Higher Ground

stopped now - was that the shortest wintry event ever? lol now outside my window got the old covering of snow with random large ice pellets scattered all over it thanks for the links - awesome

WTF i opened my window and it was noisy like rain hitting the trees!!! but shone my torch out and could see that it was moderate soft hail! glad i only just noticed it, can see how painful the progress has been As for the potential snow event, yes i've seen these just not really show any further than the southern counties of england; also seen them more or less skip us bit like yesterday evening. It needs to be just right, like everyone keeps saying. But maybe this will be the time....... This winter has been full of surprises so who knows........ Never thought I'd see frontal snow in october (happened about 36 hours after the main snow here and topped it up to 3 inches)

the new dedicated brummie streamer straight from the channel to your door..... http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/radar/ it couldn't be, right............? no it's not possible?........but........? I will laugh if we get moderate snow out of this, after the main PPN skirting just to our NE for so many hours yesterday! I had no idea there was even the chance of a flake Yes it would be supremely satisfying. I've never seen it happen properly (dec 1990 and feb 1991 didn't happen with that kind of setup from memory) but there's always a first time. After all, if you lived in S London/N Downs you could have wished for the ultimate Thames streamer for decades in vain, only to get super-pasted sun/mon out of nowhere lol! But what IS good about this set-up is it looks likely to be followed by a northerly - so many times in the past we've looked forwards to a few inches from an approaching low from SW in full knowledge that a 10 degree C blowtorch from the SW is as likely to follow as night follows day......

Well as long as we can go sledging here on Saturday, that's the main thing! 2-4 inches of wet snow with a thaw just wouldn't do it, but on the other hand 1-2 inches frozen over would be fine........ Maybe there's a technical "best snow for sledging" thread i should have taken this to lol. Another point with the altitude is that it's not much use if it snows at my house but the snow runs out halfway down the sledging runs But ultimately i would absolutely love a repeat of the foot of snow we got in feb 1991 (and dec 1990) when i was 11 which i looked forward to every winter after that and it never came............ There's just something awesome about snow that deep on everything, walking through it, drifts up to your waist, and it sticking around for weeks where it's been piled up. Fingers crossed!

Altitude doesn't give me much comfort actually. This is one I'll only believe when it actually happens. I'm sure I've seen a pasting forecast 2 days ahead from this kind of set-up many times in the past (especially the early 90s?) and it's either never come off at all or it's been 3 inches max. I don't remember ever getting a "proper" i.e. to my mind 6 inches, snowfall from such a situation. Also I seem to remember it was either similar snow in Birmingham and here, or not much in both. I guess the division between cold/mild is too sharp, so if it pushes through too far it's pretty much curtains for both high and low ground...... But of course I hope everyone gets a pasting, fingers crossed. Can't let the SE have all the best snow!

Check out http://www.meteociel.fr/accueil/radar.php the little area of PPN to east of us has turned into a monster shape at 22:00 CET lol! It's -1.7C with 100% humidity here. If only the winds were to spin the right way, this air over us could produce huge amounts of snow, with no need to import any more PPN from France. Tiny snow grains here at the moment, probably "under the radar"...... could this be building up to something special lol

Maybe something like this gonna happen lol: "Occasionally, cyclogenesis will re-occur with occluded cyclones. When this happens a new low center will form on the triple-point (the point where the cold front, warm front, and occluded front meet). During triple-point cyclogenesis, the occluded parent low will fill as the secondary low deepens into the main weathermaker." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyclogenesis I got excited by the comma shape at 21:30 at http://www.meteociel.fr/accueil/radar.php but 21:45 not so good. Anyway, who knows? (Not me lol!)

I'd given up on more snow for tonight, but just returned for another check on radars just in case. And it's interesting. There's something about the way the PPN is pepping up to SE of us - I wouldn't rule out a little bit more after all.............. http://www.meteociel.fr/accueil/radar.php (scroll down to animation) http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/radar/

I think you are right No sign of anything major heading our way in next few hours at least (despite earlier forecast of 9pm snow etc). See http://www.meteociel.fr/accueil/radar.php My advice is to save a wasted evening of (non) snow watching, but keep optimistic for next few days. Shame the main band of this afternoon/eve mostly skirted round us, but got 3 inches/8cm so can't complain.

7cm on grass on Lickey Hills, light/moderate snow

Hi I'm new to the forum. Just to report that the snow reached up to 3 inches deep here on Wed night, after a couple of hours of moderate snowfall. (There had been 2 inches on Tue, with 1 inch remaining on Wed night as the new snowfall began) SW Birmingham, 286m