Northernlights

Wet snow here too but not settling at 1.5c another depressing day .

Halfamilefromnowhere Totally agree coldest day of the winter. Strong NE wind and moderate rain all day with a maximum temperature of 5c. Currently 3c with sleet falling. . A chance we could be white in the morning.

Ravelin No Its always been cold in the spring up here but perhaps what is slightly different is the wetness. Usually Arctic outbreaks at this time of year have dryer air with dry snow and grauple falling in temperatures up to 6c. The wetness may be a reflection of a warming world. A few reasons why springs are cold up here sea temperatures at their lowest, frequency of of N and E winds at their highest, proximity of the Arctic with lots of winter cold to dissipate not so modified by warm seas. Went on an Agri College trip to Tomintoul to big sheep farm from Aberdeen in May 1975 where a few days before they were blocked in by 6 foot drifts . Easter 1968 April was very snowy for two weeks and a field that was only sown round the outside before the snow came emerged under the snow blanket . Looked fine and green when snow melted.Can be up to a 70F degree difference between the bottom and top of a snow blanket. Twas always thus in the spring up here. Our average cattle turnout date is 20th April and I would hope by then we will have seen some better weather.

Absolutely dire day with continuous light to moderate rain at 6c Positive note for the day the Houdini wintering sheep are off home to Skye .Won"t miss their company as there was a bunch that did not seem to like ours and we were forever rounding them up this last month. Their fence and dyke climbing skills were superb. Meanwhile spring sowing is being pushed further and further back. A lot of unhappy farmers out there.

Cool day with maximum of 7c after a start of 4c.Dull misty with drizzle, A real contrast to yesterdays sunshine and maximum of 15c. Getting frustrated by ground getting wet every day and nothing sown.

Quinah Caught the family out with this this morning . Idea came from cross compliance as there are all sorts of weird and wonderful things that we have to do in order to claim subsidies in the future.

On the subject of wet weather and potholes. Cross compliance rules are about to changed for subsidy payments for farmers. Each farmer will be allocated depending on the size of farm a number of potholes on local country roads to be filled in over the summer before autumn payments as councils no longer have the resources. Materials will be supplied by councils.

A side effect if this long very wet spell is the price of straw is rocketing About a third of winter wheat crops have been drowned or never sown and if spring sowing is delayed till end of April yields of grain and straw will be reduced dramatically.

Everything saturated again this evening really getting serious now even fencer tracking an older grass field today. Buds on horse chestnut which were bursting just over a week ago have turned yellow in the last few days. Nature is beginning to suffer. Currently 6c

Cool breezy day but with some sunshine not much drying up Cawdor hills white this morning down to just under under a 1000feet

Better start to the day with a bit of sun and 3c. Yesterday was very bad with soaking very cold conditions and dampness everywhere. Fields waterlogged again.

Cool end to the around 5.00pm there still a few wintry showers over the Firth Had a number of showers in the ⁹morning consisting of large wet snowflakes not typical of spring when grauple is more likely or dry snow. Currently clear at 3c

A wet dusting of snow this morning at 1c above 150 feet .Below us on the A96 there is nothing.

Cooling down this evening currently 1.5c with a ground frost setting in.

High wind chill all day here with brief sharp showers obviously falling as snow above 1000 feet as some very strong arctic colours in the shower clouds as they moved over the Cairngorms to the south. Not a day for standing around. Should have posted this yesterday. Totally different today no wind some long sunny spells and just a few light showers. Got a few outside jobs done including taking down electric fence in neeps as last row finished. Fine when the sun was out but mid afternoon we picked up a light NE wind off the Firth with a chill in it after the NW wind of yesterday. So the pattern was changing today. Lots of geese stocking up on half decent fields of winter wheat and barley They will be here a while yet if this NE wind persists. Currently 5c

Made it to 17c yesterday with strong wind blowing sandy topsoil across the A96 east of Elgin . Much colder start to today at 2c with just as strong wind with some sharp blustery showers. Dusting of snow down to 1000feet on surrounding hills

First 15c day of 2024 Cats outside in sun traps loving it .Even Mrs Northernlights is gardening. Ground very wet though from last nights rain. Strong SW wind and sunny.

Fine day to be followed by torrential rain this evening as abovr

After a week or so of drying winds resulting in some of the low ground sandy fields on the way to Inverness blowing across the A96 we have a soaking wet morning Made a lot of progress in fields clearing stones off spring barley ground, Cold again with a NE wind and currently 5.5c

Back to dreich cold windy weather today currently 4.5c. Was 2c this morning going through to Thainstone at the Glens of Foundland with some neep crops that looked as though they had been severely frosted in the winter completely brown.

damianslaw In my 5 decades of farming March has aways been the hungriest month of the year for the animals on the farm. To me up here it has always been a winter month much more so than December (2010 excepted) sea temperatures are at their lowest, proximity to the arctic with more frequent north and east winds less modification. My birthday in early April has seen a lot of falling snow settling well overnight.. My mother who moved up here in the early sixties was a Londoner who used to say" spring doesn"t happen in Scotland summer arrives on the first of June" with the exception of the first of June 1975 Right up to midsummers day these north and east winds can bring fresh snow to the mountain tops. Because of the strength of light we can get some really arctic skies until late June especially in the evenings

Fine bright day but with a cold SE wind. Things steadily drying up .Young Mr Northernlights getting a few stones off. Countryside living up to my assertion that March is the hungriest month of the year looking absolutely washed out. Currently 6c

Very wet morning taking ground conditions to square one Snow down to about 750 feet as we delivered hay inland.. Brighter afternoon but cool currently 2c with clear intervals.

Very windy day with a rotten old ash tree felled by the wind. But its been the first really drying day so far this year with the ground surface becoming dusty in some areas a magnificent sight. Cool all day and temperature on the way down currently 2c

Winters not over yet Have always considered March a winter Month with stores of feed reducing hay sales usually peak at this point. Dull and 3c this morning. As noted above snow above 2000feet