Northernlights

Dreich calm and cool at 6c .Most of yesterday was the same so no growth. Its looking like a late spring . Looking at the spring barley we sowed last week can see it has sprouted but emergence is still two weeks away at this rate of growth. Birds emptying the feeders every day and badgers coming into the steading every night looking for food although young Mr. Northernlights says they are taking new born lambs in the fields every night on the farm where he works. Seem to prefer just the head.so very distressing for folk looking after them. This in spite of farmer patrolling the fields all night on a quad bike. Geese are plaguing the grass fields again so no sign of them heading north yet.

Seems that next week we may see some cool or even cold weather and some on the model thread seem surprised by this but on many occasions in the sixties I remember cold snowy outbreaks in April.I have mentioned Easter 1968 before. I also remember going on a bus trip from Forres to Aberdeen in late April in the early sixties which involved a cinema visit and coming out onto Holburn Street in the late afternoon into a very heavy dry snow shower. On the way home I sat on the back seat of the bus watching the snow showers over the North Sea to the east highlighted in vivid colours in the setting sun. As we moved west you could see the line of showers moving south across Buchan. There were fewer showers at home that day because of the mountains to the north.

Yes last autumn in particular was mostly very mild with grass growth into November.The winter was mild as well with exceptional grass growth in late February. We had an outbreak of lice in the wintering sheep in January which had to be treated which the vet put down to the mild autumn and winter allowing them to live and multiply However springs still seem to be able to live up to their habit of being just as likely to be cold and turnout to grass has been happening later for a few years now. Climate is a funny old thing. Better morning here dry, moderate wind and 6.5c

The cold outlook is begining to concern me as with little or no new growth in the next few weeks turning out stock may be delayed till May with all the sheds being emptied of hay and straw.. Any new growth in the cereals looks vulnerable to frost damage as well. Currently 5c and breezy.

Not a good outlook for farmers especially livestock ones reliant on grass growing in the spring as although there is rain/sleet here just now the forecast on here for the next two weeks has the potential for a ground frost every night. Some areas of newly sown cereals look like being flooded out too. Most farmers had eeked out last summers meagre supplies till now but a cold April will put them under a lot of pressure. Currently heavy rain/sleet and 4c

Wild wet and windy here with a very cold wind from the NE off the Firth at 3c. Feed cattle in steading as neeps in field finished with lifted ones to feed them and the book work for rest of day.

Fascinating to be watching the cloud roll in from the east this afternoon.Cool at 6.5c

Fine sunny , calm start to the day but -2c so feeling cool.

Just been woken up by the howling wind which has"nt let up since yesterday which along with an RH of 20% has led to a massive drying up of the ground . Surfaces are just dust everywhere .Started to sow a couple of days ago and we are now sowing into talcum powder quite bizarre. The dust storms were starting yesterday too. Currently 8c

On a totally different subject noticed some boken surface ice came in on the tide at Longyearbyan Svalbard to give the impression that the sea surface was frozen.Have"nt seen this a lot of times in the last number of years and temperatures there do look fairly cold. Currently calmer and sunny here this morning and 6c

Exactly the same here full on winter conditions. In spite of this ground was dry enough to absorb the showers allowing us to lift some of the last neeps this afternoon before a bracket on the machine broke.

Still breezy this morning, sunny and chilly at 6c. Very windy yesterday but mostly dry. I know this is equinoxtial gale time but I am getting weary of the wind which makes opening of gates and doors very hard work. We have had a lot of wind this last autumn and winter mostly from a southerly direction. Ground surface very dry again with mini dust devils on the farm road..

After the last few days heavy rain/sleet/ snow showers most of the field drains are running full again but having said that the sun came out today and with no rain it started to dry very fast. Another two days like this and we should be able to cross the fields again but that is more in hope than expectation as it looks like we will get some rain again.

I know I sound like a stuck record but afer viewing the model thread which is hinting at some cold N winds in early April I thought I would just reiterate that the frequency of N and E winds is at its highest in the spring,sea tempeatures are at thair lowest so less moderation of the cold and particularly up here we are nearer the Noth Pole than Moscow and its why we in the north of Scotland often have snowy springs with mountain snow all the way to mid summers day in June. Its also statistically more likely to snow at Easter than Christmas and Easter is later this year as well. The plus side is that Arctic air is usually fairly low humidity so the ground dries up very quickly after snow and we can continue to sow into it. Photo taken on the 25th of April 2016 showing a snow shower coming in from the north across the Firth with a temperature of 1c so a very cold day for the end of April. On the farm we budget for feed to keep the cattle inside to the third week of April on average when there is usually enough grass to feed them outside but with enough back up to keep them in till mid May in a very cold spring. So we are talking about a seven month winter in the north of Scotland as far as the livestock are concerned

Very wet breezy cold start to the day again and currently 4c

Snowing now with it just starting to settle on the grass but just one mile to the south and a hundred feet higher it is very white.Currently 1c

Miserable cold day with light rain this morning. Getting heavier this afternoon and trying to turn to snow with a temperature of 2c. Cows to neeps and back again in an hour. Did"nt want to stay out in that sort of weather.

Probably the worst day of the winter with torrential showers of rain/sleet/snow. Mud everywhere. Must remember not to complain when things looking to dry. Between showers just now so bright and 4c.

Yes some fierce showers earlier though having said that the local forecast on here said they would ease after 9.00am and they did allowing us to dress the barley seed . One shower gave us a glancing blow as mobile dresser was working but most of it crossed the Cawdor hills which combined with the sudden drop in temperature left them looking very white above about 600 feet.. Currently 4.5c with sleet and hail showers passing. Update last shower has now turned to snow and it is 2c

Very windy this afternoon with some violent gusts.Fair old wind chill too at 6c. Very tiring working out in that wind. Cows out to neeps then ran home to steading to ly on their fresh straw bed. Can never understand why people go to the hills on days like this but presume its because they only have this day off to go and can"t postpone it till the forecast is better.

Radar showing lots of snow round us. There are pulses of snow coming through on a strong WNW wind at 1c.Starting to stick on the grass.

A bit of blue sky in the middle of the day but a very stormy looking sky started to roll in from the west about an hour ago so its now very windy and dark with bursts of wet snow at 3c. Sky to the south and west just looks full of snow.

A bit of a dusting overnight. Pheasant helping himself to spills from the bird feeders just outside the kitchen window. Currently 1c and overcast

Thinking of the statement that there is more chance of snow at Easter than Christmas we still have 6 weeks of potential snow events especially up here. I remember there was two weeks of snowcover around Easter 1968 which was at the begining of April. Just a dusting on the grass here now at 0.5c

Snowing just now at 1.5c with a little sticking to the grass. Bit surreal today shifting wintering sheep to a fresh field with a couple of inches of new grass growth. Not looking at neeps that we have put out for them.