Walsall Wood Snow

Like I said earlier I think we're one of the hardest regions to predict snowfall for and were something of a nowcast region. Don't expect that chart to be accurate, we may have some surprise snowfall or we may not. I'd wait until Friday and see how we stand then. After which we'll have to rely on the radar and our nearest lampposts. Then again what do I know, just trying to add a bit of positivity is all. From experience though some of our best snowfalls in the West Midlands have come from nowhere.

You never know though, as extremes are seldom forecast in our region. I think we're defiantly a nowcast sort of region, when it comes to snow and can get surprises. Not getting my hopes up though, but at least were going to get colder. Still it's only Autumn still and with the potential for reloads there's still all to play for.

I think parts of London, or at least Greater London may have had lying snow on Christmas Day 2010. The city itself I believe was snow free though. I do know (or so i've heard) that the last time London had a 'classic' white Christmas (with snow falling and settling) was Christmas Day 1970.

Now it's indisputably Autumn that it's the equinox, meaning its both Autumn by the meteorological and astronomical definitions. Out of curiosity I know the soltices are sometimes referred to as mid Summer and mid Winter. Does this mean that Spring and Autumn are in a way parts of a two season model of Summer and Winter (the lighter/warmer half and the darker/colder half of the year) and therefore in a way because we're now at the equinox according to this two season model it's Winter now with the Winter solstice being mid Winter and the Spring equinox being the end of Winter and the beginning of Summer then the Summer solstice being mid Summer then back again in a years time to the Autumnal equinox which will be the end of Summer and the beginning of Winter. Anybody ever thought about this. Will be interested in your thoughts. What I'm thinking is that Summer and Winter are the major seasons with Spring and Autumn being merely lesser versions of the other two hence why the solstices are often in folklore referred to as mid Summer and mid Winter respectfully. What do you think?

Ever heard the old folk saying about March. That it comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. Not that it usually does, but maybe when that saying first came into use March generally started cold and wintery and ended warm and springlike.

Although i've given myself a 10, there is admittedly one thing I dislike about the snow, and that's the desire of rough youths to pelt snowballs at people and vehicles. This usually only happens when the snow first falls though and when its stuck around for a few days like in January and December 2010 they tend to lose interest after a while. Though I do remember on one of those occasions being on the bus when a gang of kids decided to volley a load of snowballs at it as it was going past. I also remember when the snow first came in January 2013 me and my mate walked past a bunch of teenagers standing outside KFC when they thought it would be hilarious to throw snowballs at us. My mate just made a mockery of their throwing abilities though and we carried on. Wouldn't want to throw one back though in case they saw this as an insult and tried to do something more violent. Get the feeling they do it as a form of abuse not as an innocent bit of fun. But besides from that I love snow. Just probably best to avoid gangs of teenagers and young adults when it does snow. So avoid rough areas when it does.

As long as those storms give way to deep cold like in 2009/10 and don't continue all Winter like in 2013/14. Or if those storms transform into the cold with heavy driving blizzards variety. That would be brilliant.

See jamstec is predicting another below average Winter for the eastern USA again. Disappointed they're predicting above average for western Europe, with the exception of us. This may be ok for Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north of England providing there are northerly outbreaks or polar north westerlies, but for the Midlands, most of Wales and the South of England I'd rather see a below average continent to boost chances in those areas from potential easterlies/ north easterlies. Don't like the look of above average temps in Scandinavia and most of northern Eurasia either. Still Winter doesn't start for another 3 months and ends in 6 (7 if we are lucky enough to get a similar March to 2013), so could be very wrong. Is this much of a reliable model at that range anyway?

Although this thread is about Autumn 2015, which is just around the corner, I believe i've heard on this site that September 1986 produced some very low minimas with severe frosts. Can't imagine September delivering such low temperatures but if this is true it just goes to show what that month is capable of and I would love 2015 to be a repeat. Not that I'm realistically expecting it mind. But I suppose it's not impossible, after all March can be almost summery aka. March 2012 so I suppose there's no reason why September can't be almost wintery in extreme circumstances. Not really bothered what Autumn's like though as long as we get a cold and snowy Winter 2015/2016 afterwards to make up for the appalling Winters (if your a cold and snow lover) of 2013/2014 and 2014/2015.

Have noticed some leaves are changing colour already. Also when in Scotland a couple of weeks back I noticed some leaves had started changing colour there. It's very few mind but perhaps a sign that Autumn is slowly coming. Actually the leaves on my silver birch tree in my garden are mostly yellow already.

Yes but snow can even lie at sea level if the conditions allow it. It's happened before and will happen again. Let's hope that Winter 2015-16 gives us all deep crisp lying snow with massive drifts. That would be fantastic.

