Who's Looking Forward To Spring

[PB22]

Today certainly got me in the mood for spring with the sunshine which felt very pleasant in the very light winds. Its surprising how much strength the sun has gained already, and I'm sure this difference will be noticed during next week's cold spell.

[Bolton67]

Today certainly got me in the mood for spring with the sunshine which felt very pleasant in the very light winds. Its surprising how much strength the sun has gained already, and I'm sure this difference will be noticed during next week's cold spell.

Yes Paul, will agree with that.

Was Driving down from Cumbria today and when the sun came out it felt quite pleasant in the cab of the lorry.

One more kick from winter will do me fine, then i'll be looking for more milder and sunny weather.

I've been cold since december, and i'm dreading the gas bill when it falls through my door.

[Derp Patrol]

Yes, the Sun does now have a little warmth to it. I was just looking at the weather in Madrid and obviously the strength has picked up quite a bit, overnight lows of about 2C, and reaching the low teens during the day, looks like Spring is starting shortly over there.

[robnor1]

There'e those on the model ouput clinging on to hope for more severe winter weather sorry guys and girls you can't beat the longer days and stronger sun each day spring is getting nearer especially for us in the South of England. Anyway i love the snow but after the falls we have had in Swindon this winter i am kinda all snowed out even after the non event 30cm was only ~10cm!!

Winter proper is over just get used it Spring is in the air

[Thundery wintry showers]

Ah, so we're already approaching the "stop clinging onto winter now, move on it's spring now" phase as early as the 9th February? Usually it takes until the 1st March. I must say I expected that to start up earlier than usual this year after the snowy winter and I've been dreading the onset of Spring to some degree for this reason.

If the charts show a lot of snowy potential, albeit out in FI, then they show a lot of snowy potential, regardless of what time of year it is, and reading the charts "as is" is not "clinging onto winter". I remember when many people were dismissing the charts for 6 April 2008 as "dull, cold and drizzly" because "cold weather is of no use to anyone, move on it's spring now". Those people are actually the ones clinging onto a twisted version of reality, seeing the charts from a "move on its spring now" perspective rather than from a perspective of "what are the charts actually showing?".

[SP1986]

Ah, so we're already approaching the "stop clinging onto winter now, move on it's spring now" phase as early as the 9th February? Usually it takes until the 1st March. I must say I expected that to start up earlier than usual this year after the snowy winter and I've been dreading the onset of Spring to some degree for this reason.

If the charts show a lot of snowy potential, albeit out in FI, then they show a lot of snowy potential, regardless of what time of year it is, and reading the charts "as is" is not "clinging onto winter". I remember when many people were dismissing the charts for 6 April 2008 as "dull, cold and drizzly" because "cold weather is of no use to anyone, move on it's spring now". Those people are actually the ones clinging onto a twisted version of reality, seeing the charts from a "move on its spring now" perspective rather than from a perspective of "what are the charts actually showing?".

To be fair I don't think it's people just moving on, I do actually think the atmosphere with the warming of the sun can actually have person want summer despite the implications of the variability of the weather. I think people say they want summer not as an opinion but as a reaction to the atmosphere - if you know what I mean?

[Thundery wintry showers]

The problem isn't people wanting summer- people can want whatever they like- and there is certainly a lot of truth behind the notion that the warmer sun reminds many of us of how pleasant it can be when the sun is stronger and the airmass warmer. There's the Vitamin D response for example. I think the wishing for summer is still a matter of opinion though, as not everybody follows that way of thinking and a lot of it is to do with how we personally react to our physiological responsees (we aren't slaves to our hormones/bodies).

The problem is the way that those of us who see wintry weather in the charts are dismissed for clinging onto winter instead of "moving on", despite the fact that the charts do show wintry weather! There is also no reason why we should all flick a switch from wanting snow to wanting constant April 2007- that's a social construct of Net-Weather's membership and not really supported physiologically or among the general public (most of whom would probably like it to be summer all year around) and certainly no way should it stop us from looking at the charts objectively.

[ribster]

Much as I love cold and snow, and as much as I hate to admit, I found myself longing for a little warmth and sitting out in the back garden the other day - I must be getting old! However, I think winter has a little while to run just yet. I do enjoy spring though.

[Upgrade]

come next week, its mid Feb, past the coldest part of winter, time for people to move on. I'm looking forward to spring, which is now just around the corner!

[Hurricane Debby]

I can't wait for spring. I never thought I would hear myself say this but I am sick of all the snow and ice and just want rid of it.

[Methuselah]

I can't wait for spring. I never thought I would hear myself say this but I am sick of all the snow and ice and just want rid of it.

I couldn't agree more, HD...Bring on some warmth, I say... <_<

[Thundery wintry showers]

come next week, its mid Feb, past the coldest part of winter, time for people to move on. I'm looking forward to spring, which is now just around the corner!

