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Winter 2012 / 2013 Part 3


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Posted
  • Location: Inbhir Nis / Inverness - 636 ft asl
  • Weather Preferences: Freezing fog, frost, snow, sunshine.
  • Location: Inbhir Nis / Inverness - 636 ft asl
Posted

From Wiki

To be a blizzard, a snow storm must have sustained winds or frequent gusts that are greater than or equal to 56 km/h (35 mph) with blowing or drifting snow which reduces visibility to 400 meters or a quarter mile or less and must last for a prolonged period of time — typically three hours or more

Using this definition, many low-lying areas may never have blizzards, with only high ground having frequent blizzards.

Sustained gusts of over 35mph with heavy snow has certainly happened here in Inverness many times, is it basically the sort of weather were the snow sticks to the walls etc?

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Posted
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks
Posted

Sustained gusts of over 35mph with heavy snow has certainly happened here in Inverness many times, is it basically the sort of weather were the snow sticks to the walls etc?

the Wiki definition as is sometimes the case with them is not correct; the visibility-200m or below not 400m or below.

Blizzard

Moderate or heavy snow accompanied by winds of 30 m.p.h. or more, with visibility reduced to 200 m or less; or drifting snow giving rise to similar conditions.

a sever blizzard has visibility of zero.

Posted
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks
  • Location: just south of Doncaster, Sth Yorks
Posted

Heavy snow and vis below 200m, unless above the cloud base is causing the vis reduction is not all that frequent even in the Alps.

I suppose out of the 26 years I've skied there probably 6 or 7 such cases, in any two week period there.

the part defined below is perhaps more often seen, again mainly at altitude in the UK but also at lower level in a few cases

or drifting snow giving rise to similar conditions.

Posted
  • Location: Shepton Mallet 140m ASL
  • Weather Preferences: Cold, snow and summer heatwaves.
  • Location: Shepton Mallet 140m ASL
Posted

You know you have a blizzard when you can't get out the back door because it has drifted up against it! w00t.gif

Blizzards are fun but I also love to see heavy snow falling without any wind as it is kind of hypnotic to watch it for hours (I often do) float slowly to the ground! smiliz23.gif

Posted
  • Location: Longwell Green, nr Bristol.
  • Weather Preferences: Storms, Gales, frost, fog & snow
  • Location: Longwell Green, nr Bristol.
Posted

You know you have a blizzard when you can't get out the back door because it has drifted up against it! w00t.gif

Blizzards are fun but I also love to see heavy snow falling without any wind as it is kind of hypnotic to watch it for hours (I often do) float slowly to the ground! smiliz23.gif

We get heavy snow?

We get heavy snow falling in daylight hours to be able to watch it?

Heavy Snow? The West Country?

Am I reading this correctly? lol.

;) ;) ;)

Posted
  • Location: Whitkirk, Leeds 86m asl
  • Weather Preferences: Anything but mild south-westeries in winter
  • Location: Whitkirk, Leeds 86m asl
Posted

When parts of Devon got 55cm of snow in February 2009.. up in the moors I'll admit.

Posted
  • Location: swansea craig cefn parc 160 m asl
  • Location: swansea craig cefn parc 160 m asl
Posted

1979 and '82 were in MK, both had near zero visibility at times...The others were way up in the Scottish Highlands, NW of The Great Glen.

Yes `1979 12 hrs of snow with 20foot snowdrifts blizzard conditions and rain was forecast lol.
Posted
  • Location: Edmonton Alberta(via Chelmsford, Exeter & Calgary)
  • Weather Preferences: Sunshine and 15-25c
  • Location: Edmonton Alberta(via Chelmsford, Exeter & Calgary)
Posted

I wonder when the last 'proper' blizzard hit populated low lying areas? I have seen a few over the years over the hills but could you imagine what would happen if places like bristol, london etc got real blizzards with drifting in strong winds?!

Can see the daily mail headline now.... The Arctic strikes back! with Day after tommorrow picture in background! rofl.gif

I experienced a full on Blizzard in Exeter in February 1978 my dads car was completely buried and drifts above the back door so you couldnt open it..you could very nearly walk out of the upstairs toliet window..not really seen anything like it since.

