Northernlights

Yes shifted wintering sheep onto a fresh grass field today with an inch of fresh growth since late November. Otherwise a pleasant day after a frosty satart at -0.5c. Currently 4c

Still a bit breezy but the last two days have been tiring outside with very strong winds and squally showers of rain making the surface very muddy. Currently 4c.

Its still waiting for more .A few photos from the farm road today which is to the north of some woodland . . A ground frost this morning and with clear skies this afternoon the frost is coming down again .Currently 1.5c Daffs peeping through the snow and snowdrops in flower.

Mean"t to add the old uns would say its( the snow) waiting for more.

About 20% snow cover left, nearly all in the usual sheltered spots where there is still a fair bit left and especially the woods where you can go for a real winter walk.Slight ground frost again this morning and a few snow showers round the Firth. Hills looking resplendant in their thick snowcover. Currently 4.5c

-2c this morning with about 40% frozen snowcover and 20%sheet ice so nasty day for walking about .Slow thaw started late morning and we now have rain at 3.5c. So all in all another raw mid winters day.

Yes up to this last week the oustanding fact of this winter has been the lack of rain on this side of the Moray Firth and as a farmer i have been saying to others that this coming summer if it turns out to be a dry one could be really difficult for growing crops and grass following on from last years very dry summer. Stocks of hay and silage will be exhausted on stock farms this spring with nothing to carry forward so we are looking for a damper summer than last year. Looks like your thoughts will turn out correct.

Still have half last nights snow still lying after a steady thaw from late morning but am seeing puddles skin up and start to freeze in shaded areas under blue skies. The frost we had before these snowfalls is still in the ground to a depth of about 3 inches and will help to preserve the snow. Still looks frosty at night on my local forecast on here for the next couple of weeks so will probably keep snow lying in the woods or shaded areas. Currently 2.5c ,

Not entirely over .A few photos from this morning Some roads almost impassable (A96) and a lot of schools closed

The only positive from todays conditions is that soil moisture reserves will be getting topped up..

A few photos showing wet snow here but dryer further inland on the trees. Currently 0.5c and snow easing. Foul conditions to work in with very wet snow on top of ice.

Well that thaw yesterday didn"t last long we have three inches of very heavy wet snow this morning and its still falling heavily All the power and phone lines will be vulnerable today. Currently -2c

A few photos from this afternoon and sunset round the Firth. Currently -3c

Part of the magic of Spring Northerlies and Easterlies is the day length and brightness which can give some rally stunning colours to the clouds and sky when you have arctic air. Also in the evening as shower activity fades you can still see and photograph snow showers out over the North Sea. Definitely think it is part of my Viking heritage which draws me to being someone who likes snowy weather and knowing that a lot of this type of weather originates from where they came.

-3c this morning with some fresh snow and a lot of ice underneath a very slippery mix. Photo of a snow shower over the Firth near Wick. .Unlikely to be the last one of winter which can easily carry on till early April up here with sea temperatures finally falling and the frequency of north and east winds at their highest from now until sometimes June when I have ocasionally seen a north wind produce snow on the high hills over 3000 feet around mid summers day.

After an afternoon with a slight thaw at 2c and and bit of sleet with a fresh north wind we now have heavy powdery snow falling at 0c and everthing is getting white again. Sitting here tonight the thing that alerted me was the muffled sound of a north wind a sure sign of heavy falling snow.

.A few photos from this morning showing outbreaks of snow rolling in off the Firths warmer waters a bit like November 2010 but not quite so intense. Who says this warming in the upper atmosphere has not produced results somewhere

Always warms up before snow as the old uns used to tell me, latent heat from my current snowfall.

Milder here too at -0.5c with outbreaks of snow varying from light to heavy as just now .Fresh covering of about 2cm with a fresh WSW breeze and the snow beginning to drift slightly

Really on the way down now at -6c with old farmhouse windows all freezing up. Begining to feel like serious cold is settling in even if it came in on a west wind .My local forecast on here has freezing night time temperatures for the next two weeks hardly even average weather still on the cool side.

Fantastic alpine day with blue skies and sunshine with just a few snow showers on the northern horizon. Ice day with a maximum of -2c and already -4c now. Very slippery so cows out between midday and 2.00pm to neeps on the rocks!!! These stationary showers to the north are a real reminder of the 2009 and 2010 winters especially as the neep field is the same one again.

Some photos from this morning.

-8c here too with a sunny start and again snow showers to the north on the horizon round the Firth

Another fine winters day, most of the snow still here apart from south facing roofs. Some photos from this morning across the Firth. Currently clear and -0.5c

See there is another circulation to the north of scotland .Could we get lucky twice? No. Currently clear skies and -3c A couple of photos