UK Mountain Snow/Weather 2008

[kippure]

2 visible snow patches. :lol:

[Thundery wintry showers]

I have a feeling those won't last long...

[summer blizzard]

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/MT8_Aberdeen_ens.png

Could be fresh snow at the end of the month...

[snowmadchrisuk]

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/MT8_Aberdeen_ens.png

Could be fresh snow at the end of the month...

yes gfs has been continually hinting at a below avarage september for scotland . Them november charts from noaa look more and more likely to come true. by the end of the gfs run the cold pooling to our north is starting to become extensive and actually not all that far away from us.

If this patten continues there is going to be plenty of cold air around come november. A look back in time is needed here I think. So off to check the archives.

[Ross B]

Hopefuly! I will be back onto the mountains as soon as the first snows start again

[snowmadchrisuk]

Hopefuly! I will be back onto the mountains as soon as the first snows start again :unsure:

when do we normally get the first snow on the scottish mountains, I would guess at october ?

[frozen_north]

Some years it can early as mid September and some right at the end of October but normally it has snowed somewhere by Mid October. But the snow doesnt last that long. A day at most because the soil is still warm.

[Thundery wintry showers]

I remember that in 2003- a year when all snow patches melted exceptionally early- the first lasting snow on the Cairngorm summits was in late September! Usually it seems to be late October or early November when the first lasting snow happens, but temporary snow in September is not unusual.

It's been known for good skiing conditions to occur in October in the Highlands (e.g. 1992, 1993 and 2002). Remarkably, on some slopes, around 18-24 October 2002 boasted the best skiing conditions of the entire 2002/03 season!

[Stratos Ferric]

Some years it can early as mid September and some right at the end of October but normally it has snowed somewhere by Mid October. But the snow doesnt last that long. A day at most because the soil is still warm.

Lack of persistence at that time of year is less to do with ground temperature than it is with the tendency for the ZDL not to persist to low levels. As in the Alps, the most frequent loss of early snow is actually brought about by rainfall.

[firefly]

I have a feeling those won't last long...

Maybe not in terms of visibility from the camera, but the Observatory Gully patch has a fair chance I reckon. If, as has been suggested, the models showing the cool temperatures come to pass in September, and we get an early covering, then there is good chance we will have a good few survivals.

As recently as 2001 we had both Nevis and Aonach Beag seeing patches last through to the new snows on the west coast. The Aonach Beag one was even more remarkable as it lies at around 960m (if memory serves me right).

I believe that at present there are still sizable patches left on Nevis, Aonach Mor & Beag - as well as the usual supects on the Cairngorms.

[Turnedoutniceagain]

Any fresh snow to report ?? Must be waist deep by now

[Hairy Celt]

Any fresh snow to report ?? Must be waist deep by now

squillions of damned midgies and keds just now with overcast still weather so the only snow comes from all the tourists scratching their infested scalps. ho ho ho.

[kippure]

squillions of damned midgies and keds just now with overcast still weather so the only snow comes from all the tourists scratching their infested scalps. ho ho ho.

How many snow patchs have made through to autumn?

[Norrance]

How many snow patchs have made through to autumn?

There are still patches on Macdui and Braeriach though the Ciste Mhearaidh by Cairngorm has broken up and won't last. Some still in the West in the Nevis range also. There are one or two others who read this will have a more accurate picture as to how many there are altogether and where they are.

[Hairy Celt]

all i know is that there are (unsurprisingly) none in the nw highlands, although i haven't looked at the back of wyvis recently.

Edited September 5, 2007 by Hairy Celt

[firefly]

I was up the north face of Nevis today and the biggest patch I encountered (in Observatory Gully) was 120metres long and approx 50-60m wide. Its depth I estimate at around 10 feet in the middle. It was a very impressive sight actually, particularly for so late in the season.

