ukmoose

Well miles out for October after a very toasty couple of weeks. Can't see November being particularly cold but I do hope we get a little more rain as the last three months here have been very dry. A little above average 7.8 for November for me please.

The last few days have been pretty warm and one or two cooler nights have been more than offset recently by several very warm nights. I would guess a rise if anything over the last few days. Then there is the mandatory downwards correction (I still don't understand this) so should be between 14.1 and 14.3?

This must be close to the driest September ever in this neck of the woods. I'd be amazed if there has been a drier one with rain on only two occasions - one of these light and the other very light. In fact, there can't be many drier months at all. It must be in the top 10 (5? 3?) driest months on record. Can anyone confirm this please? Thanks.

A very average 10.6 for me please. Cooler in the north but only outside the CET zone.

Which is not to be sneezed at. Thanks Jackone - great job with the spreadsheet as always.

Here is the chart for September's CET. Quite a few warm predictions at the bottom; not too many cool ones which would seem to fit the recent pattern. 62 12.7C: summer blizzard 63 13.0C: shuggee 26 13.1C: Polar Gael 60 13.1C: AtlanticFlamethrower 14 13.2C: WhiteXmas 18 13.2C: BARRY 32 13.2C: Stu_London 8 13.4C: SteveB 30 13.4C: pjb120 41 13.4 NorthNorfolkWeather 50 13.4 artic fox 24 13.5C: virtualsphere 45 13.5C: Duncan McAlister 3 13.6C: Koppite 52 13.6C: Mr Maunder 57 13.6C: Polar Continental 35 13.7C: Norrance 19 13.8C: BLAST FROM THE PAST 39 13.8C: Terminal Moraine 4 13.9C: fozfoster 36 13.9C: mark bayley 46 13.9C: Megamoonflake 69 13.9C: Timmead late entry 10 P Points 2 14.0C: Gavin P 15 14.0C: mullender83 28 14.0C: Anti-Mild 47 14.0C: Blizzards 53 14.0C: sundog 59 14.0C: fozi999 68 14.0C: StormMad26 late entry 10 P Points 71 14.0C: JACKONE late entry 10 P Points 13 14.1C: NaDamantaSam 27 14.1C: snowmaiden 37 14.1C: cookie 44 14.1C: DAVID SNOW 67 14.1C: Stargazer late entry 10 P Points 7 14.2C: sufc 11 14.2C: adamjones416 21 14.2C: Mr Data 49 14.2C: ukmoose 51 14.2C: damianslaw 55 14.2C: Stratos Ferric 66 14.2C: mk13 late entry 10 P Points 74 14.2C: osmposm late entry 10 P Points 12 14.3C: Pete Tattum 34 14.3C: DR Hosking 64 14.3C: acbrixton 70 14.3C: Don late entry 10 P Points 25 14.4C: The watcher 40 14.4C: stewfox 56 14.4C: phil n.warks 5 14.5C: Tribe3000 16 14.5C: The PIT 42 14.5C: Kentish Man 58 14.5C: Jack Wales 61 14.5C: GRHinPorts 65 14.5C: Thundery wintry showers late entry 10 points P Points 73 14.5C: Snowstorm1 late entry 10 points P Points 6 14.6C: RAIN RAIN RAIN 43 14.6C: reef 38 14.7C: wiganweather.com 31 14.8C: evil monkey 10 14.9C: mike Meehan 33 14.9C: davehsug 17 15.0C: chionomaniac 9 15.2C: Shiny Bottom 1 54 15.4C: Roger J Smith 29 15.8C: Optimus Prime 20 16.0C: Mike W 22 17.0C: Craig Evans

The rolling 10 year average is interesting - pretty high figure that. Thinking about it, I can't remember a cool September in recent years though I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong. Going by that, I will plump for 14.2 please.

Bother - I'm a little late with my entry. I will go for 16.7C please if only because the night time minima will probably stay relatively high due to cloud cover! Thanks

A hot start, guessing a slight cool down after that but still warm overall. 17 please

Thanks very much for all the superb work compiling the spreadsheet of results Jackone.

Warmish 14.9 C please.

Is this normal service resumed after a few months' interruption when temperatures (almost) fell back to long term averages in some cases? Quite likely I would think. I'll go for 12.2 please.

Warm start on the cards. At least a week or more substantially above average by day at least. I'll go for 9.2 C please. Thanks.

Most certainly. In fact, from a purely personal point of view, we had the best snow conditions this February (both depth and quality) that I can remember for a long time. 10 years at least. And possibly longer. No slush, no artificial snow required anywhere, perfect conditions really. Definitely much better than the same time in February 06. Not the same resort, but not too far apart (La Plagne in 06, Morzine this year.)

