Anvils in the Sky

That's the spirit! Thanks very much! (It's not as if I'm a storm lover, but snow hater. At least we have 50% agreement!)

No probs. I see what you mean now. Sorry for misunderstanding it. I'm open-minded in most things, but VERY close-minded when it comes to people trying to tell me the "modern" BBC weather way is the best! I put my hands over my ears and go "lah lah lah lah", just like we used to do as kiddies! The way I see it is we are a weather-obsessed nation, and what with the changeable nature of this country's weather anyway, the format of our TV forecasts HAS to be amongst the best. And it was imitated the world over for many years. Now, I don't doubt somebody can give me examples to prove me wrong, but I'm not aware of anybody else copying the "modern" BBC way. And I think that speaks volumes. But, yep, fully with you on the technology thing of course. I remember being absolutely petrified of the small computer room at school in the 80s. (Small room....but massive machines!) Computers really did frighten the life out of me. And look now. I'd be well, truly, and completely lost without one! And just so Tom doesn't tell me off for not talking about the archive charts in my post, here's another great one from my point of view. I was in Perpignan on this day. And guess what that little low off the coast of Catalonia delivered that night! (Hint: Brontophobes might want to run for cover!) And, boy, was it a "humdinger"!

Morning all, Disappointingly overcast here today, so far. I try not to be glum, but I have to say I was expecting this morning to be a least a teeny, weeny bit sunny! But, nope, just slate grey skies. I fear we have a 'dirty' high pressure. And those highs seem to love us more than anywhere else, don't they?! Enjoy the sunshine, those that have it today. If you wanted to send some this way, there wouldn't be too many objections, I'm sure! ;-) Have a great Friday. Lee

Loving reading everyone's recollections. Once again, I have to say "A pat on the back, Tom" for thinking of this one! One thing I will say, though, is I cannot agree in the slightest with post 208 above. I deplore the way the BBC present the weather these days. For me, it was infinitely better before that "big change" of theirs earlier in the 2000s. For me, symbols etc are far more pleasing on the eye than those awful cloud blobs etc on those hideous non-static charts. I, for one, still miss the simplicity of the old charts. And I will never grow to like the way the BBC present the weather now. If only I could refuse to pay my TV licence in protest!

Morning folks, Dry and bright here too. (Mind you, yesterday started like that, and look how it turned out! Feeling more optimistic about today though.) Current temp: 12.1° As much as I love autumn, I'll admit to welcoming the forecast in-coming high pressure. That change from summer to autumn was just too abrupt - even for me. Have a great hump day, all. Lee

I meant to mention winter '85 a few days ago. But got sidetracked with all the reminiscing of other events. But, yep, that was another great winter in Kent......if you liked cold and snow.

Morning South-Easterners and East Anglians, Still holding on to the brightness here. But, yep, I can see from the satellite it's not going to last. Currently bang on 11°C. First signs of condensation on the inside of a couple of windows when I got up this morning. Mid-September really is incredibly early for that. (And the week before last, we were knocking on the door of 30° at one point. Amazing stuff.) Have a great Tuesday, folks. Pretty busy here today, so need to log off already. Lee

I still haven't put it on here. And really can't see me turning it on just yet, despite the chillier nights. Conservatory still gets toastie on sunny afternoons, and that helps keep the temperature up in the house. I mentioned this in the south-east thread a couple of days ago; didn't put it on until late October in 2011, and early October last year. So I really, really don't want to weaken and put it on in September this year if I can help it! (Looks as if this should be easier once the next few days are out of the way. So I'm determined to hold off!)

Blimey, the sky is a funny colour. Blue, I think it's called. And there's this very bright ball up there, sending some warmth through the windows. Can't for the life of me remember what it's called, it has been that long since it graced us with its presence! (I get the feeling things will be different in a few hours from now.) No heating on in my place. Always hold off as long as possible. Obviously can't remember the precise dates, but it has been October before I've put it on over the last two years. (Late October in 2011, and early October last year.) Will be interesting to see when it needs to go on this autumn. Have a great Sunday, all.

What strikes me about those three charts is that very different synoptics can deliver the goods, if conditions are right. And by "goods" I mean snow. I'm well aware, of course, some would call them "bads"! (Just as some view thunderstorms with terror, and others - including myself - view them with absolute awe.)

I have to be honest and say the first two dates have no implant on my memory at all. The third one, however, is a different kettle of fish. I was living/working in St Albans at the time, and the snow fell and fell overnight. We almost had to dig the car out in the morning. (Spoke to my mum, in Kent, that afternoon. And her response was "Snow? What snow? The garden is swimming under all the rain."

