South West & Central Southern England Regional Discussion 11/03/13 13z---->

[cerneman]

Overall a pretty disappointing episode. The only extreme thing being the temps and windchill.

As for snowfall. This has been yet another event which proves just how much the exact track of the the channel low is of vital importance to proper snow chances. Even as I write this the radar show heavy snow pehaps 30 miles to the south of me in the Channel where it is happily melting on impact with the sea. A slightly more northern track and we'd have been talking about a very special event for mid march in southern England. As it is we got a dusting not a dumping and even the met office couldn't get the track right 12 hours before it all happened. ( not a criticism) , which just goes to show how hard it is to get it right.

Having had three channel lows in four days back in Feb 1978 that delivered copiously maybe i have used up my lifetime quota of the b*****s.

Think what makes these events so memorable is that everything got to fall in place just at the right time, When it does "BINGO"

[Man With Beard]

Just been out to make the most of this very rare late snowfall...

Portsdown hill has drifts up to your waists in some parts and the main road to Fareham on top of the hill is closed and can see cars buried under the drifts! Amazing sights!

Also (just) managed to get up Butser Hill. Is only accessible to 4x4s as the drifts are stupidly deep up there. Would not recommend going up there just to the shear amount of snow thats pilling up. We were there for around 30 minutes and already we had a 2ft drift on the side of the car!

Amazing sights today! One to remember!

SM

Wow! I live just 300 yards from that hill! It does look pretty white up there! Just a little altitude makes a massive difference, obviously!

[jessandjon]

there are some BIG black clouds hovering over the cliffs

[Mapantz]

Humidity is falling away nicely here now, i might be able to get some decent stats when the temp drops tonight.

Temp is 0.7°C - Dew point is -6.0°C - Wind chill is -4.3°C - Apparent temp is -5.8°C

Quite a way to go if i want to beat my records from last February though..

[SunnySouthCoast]

Just been out to make the most of this very rare late snowfall...

Portsdown hill has drifts up to your waists in some parts and the main road to Fareham on top of the hill is closed and can see cars buried under the drifts! Amazing sights!

Also (just) managed to get up Butser Hill. Is only accessible to 4x4s as the drifts are stupidly deep up there. Would not recommend going up there just to the shear amount of snow thats pilling up. We were there for around 30 minutes and already we had a 2ft drift on the side of the car!

Amazing sights today! One to remember!

SM

Wow! We have little drifts of 2 inches in places here

Well What a waist of time that was for my area today! Just dandruff all day! The east always get the good stuff!

We don't, not all of us in the east of the region anyway

[coldfingers]

A full on blizzard blowing at the moment. Just got back from walking the dog and had to walk half a mile out of my way to avoid walking into the wind and snow. Settling even on the paths and roads now. Please take care anyone where these conditions are happening, it is very dangerous with the snow freezing on contact with the ground now and making walking dangerous. Temperature now down to -1C.

Amazing walking across the fields to see the snow swirling in great clouds as the strong winds blow it into drifts. Not seen weather like this since I lived in Scotland in the '60's.

Edited March 11, 2013 by coldfingers

[SNOW CRYSTAL]

there are some BIG black clouds hovering over the cliffs

Really hope you get at least a little something, you've kept the faith all the way through this winter, you deserve more than a flake or two.

[jessandjon]

Really hope you get at least a little something, you've kept the faith all the way through this winter, you deserve more than a flake or two.

lol i know i think they might be sticking their finger up at me as the sun is still shining through the window!!!!

[Beast of Plympton]

sadly not that bugger has resolutely stayed in the channel all day!

Thought as much!! And don't worry, the dartmoor snow shield isn't holding back much!! We have the odd flurry but its -2c and very windy. Very bitter.

[Bobafet]

Still coming down quite heavy on I.O.W looks like lasting well into the night!!

[John88B]

Snow showers in North Bristol this afternoon. Currently having the heaviest one yet!

[Dean E]

Wow! I live just 300 yards from that hill! It does look pretty white up there! Just a little altitude makes a massive difference, obviously!

Its all due to the wind and drifting. Got as far as Fort Southwick and just as you went around the corner, there was snow blowing right across the road and you struggled to see where you were going!

Wow! We have little drifts of 2 inches in places here

We don't, not all of us in the east of the region anyway

At home we have around 6cm of lying snow away from the wind, drifts up to around 15cm

SM

[SilverWolf]

Had a couple of short but very heavy snow showers here in Stroud in last few hours, only settling in little drifts and on grass as pretty brief. Happy though, heaviest snow I've seen this winter, or spring, or whatever it is now.

Here it comes again, wind having a small howl as well... Wouldn't mind a few hours of this.

Edited March 11, 2013 by SilverWolf

[dec10snow]

Don't take my word for it, there's reports all over Twitter regarding '1 foot of snow'

Fair enough.... Just seen this aswell!! It was also taken in Guernsey

[chris55]

Yes SilverWolf, some decent snow showers about today, and some wonderful cloudscapes as well. A really enjoyable day weatherwise even if we haven't got that much settling.

As we move into the evening though, if these showers keep coming then a covering is not out of the question.

Another heavy shower just got going.

[Dean E]

Snow now finally starting to lay on roads and pavements... its taken all day, but its finally happening!

Current conditions

Snowing

Temp: -2.1c

DP: -6.4c

Wind: ENE 36mph Gusting to 53mph

Wind chill -9.3c

SM

[SilverWolf]

Yes SilverWolf, some decent snow showers about today, and some wonderful cloudscapes as well. A really enjoyable day weatherwise even if we haven't got that much settling.

As we move into the evening though, if these showers keep coming then a covering is not out of the question.

Another heavy shower just got going.

Yeah looking at blue sky with snow falling. Telling my step son about the eighties around here where you'd get days like this in December and you could almost predict a week of snow in January because of that. Weirdly weather seemed a bit easier to predict then without model forums...

[-uksnow-]

As of 17:25

Temp: -1.8

DP: -5.4

Wind Chill: -7.8

[Dorsetbred]

It's all over! After a day of constant snowfall what is left to remind us, nothin.

The roads and pavements are dry as the wind erases the last few remaining snowflakes.

What a day IT COULD HAVE BEEN!

[Frosty_wsm]

Twitter; Guernsey, 12" of snow;

Lucky gits, wish it was looking like that outside my front door!

[Fitzwis]

Incredible scenes here in Jersey right now. I haven't seen snow like this for many years, since 1979 in fact! Total whiteout conditions, visibility 100m, wind E gale 8 to severe gale 9 and a temp of -0.9C. The island has completely ground to a standstill

[Bristawl Si]

Twitter; Guernsey, 12" of snow;

Wow! That looks brill - to think it's almost mid March!

24c and sunny down here today! (Fuerteventura)

[barlow08]

Snow settling now rapidly on road and pavements now how long can this last seaview iow ?

[dancing daisy]

I'm not a coldie, I like being warm and often moan about how I am 'cold to the bone' I didn't really know what that saying meant until today's playtime duty.

&%*^ that was cold!

We also had a mini blizzard which was quite sweet to watch, it lasted all of 40 seconds and now the sun has come out.

[Mark Parsons]

It's all over! After a day of constant snowfall what is left to remind us, nothin.

The roads and pavements are dry as the wind erases the last few remaining snowflakes.

What a day IT COULD HAVE BEEN!

I think you can say that about the winter as whole, WHAT A WINTER IT COULD OF BEEN, the event in the channel is just another of the near misses that could have been epic for a lot of us, never mind hey!!