Scottish Cold Spell Discussion 23

[Guest]

Some overnight snow/sleet frozen on car windscreens this morning. As I watched the ice was visibly forming on my impromptu birdbath.

Some of the cars coming into Aberdeen from inland had snow (1cm or so) on them.

Oh no! The old "seeing snow on cars when there's none on the ground" routine. I hate that!

[LadyPakal]

Oh no! The old "seeing snow on cars when there's none on the ground" routine. I hate that!

We're quite used to it here. Being so close to the coast, east & often NE winds mean we here get sleet or rain and inland gets snow.

[penicuikblizz]

Dont see those quality charts being like that this time next week, i can see it ending up a northerly with the usual suspects getting the snow!! Lets face it this time last week models were showing a raging east wind and heavy snow showers for east central so where is all the snow

[Guest]

We're quite used to it here. Being so close to the coast, east & often NE winds mean we here get sleet or rain and inland gets snow.

I hated that as a kid when we stayed in Glasgow. Often we would see cars with several inches of snow on them and we'd have a dusting at best. Glasgow is a remarkably snow free place. When we moved to Kilmacolm it was amazing as the amount of snow we got was epic, although the mid-nineties were really good for snow here. Not so good now

[LadyPakal]

I hated that as a kid when we stayed in Glasgow. Often we would see cars with several inches of snow on them and we'd have a dusting at best. Glasgow is a remarkably snow free place. When we moved to Kilmacolm it was amazing as the amount of snow we got was epic, although the mid-nineties were really good for snow here. Not so good now

Try growing up in Barrow-In-Furness - right on the coast where the warm waters lap... Lived in London from around 1984 to 1999 (the college & first job years) then moved to Aberdeen with work. Gone from the pretty snowless location of my childhood to a place where there has been snow on the ground for at least 3 of the Christmases I've been here. Summers aren't up to much here tho'...

Edited February 9, 2010 by LadyPakal

[blitzen]

I wonder if this would come off as predicted? I would certainly take it:

This would be next Monday/ Tuesday/ Friday.

Edited February 9, 2010 by Blitzen

[Guest]

Try growing up in Barrow-In-Furness - right on the coast where the warm waters lap... Lived in London from around 1984 to 1999 (the college & first job years) then moved to Aberdeen with work. Gone from the pretty snowless location of my childhood to a place where there has been snow on the ground for at least 3 of the Christmases I've been here. Summers aren't up to much here tho'...

You should try summers in west central Scotland then, at least you folk have it drier up there (normally)

Having said that, summer here tends to be May & June, by the time July comes around the rain has set in

Are you watching the 06z?? High pressure still wanting to decamp to Greenland, followed by a proper northerly :)

I wonder if this would come off as predicted? I would certainly take it:

This would be next Tuesday.

It is starting to look possible than we will be getting a cracking birthday present

[Blizzardo]

Dont see those quality charts being like that this time next week, i can see it ending up a northerly with the usual suspects getting the snow!! Lets face it this time last week models were showing a raging east wind and heavy snow showers for east central so where is all the snow

Fair point Penicuikblizz about this weeks easterly and there is always the danger that the main cold and snow misses us to the west or east. However, I do think there is a decent chance that if this northerly is positioned favourably there will be more chance of a wider area being affected by snow than with a typical northerly as there is likely to be a few low pressure systems wrapped up in the flow such as being shown on the GFS 06z below. Still a long way to go though.

[LadyPakal]

You should try summers in west central Scotland then, at least you folk have it drier up there (normally)

Having said that, summer here tends to be May & June, by the time July comes around the rain has set in :lol:

Are you watching the 06z?? High pressure still wanting to decamp to Greenland, followed by a proper northerly :)

It is starting to look possible than we will be getting a cracking birthday present

Cumbria is famous for rain - usually that 'fine rain that makes you wet' to quote Peter Kay... Summer in Aberdeen is usually 2 weeks in April!

Bring on the north polar winds, I say! Don't want any of that continental rubbish...

[Northernlights]

Great the sun is out at last much clearer air and can see across the Firth again with some small wintry looking showers to the north again.Currently 2c and sunny, perhaps we will get an air frost tonight if the sky stays clear. Forecast af an aurora on the 11th so hope it stays the same to see it as been very few these last few years. Looking hopeful for the weekend and next week and perhaps I"ll get more photos like these taken on the 20th December 2009.

[blitzen]

Great the sun is out at last much clearer air and can see across the Firth again with some small wintry looking showers to the north again.Currently 2c and sunny, perhaps we will get an air frost tonight if the sky stays clear. Forecast af an aurora on the 11th so hope it stays the same to see it as been very few these last few years. Looking hopeful for the weekend and next week and perhaps I"ll get more photos like these taken on the 20th December 2009.

Have never seen the aurora NL must be quite a sight. How's the wee calf doing?

Edited February 9, 2010 by Blitzen

[Guest]

Cumbria is famous for rain - usually that 'fine rain that makes you wet' to quote Peter Kay... Summer in Aberdeen is usually 2 weeks in April!

Bring on the north polar winds, I say! Don't want any of that continental rubbish...

We get the ridiculously wet drizzle too. The stuff that doesn't show up on radar but can stay for days at a time. Scotch mist to give it a name! :lol:

As for the north winds bringing snow by next week: it's nailded on with a big hammerd.

[blitzen]

As for the north winds bringing snow by next week: it's nailded on with a big hammerd.

Idiot!

[Guest]

Idiot!

Moi? Je suis non un idiot. Je suis un numpte.

