the final stage of winter and we're now at a cross-over point into Spring. Eariler I went on a fantastic run up the eastern shore of Loch Lomond. An outstanding winter sunset and colours and the loch looked amazing with a perfect reflection. Some patches of snow on the mountains. And after sunset, in the evening it becomes dark very quickly with the stars coming out. A cold evening with a current low of -1C, the 18th day with an air frost this month and 10th in a row Some dense freezing fog outside just now with the moon visible. Certainly a unique time in the year for weather as winter draws to a close and this opens the door to remarkable rituals, colours, characteristics and scenes at this stage in the season. It's been a very settled end to an interesting winter. And quite possibly a settled start to March. As always, it'll be enjoyable to see how the weather this year evolves and it'll be fun to look back at various periods of weather of the year. This current one has been very good and it'll be fascinating to see what follows next as we enter early Spring and follow the continued transition of the weather, daylight and nature.
28th February:
The final day started with an air frost and some dense freezing fog that lasted up until lunchtime. Today was the 19th day with an air frost this month. Once the fog lifted it was sunshine and blue skies. However, a weak front moving south resulted in cloudy skies moving in pretty quickly in the afternoon. Albeit, quite thin cloud cover with some small pockets of clear sky but it was noticeably duller. Temperature rising to around 9C with Spring around the corner. Right now, a mosaic of thin cloud cover and clear patches. A calm night to finish winter. It has indeed been a much better winter compared to 11/12 in many respects but far from a classic and far from a disapointment. Overall this winter was quite decent/alright. It started with a cold spell in early December, with around 13 or so consecutive days with an air frost. There was a heavy snowfall on the night of the 2nd/3rd which dumped around and an inch of snow which stayed on the ground for a few days. A brief less cold spell was followed by a very cold and settled spell before midmonth with the coldest day of the year/winter with max/nin of 0C/-8C. However, thereafter, it was less cold, but noticeably much more unsettled and pretty wet. Quite a similar contrast to December 2011, but this year the month turned out below average with some excellent winter weather in the first half, and the second half was an improvement from 2011 with some snow. January started with a showery New Year's day, but with high pressure to the south, it was generally a very mild, dull and quite damp first third. Then there was the two week cold spell that saw maximum temperatures below 5C for a sustained period but minimum temperatures were not as low as the first half of December. It was quite a snowy spell with a respecable total of 7 snow days at Glasgow airport. But Glasgow in general missed out on the significant accumilating snow that affected large parts of the UK, but there was a brief covering of snow on numerous occasions. January ended up close to/slightly above average with the month ending on a milder and unsettled note. And then this month, started on a changeable note with cool, sunny days and then a polar westerly bringing an intense heavy snowfall with thunder on the night of the 4th/5th which left a covering of around an inch. Some quiet and average weather prevailed for a good number of days until the 13th which saw a frontal snowfall bring the best snowfall of the winter here, and the best snowfall here since Nov/Dec 2010 with a depth of 8cm which melted quickly. Unsettled and less cold weather followed for a few days and then a very fine and settled spell of late February weather from the 17th until the end of the month. 11 dry days with the 23rd having precipitation in the form of snow (the last of the official winter). A fantastic combination of weather, with sunshine and clear skies, feeling warm in the sunshine with temperatures at times as high as 10C but also some cold, winter's day and also cold winter's night with 11 consecutive days with an air frost and minimum temperatures as low as -7C (lowest of 2013 so far). February should turn out to be below average, with 19 days with an air frost at Glasgow airport. Certainly an interesting month with decent and varied February weather with the last of winter, and the transition into Spring. Details of the winter as a whole will be revealed in the coming days. That's it for the official winter which certainly was an interesting one. Next it's that wonderful season, Spring, starting with March. Anything could happen and it will be a joy to watch the transition of weather and environment continue in the coming months.
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