UK Mountain Snow/Weather 2008

[firefly]

I wonder if it's possible to give a grid references for these various snow patches? I've got OS maps but I'm finding it difficult to figure out where patches are from pictures alone..

Gladly.

Aonach Mor - Pro Tallus snowpatch: NN193736 (altitude approx 1120 metres)

Aonach Beag - Bottom of north face summit cliffs: NN196718 (altitude approx 950 metres)

There was another on Aonach Beag (NN196716) just below the summit ridge the last time I was there (30th September), but since it was only 6m x 2m then I suspect it's gone.

[Norrance]

Gladly. :lol:

Aonach Mor - Pro Tallus snowpatch: NN193736 (altitude approx 1120 metres)

Aonach Beag - Bottom of north face summit cliffs: NN196718 (altitude approx 950 metres)

There was another on Aonach Beag (NN196716) just below the summit ridge the last time I was there (30th September), but since it was only 6m x 2m then I suspect it's gone.

Thanks for the information Firefly. I for one am very interested in how many patches, if any, make it through this year and am unlikely to be able to get up to the hills to find out for myself.

Any word on the Garbh coire?

[firefly]

I haven't heard for a couple of weeks, but I'm 99% sure that Sphinx and Pinnacles patches are still there.

If they are, I suspect that makes the total number of snow patches still surviving as 6. Two at Garbh Coire, two at Aonach Mor, one at Aonach Beag and one on Nevis (Observatory Gully)

Of those 6, I fancy that the lower Aonach Mor patch and Nevis one are most at risk, though at this time of the year the level of melt will be very little, due to the cool temperatures and long nights. Also, there hasn't been a lot of rain over the last week.

[firefly]

Thanks to coaster from Winterhighland for making the - frankly - horrendous trip up to 3700ft on Ben Nevis to photograph the last remaining snowpatch on that mountain.

With colder conditions forecast, I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Thread can be found here.

[Devonian]

Thanks to coaster from Winterhighland for making the - frankly - horrendous trip up to 3700ft on Ben Nevis to photograph the last remaining snowpatch on that mountain.

Great pictures and thanks to Coaster for slogging up there and taking them. I've followed the survival of snow patches for many year through the pages of Weather. The pictures certainly give another idea of the places and patches. Presumably such gullies can fill to a considerable depth- maybe 50-100ft in places? Which at least in part accounts for their survival.

Edit: looking at the pictures I wonder if the lighter area (I've highlighted below) indicates where snow is long lasting/more permanent in the past?

Edited October 25, 2007 by Devonian

[firefly]

Well, was up Aonach Mor & Beag today and I'm pleased to say that they're all hanging in there.

Aonach Beag is very, very impressive. It's still 53m x 26m x 4m and just beggars belief how such a low lying patch can be the largest in Scotland by quite a distance. The Aonach Mor patch (main one) is only half its size, and probably far less in volume.

There is a second Aonach Mor patch (well, a series of fragments) which contains a large(ish) piece which is almost invisible when viewed from below (it is obscured by a perfectly form Pro Tallus rampart, which in itself is highly impressive.

Unfortunately, my bleedin camera ran out of battery, so I had to make do with the phone camera. It does the job, I suppose.

Temperature at the top of Aonach Mor was 2.9c at 3.35pm, for anyone that's interested. The temperature at the Aonach Beag patch (3100 foot) was 5.4c.

[Rollo]

I came across this in an old weather magazine relating to snow bed survival after the winter of 74' and relates to the remained snow beds in July 75'

Glencoe--I noticed 7 beds on Meall a'Bhuirde,none of any great size. Bidean was prominent with wreathes along the top of the north face. None of these seemed likely to survive the summer.

Ben Nevis: On 19th July I noted wreathes near the North shoulder, also 3 patches on the "arete" wall at the head of the Allt above Coire Leis. On the Ben itself I noted that the Observatory Buttress gully carried a very large field(which survived the summer) and there were many beds in the gully to the north of the Observatory Buttress gully.

Cairngorm, Site A Ciste Meareadh. The snowbed was massivebut shorter than in 74',with a homogeneous surface.

Cairngorm, Site B: This south-east facing nivation hollow, which is often devoid of any snow by late July and at best in earlier years has had only a narrow strip,excelled itself this year due to the high incidence of North-westerly wind drift during March to May. The estimated length was approximately 400 yards with a good depth. This was by far the most massive amount of snow that I can remember on this site. However,Site A is best nourished under a west or south-west drift regime.

Ciore Cas and Coire Na Ciste: No snow was seen at either site. This is the first occasion that I can remember either site having failed to have some snow surviving until August.

The Plateau: There were many more surviving snowbeds than normal. Indeed on a walk across to Lochan Buidhe we crossed no less than 5 areas of snow. I cannot recall a previous year with snow lying on the track in such quantity in late July. On one of the snowfields ski-ing was in progress.

Garbh Uisige: Some large areas of snow were seen, one in particular was tending to crevasse.

