LRD

Yeah, that's what I thought. So, although Meteo now do the forecasting and presentation for the Beeb, they still use Met Office warnings as part of that

Oooooh wonderful. Slush-Fest Part II - The Revenge

We've just come out of a settled period in Feb. It has to rain at some point!! And I'd rather it now than between early May and early Sep Forgive my own scepticism but people on here have been predicting crap summers, once spring comes round, every year since I've been on here. Only 2012 was truly awful (but even then August cheered up), although we've had some 'meh' summers in that time I don't recall any other really bad ones apart from 2011. That is in MBY of course. I realise further north and west summer can be a very trying period There were one or two on here confidently writing off summer 2022 in April last year! Dunno if that weather-history chap who is on here has this sort of data - but I wonder how many washout days there have been in the cricket from 1960-1990 compared to 1991 to the present day?

I didn't want this cold this time round but, yeah, it is at least interesting. Feb 2023 was one of the most boring months I can ever remember. At least stuff is happening now even though I don't want some of it to happen

Yep, I can live with a wet March but I hope we get some warm weather in April (even if it's showery) and then May becomes dry and warm and bright/sunny Then a warm, dry summer but with plenty of thunderstorm activity. It can rain all it wants from about mid-Sept to mid-Nov if there remain any concerns about water levels at that stage

Wow. That is incredible No disrespect to you at all, Paul, but I hope it stays that way. Travelling to Sheffield on Friday and staying the weekend so I could really do without my travel and the football being disrupted/postponed However, it's early on in the warning time zone so I'm sure it'll snow for you soon. Probably after dark. But please don't let it effect my afternoon train and 4pm arrival in the city tomorrow Would be interesting to hear updates from you - but obviously don't feel obliged to do that! I'm out for much of this evening anyway

It's not the dry summers that have been the problem. It's been the dry autumns and some drier winters in recent years. Spring has also been pretty dry recently The only summer rainfall I want to see is in the form of warm, southerly-originated thunderstorms

Exactly. Cold in April is utterly pointless in the UK unless you live on a mountain or on very high ground. Damaging frosts that slow growth and nature, snow that doesn't hang around and most people looking for a bit of warmth on their backs Fortunately (and I'm probably jinxing next month) it's only really been 2021 that's produced that rubbish in the last few years. We didn't even get any snow where I live apart from an hour or 2 on the Easter Monday. Not that I wanted snow that late anyway

I haven't been led up the garden path because I knew what this spell was going to produce in reality (a slushy mess for a lot of us). But I know what you mean, as I've been fooled by it in the past. Not anymore. I think that thread is in danger of losing any credibility

Snowed here for 24 hours on and off and it's barely settled anywhere. Patchy on rooftops, some covering on the grass/fields, next to nothing roads/pavements As I suspected and said elsewhere on here, this 3-day wonder (IMBY - I realise that, for example, Scotland and some other northern areas has been colder/are going to remain cold for longer) is looking pretty wintry for higher places but for many low lying locations it's a slushy, wet, sleety, snowy mess. Awful. If only it was December, it'd be much more convincing I suspect At least it's on its way out by Saturday evening/Sunday morning

That reminds me of Kent Brockman from The Simpsons

Indeed, it was hard work getting to work this morning through the chilly drizzle and slightly wet surfaces

Yep All that time, effort and agonising for a cm or 2 of transient slushy snow when previous talk was of a record-breaking cold March, a possible 20cm of snow in central/southern England and a 2-week severe spell, etc, etc. I know things have been bad since 2013 (with one or two exceptions) but I didn't think things were that desperate that this week is worth all the excitement It seems that they have been talking about a feast of snow and cold, a 5-course banquet, on the MAD thread for weeks and it's now turned into looking forward to a happy meal Typically, although the overall outlook is pretty 'meh' cold-wise, a day that I could really do without it snowing (the 10th) actually looks as though it could deliver something that is temporarily disruptive where I'm travelling to that day

6 weeks of hype for about 3 days of cold IMBY

100% spot on. Lost loads of brilliant posters. Losing that BBC weather presenter fella was especially disappointing and careless Anyway, I really am getting the dog out now

