Northernlights

Cold and windy here but dry with a ground frost first thing,currently 3.5c. A cock pheasant has taken to appearing every morning at the bird feeder as all wildlife is very hungry now and even feed supplies for farm livestock are getting scarce and going up in value with the wet cold winter and autumn making everything eat more. A cold late spring would put a lot of pressure on the countryside up here from wildlife to livestock to arable.

The first thundersnow I remember was when we came to Scotland in 1961/62 and were staying on the coast near Portessie. I think it was around New Year and I was looking up out of a skylight window at falling snow and flashes of lightning in a strong north wind which gave snow right down on the beach the next day and blocked the coast road 200 metres from the sea.Had to wait till December 2010 before I saw it again to our south over the Cairngorms .Now here we are again tonight just eight years later and there is more over the mountains to the west.What used to be rare seems to happening with a bit more frequency these days.

Just been out in the car and there seemed to be a lot of lightning out over the hills to the west and sure enough looking at the radar just now there seems to be a squall line with multiple lightning strikes. Quite spectacular at night .Currently very windy and 2c

Some very strong gusts this morning with considerable wind chill at 2c .Odd flurries in the wind but blue skies have just appeared to the west so maybe wind will drop.

Spring Show is at Thainstone on the 28th of February. When it was held in Aberdeen at Kittybrewster in the seventies when I was at college it nearly always snowed on the day.

Snow from this morning remains in shaded areas with the frost.Short of neeps for inside cattle so lifted a few in muddy conditions.However by late afternoon the ground was skining up with frost and neeps were cleaner and machine working better. Currently 0.5c and clear

30 minutes ago it was 3c and heavy rain/sleet, now its 1c and moderate snow settling

We have a covering which is sparkling brightly in a -2c fresh wind and ground beneath is freezing fast.

Another shower lining up in the Firth Last shower departing to the east Slightly snowy dog walk Black Isle with a cover to sea level Currently 0c and snowing again

Steady snow on for the last ten minutes mostly grauple with a change to larger flakes now .There also appears to a subtle change from a westerly wind to a more north of west direction beefing up the showers as they cross the Firth. Currently 0.5c

Just flurries this side of the Firth too but they are settling in shsded frosty areas. Currently 1.5c

.Another crisp sunny day with snow showers dotted around the horizon round the Firth.Had a lot of these days this winter which in spite of not seeing a lot of lying snow like those further west has at least made it look and feel like proper winter. Currently 3c with frost first thing which came in with the daylight.

Light snow this morning with fresh cold southerly wind. Still only 1c after -3c first thing and snow has stopped

Very wintry sunset over the Firth tonight with snow showers peppered round the horizon.Had a couple of nice snow/grauple showers late in the afternoon to add to the dusting and the frost stayed in the shade all day. Currently clear and -2c and the mud is crunching up.

Catching up with a light snow shower just now and we have a dusting.Still 0c

No snow overnight but now -1c with ice on every surface,roads will be awful.

Just light sleet here at the moment and 2c.

Yes its the consistency of damp weather since last July that is so unusual for the inner Moray Firth area even in your area there is still straw to bale after last harvest and a lot of winter ploughing has not even started.Losses among wintering sheep have also been high from pneumonia as although sheep can tolerate a lot of bad weather never drying out their fleeces occasionally at all is bad for them. Giving pneumonia vaccination to our calves has been money well spent this past autumn. Being a bit of a weather geek since 2009/10 we have started ploughing a month earlier at the end of October so are up to date with all muck spread too and ploughed in .However I think a late spring beckons again and the fact that there are minimal machines/labour on farms is going to put a lot of pressure on. Its goiing to take a serious amount of dry weather to allow us back onto the fields.

I promise never to talk about sublimation and how it dries the ground in late winter/early spring ever again as it has rained all day and ihas been even heavier in the last half hour. Kept cows in as neep field under water now..Currently 3c

Another wet start to the day.Feed lorry has just phoned me outside at the cattle to see if he can come in on Monday as they have a problem sinking on farm roads.In spite of average rainfall I have never seen the farm fields or roads so soft. It must be down to the hard penetrating frosts following rain that we have had. This has heaved the ground (expanded) several times and when it thaws leaves the ground much softer than before. Tarred roads will probably befull of potholes too this spring!! Currently 1.5c

Mudmageddon here today after last nights rain currently 3.5c Roll on the frost and snow next week.

A lot of heavy wet snow this afternoon which has not settled but ground above about 200 metres is white. Has cleared and currently 1c so expecting some very icy conditions later.

A dusting here too currently clear and 0.5c

Yes another very wet night ground will be waterlogged again not at all like last winters dry weather. Have to say that reading through various farming magazines in the last few months agriculture especially in the west of Scotland is under severe threat from this wet weather and I think in another fifty years time will be severely reduced if not non existant over large parts of Scotland. Currently breezy clear and 3.5c.

Fine day till late afternoon when rain came on. Got a new electric fence up in the neep field so we are set up for the next half of winter. Currently 7c