scotland Scotland (Alba) Regional Discussion 28th March 2013 22:00hrs>

[Northernlights]

Every day just now feels like the last cold snap of winter in April with snow showers to the NE over the North Sea the only difference being that they are heading towards and not away from us as is usual with a northerly toppler. Its already -4c here tonight and the intensity and persistence of the cold is really strange. It appears we will make it to April without a single flowering daffodil that in itself backs up my assertion that in my back yard the seasons have been cooling and not warming in the last 6 years. If this is all down to a southerly tracking meandering Jetstream then ironically food production in the developed world is under more threat than food production in the underdeveloped world due to extremes of weather in the developed world.

Well it made it down to -9c this morning with all this old farmhouses single glazed windows frozen up on the inside with very attractive patterns!!!! Will take a big warm up to get grazeable grass and flourishing crops by the end of April

[101_North]

Dusting this morning. Sun shining. About - 3c. Beautiful morning.

Edited March 30, 2013 by 101_North

[Blizzardo]

There looks to be some signs this morning that the cold may start to lose its grip in just over a weeks time. The GFS gets milder from around 8th April, although if you are looking for a continuation of cold conditions you can take comfort from the GFS ensembles that show that the 0z was on the mild side in comparisor to the mean.

However, the ECM is now starting to show milders runs around the 8-10 day mark and if you look at the northern hemisphere view you can see the PV starting to regroup which should bring a bit of life back into the Atlantic. The northern blocking also seems on the wane.

Despite the last couple of weeks extending out the cold spell on an almost daily basis maybe this time more seasonable conditions are finally on the way.

Edited March 30, 2013 by Blizzardo

[Richard Taylor]

I think every day this week I've woken up to some sort of snow covering. It came early & late, but this winter has not been your average one. And with hardly a northerly to be seen!

[Hairy Celt]

-3C overnight, warming up a bit this morning in the sun.

No northerlies = no snow here. QED.

[101_North]

Almost constant light, occasionally moderate, snow here for the last hour or so.

[Norrance]

Sunny here at 1C and rising. Showers now missing here as the wind has backed to NE. Look like they may clip East Fife and in towards Edinburgh.

[NorthernRab]

Top of Winnats Pass - Castleton to Peak Forest road..

Strangely this image just depresses me a bit. I love snow, but its the pristine look that I really like. Drifts with no snow on the roof, tree or large parts of the grass just looks a bit bleak imo!

[Hawesy]

Well it made it down to -9c this morning with all this old farmhouses single glazed windows frozen up on the inside with very attractive patterns!!!! Will take a big warm up to get grazeable grass and flourishing crops by the end of April

Amazing the difference: I've just recorded my first air frost since March 14th and only the 5th of this month. The persistence of the easterly winds have prevented any major frosts here. That said farm field activity locally appears to be minimal to my uneducated eye. Presumably due to the very suppressed daytime temps.

-0.5c overnight and another slight covering of snow/graupel this morning bringing this season's snow-lying total to 8 days.

[NUT]

Really feels pretty nice out there this morning. Skies brightning up and no wind it's actually dare I say it feeling quite warm!

[Northernlights]

Amazing the difference: I've just recorded my first air frost since March 14th and only the 5th of this month. The persistence of the easterly winds have prevented any major frosts here. That said farm field activity locally appears to be minimal to my uneducated eye. Presumably due to the very suppressed daytime temps.

-0.5c overnight and another slight covering of snow/graupel this morning bringing this season's snow-lying total to 8 days.

Most farmers would like to see spring crops go into warmer soils germinate quickly and get shoots above the soil surface in a week to ten days so if torrential rain arrives they can breathe for a bit longer. With the cold just now they would perhaps not germinate in the soil for a long time and risk rotting of the seed. It really is a difficult spring.

[Hairy Celt]

Really feels pretty nice out there this morning. Skies brightning up and no wind it's actually dare I say it feeling quite warm!

1st time this year we're getting solar-powered central heating - panel temp is up to 75C now

[101_North]

Another temporary dusting from another snow/graupel shower. Lovely day in between showers though.

[LomondSnowstorm]

Another snowy evening/morning in Edinburgh toon, a shame we couldn't retain cover during the day but still easily the most enjoyable two week spell of the winter period.

[NUT]

Turned a lot cloudier now than it was earlier but still not too bad. The wind dying of death is a major factor making it feel a lot better

[Scottish-Irish Skier]

Sunny, 6.5 C. Birds singing in the trees.

First crocus have begun to open their flowers in the garden.

Canny believe some snowdrops still in flower and it's almost April.

Look at pic of crocus and listen to this video for full effect.

Edited March 30, 2013 by scottish skier

[Benvironment]

It may be cold at the moment and even colder in that biting easterly wind, but find some shelter and some sunshine and you can definitely find Spring out there.

It was absolutely glorious sitting on the beach at Pittenweem this afternoon. Yes that’s right, sitting on the beach! Two hours later I was up to my knees in snowdrifts in the Lomonds. Fife is so wonderfully diverse

[Northernlights]

Another bright sunny day here with a maximum temperature of 4c currently -2.5c. Ben Wyvis looking resplendent in the sunshine today And a photo from yesterday showing the last shower of the day over the Cairngorms to the south of me

[Northernlights]

Another bright sunny day here with a maximum temperature of 4c currently -2.5c. Ben Wyvis looking resplendent in the sunshine today And a photo from yesterday showing the last shower of the day over the Cairngorms to the south of me

Edited March 30, 2013 by Northernlights

[Polar Maritime]

Avalanche here on Winnats Pass..

[Blizzardo]

Cold and clear start to the day -3.4c/-5.5c.

[Northernlights]

Nice sunny start again currently -6c so a bit milder than yesterday!

[Soaring Hawk]

Some very high thin cloud but looks another promising start. It hasn't rained since I arrived back home; that's three whole days! Must be nearing the record for the West of Scotland..... Mountains to the north of Glasgow looked spectacular yesterday against a blue sky. The air must have been unusually clean as the Argyl Highlands and Ben Lomand's white peak looked very close to Newton Mearns where I was gazing at them from.

I had my winter tyres taken off on Friday and been experiencing a niggling concern ever since. Have I been a premature numpty?

Happy Easter to all!

[101_North]

Stunning morning. First without fresh lying, or falling, snow for what seems like ages. Overnight low of -6c. Sunny. Great.

[Blizzardo]

Another really interesting week for the weather coming up. Its starts with a continuation of the dry, clear conditions with low temperatures overnight but relatively pleasant during the day.

Overnight Wednesday into Thursday it looks as though we'll start to pull in more of a North Easterly draw with the winds picking up a bit. There could be some showers developing for some although they may well be marginal (rain/snow) on low ground.

Moving on to next weekend is where things are much more uncertain. Most models are currently going for the Atlantic making another attempt to break down the cold conditions but if things follow the same pattern as its last 2 or 3 incursions things may correct south as we move closer to the time so this may give more prolonged snow for some.