Any Surviving Snow Patches At Your Local SPAR

[stewfox]

I have a few splodges of snow on the grass but a 'trip' of 100 yrds up the road I did spot to large snow balls (2ft in height) which I am hopeful they will last out till tomorrow. That would be 10 days of lying snow.

If I have the strength will make a trip there tomorrow.

Anyone else got anything, usual rules location under 1000ft .

[Coast]

Fields and slopes still full on the East side of the South Downs from Polegate all the way into Ditchling Common

[Harve]

The thaw was surprisingly slow yesterday, but was noticeable nonetheless. There's roughly 90% snow cover above 300m and 60% cover at 150m in the dales.

[Wynn D Woo]

Never got enough snow to create snow patches. Some patchy cover on the Cotswolds yesterday but dont know how well its survived last nights downpour.

[johnholmes]

Its about 35% overall in this area and really disappearing, at dawn I would say closer to 40+%

[DR Hosking]

my hamlet is still 100% cover, warming up though so expecting it to thaw slowly over next couple of days

im South Northants

[Polar Maritime]

Big thaw last night here was around 75% snow cover, now dropped to around 30%.

[Terminal Moraine]

90% cover at 0900 today but it's now down to about 70% and disappearing quite quickly.

[spindrift1980]

Still the odd dirty patch of snow around East Kilbride (~170m asl) from where the roads were ploughed and snow piled up in mid-Jan! (the last time there was lying snow in these Lowland parts of Lanarkshire, although there was heavy snow just 20miles or so down the M74 on 4 February)

On a less flippant note, the amount of snow in the usual areas for long-lasting snow in the Scottish mountains was unusually large by early January this year due to the prevalence of westerly storms during Dec/early Jan. Things have been a bit lean since and, of course, Spring could turn out warm and unsnowy again but there might well be much more long-lasting snow in the highlands this year than the last couple of atypical winters with their easterly and northerly winds despite the milder temperatures of the winter so far.

[Aaron]

There's still snow patches left here

[picog]

Nothing left here, the final bits and pieces melted yesterday.

[Thundery wintry showers]

On a less flippant note, the amount of snow in the usual areas for long-lasting snow in the Scottish mountains was unusually large by early January this year due to the prevalence of westerly storms during Dec/early Jan. Things have been a bit lean since and, of course, Spring could turn out warm and unsnowy again but there might well be much more long-lasting snow in the highlands this year than the last couple of atypical winters with their easterly and northerly winds despite the milder temperatures of the winter so far.

I think your comments are spot on, as the regular contributors to the "Scottish snow patches" threads often point out, it helps if the winter's snowfalls are concentrated into north and east-facing hollows so that they don't get much direct sunshine at the warmest time of day. "Cold and wet zonality" as per Decembers 1993 and 1999 seems to be optimal for this, but even milder zonality like in January & March 1994 and February 2000 can produce huge snowfalls on the higher hills (I quoted those months as the 1993/94 and 1999/00 seasons were followed by the largest Scottish patch survivals of the last 30 years).

No snow patches in the Tyne and Wear area- at Cleadon the ice cover had gone by last Tuesday! This is in stark contrast to last winter when, in spite of a thaw around mid-December, a few snow patches from the snowy episode of 25th November-2nd December 2010 lasted until New Year's Day and parts of lowland Scotland were largely snow-covered from the last week of November through to mid-January.

[johnholmes]

its really cleared it here, almost nil left of real snow cover as opposed to snow heaps on/end of drives. The larger pond is thawing well but the smaller one has yet to show any signs of water other than surface water.

[spindrift1980]

I think your comments are spot on, as the regular contributors to the "Scottish snow patches" threads often point out, it helps if the winter's snowfalls are concentrated into north and east-facing hollows so that they don't get much direct sunshine at the warmest time of day. "Cold and wet zonality" as per Decembers 1993 and 1999 seems to be optimal for this, but even milder zonality like in January & March 1994 and February 2000 can produce huge snowfalls on the higher hills (I quoted those months as the 1993/94 and 1999/00 seasons were followed by the largest Scottish patch survivals of the last 30 years).

Yes, my post above is more or less a summary of the following thread at http://www.winterhighland.info/forum/read.php?2,143591,page=3 which Iain Cameron (who posts at Winterhighland and on here as firefly) started earlier than usual (inspired by the mammoth early season blizzards) to keep an eye on Highland snowfall events during the winter and remaining patches later on in the year. I know some here are interested in this admittedly slightly obscure topic. I supply a few photos and observations from hillwalking trips but there are some very knowledgeable people posting on the thread, including snow expert and ecologist Dr Adam Watson, who posts as Chionophile. Has been a bit quieter for snowfall since new year although most areas have caught some beefy showers at times and there have been avalanches and more wind-scouring to increase the amount of snow in the favoured spots for retention. A few freeze-thaw cycles, notable by their absence during the long very cold spells of the last couple of winters, don't do the survival chances any harm anyway.

We'll see whether Spring brings unusually warm weather like 2011, cold and heavy westerly snowfalls like 1994 or something closer to average. This could be crucial to how much is still around come the autumn.

[stewfox]

Well I set the alarm for 5am on what would be a arduous days travel to seek out surviving snow patches.