I've always thought snow really suits Lichfield though being a very old little city with many old buildings and its cathedral, meaning its kept alot of its character, unlike many British towns and cities these days. Although the high street is full of modern shops. I'm sure those old buildings have seen a lot of snow in their time. I hope Winter 2015-16 delivers them alot more.

Actually even though I rated myself a 10 I don't get excited about snow in far away lands either. In fact I can get a bit jealous like when the eastern USA had loads of snow in Winters 2013-14 and 2014-15 while we got next to nothing.In fact unless it's in my back garden and the surrounding region I don't want to know. Although my preference is of course a good nation wide event and don't like to see anybody left out. You just can't beat snow at home though. I think it's great when it snows in the UK, especially when it settles on buildings that were around in snowier days and are so old to have experienced many a classic winter. Like it's the return of an old friend. It gives them a Dickensian look and reminds me of 'A Christmas Carol'. Let's all pray for Winter 2015-16 to be one to remember for all the right reasons.

I would defiantly say I was a 10. I want plenty of blizzards deep snow cover with massive drifts and at least a flurry most days (not every day as bright blue skies with deep snow cover is very picturesque) and sub zero temperatutes from the 1st of November to the 31st of March every year and I wouldn't mind including late October and early April in there either. I wish. Always look forward to Winter but often get disappointed and sometimes wish I wasn't so bothered as it would save me the frustration. Would love a 1946-47 or 1962-63 or better still a 1683-84 or 1739-40. But I would want such a Winter to start early in time for the 1st of December (Christmas month) and have a classical white Christmas as for me this is when the festive season starts which is the most romantic month for snow like December 2010, but I would want it to last until at least the end of February which was the one major failing of Winter 2010-11, though it was still great for late November-late December alone. Still maybe if we did experience such a Winter I would start craving Spring and warmth and be cured of my fixation with snow and cold, lol. Who knows Winter 2015-16 could turn out to be a snow lovers dream. Here's hoping.

From what I can gather the closest to a text book seasonal year that decade would be Spring 1984-Winter 1984-85. Though I've heard spring 1984 started pretty cold with a below average March at least so maybe not completely. Not sure about the rest of spring though. But it seems Summer 1984 was a good one and I get the impression Autumn 1984 was fairly seasonal and Winter 1984-85 from what I've heard started off fairly average to maybe slightly below in December then after the turn of the year in 1985 became very cold and very snowy in January and February and was still cold in March with apparently snow in Scotland on the 29th, the day before I was born. Although not in the 80s I feel Spring 1990-Winter 1990-91 was a pretty text book seasonal year aswell. I only remember back then vaguely though being 5 at the time, but I know Summer 1990 was a warm and sunny one and Winter 1990-91 was a classic having the great Midlands blizzard of December 1990 and the famously cold and very snowy February of 1991.

Unless it appears almost undeniable that below average temperatures seem likely it seems the met office always predict average to above average temperatures by default in their long range forcasts, especially months in advance. They could be right of course but it seems that if they're not sure they will always tout average to above and to be honest when average to above seasons have been the form horse for most of the last three decades it probably seems a safer bet on their part so who could blame them, especially as they're obliged to make some prediction and can't simply state uncertainty even if that's what they thought as they must quite often, as they would lose funding if they stated that all the time and as a consequence be unable to advance the tools necessary to improve the science, putting the whole ambition of more accurate long range forecasting behind. Especially with such demand from businesses and the public to know what the weather's going to be like in x amount of time. I doubt they're that confident though of anything at this stage so if like me your hoping for a below average Autumn and hoping even more for a below average Winter there's still plenty of hope with over a month until the start of Autumn and over 4 months until the end of Autumn and start of Winter no matter what they say at this stage. Note I'm not trying to criticise the met office as such and I don't doubt they're one of the best if not the best weather forecasters in the world. All's I'm saying is we all know long range forecasting is not an exact science so all should be taken with a pinch of salt at this early stage and I guess I'm just trying to convince myself just as much as anyone else when the met office make a seasonal prediction of above average temperatures, not to be despondent more than a month in advance of the 3 month season they're trying to predict. But then again the weather will be what the weather will be and it's simply out of our hands. Only God or the great creative force of the universe, whatever you want to call it knows for certain and whatever he or it has decided should be fine and good with me or anyone else and I'm really being silly to hope for things I have no control over.

Thanks guys and thanks Weather History for the YouTube clip. Looks so dated now it makes me feel old, but I am 30 now which isn't that young. We did have better weather presenters back then though, wish Ian McCaskill was still presenting the weather and Michael Fish.

Thanks damianslaw, that gives me an idea what those winters were like alright.

