Bumpkin

I'm afraid it is true, plants are reactive and not proactive. The amount of fruit produced depends on the conditions when the plant is in blossom. Here we had what seemed like permanant rain, so the lack of sunlight and the lack of pollinating insects has mean't a poor year for sloes, apples, crabapples etc. Haw hasn't done too bad, blackberries are in reasonable number but seem alot smaller this year and I did manage to get a decent crop of damsons and greengages. Its been the worst year for apples and sloes that I can remember. I have always looked for signs in nature to see if anything helps to predict the coming winter but I can't say I've seen anything. Birds arrive and depart at varying times but no pattern has emerged from this.

I think after reading a lot of your posts, that our weather preferences suit our personalities I enjoy the different seasons for different reasons. Fortunately the weather doesn't follow your preferences otherwise we would lose a lot of wildlife and the crops would fail. After a cool, crisp winter, i shall be looking forward to a warm dry spring and summer with hopefully the insect numbers recovering after a very poor year for them.

This has to be my least favourite type of weather, alongside continious rain. Anticyclonic gloom just makes me feel so meh. Its dank, dreery and depressing, so I'm looking forward to a change at the end of the week.

Are you doing a forecast this year LOTS? I have been impressed with your winter forecasting the last couple of years.

I camped one weekend years ago in March gales. So I now only go camping June-August!

http://www.katla-volcano.co.uk/katla-webcam.php Dark at the moment Apparently katla blows normally within a few years of Eyjafjallajokull erupting. If katla does blow then there could be problems. Shes a bit of a big momma.

Not from an official site but someone who runs a blog did the calculations. (I'm assuming they are right) http://sunshinehours.wordpress.com/2012/10/18/fastest-arctic-ice-extent-refreeze-ever-in-31-days/ The minimum was very low but would it have been so low without the massive polar low at the beginning of August?

Apparently its the quickest re-freeze of the arctic ice in satellite history (since 1979)

theres snow place like gnome I'll get my coat..........

I look at this site when I'm looking at what the jet stream might do. http://www.stormsurfing.com/cgi/display_alt.cgi?a=natla_250

Got the school run sorted.

I listen and learn from the good peeps on here, some other forecasters and watching the models to get a good idea what is going on. Farmers, engineers etc ask my husband what my forecast is but he doesn't tell them it isn't me forecasting! He just grins when i get cross with him. When it goes pearshaped I will end up with a load of angry farmers on my doorstep!

First timer also. I'm going for 6.7c

More likely the -nao.

Thank you for your help. Muchly appreciated

Thanks for that. I thought I'd have a peek at the Barrow cam last night and it looked like a complete white out! How do you post a camera pic that won't change on update?

Think it might be snowing in Barrow http://seaice.alaska.edu/gi/observatories/barrow_webcam/

Watched the local weather forecast this morning and the lady (forgotten her name) said about a wonderful sunny day. Excellent i thought, washing out and off i go blackberry picking. Myself and washing get a soaking from a heavy shower

I hope that this forecast is off the mark as we REALLY do not need the rain down here. Haven't been too impressed with metcheck over the years, its one of several sites I look at for forecasting. I think some details are typed in wrong as we have had winds of 347mph forecast before

definately agree with that. Would love a run of dry days, don't care about the temperatures but would like a decent break from the rain!

I've been called worse! I get excited as anyone when snow is forecast, I have the radar on the pc, watching intently and working out when it will arrive here. For the last coule of years I've looked at different LRF, avidly model watched, and followed the snow & ice thread and the strat thread but I would get fed up after a week of either not being able to go anywhere or risking life and limb driving on icy roads. The prang i had in Dec 10 was my one and only and it really shook me up.

I'm with you on this. I know its like commiting blasphemy on this board for not wanting snowmagedon but personally it could be a nightmare here. I could cope with a long snowy spell if the road through the village was gritted or people who cannot drive to the conditions stayed off the road! Its not the snow so much but the ice. I'm confident in my abilities of driving on ice but unfortunately i'm not confident of others, as i found out in December 2010 when a tractor and trailer slid into the side of my car. We are ok to heat our home for the winter but I worry about the elderly and vulnerable, fuel companies are bleeding us dry and i am concerned how some people will cope. I know that this is probably a far too sensible post but everyones circumstances are different. If you live in a town/city where the roads are gritted, shops are in walking distance and your home is toasty, then a 62/63 would have less effect on you. I do love the snow and have a great time playing in it with the children and dogs but even my 3 children had enough after a week of Dec 2010. They couldn't get to friends houses and friends couldn't get to us. Having said that i would love to see a few snowy spells this winter.

Definately a nip in the air tonight. I've actually succumbed and put the heating on. We also have the woodburner going and it is currently surrounded by cats and dogs.

Thank you for your welcome. I have read this board most days for the last few years and have learn't alot but I shall have to blame you all if i get into trouble with the local farming community. It all started back in 2010 and I warned everyone of a harsh spell in December through warnings from joe b and piers C (yes I know they aren't looked upon favourbly here but they were both right then). My husband told everyone but didn't mention that it wasn't me forecasting. I read posters thoughts on here and follow the models. Farmers, engineers etc keep asking my husband what my forecast is. I have told him to tell them it isn't my forecasting but thoughts from other people and models. I'm going to end up in trouble one day!

Hello there, been lurking for over 2 years and decided today to finally sign up. In reply to this topic I have to say I want next summer to be warm and sunny with the odd rain shower mainly at night. Being on a farm was quite horrendous this year. Our maize crop was pathetic because of the lack of sunlight and cattle had to be brought back indoors several times because the fields got so drenched and churned up. Luckily the grass did well so we got 3 cuts of silage to keep the cows fed through the winter. I also enjoy wildlife photography, especially butterflies. I'm a member of butterfly conservation and am currently trying to create a minature butterfly meadow at our village primary school and make my garden more butterfly friendly. This year was pretty horrendous for alot of wildlife and the poor old butterflies really suffered. They need warm, sunny weather and I'm hoping next summer this will happen so numbers will recover bit.