Jump to content
Snow?
Local
Radar
Cold?
IGNORED

Spring Weather Chat


Barry12

Recommended Posts

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

I've noticed for the past few years that spanish plumes seem harder to come by in late spring and into Summer. If one does materialise, it seems to quickly get pushed away by depressions from the West.

As a fan of thunderstorms, I'm hoping for a more active year from warm spanish plumes. As much as I hate humid weather...I'd glady cope with it to see a storm on par with May 8th/9th 2008, that came through my region and I believe parts of Wales and Midlands.

Other than that, just a more settled Spring in general would be nice, with comfortable warm sunshine. Not an atlantic low sweeping in every Friday...

Edited by Chris K
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

To be honest, Spanish plumes never deliver here in terms of storms. An unstable air flow from the N, NW or W would be a lot better.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Leeds/Bradford border, 185 metres above sea level, around 600 feet
  • Location: Leeds/Bradford border, 185 metres above sea level, around 600 feet

To be honest, Spanish plumes never deliver here in terms of storms. An unstable air flow from the N, NW or W would be a lot better.

They have in the past, just not recently.

June 2005 springs to mind.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Keyingham, East Yorkshire
  • Weather Preferences: Spanish plumes, hot and sunny with thunderstorms
  • Location: Keyingham, East Yorkshire

I remember how astonishingly bad last April was. There must have been only 2 days, which i certainly made the most of, which were warm and sunny. High pressure must be about to make a long overdue visit to these shores. And thats the kind of high pressure from the Azores, not from the north.

May 2008 was warm for the country as a whole but as TWS notes it was often cool and dull in the east. Thats the problem with Spring. Whilst late Spring can see temperatures rocketing into the mid 20s inland we can be restricted to single figures here if theres an onshore breeze. Easterlies are mostly horrible here, unless its a lovely clear warm easterly like May last year which brought strong sunshine and pleasant enough temperatures.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Keyingham, East Yorkshire
  • Weather Preferences: Spanish plumes, hot and sunny with thunderstorms
  • Location: Keyingham, East Yorkshire

Last springs cold dull weather weather was a compete disaster for Gardeners mainly due to the lack of sun and ridiculous amounts of rain I got 2 apples and 6 plumbs from the trees last year! normally there would be loads on but the non stop rain just washed off all the blossom. The lack of bees didn't help as well as the tomatoes and Strawberry plants didn't get enough pollination when they needed it.

All the warmth in March came a bit too early to be of any use. The time when trees should be beginning to unfurl their leaves was just too cool and wet. Add to that the dismal first half of sumer its no suprise that it was an awful year for farmers and gardners. On the other hand 2011 produced a bumper crop of apples and pears in the garden due to the warm April. I dont think gardners or farmers would relish the thought of an even colder Spring.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

All the warmth in March came a bit too early to be of any use. The time when trees should be beginning to unfurl their leaves was just too cool and wet. Add to that the dismal first half of sumer its no suprise that it was an awful year for farmers and gardners. On the other hand 2011 produced a bumper crop of apples and pears in the garden due to the warm April. I dont think gardners or farmers would relish the thought of an even colder Spring.

Yes 2011 was a great year for us Gardeners mainly due to the warm dry spring

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

March was really odd. Experiencing 22C, walking around in a T-shirt and shorts, when the trees were still totally bare is a bizarre experience.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Lincoln, Lincolnshire
  • Weather Preferences: Sunshine, convective precipitation, snow, thunderstorms, "episodic" months.
  • Location: Lincoln, Lincolnshire

One recurring feature of most recent summers has been the strong jet stream which has brought Atlantic depressions rapidly eastwards before hot southerly flows got much of a chance to establish- thus the main "thrust" of the Spanish plumes has been too far south and east. On the 28th June 2012 we managed to get widespread and, for some, unusually severe thunderstorms in spite of this, but that day was very much an exception.