I am one of those 'modern winterists' as you put it and there is nothing that has happened this winter that has changed my mind that the climate is warming. I don't think anyone is saying 'it can't happen anymore', just that it isn't happening much in recent years and the years are ticking by. Something has changed and as each year passes it's another year to add to the, let's call it, 'less wintry period' that we are in. One winter rather colder than the long term average, first for many years and coldest since when, 96? But How can one winter change anyone's view? Winters are no longer as cold as they were (can't argue with the facts) and although cold weather can and does still occur, it fails (at the moment) to bring the low temperatures that we used to get and, in the main, does not last as long. This winter has tried valiantly to halt the trend and came very close. Who knows how long this will continue? That is not to say that I am in the 'winters were always much colder I were a lad' camp either. Winter weather fluctuates; of course it does. There have always been mild winters even in runs of very cold ones and in the depths of our coldest periods. The point is, we are in a phase where sustained cold weather is not happening very often compared to the very mild conditions that prevail more often than not. They haven't prevailed this year; and yes, it has been cold, but not bitingly so. The programme that was on the TV last week must have been rather amusing (I admit I didn't see it) and more than a little embarrassing I would think. Where did they manage to find enough material for their 'Arctic Britain' I wonder? Weather patterns change over time. This may, in the very long term, lead to climate change as climate is derived from weather over a long period of time 'averaged' out. It may just be an (albeit rather long) blip. Some of us doubt that more than others I guess but neither camp can predict the future so we just have to comment on what each passing season brings.

6.6 please, just a tad above the long term average would seem reasonable.

Not the prettiest of resorts itself, but very high and snow conditions pretty much guaranteed well into April. Have skied there myself in April before - no problem. Lots of great skiing to be had from there too into neighbouring resorts.

Quick update from last week in Morzine. Fantastic conditions all round. 4.5 days of sunshine, heavy snow Monday evening through to early hours Wednesday morning adding well over a foot of new powder to the already superb pistes. 1.5 days lost due to poor visibility, but hey, how can one complain with conditions superb for the rest of the time? Will add some photos when I can work out how to do it!

Never that cold, but certainly a very snowy period for this neck of the woods with at least four quite heavy falls of snow and several other lighter ones. The snow is still lying largely unbroken in fields, side roads, gardens (and golf courses) though today has seen the highest temperature so far this month and this has taken its toll on the snowmen and other sculptures. So frequent moderately heavy snow; no drifting to speak of; quite a lengthy cold spell ( very cold since 1st Feb with the first snow on Monday 2nd and still hanging on) but strangely, never that cold in terms of low maxima or indeed night time minima - another even larger teapot phenomenon?

Extremely comprehensive and very informative as always John. Great to see an old pro at work. (And I mean that in the nicest possible way!) Thanks for all that effort. Moose

Thanks for the update Jackone. We're off to Morzine tomorrow, hoping for better conditions than we've had for the last few years at this time. All appears to be well at the moment snow-wise - but looks like it might be a bit cloudy next week after Sunday giving possibly poor, flat light but we'll see. Will report back on return! Moose

Where is that low now? It's snowing heavily here and has been for a couple of hours but it's not very windy. Light rain all day before that but the temperature dropped a couple of degrees quite quickly and the rain turned to snow. Judging by that, I would say the low is further south than expected even as late as this afternoon?

Well it's been snowing heavily here now for about two hours after light rain all day before that. The roads are disappearing again - how long will it continue? All the latest charts and forecasts I looked at suggested the snowfall would be further north this evening so I'm really not sure what to expect. Driving back just now was odd - huge puddles from the earlier snow melt, new settling snow and old snow piled up in the middle of the road and the verges. Temperature hovering around zero. If it does freeze tonight the roads will be like skating rinks.

SM, this is a really good question and has got better as the last week has come and gone. It is, as far as this area is concerned, a week that has produced more heavy snowfalls than any winter since the the late 80s. Feb 91 was much colder for a week but only had one heavy fall of snow that I remember. It was however from the east and therefore cold and dry. 'Proper' snow as Steve M has alluded too because it was dry and blew around and you couldn't make snowballs from it. Probably never above minus three or so even during the snowfall. This week has been very unusual in that we have had three (four including tonight's) quite heavy snowfalls and the snow has not melted. This in itself, for recent winters, is quite unprecedented. The warmer air has never managed to get a foothold and hence the snow has remained and been topped up by further falls. We had snow lying here in October and November but NONE in December ( although we did have a cold spell or two) and January came in at only just above 3 for the CET. I. like SF, am not convinced that a sub 3 month is achievable any more but I am quite prepered to metaphorically 'eat my hat' if it happens this month which is surely the best chance we can possibly get. The snow fall has been a major surprise this month, so too has the fact that the colder air has hung on for a week now (this is s really good test of a cold spell for me. If we have a whole week with the temperature barely above freezing, then that is a 'real' cold spell from the old school. This week has achieved that without, and this is the only caveat, any very low temperatures. By that I mean minus 10 or below. last night was forecast as a possibility, bit did not make it I fancy. In summary, I think this has been a very noteworthy winter ( I know that some areas are still waiting the snowfall that we have had here), but it has also been noteworthy for the lack of very low night time minima (and I suppose very low day time maxima) which are the two things I would quibble with if it enters the record books. The other thing would be lack of VERY deep snow and drifting snow to any great depth. Best winter for a long, long time though. No question.

Same here - this is hard to believe. I was not expecting any snow here today bit it's absolutely batting it down again - temperature 0 - the lying snow is receiving a lovely new, thick carpet. Can't snow like this for long, surely...