I came across a large patch I shall call 'snow ball street'. Pictures attached.

I fear it wont be the elements that kill it off but kids, plan to stand next to it over night.

Edited February 14, 2012 by stewfox

[Aaron]

I drove past a local school yesterday and there were large snow balls in the playground similar to the one above!

[Terminal Moraine]

Still numerous snow drifts and some other remnants here, quite apart from the heaps of snow where it's been shovelled from drives etc.

[firefly]

Never got enough snow to create snow patches. Some patchy cover on the Cotswolds yesterday but dont know how well its survived last nights downpour.

Unless, of course, you lived at the Cotswold village of Brockhampton in August 1634. If you had, you'd have seen 'a great quantity' of snow and ice that persisted from a massive January blizzard. I've seen the original hand-written note (Account book of Giles Geaste Charity, started by order of John Bartley, Bailiff of Tewksbury, 1558. Gloucester Records Office, reference D2688/1: folio 79v).

I think your comments are spot on, as the regular contributors to the "Scottish snow patches" threads often point out, it helps if the winter's snowfalls are concentrated into north and east-facing hollows so that they don't get much direct sunshine at the warmest time of day.

That's true, but it's not so much that the north and east facing aspects are more sheltered than others from direct sunshine, but rather the big moisture-laden Atlantic storms that roll in during winter. These storms (typically coming from a westerly and south-westerly direction) can deposit huge amounts of snow in even a 24 hour period. The combination of quantity of snow, direction and strength of wind are crucial. NE facing hollows gather this snow (in a process known as 'fetch'), where it can accumulate to an exceptional depth.

Yes, my post above is more or less a summary of the following thread at http://www.winterhig...2,143591,page=3 which Iain Cameron (who posts at Winterhighland and on here as firefly) started earlier than usual (inspired by the mammoth early season blizzards) to keep an eye on Highland snowfall events during the winter and remaining patches later on in the year. I know some here are interested in this admittedly slightly obscure topic. I supply a few photos and observations from hillwalking trips but there are some very knowledgeable people posting on the thread, including snow expert and ecologist Dr Adam Watson, who posts as Chionophile. Has been a bit quieter for snowfall since new year although most areas have caught some beefy showers at times and there have been avalanches and more wind-scouring to increase the amount of snow in the favoured spots for retention. A few freeze-thaw cycles, notable by their absence during the long very cold spells of the last couple of winters, don't do the survival chances any harm anyway.

We'll see whether Spring brings unusually warm weather like 2011, cold and heavy westerly snowfalls like 1994 or something closer to average. This could be crucial to how much is still around come the autumn.

Despite the general consensus that it's been a less snowy year than normal, the numerous storms of December and early January (all from a westerly direction) have deposited a very substantial quantity of snow in the 'right' places (north and east facing hollows). Couple this with the frequent freeze/thaw cycle and we're looking at a very different picture to the previous two winters. In 2010, for example, much snow fell. However, it came predominantly from the north and east, and with little wind. When the warm weather came it stripped the largely cosmetic, unconsolidated snow.

Deep and uniform snow on the Cairngorm plateau might make for a pretty picture, but what I like to see is 24 hours of intense snow and SW wind, so that when the cloud clears it reveals a hill with a lot of black (i.e. snow-free) ridges. This means that the snow that has fallen has been blown or shifted to the lee side of the hill. Typically to the places where it will last longer.

What you must also remember that, just because no snow is falling even at 1000 ft, it does not mean that it isn't falling as snow higher up. Above 3500 ft (this is a lot of high ground in the Cairngorms and Nevis area) a great deal of snow will fall where it is not at lower levels: even at 2500 ft. This tricks people into thinking that there's 'no snow'. On the contrary, if you were to go up into the higher reaches of Observatory Gully on Ben Nevis at present you'd be looking at snow in excess of 15 metres (50 ft) deep in places.

Oh, and it is only February! We've got potentially another two months of proper winter weather to add to what's already there. March can be a very good month for snow, and even April snow is pretty common on the high hills in Scotland. Winter is far from being over.

[firefly]

Oh, and there are still patches of snow in Berkshire near Cookham Dean, around 240 ft! I saw them when I was out for my jog last night...

[spindrift1980]

Firefly - What do you think of the weekend's prospects - looks like potential heavy snowfall on W/NW winds?

[firefly]

Firefly - What do you think of the weekend's prospects - looks like potential heavy snowfall on W/NW winds?

Difficult to predict the amount of snow that will fall, but the charts are looking useful. Certainly much colder than of late. However much snow falls, it won't last. Rain is forecast to come in by Monday to all levels. The freeze/thaw continues! That said, not much thawing above 3500 ft goes on between January and March!

[spindrift1980]

I presumed that at least some of it might add to the potentially long-lasting accumulations on some E/SE corries? Do you think there might be no net gain of snow by early next week then?

Edited February 16, 2012 by spindrift1980

[4wd]

Still drifts big enough to last into the next cold spell by the walls here, they mostly formed on the north side since the main snow event was during a southerly gale.

[Terminal Moraine]

A few drifts remaining here but diminishing steadily. The largest might just survive until the weather turns colder later on Saturday.

[AutumnMists]

Till a few patches on the moors (490m asl).