Scottish Cold Spell Discussion 9

[JoeShmoe]

Uppers are fluctuating at times but look good some of the time:

-8C and -7C uppers with the precip in the east.

Yep, looks on the right side of marginal id say

[Argyllcraig]

Not long in from work and it was snowing quite steadily in airdrie and coatbridge area around 1400 today, the bank of cloud had even extended into glasgow with flurries around the city centre. Back home now and its just crept above freezing in garelochhead with cloudy skies above.

Can snow fall and not show up on the radar??

[Shandiman]

Hi all. Just got back from work and have been watching the clouds steadily increase from the south. Just checked my weatherstation I got for Xmas (Woohoo) and dewpoint here is at -1.9c with outdoor temp at +0.7c & 83% humidity. Looking ok for some more fun tonight !

[Sunny Leith]

Surface temps here invariably affected by the proximity of the sea/surface wind direction. But with those uppers - and given enough showers with sufficient impact/downdraft - then we could (or should) see more here in Embra/Leith tomorrow. Marginal here in that it could be a familiar pattern of snow/lie/stop/melt/snow/lie/stop/melt etc Would just be another type of winter day to add to the 13 already experienced.

If they move inland and upland as they usually do ... then obviously you're looking at actual accumulation rather than our Leith snow/melt/snow/melt cycle that leaves us standing still over a day !

Edit: rain at the airport just now, and still only just hanging on to 2c/DP 0c ... my feeling is if the DP goes above that then we're definitely heading into slush-territory on the south side of the Forth coastal area. No dry air left for any useful convective snowfall it it comes along - just the wet/sleety stuff at best ....

The spoiler is that 8c expanse of sea out there to our east....

Uppers are fluctuating at times but look good some of the time:

-8C and -7C uppers with the precip in the east.

Edited December 29, 2009 by by-tor

[LomondSnowstorm]

To be honest, the uppers are at their most marginal at the moment, but from tomorrow until at least the weekend when the shortwave (possibly) moves in, the uppers will not get above -7 or -8 across Scotland. No breakdown is on the cards into next week at the moment, with the only chance of uppers getting above -5 other than temporarily through shortwaves is through the high sitting over or to the east of us, and even then it would likely be dry and frosty. Tomorrow lunchtime has potential, but the main snow event of the next few days appears to be Hogmanay, which is likely to catch many people out, especially given the Edinburgh Council statement earlier regarding the evening being dry. The Met Office are giving mixed messages, on one hand talking of the real threat of snow showers in Eastern Scotland on Hogmanay especially, but on the other telling the city council it will be dry.

Anyway, Strathmiglo looks more like Finland than Fife, with the streets basically ice rinks, massive icicles hanging from the roofs and with about a foot of snow lying in nearby fields. Fife Council are going to be struggling in the next few weeks - even the table salt has been bought up!

[snow1975]

Howdy

It's been freezing cold today. Still 7.5cm of snow lying. The ice on pavements and side roads is horrendous, not just here, but even along the prom in Leven. The wind is picking up from the NNE, it is reluctant to go into the NE. I have seen a few light snow showers moving up the Firth of Forth this afternoon. Max temp so far, 0.1C and now -0.1C.

[Sunny Leith]

Good grief LS, am I to understand that Fife chippies will be only able to offer sauce with their chips ... or is that about to be requisitioned too !

Edit: I'm assuming that Fife is in line with other central-Eastern chippies of offering sauce rather than vinegar (...west coast barbarians )

To be honest, the uppers are at their most marginal at the moment, but from tomorrow until at least the weekend when the shortwave (possibly) moves in, the uppers will not get above -7 or -8 across Scotland. No breakdown is on the cards into next week at the moment, with the only chance of uppers getting above -5 other than temporarily through shortwaves is through the high sitting over or to the east of us, and even then it would likely be dry and frosty. Tomorrow lunchtime has potential, but the main snow event of the next few days appears to be Hogmanay, which is likely to catch many people out, especially given the Edinburgh Council statement earlier regarding the evening being dry. The Met Office are giving mixed messages, on one hand talking of the real threat of snow showers in Eastern Scotland on Hogmanay especially, but on the other telling the city council it will be dry.

Anyway, Strathmiglo looks more like Finland than Fife, with the streets basically ice rinks, massive icicles hanging from the roofs and with about a foot of snow lying in nearby fields. Fife Council are going to be struggling in the next few weeks - even the table salt has been bought up!

Edited December 29, 2009 by by-tor

[JRMcLeod]

Was in Aberdeen shopping for the little one today, took my usual route over Riverside Drive and thought, what the he*l is going on? Cars stopped all along the drive, then i quickly noticed the River Dee...well, just have a look!

[snow1975]

Recent Reports:

Dundee 2c/DP -2c

Leuchars 1c/DP -2c

Edinburgh 2c/DP 0c

Newcastle 2c/DP 1c

I expect that'll be the trend heading up the east coast. We held onto our snow through the rain and snizzle a few days ago but it was mostly calm throughout. Not convinced we'll do as well here in Embra over the next 24 hrs ... sky is cloudy and the wind is steady and blowy at 15mph from the NE (from the open sea) ... if we keep getting massaged by 2c and wind (usually theres no frost here in that situation...) then I expect some surface melt/slushing to get underway again, and this mornings snow is already going that traditional slushy/grey way that you often see happen in cities.

Oh well que sera que sera etc etc

I'm doing much better with this wind direction. I have a good land fetch, which happens to be covered in deep snow, plus i'm 130m asl. I was looking towards North Berwick and further down the coast towards Dunbar this afternoon, and there is no snow cover anymore, even on the hills.