Also, it was rock hard. I could hardly cut any steps into it, and since it was the full width of the gully, I had to try and go around it: not an easy task at 3800 foot in low cloud! Anyway, for those that want to see the patch (and hear me do daft commentary on it) then click on this link.

There were also patches at the bottom of Point 5 gully and in Coire na Ciste, in addition to ones higher up Observatory Gully. In all (on Nevis), perhaps 8-10 patches remaining?

I've also attached two photographs taken from Roy Bridge which show the Aonach Mor patches and one of the Aonach Beag ones.

As for other ones that are left, I'm not 100% sure. The Ciste Mhearaidh one in the Cairngorms will have all but melted by now. The Feith Buidhe and Garbh Uisge ones may still be there, but I haven't heard. Coire Domhain on MacDhui still holds one (though that won't last very much longer). Garbh Coire on Braeriach will, as ever, be doing best of all.

The last phot I saw showed the Sphinx and Pinnacles patches still conjoined (good sign), but this was from a week or so ago I think, so that may now have changed.

My guess is that if the weather cools for the second half of September and October is as cold as the models make out then we could be looking at about 4 or 5 survivals in total.

Here is my guess at this year's survivals (in order of likelihood): Garbh Coire, Observatory Gully, Aonach Beag and Aonach Mor.

[Geordiesnow]

Nice to see the snow patches surviving the summer months. Hopefully it won't be too long untill the snow comes back.

[kippure]

Nice to see the snow patches surviving the summer months. Hopefully it won't be too long untill the snow comes back.

Hopefully we,ll see some snow over the higher parts before september is out..

[NorthYorksWeather]

Hopefully we,ll see some snow over the higher parts before september is out..

Could well see some snow up in the highlands over the weekend if the current gfs is right, both netweather and metcheck predicting sleet for aviemore

[stevehammo]

there is still big patches of snow on the north face of ben nevis, and i think there not going to melt before winter comes back, this is very rare,... ?!?

in scotland we did not have a great snow fall but yet big patches still exsit.

is this because of the very cool summer we have had

and dose any one know when the last time year round snow exsited??

steve Hammond

[Geordiesnow]

there is still big patches of snow on the north face of ben nevis, and i think there not going to melt before winter comes back, this is very rare,... ?!?

in scotland we did not have a great snow fall but yet big patches still exsit.

is this because of the very cool summer we have had

and dose any one know when the last time year round snow exsited??

steve Hammond

I can't really answer your question but i'm sure whenever it was it probably be recently. However this question does not warrant a new thread and i feel you should of replied to the Scottish mountain snowfall thread instead.

Welcome to Net weather by the way.

Edited September 13, 2007 by Geordiesnow

[Norrance]

there is still big patches of snow on the north face of ben nevis, and i think there not going to melt before winter comes back, this is very rare,... ?!?

in scotland we did not have a great snow fall but yet big patches still exsit.

is this because of the very cool summer we have had

and dose any one know when the last time year round snow exsited??

steve Hammond

Steve

See the Scottish mountain snow patches thread below for your answer.

Nor.

[stevehammo]

sorry geordiesnow,

im new to this and did not look propaly at the prevoise old posts, but thanks for pointing me on the right thread,

B)

iv sort of got my anwser, reading that thread

[shuggee]

Sorted it for you boys B)

Welcome to posting on nw Steve.

[firefly]

and dose any one know when the last time year round snow exsited??

I'm not sure what you mean be "year round" snow, but snow last endured through to the next year's snows in, if I remember correctly, 2001 (or was it 2002?!).

If, as I think you mean, when did snow last endure permanently, then that is more tricky to answer. There are historical references during the 18th and 19th centuries that suggest snow never disappeared from the north face, but this obviously can't be substantiated.

More recently, observations have shown that snow survives less often than it did. Having said that, this year's patches on the Ben are large, considering it is now well into September.

Did you take any photographs of them? I was up last week and the Observatory Gully patch was still very large.