Scottish Cold Spell Discussion 18:

[GraemeB]

Half the trouble is being suckered into believing what they say on the model threads, forgetting that they actually mean SE England (or thereabout :lol: ) when they go on about MEGA snow potential.

Do not dispair. It's currently snowing in Isle of Man with a temp of 3/DP 0 there. The cloud is moving north and temps will be falling very soon now as the sun sets. Current temp here is 2.5 DP -1.3 which is ideal for snow; trouble is will the cloud move this far north this evening?

My snow took a hammering today. Still a fair amount left, and the pack ice isn't going anywhere fast, but the white stuff is clearing quicker than forecast model watchers :lol:

EDIT: the Met O Invent feature has heavy precip over the Central belt after 6pm. Wonder if that's right? (Click play - top right)

Having just come in from the school run, the pavements in Stirling are sheet ice...much hilarity from the mothers as I skited my way to the school......

If it snows, or if the temp drops much further this afternoon, it's going to be interesting tomorrow morning....

[Guest]

Do not dispair. It's currently snowing in Isle of Man with a temp of 3/DP 0 there. The cloud is moving north and temps will be falling very soon now as the sun sets. Current temp here is 2.5 DP -1.3 which is ideal for snow; trouble is will the cloud move this far north this evening?

Forget the Isle of Man Mondy, I am just in from picking up BoyCatch from school and it is spitting snow grains outside :lol:

[Blizzardo]

Forget the Isle of Man Mondy, I am just in from picking up BoyCatch from school and it is spitting snow grains outside

Thats good to hear. Even if the deep cold is on its way out and the general trend is for things to get a bit milder I still think this week could throw up some snow at times. If we hadnt just had the cold spell we've had everyone would be quite excited about the next few days.

Edited January 11, 2010 by Blizzardo

[Guest]

Thats good to hear. Even if the deep cold is on its way out and the general trend is for things to get a bit milder I still think this week could through up some snow at times. If we hadnt just had the cold spell we've had everyone would be quite excited about the next few days.

Aye, you're right, we've been spoilt recently. If we hadn't had that cold spell and this light precip was moving in with the possibility of snow I would be slevering like a dog just now.

[Sunny Leith]

A little bit of brightening on the radar there Catch as its makes further landfall in the SW. Don't think its done anything worthwhile in Northern Ireland but doesn't mean to say it couldn't pep up further in your neck of the woods.

On the other side of the country, some bright radar shower activity way way out in the North sea, currently about the level of the border and heading North-Westwards .. Fife/Angus landfall eventually ?

Dew-points still favourable everywhere but pessimistic (realistic ?) about much happening for sea-level/coasties in the next 24 hours. But inland and/or with height ... who knows ? Marginal but possible.

Forget the Isle of Man Mondy, I am just in from picking up BoyCatch from school and it is spitting snow grains outside

[Guest]

A little bit of brightening on the radar there Catch as its makes further landfall in the SW. Don't think its done anything worthwhile in Northern Ireland but doesn't mean to say it couldn't pep up further in your neck of the woods.

On the other side of the country, some bright radar shower activity way way out in the North sea, currently about the level of the border and heading North-Westwards .. Fife/Angus landfall eventually ?

Dew-points still favourable everywhere but pessimistic (realistic ?) about much happening for sea-level/coasties in the next 24 hours. But inland and/or with height ... who knows ? Marginal but possible.

Forget any of this cold weather rubbish, has anyone else been looking at the 12z?? That's some southerly gale forecast for the weekend. Bye-bye snow cover....

Cookie will be happy to see that on the horizon though

[LomondSnowstorm]

Temperatures here are now 3.3C, with quite a lot of snow melt today. I still see the likely outcome in the medium term to be a reload via a height rise from the south, with the mild air never really making it this far north (the milder air over the last few days having absolutely nothing to do with the atlantic). The new NMM precipitation type charts show precipitation being predominantly of rain overnight in central eastern areas with snow for all further west, though by tomorrow things are much more finely balanced and snowfall looks a distinct possibility:

This is how I see the reload coming about:

This chart has some similarities, bringing a height rise from the southeast: http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/Recm1681.gif

Mind you, after all the cold lately who wouldn't say yes to a conclusive thaw from a bit of this?: http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2009/Rrea00120090702.gif

LS

[Mondy]

9pm tonight? Snow or rain? It's cold enough now for snow..

[LomondSnowstorm]

9pm tonight? Snow or rain? It's cold enough now for snow..

For you perhaps, still very marginal here. If temperatures get below 3C here I think we've got a chance, if not I doubt it.

[Snooz]

is that pic of you Monds?

currently +3 DP +1 Snow shifting but slowly, and I have to say I'd rather it happened this way..

Was at school today as parent helper - kids have three outdoor days planned and were supposed to go to the forest today however we stayed in the playing field and built igloos instead Snow started off too powdery but by 11am it was perfect so the school is now the proud owner of 5 igloos and a snow hole

came home and widened the driveway by 2ft on either side, can now get the two cars in.. I'm pooped again, but I find it easier to remove the ice edges a bit at a time and the more days we get like this the less problems with the ice pack we'll have. Still just crossing fingers as far as the roof/guttering is concerned the icicles are now "thaw dripping" nicely (rather than freeze dripping), A few friends are reporting water coming into the house as there is nowhere else for it to go, so hence the crossed fingers here.

