South West England Cold Spell Discussion

[MP-R]

Don't feel too disheartened just yet. Like I said in the Model Discussion, I just don't see how it's going to rain with these sort of temperatures - very contradictory:

http://www.wzkarten2.de/pics/Rtavn4217.png

By then there will be plenty of surface cold anyway and dewpoints will be well down after a dry day on Saturday too. Just out of interest, is this the same sort of setup as Feb 26th 2004, that was a very good snowfall for so late in the season with 8cm here! Even with bright sunshine for a few days after, snow was still covering much of the lawn until the first rain on March 3rd.

[Dartmoor_Matt]

-2.2C already here and its not even dark yet! Thats a drop of 0.8C over the last hour. Clouds are moving away.

Haven't seen the 12z yet, any news on the weekend?

[Bethany C]

Haven't seen anything today, though I haven't actually been out as I have a cold . I'm going down to Cornwall on Sunday so it would be nice to see a few flakes before I leave but we'll see. I also like how the MetO warning this morning was just confined to West Scotland on sunday and now it has changed to the whole of the western side of the country.

Edited December 18, 2009 by sabrina2090

[03jtrickey]

I think there's still quite a hopeful outlook for Saturday night with the front moving south. Yes there is a warmer sector but it looks as though the colder air will undercut in time to turn any sleetiness to snow (for Gloucestershire) - and the likelihood is that it will all be snow over the Cotswold Hills. If we do get snow that is heavy enough to settle it would freeze the ground underneath which is perhaps why the MetOffice are more concerned about ice. I like the mention of thundersnow too. I've only experienced that once before, in 2004.

Nice to see a dusting of snow today. There was quite steady snow for a couple of hours this afternoon; I loved the feeling having lunch in town, in the warm, and watching the snow fall.

Edited December 18, 2009 by 03jtrickey

[Nights King]

Would you say i am fairly safe on top of the mendip hills? or is there a risk of sleet/rain?

[SteveB]

It really is a case of wait & see now as far as tomorrow night is concerned.

But I would have thought up on high ground it's almost a given that it would be snow. Even if I didn't get snow here, I would be surprised if looking out the window Sunday morning not to see snow on the hills.

[Bristawl Si]

Just in from work and caught the news 24 weather forecast. Looks like Saturday night/sunday morn there's a chance of snow, although the graphics indicated rain for BTL and west, snow for more central parts of our area to the east of Bristol towards Swindon and down to Salisbury Plain and to the N.E. up in the Cotswolds. Wait and see i suppose

Edited December 18, 2009 by Bristle boy

[Lynxus]

Even if its just rain.

The question is.. How much of it will there be?

[fromey]

good evening every one, just to let you know theres a few flakes blowing around in the wind up here, been such a nice day(ice day) temp only got up to

-0.7c today long may it continue.

fromey

[snow drift]

I think there's still quite a hopeful outlook for Saturday night with the front moving south. Yes there is a warmer sector but it looks as though the colder air will undercut in time to turn any sleetiness to snow (for Gloucestershire) - and the likelihood is that it will all be snow over the Cotswold Hills. If we do get snow that is heavy enough to settle it would freeze the ground underneath which is perhaps why the MetOffice are more concerned about ice. I like the mention of thundersnow too. I've only experienced that once before, in 2004.

Nice to see a dusting of snow today. There was quite steady snow for a couple of hours this afternoon; I loved the feeling having lunch in town, in the warm, and watching the snow fall.

The cotswold will, I think, get some good ammounts on tuesday. The low moving up from the south would give decent totals. The question is whether it gets that far before going north east.

[Snowman15]

Its overcast, its below freezing, it might aswell just snow whilst the clouds here lol <_<

[Nights King]

Hmm i still have my doubts even at nearly 300m. I just think there would be more mention of it on meto only a day away from the event in question.

I have a nasty feeling us in west country may get more egg on our faces not snow.

Edited December 18, 2009 by mullender83

[butler_son]

See, I just don't know why I didn't go down the beach and have a good sunbathe today. :o The sugar coating on our lawn looks like it stuck around all day, though you have to strain your eyes in order to see the white stuff...

