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Surviving Snow Patches


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Posted
  • Location: NH7256
  • Weather Preferences: where's my vote?
  • Location: NH7256

I'll be out and about in the nw highlands over the next couple of months. Are there any patches here that might be worth keeping an eye open for?

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Posted
  • Location: Dundee
  • Weather Preferences: Snow, thunderstorms, gales. All extremes except humidity.
  • Location: Dundee

I would think that your arrow is not far off the mark. That would put it as somewhere between 2000 and 2500 feet. Pretty low for the very end of July I would say.

Looking again at the map I would say that it near the 700 mtr contour as it is at the bottom of the steepest slope. This puts it nearer 2000 feet than 2500.

Firefly, I see that you showed the Nevis area as the furthest South patches left. When did Glencoe go this year?

Is there anything left in the Ben Alder area or at Glenshee / Lochnagar?

Hairy Celt. I was in the North West Highlands last week and saw nothing at all though clouds were low on many days.

Edited by Norrance
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Firefly, I see that you showed the Nevis area as the furthest South patches left. When did Glencoe go this year?

Is there anything left in the Ben Avon area or at Glenshee / Lochnagar?

Norrance, the snow in Glencoe this year didn't make it much past the first week in July. I haven't got the precise melt date, but if you look at the pictures on my flickr account for Glencoe 2010 you can see very small patches on the 2nd July on Meall a Bhuiridh (Glencoe ski area), and a few on the highest parts of the Bidean nam Bian range of hills. At a guess, they would have lasted until around the 8th. There is, apparently, still a wee bit left on Ben Avon and Beinn a' Bhuird, but not huge amounts. As for Lochanagar, a bit persists on Carn an t-Sagairt Beag, and should last a while yet. Nothing at Glenshee, despite a large wreath on Cairn na Claise on the 1st July.

For me the most interesting snow-patch so far in 2010 has been the one on Carnedd Llewelyn in Snowdonia, Wales. We know historically this has persisted into August, but has not survived anything like as long in recent years. This year, though, it lasted until the 28th June. Astonishingly late date. Have a look at the bottom of Donald Perkins' page for some background reading. I alerted Donald to this location, and he had never even heard of it!

If you want to keep bang up-to-date then follow the Winterhighland thread. If you want to know where the snow remains in Britain then it's the best place to watch!

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Posted
  • Location: Dundee
  • Weather Preferences: Snow, thunderstorms, gales. All extremes except humidity.
  • Location: Dundee

The snow in the Drummochter gullies is still there as of the weekend. Smaller now but still got a bit of life left.

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Posted
  • Location: Coleraine,Macosquin,County Londonderry, Northern Ireland
  • Location: Coleraine,Macosquin,County Londonderry, Northern Ireland

I think i may have seen a small patch on the glens of antrim yesterday up around ballycastle, that is one of the highest over there too.

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Yes, Norrance, I've heard it's still there. Amazingly late date.

I think i may have seen a small patch on the glens of antrim yesterday up around ballycastle, that is one of the highest over there too.

Very, very doubtful. Possibly a streak of quartz or water shining in sunlight.

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Posted
  • Location: Coleraine,Macosquin,County Londonderry, Northern Ireland
  • Location: Coleraine,Macosquin,County Londonderry, Northern Ireland

Yes, Norrance, I've heard it's still there. Amazingly late date.

Very, very doubtful. Possibly a streak of quartz or water shining in sunlight.

Maybe, but there was still snow laying on the hill behind me at 200m in may, so its a possibilty remember this winter we had about 5 foot of level snow up there (500m for the hill that i seen.) How would it have to be?

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Posted
  • Location: Wexford, Ireland. 80 metres asl
  • Location: Wexford, Ireland. 80 metres asl

I think i may have seen a small patch on the glens of antrim yesterday up around ballycastle, that is one of the highest over there too.

Well since the highest point in Antrim is only around 500m , it definately wasn't a snow patch you saw , if it was then the mournes and the sperrins would be covered, which are not.

Tracks worn down in the hill is another cause of what you saw , but definately not snow.

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Posted
  • Location: Coleraine,Macosquin,County Londonderry, Northern Ireland
  • Location: Coleraine,Macosquin,County Londonderry, Northern Ireland

Well since the highest point in Antrim is only around 500m , it definately wasn't a snow patch you saw , if it was then the mournes and the sperrins would be covered, which are not.

Tracks worn down in the hill is another cause of what you saw , but definately not snow.