Fair enough. Yep, understood

You make some fair points. But putting people on ignore would then just lead to me creating my own echo chamber, which'd be hypocritical of me. I totally get what you're saying though in terms of the type of poster you put on ignore! Don't do Twitter - it's a cess pit whatever the subject matter is As I say, if people want to get hyped, then fine. I can't really understand it anymore but, ok. But within that environment what is so wrong with highlighting a model that shows something different? As I say, stifling posts of that nature just makes the disappointment - when another phantom, computer-generated cold spell fails - even more acute for those who are so emotionally invested Posts showing something other than cold are a service to cold fans if anything. Tempers expectation and eases disappointment, surely? Anyway, dog needs walking and then work Have good days everyone

Agreed I ain't got a problem with folk getting a little excited about snow as it is so rare in this country these days but there is a balance to be struck. The bit I've bolded in your post is a lot of the problem - some people just take it all so seriously and then, so personally, when it goes wrong (for cold) and the "weather gods" (another awful cliche) "don't deliver" (another cliche) As I've said, I used to be a bit like that up to a couple of years ago and I massively regret it.

Exactly. It's not as though I don't like a bit of cold (I do but I prefer front-loaded winters and especially December snow, which I was lucky enough to see this winter) but I'm no longer overly bothered by it. This week will at least be interesting after 4 or 5 weeks of nothingness but I like to see this week's weather in November - a bit of a starter before a Dec main course of cold I don't understand why people are so offended by showing mild charts. How is that debate, balance and properly weighing up the possibilities? With all the cold charts posted newbies would think any particular cold pattern is nailed when other output is ignored (and you can't talk about the milder options/models and you can't highlight the hypocrisy of saying "GEM is a gem" one minute and then either a) ignoring it the next run when it shows milder weather or b) saying something like "it doesn't handle these situations very well"). Dare post a mild chart and you are trolling or winding people up? I mean, what the hell. No, it's not trolling, it's posting a chart from a model in the model thread But the echo-chamber nature of that thread, encouraged and facilitated by so many, then usually leads to a load of whining and dummy-spitting when, surprise surprise, it rains instead of snows

Nailed it The validation point you make is especially, well, valid! Some people just post stuff for likes and attention. Weird and needy behaviour Maybe I'm just losing the interest in the hobby anyway but there are plenty of people on that thread (and elsewhere but especially that thread) who are seriously putting me off all this. UK winters are becoming less and less interesting anyway but the strange over-excited almost child-like behaviour by some on this website - specifically the model thread - is massively putting me off Can't debate, can't try and have a laugh and a joke and a gentle mickey take, can't offer an alternative view to what's being hyped without getting piled on and/or reported. To think I used to be part of that (although I've never, ever reported anyone). I really kick myself that I used to get taken in and join that behaviour until a couple of years or so ago. This winter has opened my eyes even further Sad really

So, now we've gone from 10-15 day winter wonderland predictions on the model thread to hoping for 3 hours of snow before it turns to rain Perhaps, if winter-geddon doesn't, in fact, end up happening this SSW could stand for other things -Slightly Slushy Weather -Slowly Sinking Winter -Seeking Snow Wistfully -Suddenly Sad Weather-watchers (that's a stretch I must admit) Some of us have resorted to Silently Seeking Warmth 'cos of the fear of offending folk in the model thread!

Cheers Kev. So, if I'm reading that correctly, it looked quite dry down in Espana in the 80s. Yet, we still had a fair few cold winters. Interesting. Maybe pressure was high down there but not THAT high to prevent Scandi highs developing. Which seemed to be more frequent in the 80s than Greenland heights were (I might be imagining that!)

Thanks Ali - good chart

Those Iberian heights - frequently stick the knife in and twist, don't they? Interesting to see rainfall stats for winter for Spain from the last 25 years compared to the previous 25 years. I'd look myself but I'm not THAT interested

That's my point mate All that sort of wording and, yet, Sheffield, where I will be for a football match on Saturday and your neck of the woods has a forecast of 7s on the Met office website and dry weather, not much colder than we have now That's what I'm trying to say - there is a disconnect between their text updates and their city forecasts. Odd