[LadyPakal]

Moi? Je suis non un idiot. Je suis un numpte.

Numpty - one of my favourite words!

Nailded, now added to my words-I-like list. Do you think yon aspiring numpty is aware of how much use that word has had here recently...?

[Guest]

Numpty - one of my favourite words!

Nailded, now added to my words-I-like list. Do you think yon aspiring numpty is aware of how much use that word has had here recently...?

I don't know if he knows, but I do know it is funny. I really like it when people are trying to be clever and then do something like that. It's the sort of mistake I make constantly and feel like a numpty when I do.

Scunner is another great wee word. As in, "I'm scunnered with that numpty".

Edit: we should probably discuss the weather at some point.....I'm scunnered with this nothing much weather, and still will be by Friday :lol:

2nd Edit: Temp 6C with a dewpoint of -3C. I haven't seen such a difference between the temp and dew point since the summer when it was 26C and a dew point of -2C

3rd Edit: It was the 23rd June and it was -1C not -2C Catch. Get your facts right :lol: :lol: I have spent too long building the wee man's lego today.....

Edited February 9, 2010 by CatchMyDrift

[LadyPakal]

Okey doke! Weather it is!

The sun has actually shown her face today - I'm gobsmacked (another fav word BTW ). Sadly the DP has risen to 2 and temp to 4 so any showers that might pass overhead will no doubt be of rain or sleet.

p.s. I could me called Mrs Malaprop at times and I often have a problem with my double entendres... looking for a little halo smilie but there doesn't seem to be one - you'll have to imagine it!

Edited February 9, 2010 by LadyPakal

[asjmcguire]

Temp is 4 and dp is -1.0

During January we constantly had a dp of between -8 and -12 when the temp was about 1, humidity dropped as low as 39% <_<

[Northernlights]

Have never seen the aurora NL must be quite a sight. How's the wee calf doing?

Will probably be quite a weak aurora as the sun is not too active probably hugging the nortern horizon with just a small ark of yellow and green curtains of light although we have see an overhead red ark(very rare) which if you looked up at it had spirals which seemed to go into infinity.This was about 7 or 8 years ago I think one November with the green and yellow ark to the southern horizon absolutely fantastic. We are very lucky to live in an area with low light pollution and so we can get a good view to the north at night.

New calf has had two sessions on its foster cow but the cow will have to be restrained in the race twice a day for about 2 weeks to make sure she takes it as she still has memories of her lost calf. My back is a bit tweaky today bending over it to start it off on the right teat but the calf jumped and skipped into the fold after this mornings feed so it is obviously liking the milk. The best moment hopefully will come when you walk into the fold and the cow is letting it drink off her without supervision and you say YES!!!!!!

[asjmcguire]

What website did you use to get an aurora forecast, because all the ones I have checked say the field is quiet and the forecast chance is low??

Many thanks

[LomondSnowstorm]

Temp is 4 and dp is -1.0

During January we constantly had a dp of between -8 and -12 when the temp was about 1, humidity dropped as low as 39%

We never got humidity all that low, probably because of moisture off the north sea during the northeasterly.

[LomondSnowstorm]

I suspect that LS has been pushed for time this morning as he usually updates before leaving for school. Poor guy, he is up to all hours keeping us lot informed! From what I can deduce from the models this morning (ahem) is that the so called easterly has been a very watered down affair for most of the country. Which appears to be the norm this year. However, looking to the north, it does look as if there is plenty of action up there for us to be going on with. Looks as if the high is going to sod off to Greenland starting this weekend allowing for a much more active system to drop down from the north. I can't believe I am hoping for this, as northerlies don't produce for here. By the look of it tho' there would be a lot more action involved, and the predicted northerlies do seem to keep their potency. So, after this weekend, it does look as if it will be game on for something a bit more interesting next week. LS will correct me if I'm wrong tho'

Sorry about that, only had enough time to quickly check the models this morning. The main difference with this is that the trough is unlikely to be too far east, as well as the fact that the jet is tracking south, so when this trough manages to ridge towards the main atlantic lows to our southwest, there could be more fun and games. I think my hunch and GP's feeling that the high will not end up too far west is beginning to show up quite nicely on the models.

http://91.121.94.83/modeles/gfs/run/gfs-0-150.png?12

I think for the actual PV to drop towards us though we need the pattern a bit further east than what is currently shown,but the snow potential is quite good. http://charts.netweather.tv/gfsimages/gfs.20100209/12/144/prectypeuktopo.png

Familiar looking shortwave also http://charts.netweather.tv/gfsimages/gfs.20100209/12/174/h500slp.png

Another possibility is that we end up with a spell of cold zonality http://charts.netweather.tv/gfsimages/gfs.20100209/12/288/h500slp.png

http://charts.netweather.tv/gfsimages/gfs.20100209/12/288/h850t850eu.png

[Northernlights]

What website did you use to get an aurora forecast, because all the ones I have checked say the field is quiet and the forecast chance is low??

Many thanks

Spaceweather.com is the site.Only know about it as my daughter did astrophysics. Obviously being as far north as possible will help will help.

[LadyPakal]

Try here: http://www.dcs.lancs.ac.uk/iono/aurorawatch/

[Snowplough33]

Well well well. The GEM charts we were speaking about a few days ago seem to the favoured outcome at the moment. Charts seem to be trending in that direction. All down to exact position of LP as the very cold goes down the west flank at this stage. Shift the LP east and bingo. An improvement on this next week be nice after this week not really delivering what we all wanted.