I remember a lot of thundery Spanish plumes over north-eastern England during the mid-1990s- they were particularly prominent in 1994, and July 1995 and the 1996 summer quarter also had a fair number. The key was that the Atlantic depressions often made only slow progress in from the west, with relatively strong high pressure to the east, and this allowed thunderstorms to develop widely along and to the east of the frontal boundaries. 1999 was a generally thundery year for most, with particularly prominent Spanish plume type events on the 27th/28th May and 26th/27th June.

Spanish plumes don't bring significant thundery outbreaks as often during the spring months, but I remember one in Lancaster (not normally a particularly thundery location) on the 1st May 2005, as well as the aforementioned May 1999 one. The aforementioned Mays of 1992 and 1997 both had a high incidence of thundery activity over much of the country- I don't think we had any clear-cut Spanish plumes but both months had spells when hot and thundery regimes moved up from the SE.

As Aaron rightly mentioned, unstable flows from the north-western compass are capable of bringing widespread thundery activity during the spring months, which can be accompanied by big hailstorms too- there were good examples in the second week of May 2005 and in the first half of April 2008 for example. March 1995 was particularly notable for a high incidence of hail in many parts of the UK due to frequent cold unstable west to north-westerly flows. In my experience cyclonic south to south-westerly flows, if associated with minimal frontal activity, can also produce a fair amount of thunder as we get into April and May, for example during the period 18th-24th April 2000 and towards the back end of April 1998.

Edited by Thundery wintry showers
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Skirlaugh, East Yorkshire
  • Location: Skirlaugh, East Yorkshire

Yes 2011 was a great year for us Gardeners mainly due to the warm dry spring

In reality its not how warm, dry or sunny a spring is overall but rather the timings. 2012 was actually bad because we had a dry winter followed by an even drier March which was then followed by a dull, wet April.

A warm, dry and sunny spring throughout would actually be pretty bad for gardeners, although we've had bad flooding recently in areas and the water table is high, several months of weather like Spring 2011 would see the water table fall pretty quickly and leave everything like a dustbowl again. A changable regime with regular rainfall, sunny periods and nothing too hot or cold would probably be best. Severe extremes like recent years dont do crops much good.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Leeds/Bradford border, 185 metres above sea level, around 600 feet
  • Location: Leeds/Bradford border, 185 metres above sea level, around 600 feet

I remember how astonishingly bad last April was. There must have been only 2 days, which i certainly made the most of, which were warm and sunny. High pressure must be about to make a long overdue visit to these shores. And thats the kind of high pressure from the Azores, not from the north.

May 2008 was warm for the country as a whole but as TWS notes it was often cool and dull in the east. Thats the problem with Spring. Whilst late Spring can see temperatures rocketing into the mid 20s inland we can be restricted to single figures here if theres an onshore breeze. Easterlies are mostly horrible here, unless its a lovely clear warm easterly like May last year which brought strong sunshine and pleasant enough temperatures.

Perhaps my perception stems from being inland. As with last March i recall the dominant wind direction in May 08 being a south easterly which whilst producing cloud in most of the east is without a doubt the sunniest wind direction for Leeds because we tend to be far enough in land for the sun to burn through. The second half didn't have the dazzle of the first but i don't recall being disappointing.

July 10 i recall being a horrible month, constantly cloudy and humid.

March was really odd. Experiencing 22C, walking around in a T-shirt and shorts, when the trees were still totally bare is a bizarre experience.

Perhaps thats how the Candians/New Yorkers feel.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Stockport
  • Location: Stockport

March was really odd. Experiencing 22C, walking around in a T-shirt and shorts, when the trees were still totally bare is a bizarre experience.

It was nice for its uniqueness (for this country). It had a distinctively continental feel to it, cool and frosty by night and very warm by day, with a welcome lack of cloud, wind and rain.

This year I would like March to be cold/cool with a bit of snow, April to be a spring mixed bag and May comfortably warm and dry.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Leeds/Bradford border, 185 metres above sea level, around 600 feet
  • Location: Leeds/Bradford border, 185 metres above sea level, around 600 feet

I have to say its surprising in years just how much i've become a convert to spring warmth. Whilst in my early years on here i longed for Easter snowstorms i have to say that heat is so much better in spring when the humidity is low.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Skirlaugh, East Yorkshire
  • Location: Skirlaugh, East Yorkshire

I have to say its surprising in years just how much i've become a convert to spring warmth. Whilst in my early years on here i longed for Easter snowstorms i have to say that heat is so much better in spring when the humidity is low.

