Winter 24-25 Moans, chat and ramp thread

[damianslaw]

Please use this thread for general winter 24-25 weather chat. Moans and ramps as you wish. Pondering whether to separate into 2 threads, moans one and a ramps one, as it can quickly become tit for tat between the cold and mild camp. Will see how it goes....

[SunChaserWales]

Interesting to note that November was the first month since May 2023 to record an average sea level pressure above 1020mb, ending an 18 month long wait. The only period in recent times to even come close was the 16 month wait from March 2012 to July 2013. Says a lot about the weather over the past year and a half!

[stainesbloke]

Yucky early winter weather here in Czechia. Cold (2°C) and wet. There is some freezing rain about, but not here.   

[Summer8906]

Can't use the autumn thread anymore so here is how I would rate each autumn month:

September 4/10. The middle third 11th-20th was very good with an unusually cold plunge followed by about a week of warm sunny weather. The rest of the month was dull and often wet and we didn't get any thunderstorms here. A September version of July 2021 sums it up.

October 3/10. A desperately dull, wet, and depressing month, aside from the first five days, the 27th, and 29th-31st. Such was the intense gloom of mid-month it felt like we put the clocks back on the 13th, not the 27th.

November 6/10. Not bad for November. Very dry first half, if dull for the first nine days. Interesting cold spell with a thin cover, the earliest snow since 1988. Bert wasn't especially pleasant but was transient, then we had two surprise sunny days and two not-so-surprise ones in the final week before the month closed as it began - mild and dull.

 

Edited December 3, 2024 by Summer8906

[Summer8906]

On another matter am I the only one who is not looking forward to that period between Christmas Day and early in the New Year?

It looks like I may not be able to go abroad this year for the Christmas/post-Christmas period, which means having to endure these weeks back home - my most disliked weeks of the entire year.

Pre-Christmas at least it's festive, despite the short days and once we get well into January, the sense of normality resumes and you start noticing the nights drawing out.

But the period from the 26th to early January - all the festivities stop, many decorations come down, and normally the weather outside is a screaming SW-ly with constant gloom and intermittent drizzle or heavier rain and a claggy, humid, oppressive mildness - not at all "wintry". Many things are closed, the days are short so you can't do that much even if the rain stops, so often you're just sitting at home waiting for "normality" to resume.

The weather is generally awful: since 2011 the only exceptions have been 2014/6/8 (mild and mostly cloudy, but dry) and 2020 (cold, but lockdown).

And then there's new year. Other countries make more of new year with Christmas-style festivities, and many other countries in Europe keep the decorations up and festive feel throughout this period, but here new year seems to be a choice of (if you're young) spending inordinate amounts of money to go to overcrowded and over-expensive venues or (if you're not so young) staying at home thinking that you're yet another year away from the good old days.

A period when sensible people will get out of the country: indeed if I could only travel abroad for two weeks in any given year, I would pick the two-week period starting Dec 26, every time! Places that can be silly hot in summer are lovely in our winter (and autumn, too)  - who would not go, given the choice?

Edited December 3, 2024 by Summer8906

[MP-R]

13 minutes ago, Summer8906 said:

 

On another matter am I the only one who is not looking forward to that period between Christmas Day and early in the New Year?

 

I dislike it too but not because of the weather. It’s just dead time from a business point of view where I want things to get going again but the world is still farting about.

[Summer8906]

 MP-R Same for me to an extent; it's not just the weather, it's the whole feel of things. The weather can be as bad in, say, mid-Jan, but by then normality has resumed.

Edited December 3, 2024 by Summer8906

[SunSean]

Decembore starting off as expected, hardly any sun & dull as dishwater.

Why is this month nigh on impossible to get ok amounts of sunshine? You can even get moderately sunny Novembers and January's but Decembore? Absolute no chance. Worst month by a country mile.

[Summerlover2006]

I personally have enjoyed this Autumn September was a memorable month a very interesting early cold spell and some incredible rainfall amounts but also had some nice weather. October was great felt very sunny and very dry and perfect temperatures never feeling freezing or to mild perfect weather for jumper season. November was meh here no amazing snow laying but the second half still had a very wintry feeling to it. 
autumn overall 7/10

[SollyOlly]

 Summerlover2006 Yes, a more interesting Autumn than many in previous years at least. And no horrible heat (as a heat-hater!). November ended up especially interesting, after a very unpromising start!

