What Do You Prefer - Northerly Cold Spells Or Prolonged Easterly Spells ?

[snowman69804]

what is your best set up for a cold spell???

for me it has to be an omega block from the east =] mainly cos i live in the east and it's the only time that i seem to get any type of decent snowfall, but only when the winds have to travel over the north sea, other wise its useless =[

[snowray]

Easterly..But they are hardly ever cold enough for snow these days.

[snowman69804]

Easterly..But they are hardly ever cold enough for snow these days.

yea thats true =[ dosent looklike there will me many this year with models suggesting that most of russia will have another winter much wamer than average =[ lol

[cheeky_monkey]

what is your best set up for a cold spell???

for me it has to be an omega block from the east =] mainly cos i live in the east and it's the only time that i seem to get any type of decent snowfall, but only when the winds have to travel over the north sea, other wise its useless =[

if u live in bedfordshire..easterly winds can only travel over the north sea..where else can they come from???..plus by ther nature northerly spells arnt as long lived as a prolonged easterly spell hence the name prolonged.

[Paul Sherman]

No Brainer for me in this tiny part of the Uk - Northerlys just do not deliver nearly 80% of the time and I get frustrated by Suffolk (40 Miles) and Norfolk (70 Miles) that get Picture Postcard scenes, it would only take a 45 minute drive to get there but sod it! LOL

What I have found is that if the wind is straight out of the North and greater then 40mph then I stand an even chance of some showers making it this far or have to rely on a trough etc

So for South East Essex in Order of preference

ENE - Copious Amounts of Snow when Scandinavia is Cold enough and those huge showers train all day North of the Thames Estuary

NE - Can deliver but has to be Ultra Cold to the East

E - Often a dry direction and get plagued by raw cold days with snizzle and 1c

SE - Can deliver a phenominal amount of snow if the fabled Channel Low turns up and the Near Continant is cold enough

N - Sometimes delivers if a trough is evident

NW - Also can deliver from a Trough but rarely get showers this far down from the Wash area

W - Has on occasions delivered when a breakdown is hapening and enough cold is battling the milder air.

The other directions rarely ever produce snow!

There you go

Paul S

[Terminal Moraine]

Easterly every time. From the north this area is sheltered by the whole length of the Pennine chain and relies on minor troughs or polar lows moving south in a northerly air stream.

From the east there's no higher ground between me and the Urals about 800 miles east of Moscow so not only do I get the benefit on a direct easterly flow, there's also the added bonus of orographic snowfall due to my elevation.

[trickydicky]

Having spent all my time in the north west (Cumbria and now Lancashire) I have to say Northerly. At least from a northerly you used to be garanteed snow in Cumbria. Used to be being the important part here. Back in the day when the initial front past in a northerly we would get snow and then for the rest of the northerly it would be wall to wall sun shine and severe frosts, December 1995 being the ultimate example. I can remember going sale shopping in Carlisle and every river, even the Derwent west of Cockermouth, was frozen solid. Now though northerlies seem to only effect Lerwick, Aberdeen, Whitby, Norwich and Bergen! 

An easterly brings just the sunshine bit for these parts though while we are forced to watch news clips of people frolicking in snow pretty much everywhere else.

Whatever the set up was that brought the Blizzard to south west Scotland, Cumbria and Lancashire in early February 1996 is my ultimate, I've been waiting for it to happen again ever since!

[TEITS]

Rather than prefering E,ly or N,ly I shall tell you what I believe is the perfect cold spell.

The best type of cold spell is when you get N blocking that extends from Greenland to Siberia (rare). The simple reason is because you get alternating N,ly/E,lys which brings snowfall to the whole country. The 1947 winter is the best example of alternating HP between Greenland/Iceland/Scandi.

[I remember Atlantic 252]

probably easterlies, although rare now, loads as a little boy, my favourite set up is Atlantic fronts coming in whilst continental air in place, then keeping cold air, with winds from E or SE

but any is great, used to do well as a boy off NW cheshire gap showers for snow

[stormchaser1]

Easterlies for me , especially in the winter,

nigel

[Solar Cycles]

Rather than prefering E,ly or N,ly I shall tell you what I believe is the perfect cold spell.

The best type of cold spell is when you get N blocking that extends from Greenland to Siberia (rare). The simple reason is because you get alternating N,ly/E,lys which brings snowfall to the whole country. The 1947 winter is the best example of alternating HP between Greenland/Iceland/Scandi.

That would do it for me too!