[Snowplough33]

Fab news!!!

We have just had our first shower of this run of winds and it fell as fluffy snow. Temp is 1.5 but still snow. More on the radar heading for Fife/Angus

[Sunny Leith]

Thinks theres some showers coming your way from the NE ? I'm guesstimating - if they hold together - might be hitting you and/or LS in the next hour or so ?

I'm doing much better with this wind direction. I have a good land fetch, which happens to be covered in deep snow, plus i'm 130m asl. I was looking towards North Berwick and further down the coast towards Dunbar this afternoon, and there is no snow cover anymore, even on the hills.

[Norrance]

Fab news!!!

We have just had our first shower of this run of winds and it fell as fluffy snow. Temp is 1.5 but still snow. More on the radar heading for Fife/Angus

That's good news. Nothing has reached here yet and our temp is a degree lower so we should be ok. :lol:

Just as I speak it has started snowing and temp has gone down a notch.

Edited December 29, 2009 by Norrance

[Highland Snow]

Was in Aberdeen shopping for the little one today, took my usual route over Riverside Drive and thought, what the he*l is going on? Cars stopped all along the drive, then i quickly noticed the River Dee...well, just have a look!

Fantastic pictures! Wondering today if the Tay will be taking on the same appearance by the weekend.

[Norrance]

Fantastic pictures! Wondering today if the Tay will be taking on the same appearance by the weekend.

It froze between the bridges in 1995 but I don't think that it has since. The Tay has the highest flow of any UK river so takes a bit more to freeze.

I have seen Perth harbour freeze in the past and also the inner harbours in Dundee

Edited December 29, 2009 by Norrance

[JRMcLeod]

It froze between the bridges in 1995 but I don't think that it has since. The Tay has the highest flow of any UK river so takes a bit more to freeze.

Well i can honsetly say i have never seen a river in Scotland freeze quite like the Dee, the ice was cracking as the water flowed under it...to be honest it looked like it would hold the weight of a child it was that thick. It was frozen all the way to about 100metres of the sea...all we need is some heavy snowfall and a couple more freeze days like today and it will look spectacular! When loking at these pictures, bear in mind, if you havent seen the Dee in this location, its about 100metres wide

[Norrance]

Well i can honsetly say i have never seen a river in Scotland freeze quite like the Dee, the ice was cracking as the water flowed under it...to be honest it looked like it would hold the weight of a child it was that thick. It was frozen all the way to about 100metres of the sea...all we need is some heavy snowfall and a couple more freeze days like today and it will look spectacular! When loking at these pictures, bear in mind, if you havent seen the Dee in this location, its about 100metres wide

Yes, I have seen the Dee frozen on quite a few occasions. I used to work and live in Aberdeen and still go up there on occasions for work.

[snow1975]

Thinks theres some showers coming your way from the NE ? I'm guesstimating - if they hold together - might be hitting you and/or LS in the next hour or so ?

The showers have arrived at 17.08h- small snow pellets, they have covered the icy pavements white. Temp up to 0.5C.

[Hiya]

That train of showers out in the north sea have Fife written on them

[Highland Snow]

Fascinating facts guys.

[Mondy]

Joy oh joy - my grit bin in the street just received a fresh load I now have 3 bucket loads of the stuff lying at my back patio aswell as the driveway getting a good covering. So check your local grit bucket this evening (or now) - it may have been filled without you realising.

[Gilly]

Fantastic pics.......a rare sight. Thank you.

Was in Aberdeen shopping for the little one today, took my usual route over Riverside Drive and thought, what the he*l is going on? Cars stopped all along the drive, then i quickly noticed the River Dee...well, just have a look!

[Mondy]

Here's another shot of the River Dee during a previous cold spell. I dunno when this was taken.

Can this shot be re-taken this year ???

http://static.zooomr.com/images/6641374_94a57b0c13_o.jpg

[Highland Snow]

That train of showers out in the north sea have Fife written on them

And Perth - Crieff hopefully the way it is growing.:o

A view of the frozen River Tay from the North Inch at Perth, during the winter of 1895. Local photographer Magnus Jackson took a series of photographs of snowy scenes in and around the town. The Perthshire Constitutional newspaper of 12 February 1895 commented 'The keen frost still prevails and for more than a week the Tay has been completely frost-bound. On Saturday afternoon there must have been between 5,000 and 6,000 people on the river. Cyclists had little difficulty in going freely over the ice.'

The photograph also shows Perth Bridge, which was over 100 years old by then. Built by the engineer Smeaton, it was opened in 1772 after a period of 150 years without a bridge. The tolls that had to be paid by people crossing the bridge were removed about the time this photograph was taken. Pedestrians were charged a farthing (a quarter of an old penny) at the time.

http://www.scran.ac.uk/database/record.php?usi=000-000-488-491-C

Edited December 29, 2009 by Highland Snow

[JRMcLeod]

Here's another shot of the River Dee during a previous cold spell. I dunno when this was taken.

Can this shot be re-taken this year ???

http://static.zooomr.com/images/6641374_94a57b0c13_o.jpg

I wish i knew this location so that i could re-take it...it truely does remind you of a continental arctic river

[Mondy]

I wish i knew this location so that i could re-take it...it truely does remind you of a continental arctic river

Here we go: http://www.zooomr.com/photos/benwatt/page3/ scroll down - few more pix there with the description:

Although the temperature had lifted a little, and I didn't have much hope that there would be ice to see down at Cambus O'May, I was suprised to see the River Dee almost completely frozen up

Cambus O'May is the location ??