Cold Spell General Discussion

[wellington boot]

I dont understand the online weather station for oxford that im checking. How can the temp have gone up from around 0.5C to 1.3C, particularly since it feels colder than before right now. maybe their thermometer is on the side of a heated building.

[Gray-Wolf]

http://saturn.unibe.ch/rsbern/noaa/dw/real...ent/n1bcurr.jpg

you can see from this image which way the showers are travelling.

[PersianPaladin]

This is how excruciatingly close I am: -

[wellington boot]

This is how excruciatingly close I am: -

Yeah thats quite unlucky.

And ive found a different weather station online for oxford, which is closer to me anyway, and has -1.6C as minimum , 5 minutes ago, and mean over last 60 seconds of -1.6. This feels much more likely to me

[Michael Winston]

If you live near Seaham, it might be worth heading out to the beach now...you might get a few nice snowflakes landing on yer bonce: -

Hi, PP.

Completely off topic but...I remember the Seaham Silver Band. Saw them play in the late 70's (?) when the RNLI station closed down. (Me mam was a Middlesborough girl; grandad was a blast furnace worker.)

(Sorry mods.)

Regards,

Mike.

Edited February 6, 2007 by Winston

[Zerouali lives]

How important are dew points regarding snow? TWS mentions below 2° generally for snow in a situation like this and 1° for it too lie. But I have a dewpoint of 0.1° - does this need to be below 0°???

Edited February 6, 2007 by Zerouali lives

[PersianPaladin]

How important are dew points regarding snow? TWS mentions below 2° generally for snow in a situation like this and 1° for it too lie. But I have a dewpoint of 0.1° - does this need to be below 0°???

Dewpoints are generally best to be at 0C or lower.

A good guide is here: -

http://www.netweather.tv/forum/index.php?showtopic=27989

It is often a synthesis of factors. And yes, sometimes certain synoptic conditions render some factors more important than others.

Edited February 6, 2007 by PersianPaladin

[dodge]

Definately looks like a Central event on Thursday, especially slap bang in the middle of the country. I'm not expecting too much if any in the way of snow fall in my local vicinity. Certainly not too the extent where it could cause any form of disruption. Apparently, if it doesn't warm up too quickly, Saturday may be more favoured to bring 'Northerner's' a better chance of snow. Saturday's a long way out in my eyes, though.

[andy_leics22]

Tell ya what the frost here is unbelievable already tonight, just had football training outside on a pitch which has artificial grass and it was -2.5c and the pitch was just covered white by frost and was frozen solid, and that was at 8-9pm, I can see -5 being reached here tonight, lowest of the winter so far I think.

[suffolkboy_]

Tell ya what the frost here is unbelievable already tonight, just had football training outside on a pitch which has artificial grass and it was -2.5c and the pitch was just covered white by frost and was frozen solid, and that was at 8-9pm, I can see -5 being reached here tonight, lowest of the winter so far I think.

Well I have just hit the magical -7C mark, with both of the other thrmomters backing this up, amzing what some snow cover can do! and this is in Suffolk! Will I see -10 tonight? I've never seen snow with a frost until now!

[reef]

I can understand the frustration of many of the north-easterners here. Northerlies without much of an easterly component have to be the most annoying synoptic setups ever. All you ever get are heavy snow showers clipping the extreme coasts with the majority wandering aimlessly southwards in the North Sea. This has been the problem in recent years, even here only 9 miles from the coast.

At present the radar is showing the showers moving roughly North to south, though the easterly component is increasing. As TWS mentions though, too much of an easterly component would be a bad thing with such high SSTs, during the last cold spell my observations mirrored his. When the airflow was from the NNE, we had a thin covering of snow and it remained cold with a maxima below 3°C. However, as soon as the wind direction changed to a moderate North-easterly, the temperature abruptly increased to 5-6°C, and all precipitation was just rain, sleet and hail.

I dont think Ill get any showers here until at least the early hours. The wind direction is still NW here, with the sky completely clear. Once again it is also relatively 'mild' here compared to elsewhere, with the temperature still holding up at 0.3°C.