But that's where it really annoys me. It's not the fact that many people are looking forward to spring and, at the flick of a switch, don't want any more cold or snow until late autumn- this is a perfectly acceptable opinion. It's the intolerant attitude towards anyone who doesn't feel the same way, and the implication that all of us should think that way or else be clinging onto the past.

Would snow lovers appreciate it if a cascade of members flooded in and started an exchange like this:

A. Look, the GFS is showing a potent NE'ly at T+96 in the middle of January with heavy snow showers! 850s of -12C would mean a lot of convection over the North Sea.

B. Stop clinging onto the winters of yore. Time for people to move on, it's the modern winter now, and we should all be forgetting about cold and snow and wishing for repeats of January 1989 & February 1998 (if it can't snow, it may as well be mild). Therefore, the GFS output would be cold and dull and drizzly and no use to anyone. Cut snow out of your life.

I seriously doubt it.

[reef]

come next week, its mid Feb, past the coldest part of winter, time for people to move on. I'm looking forward to spring, which is now just around the corner!

Im quite happy to enjoy the occasional cold convective flow right through until May thank you very much. Like TWS, this attitude that anyone wanting cold weather in Spring should 'move on' particularly gets on my nerves. You'd think looking at the views of some on this forum that the typical UK spring consists of temperatures in the mid-teens all through March, 20s in April and nudging the 30s in May. The reality is that average maximum temperatures are 8-11C in March, 10-13C in April and 14-17C in May. Most places average 5-10 days of sleet/snow falling and 10-20 days of air frost.

Perhaps we'll get a Spring more than a degree below average (last one 1986) to bring a dose of reality. Just because all of a sudden a few people arent interested in cold and snow anymore doesnt mean the possibility of prolonged and severe spells disappears, nor should people be told to 'move on'. As March 2006 proved, you can still get weeks of very cold weather (the first 24 days averaged just 3.3C here).

[AderynCoch]

Indeed, instead of mocking the demise of winter cold-haters should be praying we don't get a repeat of 1917 (March 3.2C, April 5.4C), or worse 1837 (March 2.3C, April 4.7C, May 9.9C). Given the consistency of cold synoptics this winter, a cold March is not something I would bet against.

March 2006 saved that winter for me: although 05/06 stood out relatively in recent years as not being that mild it was so frustrating in that I kept missing out on proper snow, not to mention a big Siberian blast in January which threatened to reach our shores but never made it. Just as I was about to give up hope, March came along and delivered a fair bit of snow, culminating on the 12th with an east-west battleground event which delivered about 15cm overnight. Falling snow lasted well into the third week.

An excellent month.

[Derp Patrol]

I don't mind what other people want, but personally I would really like it to start warming up. I'm fed up of shivering outside e.t.c and I just want to be able to go outside and feel comfortable. We are now leaving the coldest part of Winter and entering the period where it starts to warm up, and I can't wait! Beyond February, it rarely snows here, and will not settle even if it does. If it does settle, then it is gone by noon! Oh well, just over 2 weeks left of February, and then it's almost time to switch back to BST and 7:30pm sunsets! woohoo!

[Geordiesnow]

One thing that amuses me so much about this forum and some cold fans in general is that they crave for a winter that is similar before the so called "modern times" and when we do get a colder and at times snowy winter, people are sick of it by February! Goodness knows how people would think if we did actually get a 1947 or 62/63 winter, they probably be wishing for Spring in January! Although i suspect with the former, it would be enjoyed more as the emphasis on that winter was the amounts of snow than just the cold and dry that what the latter produced(although of course snowfall did certainly fell quite a bit in that winter aswell i'm sure).

I would want the rest of this February to remain cold to be sure we will get an average or just below winter then the warmth can arrive in March. However i won't quickly change my type of weather stright to warmth come the 1st of March as i would certainly welcome some Spring snowfalls.

[James M]

I'm looking forward to Spring but that doesn't mean I won't welcome some more cold and snow between now and mid March . If it comes to the end of March and we're still cold then maybe I'll be getting a little bit fed up.....a little mind.

[Thundery wintry showers]

March 2006 saved that winter for me: although 05/06 stood out relatively in recent years as not being that mild it was so frustrating in that I kept missing out on proper snow, not to mention a big Siberian blast in January which threatened to reach our shores but never made it. Just as I was about to give up hope, March came along and delivered a fair bit of snow, culminating on the 12th with an east-west battleground event which delivered about 15cm overnight. Falling snow lasted well into the third week.

An excellent month.

Aye, I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed March 2006 up until the 16th (the second half of the month was a bit on the cloudy side however), and in both Leeds and Cleadon, it was the snowiest month of the 05/06 season although Cleadon also got a memorable snow event on the 27th-29th December 2005.