[Geordiesnow]

I actually prefer Northerlies because as my bedroom faces East it will get very cold in my room(it does not help me having the window open and watching ths snow mind you) if we did have prolonged Easterlies and of corse i would probably struggle to get to sleep in such a cold room.

I still would not mind experiancing a 'Beast from the East' though.

Edited November 30, 2008 by Geordiesnow

[jethro]

Not a clue, in the eleven years I've lived down here I've never seen a decent snowfall; most winters, including the last two, we get nothing at all. I suppose Gulf Stream shut down might work.

Anyone know what it would take to get snow here?

[Nick L]

Has to be northerlies as I have never seen a proper easterly before. More specifically it has to be north-westerlies so the wonderful Cheshire Gap can bring us joy!

[len]

I know that for us Southerners the Northerly brings nothing if it doesn't contain perturbations/Polar Lows etc.

The classic Easterly was way better. But it just doesn't seem to be able to happen any more.

By "classic Easterly" I am talking about a High that is on the North of the jet bringing truc Arctic Continental air from a frigid Russia.

When we get an Easterly now it is because the jet is just so far North a warm Euro High sneaks in underneath. It wafts raw, coolish air from a Russia that is relatively mild. (Their Winters have warmed far more than ours).

This is the situation right now as well. There is no cold out East. There is no choice now. Only a Northerly will have any chance of putting us on the Northern side of the wretched Jet.

Len

Edited November 30, 2008 by len

[Bottesford]

Northerlies without any doubt. Easterlies simply bring dull, raw and featureless weather - whatever time of year. I see nothing exciting about 0-3c (winter)/15-17c (summer) 24hrs a day with featureless stratus cloud, drizzle and a nagging cold wind.

Northerlies bring sunshine, frosty nights, dramatic cloudscapes (esp in spring) and temperature changes by day & night. Even in summer then can be ok as it's often sunny.

Certainly they don't bring much snow here but then not alot does!

[Guest Shetland Coastie]

Northerlies for me for a lot of the reasons Botty mentioned above but also with the benefit of lots of snow for up here usually!

[Richard Taylor]

Northerlies usually bring snow to Aberdeen/NE Scotland. Easterlies can be hit/miss - depending on source it can bring lots of snow - I seem to recall 93 was a cold winter for my area with snow from Oct - incl a White Christmas - & most of the significant stuff that winter seemed to come from an easterly I seem to recall.

[MP-R]

Northerlies without a doubt. Although easterlies can prolong the coldness, northerlies are so much more interesting. The air is clearer and the weather varies so much more. Not to mention the fact we actually can get snow from northerlies down here in the tropics. I think the only time I have seen snow from an easterly in more recent years was on Dec 10th 2002.

[Snowyowl9]

For sheer cold East then north then NW which is less cold due to the atlantic influence coming in.

For heavy snow showers NW/East or East/NE,East/SE doesn`t bring snow showers as such the north as today shows it`s totally dry.

For prolonged snowfall East wins every time then it`s NW.

Edited November 30, 2008 by Snowyowl9

[Duncan McAlister]

A northerly for me, easterlies can be a bit hit and miss for here and at least northerlies bring clear weather with showers rather than a lot of cloud.

[Turnedoutniceagain]

Easterlies, everytime. Even if they just bring grey murk I don't mind. It's the anticipation of the arrival and the bonechilling temps they bring !!

[soggy wales]

East but it sure is COLD Lol, beats westly wet and boring

[Tom Quintavalle]

I'm with Paul S. on this one, very specifically a flow from an ENE direction, so the air remains in contact with a source of moisture for as long as possible, ie the Thames Estuary. We then have a chance of the fabled "Thames streamer" setting up.The colder the air the better, as in Jan.1987 of course.

Here are a few examples of synoptics where "Thames streamers" occurred.

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive/ra/19...00119701224.gif

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive/ra/19...00119701225.gif

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive/ra/20...00120030106.gif

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive/ra/20...00120030108.gif

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive/ra/20...00120050222.gif

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/archive/ra/20...00120050225.gif

I always sit up and take notice when there is an area of high pressure say between Iceland and Scotland. Especially when you have an area of 850s at -10

drifting towards S.E. England from the continent.

Regards,

Tom.

Edited November 30, 2008 by TomSE20

[sundog]

I prefer prolonged Easterly spells because for my location as there is always a better chance of snow with showers coming in off the Irish sea. For me Northerly cold spells usually mean dry conditions,not always but alot of the time.