March Burn: Nil.

Ben Mcdhui: Here again on the south-east facing side there were many more beds than normal. One could see the immense drifting from the north-west winds which occured during the March-May periodover the great mass of the mountain. As a result of the quasi-permanent snowfield above Loch Etchachan was particularly fine this year. It was immense, with an estimated length of at least 1000 yards. It was so large that it extended to just below the col between the two cairns. In a normal year one could reach the col and then walk down some distance to the snow; this year it was there without a descent. I estimated the depth as 50-60 feet with quite large crevasses on the south-east side. The whole mass was crescent shaped;the western horn extended some way down to the scree.

Braeriach: The Garbh Choire field was very large and in 2 sections. There were many other smaller beds overlooking the Lairig Ghru and I noted that one of them had avalanched.

This article was taken from "Weather" magazine April 1976 edition and was by P.C Spink of Ulceby, South Humberside.

Edited October 28, 2007 by Rollo

[kippure]

A light dusting of snow on cairngorm :lol:

and more from glencoe

Edited October 29, 2007 by kippure

[kippure]

Here

Heavy sleet and snow now falling in glencoe, Form of showers.

[Ross B]

Good to see :lol: It will all be gone by tommorrow however as the warmer air moves in.

Hopefuly, if i get a free weekend i should be up in the mountains soon!

[kippure]

Here

This picture comes from winter highland , taken by Jamizon.

Nice bit of snow there.

plus a better one of glencoe

Edited October 29, 2007 by kippure

[Ross B]

Bumping this

Looking good for the mountains snow wise today. Snow visible on the daylodge camera on Cairngorm.

http://www.cairngormmountain.co.uk/web-cam/

Nevis should be getting a good dump of snow as well

I should be out on the mountains on sunday, hopefuly not too much will have melted...

[multi cellular thunderstorm]

I was up in Scotland last week.

I was in Aviemore last Monday and there was a dusting on the Cairngorms, which was topped up a bit by a few showers.

I have some pics which i'll be posting in the photography area in the next few days.

Looking nice on the Aviemore camera, thats at the town level too and not up on the mountains.

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/web...large/slot5.jpg

[shuggee]

Well having seen the nw precipitation-type radar earlier this evening, at 5pm, that's not a surprising current image at Aviemore - all the frequent and heavy showers were red=snow.

[geoffw]

nice to see some snow at last at least in the scottish mountains

[Turnedoutniceagain]

Looking nice on the Aviemore camera, thats at the town level too and not up on the mountains.

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/web...large/slot5.jpg

Wow - red snow !!

[kippure]

Really getting going. some big snow showers. :o

[andy_leics22]

Lovely Jubbly

Edited November 9, 2007 by andy_leics22

[Mondy]

Cairngorms

[firefly]

Against all the odds, Ben Nevis still holding snow from last season. Not much left, but we are now confident it will last through to the first lasting snows - whenever they come.

[Zerouali lives]

Great stuff. So how many patches have survived??? I'd imagine the Braeriach one would've survived too???

[firefly]

Great stuff. So how many patches have survived??? I'd imagine the Braeriach one would've survived too???

At the moment there are, I believe, 6. Three in Garbh Coire Mor (though 1 is tiny, and may already be gone), one each on Nevis, Aonach Mor & Aonach Beag. Actually there are two on Aonach Mor, but they were up 'til recently one patch: and they're very close together.

There's been a bit of drifting on the high Cairngorms of late, so the Garbh Coire Mor ones will be definite survivals. If the snow that's promised arrives on Monday then, assuming the Aonach Mor patches make it 'til then (they're very small), then that would make 5 definite survivals this year. More than there's been for a number of years.

[Norrance]

At the moment there are, I believe, 6. Three in Garbh Coire Mor (though 1 is tiny, and may already be gone), one each on Nevis, Aonach Mor & Aonach Beag. Actually there are two on Aonach Mor, but they were up 'til recently one patch: and they're very close together.

There's been a bit of drifting on the high Cairngorms of late, so the Garbh Coire Mor ones will be definite survivals. If the snow that's promised arrives on Monday then, assuming the Aonach Mor patches make it 'til then (they're very small), then that would make 5 definite survivals this year. More than there's been for a number of years.

With the forecast for next week beginning being both cold and wet, particularly to the East the odds are definately increasing on survival this year. No significant mild spells on the horizon so hopefully the six will survive. Thanks very much to Firefly for keeping us updated.

Was up in the Highlands today and the new snow still around on the tops. More to come next week after a milder day tomorrow.

[osmposm]

....Thanks very much to Firefly for keeping us updated.

Yes, Firefly - the photos you've posted and your clear, detailed, consistently well-written reports have been a joy and hugely appreciated.

[Zerouali lives]

Can't seem to see any snow on the Alstom webcams yet, but Cairngorm ski centre is looking good now

Edited November 18, 2007 by Zerouali lives