Thunderbolt_

I'd be very interested to hear whether anyone has actually had a thunderstorm on Christmas Day itself, or simply just heard thunder? I would find this very interesting and fun, if we was to have this: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QNFA1mHqwtM

We've already seen three named storms of the so-called "2015-16 UK and Ireland windstorm season", that was trialled this year by the Met Office and the Met Eireann. With some more to come over the next few weeks and months, we can look forward top some more named storms. So what are your thoughts on it so far? Has it been a nice addition, or have you generally considered it to be rather pointless? Should we keep using it from here-on in? I personally think we should keep it. It kind of makes them seem a bit more exciting when we give them a name, and adds a new talking point to the weather.

The February of that winter was epic though. 19C on 13 February 1998 with bright sunshine - what an achievement! I bet if we saw a repeat of that pattern, we would easily see 20C somewhere.

I recently did one of my historic videos on that winter: https://forum.netweather.tv/topic/84179-scotts-historic-weather-videos/?p=3282583

Since we are now a month away from Christmas, I thought I'd start a thread in which we reminisce some of our most notable Christmas weather. Of course it doesn't just have to be snow events (though I assume that's what everyone will talk about most, lol), but it can be anything ranging from severe gales to thunder events, or even just a day that you found "atmospheric". One of my notables has to be the severe gale on 23 December and into Christmas Eve 2013, when an exceptionally low air pressure was recorded at Stornoway.

I've had a look at the charts and it can't possibly have been 2003 or 2004. I even had a look at 2002 and 2005 and it doesn't look likely either. If I remember a snow event from when I was 4 years old, that really is quite something. 2001 seems like I wasn't old enough, if I'm honest though.

Speaking of early snowfalls, someone has just left me a comment on one of my YouTube videos and it had me thinking... I remember going to a Bonfire Night display (it was a few days after Bonfire Night actually) when I was around 6 or 7 and it was snowing whilst the fireworks were going off. It snowed for most of that evening and did accumulate a cm or two. It must have been something like 8-10 November 2003 or 2004, if anyone can remember that event?

Yep! 10 August 2003 (my 6th birthday) - the hottest day ever recorded in the UK.

Interesting because that is probably one of the slackest pressure charts I've ever seen. It also looks like it was quite hot in the SE.

Very stormy on your birthday!

A near miss from thunderstorms at about 21:00, the time I was born at. That must be why I love storms! Oh yeah, and I had a thunderstorm on my 18th birthday as well!

Yes, a lot further back than that - 1 January 1871.

I don't remember much of January 2009, to be honest. From that whole winter, I remember a snowy spell at the start of December (around the 2nd-3rd) and then another more significant snowy spell in the run-up to Christmas. Then for January, I only remember a bit of snow around the 8th-10th, that's it. I remember the first week of February 2009 quite well though.

What was the weather like on the day of your birth? Post a synoptic chart! Of course if you don't feel comfortable telling us all your age, then you don't have to. If you want a link to view the charts: http://www.wetterzentrale.de/topkarten/fsreaeur.html Here is the weather on my birth date - 10 August 1997. Maybe this explains why I love heat and thunderstorms so much!

We've had quite a few cold New Year's Days in the last few years too. New Year's Day 2009 was very chilly with quite a stagnant area of high pressure to the north of the UK. There wasn't much snow around, but many places had a very hard frost in the morning, and afternoon temperatures barely above freezing. Then New Year's Day 2010 was bitterly cold with a north easterly wind screaming in across the UK. It is to this date my coldest New Year's Day on record. There was even some very heavy snow around in some parts of the UK on this day. Then again, New Year's Day 2011 was another chilly one, with a northerly wind stretching all of the way back to the North Pole. Again not much snow around, but a chilly one certainly.

On closer inspection of the 12z run from the GFS, it looks to me like there is some sort of polar low developing in the northerly flow. The low doesn't develop in the far reaches of the North Pole, but it develops all within cold arctic air, so it's certainly one to watch...

Yep, 12z ECM going for a pretty decent cold snap for late November, next weekend. Widespread frost looks very likely, as well as snow for the north. Some of this could even settle to lower ground too.

It's looking like an exceptionally wet week is on the way, with bands of very heavy rain crossing the UK, pretty much every day between now and Friday. Temperatures will be variable as we bring mild sectors and cold sectors through the country. I wouldn't at all be surprised if we see some pretty widespread flooding by this time next week. However, next weekend is starting to look very exciting for cold lovers, with the first cold northerly coming down from the Pole. We will most likely see the first widespread frost with hill snow, some of this even getting down to lower levels in the north and east. We're in for quite a lot of model watching this week, me thinks!

Another event that I remember quite well was on the very last day of winter 2009-10, 28 February 2010. Fog formed the evening before and at the same time, a band of snow moved in overnight, leaving 5-10cm of snow on the ground and a foggy sky. Not really very snowy, but just one of those events that I remember. The fog cleared late morning however, and the snow thawed quite quickly then.

Squally showers following Storm Abigail:

The showers gave way to a lovely sunset:

A very squally shower has just blown through. It's windy and absolutely leathering it down now.

3°C? You might even see a bit of sleet up there. Here it's 6°C with very squally and heavy showers rattling through.

Yes, February 1986: the lost and forgotton cold month. With a CET of minus 1.1C, it's actually more severe than December 2010 was. It also comes right off the back of November 1985, which was the coldest since 1919, with a CET of 4.1. It's funny you should that now, as I'm currently getting statistics together to make one of my historic videos on those two months.