Indeed, I found last March extremely pleasant, but getting it pretty much constantly year on year and for long periods would be extremely boring and ruin the novelty value.

I think the problem often faced with threads such as this is that when people talk about what weather they would prefer they actually jump the gun a bit and mean 'summer'. A similar thing occurs in Autumn when people talk of snow and frosts quite early in the season when in reality it usually comes much later.

Edited by reef
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

Perhaps thats how the Candians/New Yorkers feel.

Yeah, I was going to say, it's something you might expect in New York, Chicago or even Bucharest, but certainly not England.

I have to say its surprising in years just how much i've become a convert to spring warmth. Whilst in my early years on here i longed for Easter snowstorms i have to say that heat is so much better in spring when the humidity is low.

I adore clear, deep blue skies with temperatures in the low to mid 20's, when dews are no higher than 10C and humidity is below 45%. Absolute bliss. Dew points are the deal-breaker, any higher than 15C and I start to detest it. All I can say is thank goodness July 2006 was hardly ever humid.

Edited by Aaron
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Leeds/Bradford border, 185 metres above sea level, around 600 feet
  • Location: Leeds/Bradford border, 185 metres above sea level, around 600 feet

Yeah, I was going to say, it's something you might expect in New York, Chicago or even Bucharest, but certainly not England.

I adore clear, deep blue skies with temperatures in the low to mid 20's, when dews are no higher than 10C and humidity is below 45%. Absolute bliss. Dew points are the deal-breaker, any higher than 15C and I start to detest it. All I can say is thank goodness July 2006 was hardly ever humid.

I never thought it possible that any month could be as great as 2006.

There was just so much sunshine and warmth and being only 17 i got to spend the entire month milking my parents for cash and spending my days in the back garden being drunk, smoking shisha and having BBQ's.

And even better, whilst i did'nt believe it my CET prediction method went for 19.5C.

Edited by summer blizzard
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

I've never experienced anything like it in the UK - average max of 26C with over 280 hours of sun is just unbelievable for this part of the world. It also coincided perfectly with Party in the Park.

Edited by Aaron
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: halifax 125m
  • Weather Preferences: extremes the unusual and interesting facts
  • Location: halifax 125m

Yes, March 1965 was exceptionally warm near the end, and in Whitby it was the hottest day of the year:

http://www.wetterzen...00119650329.gif

...yet the beginning of the month had been exceptionally cold:

http://www.wetterzen...00119650302.gif

The 29th March 1968 was also exceptionally warm in many parts of the country with 25C widely over East Anglia. Unlike in the 1965 instance, a tropical maritime air mass kept the minimum temperatures high as well, though it meant cloudier skies in the north:

http://www.wetterzen...00119680328.gif

And then, into early April, we got this:

http://www.wetterzen...00119680403.gif

...with widespread snowfalls and widespread maxima of 2 to 5C.

great info i thought i had read that before still amazing.i worked on a farm at 360m all the 80s and it seemed a very common occurcnce for his daffodills to get flattened by the snow and they dont come out till late march or april up there especially in those winters .it seems a long time since ive seen that.......!!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Sunderland
  • Weather Preferences: cold
  • Location: Sunderland

Spring can have two distinct weather types that I love:

cold north (north-west and north-east as well) flows with lots of sunshine and wintry showers, convection bubbling up under the strong sun

deep warmth from the south, lots of sunshine and the first BBQ days

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Batley, West Yorkshire
  • Weather Preferences: Heat and Snow
  • Location: Batley, West Yorkshire

The last lying snow was also back in April 2008.

