The changing daylight hours thread

[kold weather]

Interestingly this late afternoon in the sunshine does feel just a touch lighter than a few weeks ago. Of course for now it's minimal but when going out at 4pm back then versus today at same time the sky is a lighter shade of blue.

Of course mornings aren't there yet, and won't be for a while still.

[Sunny76]

On 24/12/2022 at 14:48, Summer8906 said:

I have to admit that while I like cold and frosty, I'd prefer a taste of really warm and dry weather over dull and damp anyday! If given the chance to travel to Australia for the next 4 weeks or so without spending too much money and work not minding, I'd take it! Or even 8 weeks for that matter, experience the Australian summer then come back just in time for the UK spring.

I spent new year in the Malaga area at the end of 2015, beginning of 2016 where the weather and light levels resembled a nice spell of UK weather in October (day maxima a pretty constant 18C), and was glad I was there during a particularly grim period in the UK, even worse than earlier in December by all accounts. (I see this year they are having some really extreme warm weather for the time of year, with 21C forecast for today, surely exceptional for mainland Europe in late December).

That’s not that exceptional really. Most years can reach 19-21c, but night time temps are chilly at around 8-11.

[Summer8906]

58 minutes ago, Sunny76 said:

That’s not that exceptional really. Most years can reach 19-21c, but night time temps are chilly at around 8-11.

Interesting, I'd have said 21 would be very high indeed for this time of year anywhere in Europe and you'd need to go to North Africa to get temps that high.

What was notable when I was there were the very warm nights, still about 15 at midnight. Narrow diurnal range despite fair weather, perhaps 18 in the afternoon but still 15 by midnight. This was end of Dec 2015 though so perhaps conditions were atypical.

Edited December 26, 2022 by Summer8906

[Summer8906]

3 hours ago, kold weather said:

Interestingly this late afternoon in the sunshine does feel just a touch lighter than a few weeks ago. Of course for now it's minimal but when going out at 4pm back then versus today at same time the sky is a lighter shade of blue.

Of course mornings aren't there yet, and won't be for a while still.

Due to a late lunch, I actually left for a (local) walk at 4pm today, and it was usably light for about half an hour. I doubt sunset has advanced more than 3 or 4 minutes but can't help feeling it did seem ever so slightly lighter than a week or two ago.

Edited December 26, 2022 by Summer8906

[hillbilly]

On 26/12/2022 at 19:29, Summer8906 said:

Due to a late lunch, I actually left for a (local) walk at 4pm today, and it was usably light for about half an hour. I doubt sunset has advanced more than 3 or 4 minutes but can't help feeling it did seem ever so slightly lighter than a week or two ago.

The earliest night was not 12th/14th December this year it was late November,early December with all the mist and fog,that is almost a month ago !

[*Stormforce~beka*]

Felt slightly lighter tonight for me. Dark after 4 instead of before.

[damianslaw]

Very dark mornings at present thanks to the low cloud and rain, and it will stay this way until the New Year. Despite light levels increasing ever so slightly in the evenings, the dull grey leaden skies it making it feel darker than the early-mid Dec period which thanks to clear skies and sunshine resulted in many days not seeing dusk set in until close to half 4. This is true hibernation weather. 

[Don]

Just now, damianslaw said:

Very dark mornings at present thanks to the low cloud and rain, and it will stay this way until the New Year. Despite light levels increasing ever so slightly in the evenings, the dull grey leaden skies it making it feel darker than the early-mid Dec period which thanks to clear skies and sunshine resulted in many days not seeing dusk set in until close to half 4. This is true hibernation weather. 

Yes, I really cannot stand this weather either.  How some prefer this to cold and crisp is beyond me but each to their own!

[damianslaw]

Just now, Don said:

Yes, I really cannot stand this weather either.  How some prefer this to cold and crisp is beyond me but each to their own!

It is my least favourite weather, the moisture leaden SW/West airstream, all year it gives dull skies and cloud to valley level here, in the depths of winter - gosh it makes you long for summer!

[Summer8906]

14 hours ago, hillbilly said:

The earliest night was not 12th/14th December this year it was late November,early December with all the mist and fog,that is almost a month ago !

For me the darkest afternoon was either Dec 18th or 19th due to the intense rain and gloom of those two days!

Much worse than even the current setup, there was something about that system ("Storm Ebenezer", as I like to call it) which made it really horribly gloomy.

Edited December 28, 2022 by Summer8906

[hillbilly]

9 minutes ago, Summer8906 said:

For me the darkest afternoon was either Dec 18th or 19th due to the intense rain and gloom of those two days!

Much worse than even the current setup, there was something about that system ("Storm Ebenezer", as I like to call it) which made it really horribly gloomy.

Nothing we have seen in recent years compares to the gloom of December 1992

[Summer8906]

1 hour ago, hillbilly said:

Nothing we have seen in recent years compares to the gloom of December 1992

1992? I don't remember that being particularly gloomy.