Have enjoyed this spell immensely and there is still plenty going around - more than we have sledged on before - I presume the sledging park will still be fine for a good long while yet we were even skiing on it on Saturday!

watching the charts and models this spell has been fascinating, and great to be able to come in here a talk about the Scottish perspective on them, yes I see the Model Output thread has returned to the S/SE/SW England thread

Here in East Scotland (sorry CMD) we are looking to remain in the cooler continental feed for a wee while so if the block remains there is possibly the possibility of a more normal reload, winter is not over, not in Scotland anyway - added sorry I see from the latest charts the west is also included in the cooler continental pull now too - this is as opposed to the mild atlantic pull I think?

Edited January 11, 2010 by Snooz

[Mondy]

Hell, no, that's not me - I have worse walking conditions than that

Is it raining in Embra at the moment?

Also, check out that low pressure off the coast of Newfoundland covering the entire North Atlantic then being semi-blocked by the Scandi High - class!

http://meteocentre.com/analyse/map.php?hour=0〈=en&map=AtlN

[pyrogaz]

There's been very little snow on the coastal fringes of Caithness in the past few weeks, but what has fallen is now sheet ice following repeated freeze/thaw; however it gave me the most surreal sight of my life today. Four surfers on Dunnet beach toboganning down the north face of a 15m dune on boogie boards, across 50m of ice covered beach (at least 100mm thick) and straight into the sea where they were trying to catch as much air as possible on the small waves!

[Mondy]

Brilliant!

[Guest]

I have just tested lamp post positive in the west of Scotland. It's small, blink and miss it stuff, but it is glorious snow all the same A year of snow like that and it still wouldn't give a covering

[Argyllcraig]

feels freezing here, just stuck me head out the door after a day of DIY'ing and its raining quite steadily outside....

[Mondy]

Did anyone in the central areas see the forecast on STV from that Sean guy (after "The Hour" show? Couldn't believe what I saw? Snow in abundance tonight for many areas extending southern Scotland to Grampians - according to him. Not sure if the forecast will be repeated after the 6pm STV news...similarly North Tonight viewers may see an eye-popping forecast too

[Snowplough33]

Did anyone in the central areas see the forecast on STV from that Sean guy (after "The Hour" show? Couldn't believe what I saw? Snow in abundance tonight for many areas extending southern Scotland to Grampians - according to him. Not sure if the forecast will be repeated after the 6pm STV news...similarly North Tonight viewers may see an eye-popping forecast too

Massively wrong I would imagine. Probaly snow well inland and on the hills I guess. If you want snow........step away from the east coast!!

[LomondSnowstorm]

Massively wrong I would imagine. Probaly snow well inland and on the hills I guess. If you want snow........step away from the east coast!!

Lol, yes, 3.5C still here, with chances of snow looking minimal. I just want some very heavy precipitation for a few hours, just so we can have either a decisive thaw or more snow. This moderate, continous thaw with no real warm up either is like being tortured to death! Something decisive needs to happen surely - a massive storm, a huge blizzard, a big freeze, a heatwave, anything!!

[Mondy]

It's 2.2c here with DP -0.9. Jeez, that's marginal now :lol:

[Northernlights]

Back to 0c here with sparkling snow cover again, ordered more feed for the cattle today even though we have 2 weeks supply left as I don"t trust the outlook and roads may ease at the end of the week. School buses slipped round the side roads today according to my son. These buses would never have driven on these roads before but now are being forced to.

Heard today that our salt supply is being reduced by sending a lot of it to the central belt on the orders of the government leaving us with only 7 days supply in an area where it is likely to stay colder for longer and they had had the sense to stockpile a bit more in the Autumn.

[LomondSnowstorm]

Aaargh, drizzly rain now. If it gets a bit heavier it might be sleet or maybe snow at a push but very light at the moment.

[Big Innes Madori]

Aaargh, drizzly rain now. If it gets a bit heavier it might be sleet or maybe snow at a push but very light at the moment.

Light but steady snow falling here at the moment

These are the times when I usually do a bit better than other Fifers due to higher altitude

Big Innes

[Snowlover2]

Same here Ls

[Guest]

Heard today that our salt supply is being reduced by sending a lot of it to the central belt on the orders of the government leaving us with only 7 days supply in an area where it is likely to stay colder for longer and they had had the sense to stockpile a bit more in the Autumn.

The whole grit saga is a shambles. Councils which planned ahead should have been allowed to keep their grit and should have been given equal pecking rights with respect to new grit deliveries. It now gives out the message to councils that there is no need to plan for contingencies as central government will step in and just reallocate more organised councils' resources.

A bit like the banking bailout really!!

[Snowplough33]

All our chums on the model thread are having babies over the latest ECM run. Sounds like there is an ice age on its way