North West England Regional Discussion 23rd January 2013, 12z onwards

[feb1991blizzard]

How can you say "winter over" March 4th 1987 it snowed like hell in the NW. Remember it so well as we were away at Exeter with the football. All the schoolkids were snowballing the supporters coach leaving town. After the game all the Exeter bricked the coach. True. A friendly lot. It was T shirt weather there that day.

Remember a friday night 5th march 1987 (West midlands - 8 inch fall into saturday), the day of the zebrugge ferry disaster if i remember rightly. sure we must be on about the same event.

[feb1991blizzard]

Laptop and pub wifi?

In your shoes, presuming you are not working tomorrow, I get out early for a decent walk then hit a pub as the snow hits.

Stay for a few hours and back home to the forum!

Not sure if pub wifi available round here - i will decide after tommorows runs what to do anyway!

[SP1986]

Having read a few posts the last few days in here, my conclusion is that no matter what the cold spell, how intense it is, and how much snow it has, some people will never be happy.

The age old adage of "all good things must come to an end" comes to mind

Edited January 24, 2013 by SP1986

[Bartlett Low]

The highlight of this cold spell for me was driving up to Teggs Nose on the Buxton road out of Macclesfield and enjoying some deep snow cover. Synoptics wise it has reinforced my opinion that a predominantly South East wind direction is one of thee worst for delivering here. Take your pick from ENE round to WNW and all have possibilities. As others have mentioned, one surprising aspect has been the almost constant cloud cover and lack of low overnight minima. An interesting few weeks but no more than that for me.

[Stubbette]

Met office have now removed all sleet/rain from our local forecast and given us 9 hours of heavy snow symbols instead!!!

[TomL]

The NAE still seems to be going for particularly heavy snowfall right down to the coast, for a while anyway!

[snowdrifter]

The NAE still seems to be going for particularly heavy snowfall right down to the coast, for a while anyway!

If that verifies the journey home from Leyland could be interesting.

Nice to see the coastal areas are still part of the swansong.

[Bartlett Low]

Meto have binned the NAE. Or had earlier today according to Fergieweather.

[Weather-history]

Remember a friday night 5th march 1987 (West midlands - 8 inch fall into saturday), the day of the zebrugge ferry disaster if i remember rightly. sure we must be on about the same event.

I remember it well, made a snowman the next day on the Saturday. Infact, it snowed on the Wednesday morning before as well.

And as far as winter is over, I can tell you I remember mid April 1998, heavy snow falling and a covering.

Edited January 24, 2013 by Weather-history

[jam2010]

What time will it reach our region?

[feb1991blizzard]

I remember it well, made a snowman the next day on the Saturday. Infact, it snowed on the Wednesday morning before as well.

And as far as winter is over, I can tell you I remember mid April 1998, heavy snow falling and a covering.

I was only a kid and i was confused as a big disaster occuring but i wanted snow, i was thinking 'am i wrong for worrying about whether it will snow when people are dying?', yes would never write of snow and april 81 or was it 82 would remind people of that although i dont remember that (very young), bizarrely i dont remember a lot of events that are only 10 years ago as i only paid a small amount of attention and had given up this hobby then due to a long succession of poor years.

[frosty ground]

Meto have binned the NAE. Or had earlier today according to Fergieweather.

Do you have a link?

[feb1991blizzard]

Getting ready for Erouter's 1030 update, even then though, i dont think the latest local met models are used so is it that significant anyway!

[Bartlett Low]

No sorry, I think it was somewhere amongst the morning posts of the model thread. Although if I remember correctly, and I'm not even paraphrasing here, it was more that they were thinking that the snow line would be further north and much of the south would have rain. I think all of our region was in the snow zone. Apologies if I've recalled it wrong. Don't have the patience to wade back through the model thread!

[damianslaw]

Looking further ahead - despite the atlantic moving in, we might actually see a couple of decent air frosts later next week thanks to polar maritime air. The recent cold weather has been very unusual in how little air frost it has delivered even with temps regularly going below 0 degrees each night, I can only attribute it to the low cloud and very dry air. How much better this recent cold weather would have been had we seen clearer skies both day and night meaning much lower minima and visible frost sticking throughout the day. It has felt very odd looking at green fields with temps struggling to get much above freezing on a number of days.

Early - mid December was far far better with a number of very sharp frosts lingering all day. I'm hoping should we see a cold period in Feb it is of the sunny frosty variety - such spells usually are in February.

