Dave J

Below is the anomaly map for E Europe and W Russia. And, the 30-day max/min temperatures and departures from the mean at Moscow

Or you could use the 1971-2000 averages, since we're now not in the 90s anymore (and haven't been for 5 years!) http://www.met-office.gov.uk/climate/uk/av...2000/index.html

Cheers Tim, Cooling down in Iceland. The maps I posted have updated, but still show relatively mild weather across E Europe and W Russia. Fingers crossed this will change over the next week or so!

Excellent post Steve, an enjoyable read. You can of course get thickness and partial thickness charts from NOAA which I find is very useful and easy to use. Thickness map for 7 Oct at 12Z. Partial thickness map for 7 Oct at 12Z. The last frontal snowfall we had was I think overnight on 31st Jan / 1st Feb 2003 as a warm front moved across East Anglia. Temperatures ranged between -1C and 0C whilst the front moved through, adding a further 6cm's or so on top of the heavy falls from the day before (the infamous M11 event!), the sun came out and temps rose to +3C but most of the snow remained I think and lay (in shaded patches) for up to a week with some freeze/thaw action.

Something wrong with the max at Reykjavik, it was +5C according to Weatheronline and none of the METARS show it higher than this... Anyway, watch out for some negative max's there over the next few days as some -10C 850hPa air works its way across Iceland. http://nwstatic.co.uk/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ohmy.gif

The 30-day max/min temperatures and departures from the mean at Moscow.

Here is the anomaly map for East Europe + W Russia. It should automatically update:

Very warm (only just about cooler than August) and sunny, mostly anticyclonic- unsettled at first with some heavy showers, and again in the final week with longer spells of organised frontal rainfall. Stats: (dif. from 71-00 average in brackets) (figures in bold brackets refer to date of month) TEMPERATURE Mean temperature : 15.6C* (+1.9C) 2004: 14.9C; 2003: 14.6C * Warmest in record, previous high was 15.2C of September 2000. Maximum temperature : 25.9C (4) Lowest Maxima : 14.2C (29) Average Maxima : 20.4C (+2.1C) Minimum temperature : 4.8C (17) Highest Minima : 17.0C (5) Average Minima : 11.6C (+1.7C) RAINFALL Total rainfall : 70.0mm (127%) Max 24h total : 28.4mm* (10) *4th Wettest day in records (go back to 1 July, 2000) Days with >0.2mm : 10 (+1)

Comparing summer 2004 with 2005 in Suffolk, 2004 June 16.3C / 41.6mm July 17.0C / 67.0mm August 18.1C / 133.2mm Warmest Day: 8th June (30.2C) 2005 June 16.8C / 28.8mm July 17.1C / 57.6mm August 16.2C / 73.6mm Warmest Day: 19th June (30.8C) - Warmest day since August 11th 2003. So summer 2004 had an average of 17.1C and 241.8mm! (thanks to a very wet August) whereas summer 2005 started well with a very warm and dry June, but then went rapidly downhill to end up with an average of 16.7C and 160mm. So here Summer 2004 was slightly warmer but wetter. What's interesting is the lack of >+30C maxima recorded recently especially in July and August. The last time that occured was in 2003.

Still sunny here - but clouding over with some Cs,As preceding the warm front. 14.8°C, with a bit of a breeze.

Bit of slow start here which only acts as a reminder that Autumn well and truly is underway now (with the autumn equinox just hours away) and the suns strength waning away quickly as it retreats into the Southern Hemisphere until next March. Fog was very dense earlier, but has lifted out into low level deck of StCu and visibility is improving rapidly. Should see the sun soon too :blink: Currently, 15.6C - latest synop below: AAXX 21104 LEAVENHEATH 11350 82303 10156 20147 40237 54000 69904 70511 886// 91020

Cloudy and dull start to the day with occasional drizzle. Cold frontal clearence (albeit a weak affair) over lunchtime allowing an afternoon of scattered cumulus and pleasantly warm early Autumn sunshine in a gentle Westerly breeze. Current synop for 17Z. AAXX 20174 LEAVENHEATH 11880 42802 10202 20145 40236 56007 69904 70203 81240 91640 333 10209

Overnight low of 4.8C, lowest since early June I think. Currently at 1045z, Sunny spells 12.3C 2/8 Cu at 2500ft North at 6kn 1026mB Rising

