Winter 24-25 Moans, chat and ramp thread

[MP-R]

 Summer8906 it certainly should’ve been a lot brighter given the average SLP. The only real sunny interludes here though were the 09th-11th, the bright northerly around the 18th-21st and the final week had a few hours of sun each day but it was a rather dirty easterly by that stage. Certainly not a memorable month.

2003 was much more preferable. Again unsettled first week then sunshine galore. 

[Summer8906]

 MP-R Interesting, it was very good here and the stats seem to bear it out. Cloudy days were few though I remember the 25th (Light Sunday) was cloudy but dry and there were a couple of dull days on that easterly at the end, as I said. 29th and 30th were especially dull IIRC, though the 31st then became sunny.

Also I remember even the wet first week was atypically sunny with unusually clear blue skies between the lows.

Edited December 4, 2024 by Summer8906

[MP-R]

 Summer8906 Again you must have done a lot better down there. The first half of March had a mix of clear sunny days interspersed with featureless grey days here. Likewise, May up until the warm spell featured a lot of semi convective days where they’d start and end clear but had a lot of cloud buildup that spread out, and a few days were just cloudy generally. The 21st-28th was the best period for sun in my neck of the woods.

[Metwatch]

Looks pretty mixed March 2007, but not as bad as the stinkers in the last 2 years. Can see how there could be decent sunshine, particularly between fronts in a westerly pattern.

Edited December 4, 2024 by Metwatch

[MP-R]

 Summer8906 How times have changed. I seem to do better for sun than you nowadays.

[Summer8906]

 MP-R I think May (2010) was like that too here, the first three weeks weren't crystal clear but they were typical northerly spring days with convective build up midday. But visibility was generally very good and it was dry so overall it was very acceptable for May. I don't think the sunshine levels were special, though - but equally it was notable for a lack of humid, dull and damp Atlantic air.

 MP-R Indeed and the stats do seem to bear this out, so many months featuring a dull island over the coastal central South. It's likely related to an increase in SW-lies and decrease in WNW-lies and NW-lies, so more onshore air masses.

To be fair this November just gone didn't seem unduly dull here, with only the first 9 days especially so - will be interesting to see the stats when they come out. But November provided a break from the mostly poor run of months since mid-2023 with more pleasant/interesting conditions. Even Bert was interesting in a way given it came, produced its stuff, then went.

Edited December 4, 2024 by Summer8906

[Summer8906]

4 minutes ago, Metwatch said:

Looks pretty mixed March 2007, but not as bad as the stinkers in the last 2 years.

I'd definitely agree with that one.. just a bit!

[Froze were the Days]

 Azazel Isn't there every Winter!...even when they come to fruition of recent years nothing happened.

[SunSean]

 MP-R Ahh 2003. Now there's a year I'd like to see repeated!

We had over 2000 hours of sun that year and almost every month was sunnier than average. Will we ever get a year like that again?? I hope so!

[Catbrainz]

I think regarding late SSWs and springs Spring 2024 was kind of bad luck in having both a very strong Nino and a late SSW. Strong Ninos never bode well for spring in the first place, 1998 and even 2016 to an extent are examples and the late SSW was icing on the cake. To be honest I think spring was dead on arrival this year even without that SSW with a strong Nino and I guess the SSW just added insult to injury. 

[Catbrainz]

A synoptic anaysis of Spring 2024. 

March 2024= Looks central based NAO- but with a Biscay low shoving wet claggy SWles in. That low would literally be better anywhere else that's the worse place to have a low. Could have been a very cold snowy March if that low was 400-500 miles further east. Plus Scandi/Ural high which meant that low really didn't have anywhere to go. 

April 2024= Id say a weak west based NAO- almost NAO= (neutral). 

May 2024= Very west based NAO-.. Might even be neutral tbh pressure is low over Iceland. 