There was lying snow in April 2012 here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Batley, West Yorkshire
  • Weather Preferences: Heat and Snow
  • Location: Batley, West Yorkshire

Nevermind Spring..James Maddens summer forecast is out already!

anyone got a tenner?

http://www.exactawea...m_Forecast.html

Can also buy his Spring Forecast very cheap - only £6, it's a bargain lads rofl.gif

Edited by Barry95
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Berlin, Germany
  • Weather Preferences: Ample sunshine; Hot weather; Mixed winters with cold and mild spells
  • Location: Berlin, Germany

Oh don't mention July 2006 it brings a tear to the eye of how fantastic it was. That was the last really good July we had - surely we're long long overdue another one.

The strong desire for warmth & sun asap in spring is very understandable when you've been stuck in near constant darkness for months on end. Late January is traditionally the most depressing time of year for many people with xmas over and the warmth & light of spring still a long way away.

I know its beginning to grate me having to 'deal' with winter - dry skin, inability to get up in the mornings, stuffy centrally heated rooms and the headaches they produce, dangerous/uncomfortable journeys to work, longer journeys to work (or anywhere with all the layers & gear you need), garden just being a dark hole you cross to leave the house/store the bin in, the only outdoor smells being traffic or rotting matter... I could go on but will leave it there... Just made a facebook post about it getting lighter now and ten people liked it straight away - complete opposite effect to the one I posted about it closing in during November!

Anyway spring - happy for a cold start (although that very first 18c sunny day you can get in March I tend to start dreaming about this time of year...) but lets hope it is that way round - cold to warm instead of a warm sandwich with a cold filling. Was a terrible year for plants & animals last year and really didn't help our food prices either.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Posted
  • Location: Lincoln, Lincolnshire
  • Weather Preferences: Sunshine, convective precipitation, snow, thunderstorms, "episodic" months.
  • Location: Lincoln, Lincolnshire

The last time I saw lying snow during the spring quarter was back in March 2009, remarkably when I was in Exeter and the south-west got hit by a localised snowfall on the 4th/5th. April 2012 came close in Cleadon but the winds off the North Sea held the temperature up at around 2C.

I don't think there's much of a hard-and-fast rule regarding the association of cold temperatures with sunshine and rainfall during the spring months. A pattern with southerly tracking lows will usually be dull and wet towards the south but dry and sunny in the NW, a northerly or north-westerly type will usually be bright with wintry showers, while easterly and north-easterly types increasingly become grey and damp in eastern areas unless they are sourced from a long way north, as the continent warms up and the North Sea remains cool. As we head into summer northerlies become more commonly associated with grey damp weather as well, as any sort of modification from Scandinavia tends to stabilise the associated air masses, although it will still often be bright and showery if the winds are vectored from west of north.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

Just made a facebook post about it getting lighter now and ten people liked it straight away - complete opposite effect to the one I posted about it closing in during November!

That's hardly surprising when you consider that most people in the UK would probably prefer a climate similar to the Costa del Sol. I have to say though, that I don't notice or experience the problems that you appear to during the winter months, other than stuffy rooms causing headaches, which is easy to remedy.

Edited by Aaron
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • UK Storm and Severe Convective Forecast

    UK Severe Convective & Storm Forecast - Issued 2024-03-29 07:13:16 Valid: 29/03/2024 0600 - 30/03/2024 0600 THUNDERSTORM WATCH - FRI 29 MARCH 2024 Click here for the full forecast

    Nick F
    Nick F
    Latest weather updates from Netweather

    Difficult travel conditions as the Easter break begins

    Low Nelson is throwing wind and rain at the UK before it impacts mainland Spain at Easter. Wild condtions in the English Channel, and more rain and lightning here on Thursday. Read the full update here

    Netweather forecasts
    Netweather forecasts
    Latest weather updates from Netweather

    UK Storm and Severe Convective Forecast

    UK Severe Convective & Storm Forecast - Issued 2024-03-28 09:16:06 Valid: 28/03/2024 0800 - 29/03/2024 0600 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH - THURS 28 MARCH 2024 Click here for the full forecast

    Nick F
    Nick F
    Latest weather updates from Netweather
×
×
  • Create New...