[Wynn D Woo]

Pretty rubbish autumn, very wet with widespread flooding. The only real dry spell was 100% cloudy  -however I will let it off being called a major stinker only due to the early snowfall and the surprise of it settling at such a low ASL.

[SunnyG]

3 hours ago, Summer8906 said:

On another matter am I the only one who is not looking forward to that period between Christmas Day and early in the New Year?

I detest December in its entirety. I hate the fakery of the Xmas festivities and their aftermath is even worse. It's like a really bad hangover without the fun of having been drunk before it.

 Summerlover2006 I agree but for different reasons. It wasn't too cold or too wet or too windy, so decent enough for me. I'd have liked more sun, but it's disgusting autumn we are talking about, after all.

 

[sarahng]

 Summer8906 I wholeheartedly agree!  Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are OK but then you have that interminable week until New Year's Day!!  I always get the decorations down and put away on NYD so that at least you feel like things are fresh and clean, and the spring flowers are usually around in the shops then.  The worst insult is that it keeps on getting darker in the mornings until about 10th January and that is the thing I really detest about winter - darkness!!!

[Ball Lightning]

 SunnyG January is worse than December by a mile. I might be a bit biased because December has my birthday, but January is usually darker because its the coldest and most overcast month. And theres nothing to look forward to, thats why Blue Monday exists...

[cheeky_monkey]

bit of a roller coaster weather wise here right now ..was -20c this time yesterday today it is +6c ..this time tomorrow back to -15c and then back to +5c on Thursday 

[Methuselah]

Has anyone called a Code Blue on this winter yet?  

[Snowshine]

Netweather winter forecast is a depressing read... apparently this month is the best chance of anything wintry. Only a 10% chance of below average temperatures in January and 20% in February. I know winter has just started, but this isn't really what I wanted to see after the last winter we had to endure.

[raz.org.rain]

 Wynn D Woo I was impressed by the anticyclone but wish we'd had it in summer instead 

[SunChaserWales]

Finding it hard to rate this autumn. Very average in every sense, some nice periods (mid Sept was especially nice), late October was decent (for the first time in YEARS) as was mid November, and the final third of Nov was very interesting as a weather enthusiast. However this autumn has given us some of the worst periods I can remember too, worst start to Sept since 2017, the final third of September was a constant washout (possibly my least favourite week of autumn ever!) and the first part of November was very depressing. All mixed in together, alternating from good to bad to meh repeatedly.

Plus marks for none of the months being especially horrible, for example like mid Oct - mid Nov 2023, Nov 2022 or Oct 2020/2019 in recent years. More plus marks for the earliest snow I've ever seen in the UK on November 21st that was amazing!

Minus marks for no real meaningful warmth past September 19th. I like at least a week or so of temperatures in the high teens or more after the equinox as it keeps the SAD away for longer. 2021, 2022, and 2023 all provided in this regard so I've been spoiled recently, making the absence of warmth being more noticeable this year.

Overall all of the months were mixed, Sept 4/10, Oct 5/10 and Nov 6.5/10. Overall that makes this autumn a 5/10, bang on average, which I think sums it up well.

[chris888]

 SunSean  probably cause the days are only 7 hours and 28 minutes where i am

[Summerlover2006]

I have my doubts with the long range forecast it’s been dry for months and all of a sudden it’s just going to jump back to 2023 style.

[SunSean]

 chris888 January has short days too but the last 3, in my area at least have been fine for sunshine. December just can't seem to give us any sun for whatever reason.

[*Stormforce~beka*]

 Snowshine Dont worry darling. March and April will be here soon ...

[I remember Atlantic 252]

 SunSean Atlantic dominates too much

[SunnyG]

 Snowspout December has my birthday too:  just another reason to dislike it 

January is the start of the new year. I like starts, I like new.

 

Edited December 3, 2024 by SunnyG