 

[In Absence of True Seasons]

As we head into December, we transition into the time of year with - imo - the worst weather of the year (in Souh Englnd at least). Very rarely is there any proper cold, frost, or snow. Very rare are there crisp, sunny days. 

Just a near-neverending run of dark, dull, depressing, windy, wet conditions.

SAD kicking in proper now, and if it wasn't for the festive period, this would unequivocally be my least favourite month from a general perspective. 

Hope everyone is taking their vitamin D tablets

 

[SunSean]

 In Absence of True Seasons Yep 100% agree, December as usual, giving us the exact weather conditions expected. 

Annoying that you can often have a disappointingly dull/wet March/April/May/June/July/August/September but having an unexpectedly crisp, sunny & seasonal December is completely impossible. It is always so consistently dull, boring & depressing. 

[SiGh]

14c, grey, rain incoming, but nice to see the heating clicked off after 20 mins this morn. 

Clearer skies due next week and colder - should see some Winter sun, folks. Chins up!

[damianslaw]

 SunSean Ah its only 5 Dec and I can see a few crisp sunny days ahead next week. 

[SunSean]

 damianslaw Not in my area unfortunately, grey as you like!

[Summer8906]

 Catbrainz If any year of my lifetime was the "year without a spring", it would have to be 2024.

Well actually there was a spring - the second half of April. That was it.

But it could be described as half-autumn, one-sixth spring and one-third bad summer month.

March 2024 seemed basically like an ever-so-slightly-less-bad version of March 2023. There was one bright interlude around a week in and a short cold polar plunge round the equinox, which made it ever so slightly less bad.

It's probably not possible to have autumn in April, but the first half of April 2024 made a damned good attempt with constant dull, damp and humid SW-lies. Then we had some proper spring conditions of fine sunny days, seasonable day temps, and cold nights, for around 10 days before it became dull and damp, albeit still cold which at least provided a contrast to typical 2024 conditions to date and can at least be considered a form of spring weather.

Then May 2024 was a very good impression of an unsettled August with the low of late April retrogressing westwards, feeding in near-constant cyclonic winds from some southerly direction. We did get extremely lucky on two Saturdays though, the 11th and 18th, both of which were warm and sunny.

Edited December 5, 2024 by Summer8906

[In Absence of True Seasons]

 SunSean Yeah it's frustrating that it seems pretty easy to be obtain a duller / wetter than average March / April or June, but so rare to obtain a sunnier and drier December. 

North-West Europe at this time of year is just dark and wet by default. 

I always think about my friend from Canada at this time year, who I met at university, when she experienced her first NW European winter. She couldn't believe how consistently dull and dark it was, she found it far harder to deal with than her Canadian winters where it'd regularly get down to -15c with thick snow. 

[SunnyG]

Not looking forward to this week-end. Wind and rain has to be the worst combination ever

 

[SunnyG]

 SunSean In 2003 I was in Rome, so I'd love a repeat of that year too ha ha

[MP-R]

 In Absence of True Seasons People underestimate just how much brighter everything is with even a bit of snow. One could have a week of grey sky but if there's snow on the ground, everything is just brighter... at night too. The rooms in the house are lighter too when there's snow outside.

[SunSean]

My ideal December would be-

Around 100 hours of sunshine (impossible I know lol)

Minimum of 10 days lying snow

Minimum of 12 days of crisp blue winter sunshine sunrise to sunset  

Minimum of 12 air frosts

An overall chilly, bright, uplifting month to fit with the festive feel!

Edited December 5, 2024 by SunSean

[Ball Lightning]

Turned 17 today but unfortunately have school Then heavy rain and wind to look forward to later Glorious, but I suppose that is to be expected having a December birthday!

[Frigid]

 Snowspout Happy birthday! I turned 21 today.. crazy how quick the years go. And yes, having an early December birthday is always met with rain 

[*Stormforce~beka*]

 SiGh My heating was on for hours and is on again now!

 MP-R Yes!! I want snow!!