Midlands, East Anglia and Three Counties Regional Discussion - Part 4

[Gord]

The Malverns was our choice of hill to walk up today. Felt very cold up there in the wind! Despite this mild spell...really been enjoying getting outdoors over the festive period..back to work tomorrow so will be restricted to the weekend. My advice for anyone who is impatient for cold or is fed up with the current pattern is get outside and enjoy it. even when it's been pouring we've enjoyed our walks!

[andy_leics22]

I'm just going to post this very encouraging post from GP earlier, as I'm getting a bit sick and tired of the melodramatic negativity from some:

WINTER. IS NOT. OVER!!

You have to admit though Nick... The models have been absolutely diabolical for the last 3 weeks and they show no sign of improving for snow lovers.

[A.J]

TBH folks, what we are seeing is pretty much normal fare for a British winter, we've been rather spoilt the past 2 winters by the favourable synoptic patterns in place for cold-lovers which in turn didn't produce much snow for numerous parts of our region...I've lived in the west Midlands for nearly 6 years now and believe it or not, the heaviest snowfall for me came in late march/early april 2008 on the back of what had been otherwise a mild winter

[chapmanraven]

Got back from lake district on new years eve. I was surprised that while I was there I saw no snow, even the peaks were clear of snow. I had hope to get snowed in and get an extended holiday.

I was a relieved to see Nick's post, above (I didn't understand all of the terms though, so off to look them up), it sounds quite positive.

[Gord]

I don't understand the negativity either. I'm not very good at reading the models at all, and I'm the last person who could make a reasoned prediction or forecast.

However, my memory can tell me a lot. I can remember so many winters, in different parts of the country where I've lived, where we've had a run of zonal weather up to now and no sign of any improvement to then see a sudden change appear.

Even before I followed the weather...and in pre-internet days, I can remember weeks on end of wind of rain, followed by a week or 2 of cold and dry weather and then bam...out of nowhere, at the very end of a BBC forecast, a little teaser is mentioned, "Some places may be seeing snow by the next week".

So have never and won't ever give up on any winter. I can only think of 2 in my lifetime that really delivered nothing, 1988/89 and 1998/99 (except a little at Easter in the latter example) I was living in Lowestoft during both of those.

I have to admit, I was getting close to giving up in 2007/2008, moved from Staffordshire to Stourbridge in March 2008...just in time for you know what! Call me naive or too optimistic but that will be my approach every year!

Edited January 2, 2012 by Gord

[kmanmx]

Oh I am fully aware that there is much of Winter left. It's just that it currently sucks, and a nice (snow) change would be good. If no snow, i'd like some really cold days with crisp blue skys. I think me and many others are fed up of the moderate temperatures, rain and never ending cloud.

It's looks like it might be starting to change judging by a few posts and opinions knocking about, which is good

Edited January 2, 2012 by kmanmx

[A.J]

....and just a quick reminder, this isn't the 'cold discussion' thread it's the 'all things weather discussion' thread, so don't be shy folks, post away!.....and with that in mind, it's worth noting that some pretty wild weather is forecast the next 12-18 hours for our region with the potential of severe gales and heavy driving rain, with a squall line or two chucked in for good measure!

[Gord]

Indeed, can never get bored of these squall lines!

[Costa Del Fal]

Tbh dude I may be wrong but i'm going to disagree with you on that one, it will be windy but I reckon gusts of 45mph max will be likely over the Midlands tonight. Still very windy but I do think 60-70mph gusts look a tad over cooked.

I'm getting seriously tired of this onslaught of Atlantic weather now, still searching for any hint of blocking occurring over Greenland but there's absolutely none in sight.

To be fair the models have downgraded the winds now so I would say 40-50mph is most likely now, maybe a low chance of 60mph.

[kmanmx]

To be fair the models have downgraded the winds now so I would say 40-50mph is most likely now, maybe a low chance of 60mph.

Unless my local weather stations anemometers are wrong, even maximum gust speed predicted as little as 3 hours away is a good 20% higher than what gets recorded at the weather stations. MetO predicts a peak of 55mph for my area, I bet the max speed recorded is below 40mph for the 5 nearest weather stations to Leicester.

[Snowangel-MK]

It's like a game of now you see it now you don't....the yellow warning is back for part of our region....

Yellow Warning of Wind for East of England

Yellow Warning of Wind for East of England :

Essex, Southend-on-Sea, Suffolk, Thurrock & Hertfordshire

valid from 0300 Tue 03 Jan to 1300 Tue 03 Jan

[Serendipity]

Well whether it is worthy of a warning or not, it is certainly very windy out there today with everything blowing around the garden and bins being blown over etc.

[Barbmac]

Morning all from a very windy Malvern. Looks to be another strong line of precipitation approaching again from the NW if you look at the latest radar.

[A.J]

Squall line is just passing through here, with heavy driving rain and an almost frightening roar of the wind, very very windy here indeed!

[Snowangel-MK]

everything blowing around the garden and bins being blown over etc.

Same here, two sections of my neighbours dodgy fence have blown down already and an unidentified object has landed in my garden (not a trampoline). It's not quite so scary now its light but still lots of crashing and banging going on out there !

8:41 AM GMT on January 03, 2012

Speed / Dir 54 km/h / 14.9 m/s from SW

Wind Gust 78 km/h / 21.6 m/s

[Barbmac]

Eeek. Can see it nearing on the radar, I hope the fence holds up, it's already weakened from the last gale and listing.

ha! Looked out the window and part of the fence HAS gone down already! And the squall line hasn't even come through yet.

Edited January 3, 2012 by Barbmac

[Barbmac]

Squall line hitting us now, what a deluge! Already appears to be lightening up, though. Very short and sharp.

[Snowangel-MK]

Squall line is just passing through here, with heavy driving rain and an almost frightening roar of the wind, very very windy here indeed!

Yep, just had the same here as it went though like a freight train, hail stones mixed in with the horizontal torrential rain !

[Buzzard]

Ditto from just down the road. On raintoday radar looks about the heaviest rain on the squall line.

[tinybill]

looks like things will get a bit wild here withing the next hour or so

[Flash Elvis]

Look at this, shows great images

http://www.sat24.com/en/eu

[Floatylight]

12:12 pm v heavy rain,high winds,and baked bean sized hail.Pretty wild out there at the moment.

And lights flickering!

Edited January 3, 2012 by Samantha Jane Lindsey

[Flash Elvis]

OMG its just hit us....its flooded my garden and just blew over part of my wall....although thats not difficult as I put the wall up in the 1st place!!

[StLuke]

Simply stunning squall line just passed through leigh on sea!!!

[Hughsey]

I seemed to be hit by quite a weak section of the squall line, still torrential rain and roads temporarily flooded though, not much in the way of wind.