moffatross

T-shirt weather today. Feeling warm under 30% broken cloud, and a gentle breeze.

Business as usual by Easter. Considering what's been, and looking at that GFS ensemble spaghetti for Moffat, what's coming up, I want to say to the high pressure, bring it back, bring it back, don't take it away from me. They could be the words for a song I reckon.

How unusual is this view of the UK ? It's as if the weather gods have decided to see what the opposite of normality looks like and put all the high ground areas on the western side of the British Isles (West Highlands, Southern Uplands, Lake District, Snowdonia, Beacons, Dartmoor & Exmoor, W & SW Ireland) in the sunshine, and put everywhere else in the cloud. Did the sun set in the East after all ? Wall-to-wall sunshine now in Moffat. An excellent day for painting & paint drying as it's quite windy, but not so much fun being up a ladder.

A few scattered clouds, but other than that, it's blue sky from horizon to horizon. There's a slight breeze this morning so I don't think it'll have the quality of yesterday, even if it stays sunny.

I have decided that I want the Earth to start spinning the other way round. OK, it'll cause some confusion tomorrow evening with the sun setting in the East, but judging by the topsy-turvy nature of the reports the last few days, the weather would be much improved in the West

My genuine sympathy to those who have the grim just now, which is all too common in Moffat so I know how you feel. However, in Moffat toady, the early mist & low cloud has now cleared to give us wall-to-wall sunshine, dead calm, and feeling warm like it was on Monday :-)

Getting the house ready for the survey before we sell. The wall had at least fifteen years worth of algae and farmyard dirt accumulation. I have already rendered and painted the west and south facing walls which were badly weathered, but that north facing wall was simply looking rank so didn't need repairing and painting. Saved myself about 3 days additional work and £100 worth of masonry paint It's all part of the plan to exit Moffat and move to Scotland's highest village ... I anticipate much snow gloating on this forum next winter from our new place at 400 metres ASL

Just come in for a cuppa ... it's been another windy, but mostly sunny day. Been 20 ft up a ladder for the last 4-5 hours with a scrubbing brush, bleach/detergent mix and a hose, washing down a north facing wall and windows. Very cold hands but nearly done

I have sympathy. Moffat is an absolute cool, dreich drizzle magnet on anything with a SW'ly component. There is lots of flat ground between us and the Solway Firth that doesn't suck up any moisture and when the air gets here, it's just pure minging, whereas just 20 miles east at Selkirk & Hawick, the sun can be shining with temps 4 or 5 degrees warmer with the Moffat and Ettrick Hills having sucked up the moisture before it gets there. As I said, it's a remarkable effect in Moffat when the tables are turned but you can console yourself that WSW is the status quo !

I think Iain Cameron's impression is right though. He and I have done surveys in the Moffat Hills in the Spring over the last few years and we'll need to get out in the next couple of week I reckon as there may be little left by May. If you compare the Ben Nevis photo in the twitter link to this one from a couple of years ago when I was skiing the gullies with some pals at the end of April you'll see it's been a very lean snow winter.

The sun's out now, but we've got a proper fohn wind with it. Very unusual for this part of the world

A fabulous, fabulous day !! Barely a breath of wind, and with warm sunshine, and blue skies, working outside from 8 am - 6 pm (and in a t-shirt from 10 am) was a total pleasure, and getting some rays on my pasty white skin to make some much needed Vitamin D was a proper brucy bonus All was peachy until I heard the news that airport taxes are to be reduced (reducing government income) while D&G are about to slash their (already scant) bus services because they don't receive enough money from government to support them. Government used to be about the people ... now it's all about big business

No daffs here either but a few crocuses are poking through. What seems very unusual is that our snowdrops are still in full bloom, which is odd because they seem to have been flowering for many weeks !

I've been renovating a house for months so my ski season has been a write-off. It's been utterly minging here in Moffat today, the cloud is down to the town and there's been rain on and off from the get-go so I've spent the day indoors, scraping loose plaster and papering walls and ceilings. Looking forward to hitting the CalMac ferries with the touring push-bike after the clocks change, but very tempted by a wee early Spring stravaig with the fly rod on Tuesday as that's when the broon trout season starts

Don't want to venture into the MO thread, but I have no idea why ECM & GFS have been at such odds, though at least they've consistently been at odds. GFS keeps modelling a brief, ineffectual Scandi High then a quick & messy breakdown, wheras ECM has a prolonged HP sitting over the UK with very light wind, dry weather, sometimes sunny, sometimes warm conditions. Just looked again and though the Met Office were initially siding with GFS, it appears from their mid-term narrative that they've dropped yesterday's high over Scandinavia reference and sided with the ECM. This is promising

posted in wrong thread

For sh~7 & giggles, have a wee peep at the 12 Z GFS control run

Yes, both the GFS operational and its control run have been consistently modelling that plume for several days, and both are really out on a limb compared with the rest of the their ensemble pack. The broonie season starts in just 10 days, and I very much fancy a mosey up to Loch Skeen with a fly rod with some early Spring warmth, assuming the ice has melted of course

Just come in for a cuppa from working outside and was delighted to hear the calls of a curlew ... Spring is coming http://www.rspb.org.uk/discoverandenjoynature/discoverandlearn/birdguide/name/c/curlew/

Looking at the reports today, even in England, the snow wasn't heavy, despite the overblown headlines. Unsurprised to see the photo of the upside down SUV. Some drivers think they're invincible because they've got a 4WD car, as if it'll somehow help them to turn or stop, even with summer tyres on it.

The north if England was always progged to get a colder undercut from the west. The uppers here were just too high (-4 @ 850), and DP's were marginal at best (0 -> +1). Looking towards the hills this morning I can see the snow line here is about 400 metres. Reckon the high villages (Wanlockhead & Leadhills) will be snowy.

... It barely registered. T'was a total dud.

Aye, but your 'north' is barely the south midlands relative to the UK

A weapon of mass distraction. I didn'ae see nuffink, I was re-masticking the bathroom at the time.

The Irish are seeing some snowy Central Belt fun & games ready for tomorrow morning's rush hour.