Edited February 6, 2007 by reef

[Mondy]

You can't get anymore recent than this sat image. Taken 1 min ago. Nice big clump in the North Sea, sea areas Forth and Tyne

[chrismac60]

im in middlesbrough and ppl living 2 miles further west from me are saying its snowing an theres not a flake here now thats a close call

[Michael Winston]

Definately looks like a Central event on Thursday, especially slap bang in the middle of the country. I though.

Excellent observation. Thanks, Dodgeredee.

Regards,

Mike.

[lesta_snow]

-4.1c here in leicester frost is very bad! frost allday in the shad grass is like walking on concrete and clear skies no wind

[andy_leics22]

Well I have just hit the magical -7C mark, with both of the other thrmomters backing this up, amzing what some snow cover can do! and this is in Suffolk! Will I see -10 tonight? I've never seen snow with a frost until now!

Snowcover!!?? you mean you have seen snow already? lucky you!!

[Geordiesnow]

Hmmm my worry inside me looks like becoming reality, its just weakening all the time now them showers. I would love to know why Newcastle seems a place where PPN weakens. Its very frustrating and confusing.

[Cloud 10]

With regard to dewpoints,here is the latest gfs chart,interesting that the dewpoints are higher where the trough lies.

Also you can see the center of the low pressure as a small circle of higher dewpoints.

[PersianPaladin]

I can understand the frustration of many of the north-easterners here. Northerlies without much of an easterly component have to be the most annoying synoptic setups ever. All you ever get are heavy snow showers clipping the extreme coasts with the majority wandering aimlessly southwards in the North Sea. This has been the problem in recent years, even here only 9 miles from the coast.

At present the radar is showing the showers moving roughly North to south, though the easterly component is increasing. As TWS mentions though, too much of an easterly component would be a bad thing with such high SSTs, during the last cold spell my observations mirrored his. When the airflow was from the NNE, we had a thin covering of snow and it remained cold with a maxima below 3°C. However, as soon as the wind direction changed to a moderate North-easterly, the temperature abruptly increased to 5-6°C, and all precipitation was just rain, sleet and hail.

I dont think Ill get any showers here until at least the early hours. The wind direction is still NW here, with the sky completely clear. Once again it is also relatively 'mild' here compared to elsewhere, with the temperature still holding up at 0.3°C.

Well...with me, wind direction doesn't make any difference as to temperatures. It is more to do with an increase in wind-speed that tends to advect milder temps further inland.

The December 2005 easterly was a predominantly ENE wind alternating with a NE wind; and I got snow, snow, snow - regardless of the direction. It depends how close you are to the coast; I'm 10 miles out. The wind was pretty light anyway.

Edited February 6, 2007 by PersianPaladin

[SP1986]

Just went out for a walk, and on the road going up to the top of the hill, there was lethal ice about 1/2cm thick

[suffolkboy_]

Snowcover!!?? you mean you have seen snow already? lucky you!!

Just for anyone who hasn't seen, as this board is busy tonight i'll post this picture again, I hope so much that this is the scene across alot of the country on Thursday! It's been brilliant!

[smich]

You can't get anymore recent than this sat image. Taken 1 min ago. Nice big clump in the North Sea, sea areas Forth and Tyne

That's a really useful Sat image, mate...

...if you're ScottiDoh a dumb swear filter got the better of me

smich

Edited February 6, 2007 by smich

[andy_leics22]

Just for anyone who hasn't seen, as this board is busy tonight i'll post this picture again, I hope so much that this is the scene across alot of the country on Thursday! It's been brilliant!

Flippin eck I didnt think suffolk would have seen that today! That is a bit unexpected surely There is a good 2 inches there.

[Mondy]

That's a really useful Sat image, mate...

...if you're ScottiDoh a dumb swear filter got the better of me

smich

Pahhh!! If you're Scottish, the 18z looks handy too!

[Michael Winston]

Hopefully, come this time Thursday, the surface of Birmingham will be as cold, bright and as desolate as the surface of the Moon! You've gotta live here to appreciate my crie de coeur!

Regards,

Mike.

Edited February 6, 2007 by Winston