Iceni

I think it's our second ice day in a row only got up to –0.7C yesterday. Still crazy cold here –3.4C, just half a degree warmer than it was this time last night. I shall feel bereft when it's gone I was thinking today that I prefer a hoar frost to snow visually. Every detail is picked out with ice crystals but you still get the colour variation... snow just covers everything. Here's some pictures of the scenery. I've never seen it so frozen in the 7 years I've been living here and won't forget the past few days (in a nice way ).

Wow an even deeper frost than yesterday giving everything an fresh layer of crystals. It's prettier than snow imo. –4.1C and foggy when the fog clears I'm off out to take some more pictures, this doesn't happen very often.

Was 1.2C and lovely (weak) sunshine, but the temps dropped to 1.0C and it's started snowing again lightly... I thought the pink patch on NWExtra would miss us until I noticed the wind's changed from NN/W last night to EN/E. Excellent! :lol:

We used to have a big Defender (while we were building a house) which I loved (actually felt quite tearful when we sold it to get a camper van). It was starry in snow and managed a 1:5 hill with ease in 6" snow, my husband to be came down to see us in Sussex in it and take us out food shopping when we'd been nearly snowed in for a couple of days (our car couldn't do the hill if someone had got stuck). We have a Freelander (automatic) now and it's pretty ok, but the best of all in snow is our SORN Series III Landy got nice narrow tires which slice through it like a knife through butter. Of course we won't be able to afford to have any Landy's if they bring in the £400 VED... all very well for townies, but what about country people who depend on them — look out into lane this morning, no-one's gritted it for 2 or 3 miles and it's an ice rink with a layer of snow on top.

We have snow and I've clicked that 'Yes' button.

Just started sleeting here, maybe it'll turn snowier... itching to press the 'Yes' button on the vote, but will be honest and desist until it snows.

Far as I'm concerned, as a country dweller, when all the leaves are off the trees and they are bare. Which has usually happened by second half of November.

This one's surely your Christmas card this year :lol: It looks lovely up there and so unusual to see snow with the rusty leaves still on the beech tree in the background. Great pics.

Driza bone here all day. Was a bit disappointed, but checked out the MetO/BBC for early hours of Sunday, frosty overnight then looks like 3 hours of snow 6–9 am with a smidgeon of drizzle up until lunchtime when it clears and drops to freezing again. :lol: I'm not going to put in any celebration symbols until tomorrow am, as it's just tempting fate too much.

:lol: Not a snowball's chance in hell. I'd be pleasantly surprised if the temperature was 0C on Christmas morning... that's how dire Christmas weather has become. The long range says above average and dry for December and January. Another dismal winter in Mild Grey Island's on the cards.

This is the actual forecast from PWS: http://www.positiveweathersolutions.co.uk/UK-Long-Range.php As each winter month starts off with "wet and windy and on or above average temps" it would seem the Express is being extremely selective with their 'Arctic winter' forecast. As you say, totally meaningless waffle.

From the look of my MetO gizmo it's chucking it down over the Black Mountains in Wales and the red area seems to have stuck... hope when all that water finds its way downstream to Hereford/Gloucester there's no repeat of last year's nightmare :lol: Any reports from the area or are you all out sandbagging?

They're under instructions from the govmint to ignore Scotland after their Glasgow East humiliation? We just had another amber warning from MetO — after the event. There was a 30 minute thunderstorm but bright sunshine now.

There's bound to be some MetO techie saying that "technically the trains should be able to run — despite the 2ft of flood water" or "technically, the rain isn't out of the ordinary, just there's a lot of it" If it's any consolation, we had an amber warning in place last night, and got not one drop of rain.

And no MetO warning in place?

This is true. Last year I grew a line of tomatoes against a south facing wall out of the wind, sheltered from the rain and although the toms weren't very quick to ripen, the plants were pretty healthy... I tried the same this year and they've been definitely poorly, so much so, that we got the old greenhouse reglazed and put them in there for the last few days. I know it's a nightime/daytime temperature thing because they have perked up no end and are looking much better.

And for the first time ever, not a single frost in January!!!

Here's my weather one taken this afternoon after some thunderstorms:

Me too!!!

I concur although that Easter morning's snow almost made up for the dire period from Christmas Eve to the end of January. Does this http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7376301.stm mean we might have our proper winters back for a few years?

:lol: Hosepipe bans are usually necessary because the preceding winter has been dry — the only time when trees and other vegetation are not drawing up water, so reservoirs get a chance to refill. As this last winter has seemed a pretty wet one with all the rain in January, so for this summer, even if it doesn't rain for a couple of months on end, I'd be surprised if there's another ban this year. The perfect summer for me would be like an African one... blazing sunshine then just after sunset an inch of rain — every day, with some exciting thunderstorms.

Variety's the key for me as well. I hate weeks of one kind of weather (unless it's snow in the winter) This year it's my parents' Diamond Wedding in mid September and and my Dad's 90th birthday in November... so I'm hoping for a warm September for the marquee. Their Golden Anniversary in September '98 was a scorcher and it got above 25C so we had to bring in the wine set out on the tables. If we have to go through the purduh of a vile August to have a sunny September, I don't mind.

I don't really care how much it rains or how hot and sunny it gets. What I do wish is that it would be more changeable. The last few summers seemed to have been weeks and weeks of endless rain or weeks of relentless sun and drought... either way, it's desparately hard work trying to keep a garden looking its best. Is this what is referred to as 'zonality'? I'd prefer mini heatwaves followed by a few days rain and so on.

On Easter Saturday, I only had a 60% chance of snow, yet it snowed on and off nearly all day. But it wasn't until just before sunset when the temperature dropped to 1C that it started to settle. So technically 100% chance of snow is easily possible, but whether it settles is the question.

I'd offer our LR Defender (seats 12 ) probably not on though as expected for family lunch Easter Sunday. :wacko: One great snow mobile. Be sure to call in at the fish & chip hut at Dunwich beach on the way back for the best f&c's in the world. Think they should open this w/e but check first.