Posted
  • Location: Medlock Valley, Oldham, Manchester, 93m / 305 feet asl.
  • Weather Preferences: Variety, Warm Sunny days, low temperatures some snow, thunderstorms
  • Location: Medlock Valley, Oldham, Manchester, 93m / 305 feet asl.
Posted

The last time we had a proper blizzard was Feb 1996, they are a rare occurrence here. Other times after that mostly just heavy snow with not enough wind to say true blizzard.

Posted
  • Location: South Gloucestershire BS35
  • Weather Preferences: Severe weather enthusiast
  • Location: South Gloucestershire BS35
Posted

Had a look at the CFS charts today for the first time in a week or so and the combined 3 monthly charts continues to show a warmer than average winter for most of Europe this includes parts of the UK with the rest of the country at average

Precipitation looks like been above average for winter

Taking a look at the individual monthly charts for the temperatures almost all of Europe is shown to be average or well above average at some point even the Nordic regions are well above at times

Taking a look at the individual monthly charts all the winter months are shown to have above average rain fall, the exception is parts of Eastern England and Northern Scotland

The Met Office probability charts are quite a contrast to the CFS. Will it go one way or the other? Or perhaps a half-way solution being the outcome? Definitely something worth reviewing at the end of winter!

Posted
  • Location: Gillingham, Kent
  • Weather Preferences: Snow, Thunderstorms,
  • Location: Gillingham, Kent
Posted

The Met Office probability charts are quite a contrast to the CFS. Will it go one way or the other? Or perhaps a half-way solution being the outcome? Definitely something worth reviewing at the end of winter!

The MO probability charts are out of date, they updated a couple of weeks ago so we can't really use those ones anymore. Having said that, the CFS 9 month has been showing below average more than not.

Simple answer is - The models at this range are about as useless as a chocolate teapot

If only it were winter, cracking 06z GFS run

post-7073-0-78200300-1349454319_thumb.pn

Posted
  • Location: Cheddar Valley, 20mtrs asl
  • Weather Preferences: Snow and lots of it or warm and sunny, no mediocre dross
  • Location: Cheddar Valley, 20mtrs asl
Posted

So what do you call very very heavy snow that dumps like 4cm + an hour then when you have no wind?

A bleeding miracle?

Posted
  • Location: Manchester Deansgate. Elevation : Garbage
  • Weather Preferences: Heavy disruptive snowfall.
  • Location: Manchester Deansgate. Elevation : Garbage
Posted

So what do you call very very heavy snow that dumps like 4cm + an hour then when you have no wind?

A Stonker!!!

Posted
  • Location: Irlam
  • Location: Irlam
Posted

The last time we had a proper blizzard was Feb 1996, they are a rare occurrence here. Other times after that mostly just heavy snow with not enough wind to say true blizzard.

Was February 1996, a blizzard? I don't even remember any wind with that snowfall.

Posted
  • Weather Preferences: Cold and Snowy, Hot and Dry, Blizzard Conditions
  • Weather Preferences: Cold and Snowy, Hot and Dry, Blizzard Conditions
Posted

I am too scared to forecast next month let alone Winter! :lol:

Posted
  • Location: Christchurch, Dorset
  • Weather Preferences: Extreme weather what else!
  • Location: Christchurch, Dorset
Posted

Was February 1996, a blizzard? I don't even remember any wind with that snowfall.

It wasn't as far as I remember, we had snow falling for over 24 hours in Blackpool, the most snow I have ever seen but not a lot of wind.

Posted
  • Location: Darlington
  • Weather Preferences: Warm dry summers
  • Location: Darlington
Posted

The Met Office probability charts are quite a contrast to the CFS. Will it go one way or the other? Or perhaps a half-way solution being the outcome? Definitely something worth reviewing at the end of winter!

The Met Office's probability charts for October have yet to update* so we could see changes towards CFS but there again they could stay as or near to how they are now

*They should update anytime within the next 5 days

Posted
  • Location: Medlock Valley, Oldham, Manchester, 93m / 305 feet asl.
  • Weather Preferences: Variety, Warm Sunny days, low temperatures some snow, thunderstorms
  • Location: Medlock Valley, Oldham, Manchester, 93m / 305 feet asl.
Posted

Was February 1996, a blizzard? I don't even remember any wind with that snowfall.

It was here, I think where you are being almost at sea level you may not have had the disruption we had in East and North Manchester.