REVIEW 2004 (Recorded at Leavenheath - Nr Sudbury, South Suffolk at 60m ASL) Mean Temperature : 10.5C (2003, 10.7C; 2002, 10.8C; 2001, 10.2C) Maximum Temperature : 30.3C (8th June* *earliest max on record) Minimum Temperature : -4.5C (29th January) Wettest Month : 133.2mm (August 2004* *wettest month on record) Wettest Day : 31.4mm (7th July* *2nd wettest day on record) Driest Month : 23.0mm (February 2004) Yearly Rain : 599.0mm (2003, 389.8mm; 2002, 606.4mm; 2001, 598.0mm) RECORDS 2004 *Wettest Month (previously October 2000 with 125.4mm, now August 2004 with 133.2mm) *Warmest Night (previously 10th August 2003 with 18.8C, now 9th August 2004 with 19.1C) *Coldest November Max (previously 23rd November 2001 with 4.4C, now 20th November 2004 with 1.7C) *Coldest November Min (previously 10th November 2001 with -0.8C, now 21st November 2004 with -3.8C) Find further stats here. and 2004

Obs from RAF Benson, 0950 Weather : Sunny intervals. Air Temp : +7C Dew : +5C Visibility : 10km+ Wind : S. 8kts. Clouds : Scattered Sc at 4200ft, Broken Cs at 23000ft. Pressure : 1029hPa.

Kirkwall now below freezing with light snow and completely calm air! EGPA 232050Z 00000KT 7000 -SN FEW006 SCT030 BKN030 M00/M01 Q0988 Snow showers at Sumburgh, Shetland Isles, EGPB 231950Z 28009KT 9999 SHSN FEW008 BKN010 02/M02 Q0987 Coldest air has made it about as far south as Wick as far as I can see atm...

Current Conditions at 2250 Mostly clear. 2/8 Ac. 2.7C S.W. 5 M/h 1018mB Steady. No pptn at all from the front which it would seem has past, already a ground frost with the grass temp down to –0.7C.

Frosty start, overnight min of –3.0C. Grass minimum was –6.8C Current Conditions at 1250 Sunny intervals. 4/8 As, 2/8 Sc. Cool. 2.6C S.W. 10 M/h 1019mB Falling. METAR Sudbury 1250Z 22008KT 9999 FEW045 SCT070 03/M01 Q1019

Lowest was -14.8°C recorded at both Loch Glascarnoch and Kinbrace* - this is the coldest night since 31st December 2003 when -15.8°C was recorded at Altnaharra. * Kinbrace value was an hourly ob and not an absolute min, so potentially could have been colder than this.

Overnight preliminary Minima for 18th December Loch Glascanoch -14° Tulloch Bridge -14° Cairngorm Mtns (1245m) -11° Aviemore -11° Altnaharra -11° Low temps at 11Z Loch Glascarnoch -11° Aviemore -7° Great Dun Fell -5° Wick -4° Kinloss -3° Inverness/Dalcross -3° Saughall -3° Glen Ogle -3° Glasgow AP -2° Edinburgh Airport -2°

A dry but not especially cold night with the NE wind holding the temp up at 2C. Current Conditions at 1120 Sunny. Cold wind. 3.6C N.E. 15 M/h 1012mB Rising. METAR Sudbury 1120Z 04013KT 9999 SKC 04/M02 Q1012

LOL, counting the wins!!!! :huh: Here it's overcast, dry and quiet. Current Conditions at 2050 Overcast. 8/8 As. 3.4C N. 1 M/h 1005mB Falling. METAR Sudbury 2050Z 35001KT 9999 OVC100 03/01 Q1005

Cold and sunny start, overnight min of 0.8C. Current Conditions at 1020 Cold. Sunny. 2/8 Ci. 3.7C W.S.W. 11 M/h 1009mB Steady. METAR Sudbury 1020Z 26009KT 9999 FEW200 04/01 Q1009

Current Conditions at 2320 Cold. Clear. 2.2C N.W. 8 M/h 1008mB Rising. METAR Sudbury 2320Z 32006KT 9999 SKC 02/M00 Q1008

Obs from RAF Benson, 0750 Weather : Freezing Fog. Air Temp : –2C Dew : –2C Visibility : 100m Wind : n/a Clouds : Scattered Cs at 25000ft. Pressure : 1022hPa.