Michael Winston

....and it is St. Swithin's day! Regards, Mike.

Same here, James. I think we'll seesome heavy, thundery rain overnight, although I've absolutely no evidence to support this. Just a feeling I've got. Regards, Mike.

....and a Happy April 1st to you too, Mr. Data! Regards, Mike.

Many thanks, Paul and John. Technically excellent and very informative. Kind regards, Mike.

Yes, Andy, but as the UKMO and others have said, that front will hit the cold air to the north and readily turn to heavy snow. Coupled with the strong north-easterly wind, Tuesday morning could be as bad as we've seen this winter, if not more so. All to play for! Regards, Mike.

I wonder if we'll have a repeat of the bizarre events on this day in 1855? A fascinating story with loads of info on the net............. ''The mysterious footprints, which appeared overnight in heavy snowfall in Southern Devon in 1855, have never been adequately explained. According to contemporary reports, they stretched for over a hundred miles, and went through solid walls and haystacks, appearing on the other side as though there was no barrier. The extent of the footprints may have been exaggerated at the time, and they may have been the result of freak atmospheric conditions. But in truth the footprints - if that is what they were - still remain a complete mystery. On the night of the 8th of February 1855, heavy snowfall blanketed the countryside and small villages of Southern Devon. The last snow is thought to have fallen around midnight, and between this time and around 6.00am the following morning, something (or some things) left a myriad of tracks in the snow, stretching for a hundred miles or more, from the River Exe, to Totnes on the river Dart. The early risers were the first to find them, strange hoof-shaped prints in straight lines, passing over rooftops, through walls and covering huge areas of land. A set of the prints were even supposed to have bridged a two mile span of the river Exe, continuing on the other side as if the creature had walked over the water. It soon became clear that the phenomenon was widespread, and some of the more scientifically minded examined the prints in detail. One naturalist sketched some of the marks, and measured the distance between them, it was found to be eight and a half inches. This spacing seemed to be consistant wherever the tracks were measured. It was also noted that the way in which they were set out, one in front of the other, suggested a biped rather than a creature walking on four legs. Some clergymen suggested that the prints belonged to the Devil, who was roaming the countryside in search of sinners (a great ploy to fill the churches), while others rejected the idea as superstition. It is true that a feeling of unease had spread through some of the population, who watched carefully to see if the strange footprints would return. They did not and after a couple of days the news spread out of Devon and made the national press. The phenomena sparked correspondence in some of the leading papers including the Times and the Illustrated news. '' Warphead.com Also:- http://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/england...footprints.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/discovering/leg...ootprints.shtml Regards, Mike.

It's nice to know that all those who said we'd see snow in our neck of the woods were right. Regards, Mike.

This latest from the BBC: ''Snowfall is expected from Essex through Cambridgeshire and the West Midlands as far as Dorset in the west.,[sic] with at least a couple of inches expected.'' You'll find the story here:_ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7873063.stm It looks like there's a lot of uncertainty about earlier forecasts. Regards, Mike.

I've seen nothing to change my mind on the precipitation radar - I still believe we'll see something further north than indicated by the Met and the BBC. Regards, Mike.

That's a lovely part of the world. Will look forward to seeing the pictures. Did you get any views towards the Malverns? Regards, Mike.

True, Issac. Let's hope! I think they're right on the money with the icy conditions tonight, though. I'm stopping in! Let the pub come to me!! Regards, Mike.

It does happen, Andy. There's such a complicated and marginal battlefront at the moment that it might all come down to nowcasting tonight and early tomorrow morning. Interesting indeed. Regards, Mike.

P.S. Check these sites if you don't already have them bookmarked:- http://www.sat24.com/Region.aspx?country=g...r&type=loop http://www.yr.no/satellitt/1.5941760 The second site is particularly useful, I find. Regards, Mike.

Yes, Andy, I too have been watching that on various European satellite sites for the past five or six hours. I think it may well move over the Midlands overnight. It's too close to call at the moment though, in my opinion. An interesting developmnet, nevertheless. Regards, Mike.

Possibly, Andy, but unlikely, I think. I there's a small area of precipitation moving up through the M4 corridor which might reach us around the early afternoon. The temperatures should remain close to freezing, too. I'm off outside now to enjoy it! Regards, Mike.

Yep! Once you pass the Bull Ring and go down Bristol Road South, it'll all turn to rain. :lol: Regards, Mike.

Highly unlikely, Tom. I think we'd have to be much further south- somewhere like central southern England (hopefully!) Regards, Mike.

France. Regards, Mike.

Here's a useful radar site for all you night owls- http://www.meteox.com/h.aspx?r=&jaar=-...;soort=loop1uur Enjoy! Regards, Mike.

The Met Office only update their warnings if, or when, there's a radical change in the immediate outlook. A downgrade is usually indicated by them removing the warning: not the most subtle of methods, but, like their warnings, unambiguous enough. The warnings themselves are issued at around 11 a.m. daily and, as they say, upgraded as necessary. Hope this clarifies things. Regards, Mike.

From the Met Office: Heavy Snow 0100 Thu 5 1500 Thu 5 There is a high risk of a severe weather event affecting parts of the Midlands, the West Country and southern and eastern Wales during Thursday. An area of snow will move in from the south during the early hours of Thursday and will continue through the morning and into the afternoon. There will be accumulations of 2 to 5 cm of snow in general, with 5 to 10 cm likely in places and 20 to 30 cm possible over higher ground. This will cause disruption to travel across the region. Issued at: 1047 Wed 4 Feb Seems unambiguous enough! Regards, Mike.

The temperature here in south Birmingham (Edgbaston / Selly Park) has dropped fron 5.4C to 1.1C in the last two hours. I was a little doubtful if conditions would be right for a wintry precipitation, but now I'm a lot more confident. Regards, Mike.

Sunny here. 0.4C Overnight light snow. More tonight? Regards, Mike.

Cloudy here with an 11m.p.h. wind. Temperature around 0.9C. It feels bitterly cold in the wind. One cat on my lap as I type and the other one by the fire - it must be cold! Regards, Mike.

Met office update here: http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/uk_...st_weather.html Regards, Mike.