DR(S)NO

Another beautiful day...good amount of sunshine...garden now a hive of floral activity as the spring bulbs come to life( better late than never). Still no temps in double figures though. In fact....last double fig temp was on 2nd of March. And. Last precipitation in my neck of the woods was 18th March!! AND that follows the dry spell from 14 th Feb to 7th March. There has now been less than an inch of rainfall since the 14 th of February. Lets hope Mother Nature doesn't make up for this TOO much in the coming few weeks!

Beautiful start to the day.9.7c yesterday...will we see double figs today....probably not!! Last time was 2/3. May I add my congrats to you Lorenzo..there is surely no better feeling in the world! I'd imagine your walking with a spring in your step. Although weather wise it looks as though Spring may once again be delayed next week as the transition to proper mildness looks dodgy to say the least.

Not trying to be smart here...but how do we know the UKMO hasn't under deepened the low?

Snow-hit isle now a wildfire risk after dry spell A WILDFIRE warning was last night issued to crisis-hit Arran - despite 12ft of snow still burying parts of the island. The alert comes ten days after freak blizzards struck, leaving hundreds without power for up to a week. Countryside experts believe there is now a danger of infernos on the hillsides, even though some areas are still blanketed with snow. The warning comes as fire crews battled a huge blaze near Fort William, Inverness-shire. Arran’s Ranger Service said: “The long spell of dry weather means a high fire risk in glens, hills and woodlands. “The vegetation is tinder dry so please don’t drop cigarette butts or light fires when out walking or camping.†Businesses and villagers are trying to claw back compensation from Scottish and Southern Energy and their own insurance companies. (Courtesy of today's Scottish Sun) Quite unbelievable this......I needed to check it wasn't April 1st! But again shows how remarkably dry some areas have been the past few months

The Western Isles is facing one of its worst droughts in living memory while other parts of Scotland are suffering severe flooding. Islanders are being told to conserve water after utility company Scottish Water warns that reservoirs levels are dropping after a prolonged dry spell. Exceptionally good weather and months with little rain has created the drought conditions and resulted in a very large number of wild fires in many places across the islands. ( article from Hebrides News 6/7/12) However, while most of the UK has been experiencing deluges, islanders on the Western Isles have been desperately saving water, having had little rain since April. They have been hit by a high number of wildfires. Plants are now flowering in exposed river beds where salmon should be swimming and the reservoir at the Stornoway waterwheel has turned to mud. Harris crofter Steve McCombe said: “It’s the worst people say they have ever seen. There is no growth and the grass is yellow. Some streams have dried up completely. It is definitely a struggle for crofters this year.†(Article from The Scotsman 7/7/12) So your spot on Gavin Out of interest. At this point last year we had seen 220 mm of precipitation. Compared to 250mm this year.But 150 mm of this was in January.So last year we had around 120 mm feb/ mar. And this year. Only around 100mm. So could be interesting if we have a dry spring

Could be Gavin.IMBY. We have had only 8 days of precipitation. Amounting to 24 mm since February 14 th!! So that's 8 days out of the last 47. Pretty Amazing Really

I see Brian over on TWO has come up with an early April Fools!! Winter freeze caused by polar ice cap shift [updated 01:00 01/04/2013] Scientists think they have identified the reason for the long cold winters the UK and Europe has been experiencing in recent years. A newly discovered phenomena called Polar Ice Cap Shift (PICS) which results in the South and North Pole both moving about 2700 miles over a short number of years is thought to be the culprit. The causes haven’t been identified, but could include global warming or solar activity. More exotic explanations are possible. One theory is that light and heat emissions from LED and LCD displays are disrupting the jet stream. British scientists say the North Pole is set to become centred over London within years. According to TheWeatherOutlook’s Bryan Glaze this would mean Little Ice Age conditions for the UK with frequent frost fairs on the River Thames lasting between October and April. For those looking to get on the property ladder it may not be bad news because London property prices could plunge as fast as temperatures. Confidence in PICS is high, but French scientists strongly dispute where it’s heading, saying their research shows it will become centred over Paris, not London. More soon... Buzz will be keeping an eye on the prospects in the coming days. Or is it????

Hi Stewart,I think it is a fair reflection on how much you will be missed on here that 50 folk have taken time to reflect on how well you have done.Although I'm relatively new to NW I feel I have increased my understanding of all things weather...and that is surely what Netweather is all about ....so all the best in your future......DON'T be a stranger!!

Goddam it Mr Snow..you just don't know when to give up!end of March and another day of falling snow. Probably not enough for one of these though!!

A definite 7.8c ,I think.

Hiya,you need to stop that..it ain't good for you

Don't know Scotster,but I bet it's accompanied by this!!

Heavy sticky wet snow currently here,I wonder for how long? Sky looks full.clearly lying on grass ,cars and starting to lie on road etc

matthew Hugo on Twitter: Quote Matthew Hugo â€@MattHugo81 11m We are quite reserved in the UK but given data I continue to see, if this was the US or Canada Fri's low is an equivalent major winter storm Hmm,interesting quote from Matt Hugo just posted over on the MT.Interesting Weekend ahead weather wise.

Got up to 8.5c this afternoon,felt pleasant in the sunshine when out for a walk.Amazingly dry spell we are having....only 11 mm of precipitation here since the 14th of February!!

It looks like the scottish ski industry must be rubbing their hands in glee at the late season prospects!!

Sorry 101... I thought you were Bungle...never realised you were Fozzy Bear

Dp - 9.8 c. Brrr ..how low is it going to go?

Snow showers now appearing in my neck of the woods driven along by a stiff east wind.....had been quite light but heavier now. Current temp 1.7c/-1.2c Shame it's not quite whats been seen elsewhere but never mind it's still snow!

Yeh,and knowing Metcheck that's more likely to be 2.2cm

In total agreement Buried...here's one for starters.....

It's fair to say then that there might be some cold and snow aboot...certainly some charts with a return to winter feel about them

Well,it's looking like a very cold spell is on the way.great news for coldies,perhaps a big set back to the garden and also a bit of a shock to the wildlife after almost springlike conditions. Interestingly the last precipitation here was valentines day....so it's been a very dry end to winter/ start of spring. May I ask what the chances are of snow in this coming spell are? I would sorely love to experience a march 2006 event again!

Well yet another beautiful day to start the month of March...lets hope we don't use our years quota to early this year( a.la 2012) February hasn't been too bad...what does stand out for me is how dry it's been...the last precipitation in my neck of the woods was the 14th. And we've witnessed some beautiful days. And sunsets...also the second half of the month has shown frosty nights since the 18 th...So ,in many ways,winter seems to have ended as it started....I seem to remember the first half of December being similarly frosty. Anyhoos...a wee picture as the sun goes down

Yes Paul,many congratulations.As a lurker since the winter of 2010 I "took the plunge" and became a member late 2012.my first port of call in the morning and also last thing at night.Ive always had a keen interest in the weather and now I'm learning about it too.Plenty of folk on here to learn from and plenty of characters to " enjoy the banter " with. Long may you continue to grow......I guess a hot ,thundery summer followed by a stormy autumn and a long cold winter would help.