Its 520m the hill which i seen hit and the highest is actually 560m, no harm to you thats bloody high enough! lol... how do you know there is no snow in the sperrins? Binevenagh is behind me about 7 miles in a straight line and there was snow lying on my side right upto the second week in may and then it melted, (they got 3/4 foot level snow their) though i'd think the glens of antrim would've got far more in the april storm, thats why i thought it was a possiblity but i'd say its probably unlikely but it is still a possibility... anyway when does the next snow come average!

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Posted
  • Location: Coleraine,Macosquin,County Londonderry, Northern Ireland
  • Location: Coleraine,Macosquin,County Londonderry, Northern Ireland

Well since the highest point in Antrim is only around 500m , it definately wasn't a snow patch you saw , if it was then the mournes and the sperrins would be covered, which are not.

Tracks worn down in the hill is another cause of what you saw , but definately not snow.

Are you who i think you are!blink.gif

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Posted
  • Location: Denny. (75m ASL)
  • Location: Denny. (75m ASL)

Not long back from Forres, and the peaks around Granton\Dalwhinnie still have 10 to 12 decent snow patches, and some surviving snow in the gullies around Drummochter

Picture a bit blurry (missus not cleaver with camera at 70mph) post-2849-031690100 1281479364_thumb.jpg Snow too right of middle peak.

Edited by Cheggers
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Posted
  • Location: Denny. (75m ASL)
  • Location: Denny. (75m ASL)

Cheggers, when you say 'Granton-Dalwhinnie', what do you mean? Are you referring to the Cairngorms?

The lowest patch in Scotland just now, we think, is the one visible from the A9 on Carn na Caim. It sits around 830m at grid reference NN670 821

Photograph here, courtesy of Al Todd.

Nope, here http://www.streetmap...&ay=811410&lm=0

Edited by Cheggers
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Posted
  • Location: Wexford, Ireland. 80 metres asl
  • Location: Wexford, Ireland. 80 metres asl

Its 520m the hill which i seen hit and the highest is actually 560m, no harm to you thats bloody high enough! lol... how do you know there is no snow in the sperrins? Binevenagh is behind me about 7 miles in a straight line and there was snow lying on my side right upto the second week in may and then it melted, (they got 3/4 foot level snow their) though i'd think the glens of antrim would've got far more in the april storm, thats why i thought it was a possiblity but i'd say its probably unlikely but it is still a possibility... anyway when does the next snow come average!

Well in Fairness I witnessed 10-15 foot of snow in the blackstairs on 29th December before the main snow came over the next few days , possibly 20 foot up there in the end. Thats at 800m so why is there none left up there? And the snow is now all gone from Lugnaquilla , looking at it right now , thats at 920m in South Wicklow. I highly doubt there is any snow left at 500m even in the Scottish Highlands , all the patches shown here atleast 900m plus.

I think you know full well it wasn't snow you saw mate. And for that 200m hill , strange since I heard the last snow went off the mournes in may also at 850m , hell of a micro climate you got there.

Are you who i think you are!blink.gif

Yep I thinks so Eoin, from reading your last post here I guessed who you were aswell.

Boards is so much fun , you should come back!:drinks:

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Posted
  • Location: Napton on the Hill Warwickshire 500ft
  • Weather Preferences: Snow and heatwave
  • Location: Napton on the Hill Warwickshire 500ft

Er, when I zoom in on that it shows this. How on earth did you see that from the road? Have I misunderstood your message, or was the location just a general one? Can you be any more specific?

Are snow patches now countable?.

I guess you original assessment hasn’t changed, i.e. worse then ‘average year’.

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Are snow patches now countable?.

I guess you original assessment hasn’t changed, i.e. worse then ‘average year’.

Yes, the patches are certainly now countable. On the weekend of the 21st August I'm organising a Scotland-wide survey of all snow remaining on the hills. Alas, the study area will be confined to hills around Fort William (specifically, Ben Nevis, Aonach Mor & Aonach Beag) and the Cairngorms. By that time, I'm 90% sure there'll be nothing left anywhere else. There's just an outside chance that the patch visible from the A9 (as per my post previously) will be there, too. I'll have someone keep an eye on that one.

I suspect there'll be fewer than 20 patches next weekend... :(

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Posted
  • Location: Denny. (75m ASL)
  • Location: Denny. (75m ASL)

Er, when I zoom in on that it shows this. How on earth did you see that from the road? Have I misunderstood your message, or was the location just a general one? Can you be any more specific?

Sorry, it was a more general pin the tail on the donkey. From the A95 heading from Granton towards Aviemore you can see about 10 or 12 patches, some quite large.