Up in the North East I have fonder memories of March 2001- the first four days had plenty of sunshine, an 8cm snow cover following snowstorms on the 2nd, and overnight 2nd/3rd the temperature fell to -10.2C. Then it was often bright with wintry showers through to the 21st when it thereafter turned cloudier. Of course the South East biased media reported on March 2001 as a very dull month, when in reality it was only dull in the south.

On the other hand I wouldn't fancy a cold dull March of the sort we had in 1996!

[SP1986]

I admit I would feel short changed if frost and snow lasted into May, I know it had occurred in other parts of the country. I've never known it to occur here but I'm sure it's happened somewhere.

By May I am in summer mode and would be very disappointed with any wintry type weather, I think that's fair.

[Thundery wintry showers]

I think it's pretty rare for frosty snowy weather to last almost without a break until May, since the 1940s I think the closest approaches have been 1951 and 1979, also 1996 was exceptionally cold but not as snowy as the other two.

However before 1998, fairly widespread brief frosty snowy interludes in May were not that unusual, and off the top of my head, there were examples in 1948, 1951, 1955, 1968, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1987, 1993, 1995 and 1997, and I've probably missed a few more from the earlier years. Snow was not particularly widespread during the exceptionally cold May 1996 but there was a good deal of frost around and hail/sleet was quite widely reported at times.

There seems to be little correlation between the overall character of the spring and snow in May- those of 1951 and 1979 were very cold, but on the other side of the coin, those of 1948, 1982 and 1997 were generally warm, and the former two were in the top five sunniest of the 20th century over England and Wales, and of course there was the switch-around in May 1995 from 24-27C towards the end of the first week to frost and snow in the second. Given that snow fell surprisingly widely on 2 June 1975, I doubt that global warming, as yet, has completely killed off the chances of another widespread May snow event turning up in the near future, despite appearances over the last 12 years.

[Derp Patrol]

I have never recorded snow in May here. It would be like recording 20C in November - very hard. Frosts usually last up to Mid March, I can't ever remember seeing frosts in April down here. Today is another reason why I want Spring to roll on.. this unseasonable long spell of cold has lasted too long IMO, the winds are quite strong and biting, not pleasant at all.

[Cheese Rice]

I think I would be happy with a March/April similar to 2006/2008, 2006 brought alot of snow in the first half of march and 2008 brought 20cm of snow twice at the end of march, April 08 was pretty cold as well, first half brought snow to many areas and even to London.

I would hate to see a repeat performance of last years abrupt end to winter in Mid Feb, would hate that to happen as march is one of the most exciting times for snow showers if the source and upper air is right, with the sun that bit warmer convective showers are pretty good. The only problem I have is that snow melts very quickly in March, on march 22nd 2008 there was 20cm of fresh snow which melted in 1-2 hours, the same happened the next day, another 20cm fell and melted very quickly.

Also does anyone know what happen if we got -20 to -30 upper air in may? I would of thought there would be extremely heavy snow showers.

[Ben_Cambs]

I think I would be happy with a March/April similar to 2006/2008, 2006 brought alot of snow in the first half of march and 2008 brought 20cm of snow twice at the end of march, April 08 was pretty cold as well, first half brought snow to many areas and even to London.

I would hate to see a repeat performance of last years abrupt end to winter in Mid Feb, would hate that to happen as march is one of the most exciting times for snow showers if the source and upper air is right, with the sun that bit warmer convective showers are pretty good. The only problem I have is that snow melts very quickly in March, on march 22nd 2008 there was 20cm of fresh snow which melted in 1-2 hours, the same happened the next day, another 20cm fell and melted very quickly.

Also does anyone know what happen if we got -20 to -30 upper air in may? I would of thought there would be extremely heavy snow showers.

Ahh I remember Easter Day 08, heavy snow and plenty of it, but when it stopped, the sun came out and most of it melted very quickly. I would love some spring snow this year in March but not in April, by April I will probably want things to warm up, April 2007? That was a great April for hot weather, only 3mm of rain fell here, but we all know what happened in the summer that year.

So really I want the cold to continue for some time yet, as it is still winter.

[Cheese Rice]

I can't say I would be that fussed if we didn't have warmth till May, it would still feel warmer in March/April with the same temps in January as the sun is warmer and you can tell even if the temperatures aren't that high. I can't see the leaves coming out early this year either, I would of thought quite late in the season so it wouldn't look that nice in the warm weather because it would look like winter with everything bare. Last year the leaves were fully out on the first week of June, this year I would of thought 3rd week of June.

Edited February 11, 2010 by 10123

[Derp Patrol]

That late? Last year my cherry tree was fully blossumed by the first week of April, and by the first week of May it was pretty much covered in leaves, as were most other trees around here.