[Andy Bown]

It's surprising how quickly the round can freeze. The lowest temperature so far this week was -1.9c this morning but already, almost certainly due to the penetrating NE breeze, the ground has frozen. Just a few flurries around this area today while I've been out and about : in Chippenham this morning, near Salisbury this afternoon and also around Westbury/Warminster in between.

It looks very interesting for tomorrow night as I can recall a number of cold fronts sweeping down giving a few inches of snow. I guess the main difference from those is that this system has a warm front for starters rather than just being a cold front. But it will be very cold in the air and on the ground before the warm front so, even if it does start as rain, it will probably be freezing rain! That will turn to sleet then snow as the cold front arrives, then it depends on how heavy the precipitation is.

[BristolBlizzard]

It's surprising how quickly the round can freeze. The lowest temperature so far this week was -1.9c this morning but already, almost certainly due to the penetrating NE breeze, the ground has frozen. Just a few flurries around this area today while I've been out and about : in Chippenham this morning, near Salisbury this afternoon and also around Westbury/Warminster in between.

It looks very interesting for tomorrow night as I can recall a number of cold fronts sweeping down giving a few inches of snow. I guess the main difference from those is that this system has a warm front for starters rather than just being a cold front. But it will be very cold in the air and on the ground before the warm front so, even if it does start as rain, it will probably be freezing rain! That will turn to sleet then snow as the cold front arrives, then it depends on how heavy the precipitation is.

hi andy , great post hope bristol has a chance and rest of west country .

[David-kig]

hi andy , great post hope bristol has a chance and rest of west country .

yh i dont think it should be a problem snow and more snow

[MP-R]

hi andy , great post hope bristol has a chance and rest of west country .

Just watched the national weather and there was most certainly snow over Bristol and the English side of the Estuary but a wintry mix in South Wales. Very very close I think, I wouldn't have expected this much doubt about snow from an Arctic front but still things are looking QUITE good.

[butler_son]

Oh goody. The ice cream van's just rocked up here. You couldn't make it up!

[David-kig]

how much are we likely to get from it thats the most important thing is it gunna be heavy or light

[rbw]

Hmm- not happy. BBC are predicting rain here in Gloucester tomorrow night

R

[dogs32]

louise from the BBC very confident of another dumping of snow for tomorro night

with nice accumalation's predicted

rbw

edit I didnt get that from ANGWIN from BBC West

Edited December 18, 2009 by dogs32

[Dartmoor_Matt]

Oh goody. The ice cream van's just rocked up here. You couldn't make it up!

I just went outside to hang the wreath up and think I got frostbite on my nose!

It did go down to -3.1C a short while ago, but it is working its way back up again (-2.3C) and its looking quite foggy out, which is odd. Although humidity is rising. Perhaps a hoar frost tonight?

Anyways, to get over my disapointment got some friends coming over with beer and pizza...

[David-kig]

louise from the BBC very confident of another dumping of snow for tomorro night

with nice accumalation's predicted

i hope your rite mate 10cm plus ha ha na 3-6 cm more likely maybe 10cm higher ground u never know i think gurney slade would be top 10 in somerset

[Nights King]

I just went outside to hang the wreath up and think I got frostbite on my nose!

It did go down to -3.1C a short while ago, but it is working its way back up again (-2.3C) and its looking quite foggy out, which is odd. Although humidity is rising. Perhaps a hoar frost tonight?

Anyways, to get over my disapointment got some friends coming over with beer and pizza...

I have just got a load of cloud cover over which has raised my temperature up to the barmy heights of -1.8c

Thats an anoying dent in my hopes for lowest of winter so far...

i hope your rite mate 10cm plus ha ha na 3-6 cm more likely maybe 10cm higher ground u never know i think gurney slade would be top 10 in somerset

Are they saying 10cm for somerset? i missed forecast i was on the phone.

[Andy Bown]

I have just got a load of cloud cover over which has raised my temperature up to the barmy heights of -1.8c

Thats an anoying dent in my hopes for lowest of winter so far...

Crikey it's not even 19.00 yet! The cloud will clear and temperature plummet. Remember that the minimum usually occurs just before or at sunrise and that's over 12 hours away!!