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Posted
  • Location: Dundee
  • Weather Preferences: Snow, thunderstorms, gales. All extremes except humidity.
  • Location: Dundee

Yes, the patches are certainly now countable. On the weekend of the 21st August I'm organising a Scotland-wide survey of all snow remaining on the hills. Alas, the study area will be confined to hills around Fort William (specifically, Ben Nevis, Aonach Mor & Aonach Beag) and the Cairngorms. By that time, I'm 90% sure there'll be nothing left anywhere else. There's just an outside chance that the patch visible from the A9 (as per my post previously) will be there, too. I'll have someone keep an eye on that one.

I suspect there'll be fewer than 20 patches next weekend... :drinks:

Does that mean that there is no snow into August in the Strathfarrer/Glenaffric areas, Ben Alder and Craig Meagaidh areas this year?

One patch at Drummochter in particular may last another couple of weeks. I should be going up to Kingussie on the 21st so will keep an eye out for it, weather permitting.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Posted
  • Location: Leeds/Bradford border, 185 metres above sea level, around 600 feet
  • Location: Leeds/Bradford border, 185 metres above sea level, around 600 feet

Does anybody know how many snow patches remain now, and also when the first snows came in the past decade?

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Posted
  • Location: Dundee
  • Weather Preferences: Snow, thunderstorms, gales. All extremes except humidity.
  • Location: Dundee

Does anybody know how many snow patches remain now, and also when the first snows came in the past decade?

There was a survey on snow patches undertaken this weekend. If Firefly does not post the results here you will probably find them on the Winterhighland website. They are pretty much now limited to the high Cairngorms and the Nevis range. The patch above the A9 has just about disappeared this weekend and I am not sure if there are any others away from the above mentioned areas.

Nor.

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Does anybody know how many snow patches remain now, and also when the first snows came in the past decade?

I haven't had everyone report back yet, but I suspect there are around 25 patches left now in Scotland. The largest of these is on Ben Nevis, measured by myself yesterday as ~95m long. There are various others scattered throughout that range, all of which can be viewed (and watched on video) here.

The subject of the first snows is a tricky one. The first snows are seldom the lasting snows. Late September is not unusual for the first dustings, but it can come earlier. In 1976, lasting snow in the Cairngorms came during the first week of September! This saved the remaining patches that would otherwise have melted.

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Posted
  • Location: Derbyshire Peak District. 290 mts a.s.l.
  • Weather Preferences: Anything extreme
  • Location: Derbyshire Peak District. 290 mts a.s.l.

I haven't had everyone report back yet, but I suspect there are around 25 patches left now in Scotland. The largest of these is on Ben Nevis, measured by myself yesterday as ~95m long. There are various others scattered throughout that range, all of which can be viewed (and watched on video) here.

The subject of the first snows is a tricky one. The first snows are seldom the lasting snows. Late September is not unusual for the first dustings, but it can come earlier. In 1976, lasting snow in the Cairngorms came during the first week of September! This saved the remaining patches that would otherwise have melted.

Thanks Firefly, another excellent report and pic's. It's obvious from some of those photographs that a few of the patches will barely survive the end of the week let alone another month ( potentially ) of continuous thawing.

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Righto then...

In total there were (as of 22nd August) 31 snow-patches throughout Scotland, as best we can tell. These are:

Name - total patches - link to map of patch/hill

Ben Nevis - 9 patches - http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=216597&Y=771386&A=Y&Z=115

Aonach Mor - 2 patches - http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=219334&Y=773639&A=Y&Z=115

Aonach Beag - 1 patch - http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=219641&Y=771834&A=Y&Z=115

Braeriach - 5 patches - http://www.streetmap.co.uk/idld.srf?X=294000&Y=797992&A=Y&Z=115&lm=1

Carn na Caim - 1 patch - http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=267058&Y=782115&A=Y&Z=115

Tom a' Choinich - 1 patch (minimum, possibly 2) - http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=216554&Y=827282&A=Y&Z=115

Sgurr na Lapaich - 1 patch - http://www.streetmap.co.uk/idld.srf?X=216258&Y=835159&A=Y&Z=115&lm=1

Beinn a' Bhuird - 1 patch - http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=310691&Y=800517&A=Y&Z=115

Ben Macdui - 3 patches - Various locations

Cairn Gorm - 5 patches - Various locations, the largest of which (Ciste Mhearad) is here http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=301129&Y=804577&A=Y&Z=115

Cairn an Lochain (listed seperately) - 2 patches - http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=298530&Y=802774&A=Y&Z=115

The largest patch by some distance is the one at Observatory Gully.

There are reports and photographs here (page may take a minute to load).

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