Hi everyone new topic here. As we all know the 1980s contained some pretty remarkable winters, mostly famous for deep cold and snow. As well as a couple at the end which are famous for their mildness. These are the winters of 1981-82, 1984-85, 1985-86, 1986-87, 1988-89 and 1989-90. What I'd like to know though is what the forgotten or at least little mentioned other winters of the 80s were like. I.e 1979-80 1980-81 1982-83 1983-84 and 1987-88 The last one on this list is the one I'd like to know something about particularly. You see I was born in the spring of 1985 and although I don't really remember the 80s through netweather I have learned what the general weather during the winter months was like during the winters of the first list but very little to nothing for the second list. You can also include the extended winter period to enlighten me I.e late Autumn and early spring. But as I say 1987-88 is the one I'm most interested in being a winter I was around for. I've heard it was generally a mild winter but get the impression it wasn't as mild as the two winters that followed it. Was there any snow during this winter? Any information for the West Midlands that winter would be most appreciated, although I think I was visiting my grandparents in Belfast, Northern Ireland during the Christmas to New Year period that Christmas so any information anyone has for the weather there during then would also be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Actually your right that would have been worse.

Very depressing. Especially as it followed the cold winter of 2012-13 and the cold spring of 2013. So I wasn't expecting it to be so snowless.It wouldn't have been so bad if it had at least one good spell of cold snowy weather, but it gave nothing (except one or two brief flurries which melted as quick as they came though this was more than what most parts of the country got so I should count myself lucky in that regard). Even winter 2014-15 was a slightly better but not by much with snow round here not lasting more than a few hours (though we did have the Boxing day snow which was nice and Christmasy if wet and short lived). Here's hoping for a cold and snowy winter 2015-16 to make up. Though I can appreciate how some found it interesting from a meteorological point of view. But being a cold and snow lover it couldn't have been worse and was the winter equivalent of a sun and heat lovers summers of 2007 and 2012.

Yes this was a short lived but for me quite a memorable event here in the West Midlands. There was quite a bit of snow (not sure about depths but it was decent) on the evening of the 27th as I remember we were having a late Christmas party round our house that evening. It then stuck about until the 30th or 31st with proper ice days with the canals round here froze solid enough to walk on. We had a similar event a year later in 2001 this time with the snow falling on the 29th which stuck around until a day or two after the New Year with ice days and the local canal freezing solid again ( in fact it was cold before then and we technically had a white Christmas with a brief shower which caused a slight peppering which stuck around until the main event). They both felt very festive as at that time of year people still have their Christmas decorations up so they felt like a nice late Christmas treat. In fact at the time because I had grown up during the 90s these events seemed pretty good by the standards of the time as I only very vaguely remember the winter of 1990-91 and these events seemed much colder and longer lasting than anything 1995-96 (though I do remember during this winter there were lots of frosts with the washing on the line freezing solid like cardboard and I had chickens at the time and I looked after the chickens at school (yes we had chickens at school as well as ducks and goats) with their water bowls freezing solid and having to bang them on the ground to get the solid blocks of ice out) and 1996-97 delivered round these parts which were both ok. And although I had an idea that the winters of the 1980s and earlier were more severe I didn't really have much knowledge about such and it was defiantly the short lived cold spells of late December 2000 and late December 2001-early January 2002 that made me realise just how cold it could get round here and really sparked my love for snow (even though I liked it before then and always wished for a white Christmas but I wasn't as bothered whether it happened or not in January and February unlike now). I remember at the time thinking it was the start of a new trend and expected the same to happen in December 2002 only to be disappointed. I don't think we got so much snow again until late January or early February 2007 (though the late January or early February 2004 event was ok if modest in terms of snow depths) then we got quite spoiled with the real long lasting spells of winter 2009-10 November-December 2010 and January and March 2013. They showed me what real winters are and now my perspective of late December 2000 and late December 2001-early January 2002 isn't as great as it was at the time. But we get what we get and I suppose they still both beat winters 2013-14 and 2014-15 at least.

I see Autumn and Spring as the transitional seasons so my ideal would be for them to reflect that. I.e my perfect Spring would be a cold start with a warm end, therefore my ideal Autumn would be a warm and sunny September followed by a cool, wet and stormy October followed by a cold dry and frosty November, with some snow at the end ready for a very cold and snowy Winter indeed.

Thanks picog. Can't really save the spawn in my neighbours pond though. But hopefully what gets laid in my pond should keep the population going.

By the way anyone, you don't think what my neighbours doing could cause the local population to go extinct do you? He's such a stubborn man he's probably never going to change his mind about them. Which means if I don't provide a breeding place for them I fear this may happen.