Oh an Eno has said in some rural areas possibly -8, -9 or -10 degrees this evening, I really can't see it happening too much cloud yet again!

Oh and the amber warning is here until Sunday 2am apparently - what planet is she on!!

[Bartlett Low]

Let me know what Brian said, watching whitechapel.

[snowdrifter]

Eno's graphic was snow everywhere, but heyho 'Whatever..'...

[The Northern Ramper]

IF and this is big if, we were to get a pasting or look like we are going to get a pasting tommorow then, a quick head count tells me people are not up for doing the honours on here, i was debating whether to go to the pub (1000ft) and at least see it snow for longer and maybe with wind get some big drifts or stay in on the North West forum, i had a brilliant buzz on sunday night with that intense burst of snow coming down and this place in meltdown, however, tommorow could be the reverse - everything melting outside while this forum is dead!

It was good Sunday night, I enjoyed that late nighter

I am hopeful that we could still see an all snow event

[dodge]

Early doors of this cold spell was a 'snizzle' affair to begin with.... quite frustrating at times knowing that people further south east and east were getting snow and very light stuff here. I even thought late Sunday wasn't going to deliver and went to sleep thinking the worse...woke up at 6am for work and 4 inches, bobs' your uncle! Could have done with some lower temps the last few days, but there's still full cover on grass, and an icy mix on the pavements.....tomorrow is the curtain call for this particular cold spell and it may have a sting left in it's tail....

Edited January 24, 2013 by dodgeredee

[jam2010]

Wow eno's forecast was showing she was showing snow coming in for us at 12 and the main Bbc showing it coming over us about 4 great this really helps bbs

[feb1991blizzard]

Looking further ahead - despite the atlantic moving in, we might actually see a couple of decent air frosts later next week thanks to polar maritime air. The recent cold weather has been very unusual in how little air frost it has delivered even with temps regularly going below 0 degrees each night, I can only attribute it to the low cloud and very dry air. How much better this recent cold weather would have been had we seen clearer skies both day and night meaning much lower minima and visible frost sticking throughout the day. It has felt very odd looking at green fields with temps struggling to get much above freezing on a number of days.

Early - mid December was far far better with a number of very sharp frosts lingering all day. I'm hoping should we see a cold period in Feb it is of the sunny frosty variety - such spells usually are in February.

Oh an Eno has said in some rural areas possibly -8, -9 or -10 degrees this evening, I really can't see it happening too much cloud yet again!

Oh and the amber warning is here until Sunday 2am apparently - what planet is she on!!

Blooper, i think she meant saturday.

[feb1991blizzard]

It was good Sunday night, I enjoyed that late nighter

I am hopeful that we could still see an all snow event

Yes a real good buzz that, hopefully tommorow again and if it is then make the most because at least a couple of week wait before another chance and maybe not again until next year although that is too early and would be a bit pessimistic yet!

Wow eno's forecast was showing she was showing snow coming in for us at 12 and the main Bbc showing it coming over us about 4 great this really helps bbs

4pm it will start in Manc, give or take an hour IMO.

[The Northern Ramper]

Met forecasting 9 hours of snow, then sleet and then a freeze into Saturday am

I'd take that.

Yes a real good buzz that, hopefully tommorow again and if it is then make the most because at least a couple of week wait before another chance and maybe not again until next year although that is too early and would be a bit pessimistic yet!

4pm it will start in Manc, give or take an hour IMO.

I am hopeful that Feb will deliver.

[feb1991blizzard]

I know we criticise the BBC North West forecasters but i suppose we should give some slack, think how much more money we would pay if all the regional forecasters were meteorologists as well as being trained in media, would anyone on here seriously pay x more money in tax and have all the regional forecasters properly qualified?, after all, the graphic is still the same as its model generated and its not like in this day and age we cannot find decent forecasts ourselves, i suppose my gripe is that i have lived in 2 areas that dont have qualified people presenting forecasts but other areas do, BBC Look North and Points West i can think of off the top of my head.

[damianslaw]

Never discount the chance of low level snow until may. As we move into feb the odds of northerly and easterly airstreams increase markedly, and march can and often does produce decent snowfalls under a northerly and easterly flows and we all know ebay an arctic blast in April can do. I dispair when people rule out snow ad early as late jan, ridiculous