See here http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/nw/print.html: scroll down to "snowfall" and after the last graph it says: A notable example was the blizzard of 5-6 February 1996 when more than 15 cm of snow fell in low-lying parts of Lancashire and drifts were up to 2 metres deep.

Posted
  • Location: Derbyshire Peak District South Pennines Middleton & Smerrill Tops 305m (1001ft) asl.
  • Location: Derbyshire Peak District South Pennines Middleton & Smerrill Tops 305m (1001ft) asl.
Posted

As with any chart, its unknown untill they update...

Posted
  • Location: Catchgate, Durham,705ft asl
  • Location: Catchgate, Durham,705ft asl
Posted

A few charts from the CFS updated today....

Average temps for the UK winter overall.

A cold December perhaps?

Posted
  • Location: Shepton Mallet 140m ASL
  • Weather Preferences: Cold, snow and summer heatwaves.
  • Location: Shepton Mallet 140m ASL
Posted

We get heavy snow?

We get heavy snow falling in daylight hours to be able to watch it?

Heavy Snow? The West Country?

Am I reading this correctly? lol.

tease.giftease.giftease.gif

The south west of england is a funny place when it comes to snow with so many local variations but it can do exceptionaly well in right setup although I think bristol is one of the unluckiest places recently. february 2009 bristol had heavy snow albeit wet while high mendips got buried for a week and then in 2009/10 it was in a sort of no mans land only recieving mainly light falls while somerset, wiltshire and glouc got pasted and similar again for 2010/11 but then last winter I am not sure it got any. I work on edge of bristol in whitchurch which is around 100m and I can never believe how much less it gets compared to similar elevations in somerset with even wells which is low and sheltered by mendips getting alot more.

As for blizzards this event in april of 2000 was a true blizzard at home I remember I phoned in and they said it was just windy and rainy which was a shock! It was a mostly daylight hours event too so it does and can happen even in april.

Posted
  • Location: Longwell Green, nr Bristol.
  • Weather Preferences: Storms, Gales, frost, fog & snow
  • Location: Longwell Green, nr Bristol.
Posted

A few charts from the CFS updated today....

Average temps for the UK winter overall.

A cold December perhaps?

These are different to the ones posted a few posts above.

Are these the latest outputs?

Posted
  • Location: South Gloucestershire BS35
  • Weather Preferences: Severe weather enthusiast
  • Location: South Gloucestershire BS35
Posted

The MO probability charts are out of date, they updated a couple of weeks ago so we can't really use those ones anymore. Having said that, the CFS 9 month has been showing below average more than not.

Simple answer is - The models at this range are about as useless as a chocolate teapot

If only it were winter, cracking 06z GFS run

post-7073-0-78200300-1349454319_thumb.pn

The Met Office's probability charts for October have yet to update* so we could see changes towards CFS but there again they could stay as or near to how they are now

*They should update anytime within the next 5 days

Yes thanks for clearing that up. I know they were released by the MO a while ago. Still, I was posting more about the fact it will still be interesting to review what the models have been/are saying, between now and right up to the end of winter, showing how they performed at noticing (or not) any trends.

Posted
  • Location: Longwell Green, nr Bristol.
  • Weather Preferences: Storms, Gales, frost, fog & snow
  • Location: Longwell Green, nr Bristol.
Posted

The south west of england is a funny place when it comes to snow with so many local variations but it can do exceptionaly well in right setup although I think bristol is one of the unluckiest places recently. february 2009 bristol had heavy snow albeit wet while high mendips got buried for a week and then in 2009/10 it was in a sort of no mans land only recieving mainly light falls while somerset, wiltshire and glouc got pasted and similar again for 2010/11 but then last winter I am not sure it got any. I work on edge of bristol in whitchurch which is around 100m and I can never believe how much less it gets compared to similar elevations in somerset with even wells which is low and sheltered by mendips getting alot more.

As for blizzards this event in april of 2000 was a true blizzard at home I remember I phoned in and they said it was just windy and rainy which was a shock! It was a mostly daylight hours event too so it does and can happen even in april.

I remember Feb 2009 very well. One of the few occasions when Bristol done very well compared to other urban areas in the West.

Caused mayhem on the roads as the council were unprepared for such heavy falls. We even featured on the national news as one of the worst hit urban areas. I think that is about as good as I will realistically see in Bristol.

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