Scotland Regional Discussion - January 12th 2013>

[dragan]

Been stuck at 0.0C for the past two hours and it stubbornly refuses to drop any further.

and you are 280m above sea level? midlothian sitting at -1/-2c

[edo]

Hmm, I'm not sure the NAE has got a hold of the setup all that well:

compared to the actual radar showing a growing band of precipitation spreading southwards from the Highlands.

MOGREPS must have a handle on it though, MO have a new warning out for western parts, up to 10cm locally, valid until 12pm tomorrow. Very confusing setup this!

LS is it not what you have long been telling us...........precipitation very often underestimated in complicated cold setups and everyone should prepare for surprise falls?

[Northernlights]

Wind has suddenly got up here to moderate or fresh from calm mainly from a southerly direction I think. Temperature has also risen in the last half hour to 0.5c and cloud increasing from west.

[edo]

It was 2 cars and a quad bike seemingly

that does not sound good, there are a few teenagers go around on them in the area

[edo]

Been stuck at 0.0C for the past two hours and it stubbornly refuses to drop any further.

I love the fact we speak as if the weather has a personality.....stubborn barsteward she is

[Benvironment]

and you are 280m above sea level? midlothian sitting at -1/-2c

Yep it seems bonkers, but cold air sinks off the hill on nights like this. Generally the temperature ranges at altitude in Scotland are much narrower than at sea level, without any great extremes of heat or cold.

Back in the 2010/2011 winter the lowest it got here was -7C, but down in Falkland, Glenrothes and especially over in Edinburgh it was into minus double digits. Our night time temperatures are warmer in these cold set ups, but pretty much every day throughout the rest of the year the daytime highs are a couple of degrees lower than Glenrothes just a few miles away and usually 4 or 5C lower than in Edinburgh.

The wonderful peculiarities of living at altitude

[BurntFishTrousers]

In regards to forecasting snow (and it's been mooted on here before over the years) the BBC / Meto are notorious for 1) nowcasting wrongly 2) too late with warnings 3) incorrect forecasts.

I recall reading one of the old timer forecasters on here, the grumpy John Holmes maybe, saying that forecasting snow, as opposed rain would never really be exact, even with super-computers.

[dragan]

Yep it seems bonkers, but cold air sinks off the hill on nights like this. Generally the temperature ranges at altitude in Scotland are much narrower than at sea level, without any great extremes of heat or cold.

Back in the 2010/2011 winter the lowest it got here was -7C, but down in Falkland, Glenrothes and especially over in Edinburgh it was into minus double digits. Our night time temperatures are warmer in these cold set ups, but pretty much every day throughout the rest of the year the daytime highs are a couple of degrees lower than Glenrothes just a few miles away and usually 4 or 5C lower than in Edinburgh.

The wonderful peculiarities of living at altitude

but i guess in regards to snow, once there is a bit wind to mix up the air the inversion is stopped?

[LomondSnowstorm]

LS is it not what you have long been telling us...........precipitation very often underestimated in complicated cold setups and everyone should prepare for surprise falls?

Perhaps, it is true that often precipitation is underdone in cold setups, usually there's a bit of hint that there might be some a few hours out at least though. My main concern is how this affects the uppers modelling and whether this means we're likely to see a more substantial warmer upper pool through Monday morning, though it's almost impossible to say at this stage.

[Benvironment]

but i guess in regards to snow, once there is a bit wind to mix up the air the inversion is stopped?

I'll pass that question over to someone better informed than me if I may? Not sure how it all gets sorted out again. Anyone?

I confess that I'd like to get the same deep cold that folk lower down get, but living up here has its benefits as we see more days of snow than down at the bottom of the hill

[BurntFishTrousers]

http://meteocentre.c...ang=en&area=eur

[edo]

Perhaps, it is true that often precipitation is underdone in cold setups, usually there's a bit of hint that there might be some a few hours out at least though. My main concern is how this affects the uppers modelling and whether this means we're likely to see a more substantial warmer upper pool through Monday morning, though it's almost impossible to say at this stage.

really good point....... it does make you question what output you can trust right now

[Zenarcher]

Anyone know if I have any chance of snow on Monday morning? NAE shows snow for me but for the rest of the Western Isles rain it's done this before and all I got is rain.

[blitzen]

I think this guy has got it spot on!

[Benvironment]

Stop the presses! -0.1C!!!

[BurntFishTrousers]

If ya missed it: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01py626/The_Polar_Bear_Family_and_Me_Spring/

[over_the_rainbow]

definitely looks like snaw at Altnafeadh on the A82 now!

and maybe something sleety/snaw like north of Inverness?

Edited January 12, 2013 by over_the_rainbow

[Buriedundersnow]

does anyone know the current dewpoints

[over_the_rainbow]

What are your temp stats now Ally?

[Buriedundersnow]

according to the met office site surface temps are sitting around 2c is that to be believed

[NorthernRab]

Best start sending shovels to Fort William now.

Do you mean Drumnadrochit?

Sorry, I confess to being a geography-Nazi.

[BurntFishTrousers]

Been a wee warm up as the band closes in. Temps oot west risen too. I was at 0c, now at +2c.

[NorthernRab]

Also, it's -3'C here.

[Buriedundersnow]

hopefully the dewpoints are low or cant see us getting any snow in the falkirk area

[blitzen]

1.1c/-0.1c/SSE. Were up a wee while ago but down again now.