Still racking my brains, trying to remember some more. And here's one. IIRC, Crimbo '96 was supposed to deliver the goods..............Needless to say, it didn't. I said to people "OK, we wanted a White Christmas. But we didn't get it. A White New Year would be almost as good though." Well.......it started snowing on the day before NYE. And I just about remember - through the haze of the years....and the alcohol that night - a friend and I stumbling out of the pub at 2 in the morning, into snow that was even thicker than when we went in. (Mind you, this was the mid-90's. So "thick snow" meant about a quarter of an inch!)

Your heart sinks a bit when you can see the snow isn't going to be able to survive, doesn't it? (When I was a child, I always felt like the little boy at the end of The Snowman when he sees his mate has melted!) Phew! Thought my name was going to be mud on here for a while!

Sorry Tamara, I didn't realise it was you. I thought it was someone saying they didn't think much of the topic. My apologies. I think the way it works is that you simply give it a vote between one and five stars, depending on what you think of the topic. I'm sure it let me give five stars. (But I could be wrong!)

Grey, grizzly, gloomy, glum, grim. The 5 G's for describing today's weather in this neck of the woods. (Well, 4 really, as obviously I meant 'drizzly'. But I thought 'grizzly' conveyed it quite well!) What an awful week!

Great to see this thread still active. Whoever gave it one star on the day it started........I was the second voter, and gave it five. Cancelled you out! Here's another one I've remembered. Easter Sunday 1983. Woke up that morning to a blanket of snow. Clothes on, and straight down the local playing fields! There were these four Aussie kids from my school, who'd only been in the country for a couple of weeks, already down there. The first time they'd ever seen snow, so they were having a whale of a time. The sun was out by lunchtime, and the last patches of the white stuff had melted by late afternoon. But it was a great Easter Sunday nonetheless. (And we all know the type of summer which followed that late snowfall!)

I, too, was thinking just that, yesterday. Had a trawl through the web, but couldn't find anything.

Morning all, No different here to what most are reporting. Grey, drizzly and humid. With a gloomy light more at home in November than September. Milder than earlier in the week though. Currently 17.8°. The brown, straw-like grass is now but a distant memory. At least we saw some sunshine yesterday afternoon. Think I'd already be in SAD mode, had we not! What a gloomy week. Saw a bee and a butterfly yesterday. Can't help but think they may be the last of this year. OK, ignore my miserable Friday the 13th mood! I promise not to change gender, and turn into this later on:

My father was 5 when war was declared on 3rd Sept 1939. And he often used to tell me what he remembered about that day. He said his mum had taken him and his brother to Brighton for the day, because it was a warm, sunny weekend. (And they were sitting on the beach, having a picnic, when the news filtered through.) That chart certainly suggests he'd got the weather memories correct!

It was a Saturday, wasn't it? I remember a MetO red warning went up in the late morning. For areas just to the north and west of London. Herts, Beds, those sorts of counties.

Oh, and this day of course. (And a pic of what the end of my back garden looked like that afternoon.)

The sun has broken through for us Men of Kent. (Dunno whether it has for those Kentish Men, a few miles away on the other side of the river.) And the temperature has reacted by shooting up to a scorchio 13.6° - feels balmy out there compared to yesterday!

The usually hectic Rainham station on the morning of the 12th, as that snowy spell started to get underway: By the way, I've been in that signal box building. (And operated the signals, and the level crossing gates.) Would've been 3 years before that photo was taken. And this is all completely true, I assure. I was on the bridge with my mates one Saturday afternoon in 1984, watching all the trains go by. My friends went home after a while, but I stayed. And the signalman shouted out to me that I could come in and have a look at how it all worked, if I liked. So I did. He let me park my bike - Raleigh Chopper, I think - in the entrance hall, so that it wouldn't get nicked, and then took me to the signal room. And I loved every minute. (I clearly remember him giving me a can of Coke from the fridge too!) Blimey, that could never happen these days!! Can you imagine?!? Anyway, bed time. Night all. Thanks for the reminiscing.

Our headmaster was the exact opposite! He hated closing the school for any reason. By the Wednesday (or possibly the Tuesday?) we were the only school still open in the Medway Towns! I remember it was morning break time, the snow was coming down in shed loads, and we saw him walking across the car park outside our classroom - where we were all sitting, stunned the school was still open. Anyway, I still to this day remember one of the mouthy ones yanking the window open, and shouting out to Dr Keen "LET US GO HOME!!" Within an hour we were sent home! (And weren't able to return for over a week.) I can well believe it. Our back door was frozen shut! (I also remember folks queueing - perfectly calmly I hasten to add - at the local corner shop, waiting for a bread delivery to arrive. And the big Sainsbury's a couple of miles away ran out of yeast, because people were making their OWN bread!)

An unforgettable few days. And just so perfect for the snow-loving teen I was!