Mild and cloudy but not excessively dull for three weeks, then a very sunny Christmas with frequent hard frosts. Did get a bit foggy right at the end of the year, but don't remember intense gloom.

[Don]

1 hour ago, Summer8906 said:

1992? I don't remember that being particularly gloomy.

Mild and cloudy but not excessively dull for three weeks, then a very sunny Christmas with frequent hard frosts. Did get a bit foggy right at the end of the year, but don't remember intense gloom.

December 1992 was not particularly gloomy weather wise (it certainly was for me and the family for other reasons mind!!).  It was also on the cold side at 3.4C and I remember frosts earlier in the month than Christmas?  I remember far more gloomy Decembers and the recent cold spell seems a very distant memory now!

Edited December 28, 2022 by Don

[Summer8906]

4 hours ago, Don said:

It was also on the cold side at 3.4C and I remember frosts earlier in the month than Christmas?  I remember far more gloomy Decembers and the recent cold spell seems a very distant memory now!

Interesting it was that cold, as I am fairly sure the first 20 days were persistently mild or even very mild with no frosts (here in the south). Not gloomy though;  a lot of Tm air but no real intense gloomy conditions. Perhaps the last 10 days were so very cold that they brought the CET down quite considerably.

Certainly people didn't consider it a severe cold spell at the time, but I suppose then, 1987 was still a recent memory.

As for this December, it seems that "like 2012, but a few days later" is what will sum it up once the month is over.

I guess we're going a bit OT but then again today it's been dull and damp so there's little to say about the changing daylight hours, I guess. The streetlights didn't come on until approaching 4.30pm though, which I suppose wasn't bad going given the weather conditions.

Edited December 28, 2022 by Summer8906

[hillbilly]

7 hours ago, Summer8906 said:

1992? I don't remember that being particularly gloomy.

Mild and cloudy but not excessively dull for three weeks, then a very sunny Christmas with frequent hard frosts. Did get a bit foggy right at the end of the year, but don't remember intense gloom.

December 1992 was the dullest here in the last Century since 1921 with 7 hours of sunshine for the entire month.The dullest in the last 30 years being Jan 13 and Dec 15 with 23 hours of sun in fact January 1993 had only 17 hours so the pair of months Dec 92 and Jan 1993 were all but as dull as any single month since!

[Sunny76]

22 hours ago, Don said:

Yes, I really cannot stand this weather either.  How some prefer this to cold and crisp is beyond me but each to their own!

They are weirdos. Like I said, the ‘nothing between their ears’ secs at my place fit this bill. Useless to boot lol.

Edited December 28, 2022 by Sunny76

[Don]

1 hour ago, Summer8906 said:

Interesting it was that cold, as I am fairly sure the first 20 days were persistently mild or even very mild with no frosts (here in the south). Not gloomy though;  a lot of Tm air but no real intense gloomy conditions. Perhaps the last 10 days were so very cold that they brought the CET down quite considerably.

Certainly people didn't consider it a severe cold spell at the time, but I suppose then, 1987 was still a recent memory.

As for this December, it seems that "like 2012, but a few days later" is what will sum it up once the month is over.

The Christmas to New Year period of 1992 was definitely very cold with some hoar frosts.  I seem to remember a snowy breakdown being forecast early in the New Year too, but didn't materialise!

Agree, this December has been similar to 2012.  Just a shame January 2023 doesn't look to be similar at this stage to 2013!

Edited December 28, 2022 by Don

[lassie23]

The sun had some warmth today and I noticed the days getting longer and even some flies were errmm flying, summer is on its way

[Don]

2 minutes ago, lassie23 said:

The sun had some warmth today and I noticed the days getting longer and even some flies were errmm flying, summer is on its way

You had sun today?! 

Summer is not on the way, that's winter of today for you!! 

Edited December 28, 2022 by Don

[Maz]

Sunrise 8.26 on 31st December, 1 minute earlier than the next two days.  4.00 sunset on 2nd Jan.  Woo Hoo, baby steps…

Would help far more if there was actually some sun, rather than incessant grey and rain.  Sorry for being such a grouch.

[Don]

2 minutes ago, Maz said:

Sunrise 8.26 on 31st December, 1 minute earlier than the next two days.  4.00 sunset on 2nd Jan.  Woo Hoo, baby steps…

Would help far more if there was actually some sun, rather than incessant grey and rain.  Sorry for being such a grouch.

Sun and snow would be good!! 

[*Stormforce~beka*]

31 minutes ago, lassie23 said:

The sun had some warmth today and I noticed the days getting longer and even some flies were errmm flying, summer is on its way

Me chickens didn't go to bed til 430 today! Dirty stop ups

[Don]

1 minute ago, *Stormforce~beka* said:

Me chickens didn't go to bed til 430 today! Dirty stop ups

What 4.30 this morning, they're nearly as bad as me?! 

[*Stormforce~beka*]

5 minutes ago, Don said:

What 4.30 this morning, they're nearly as bad as me?! 

Up at 815 am bed 430pm you donut

[Don]

6 minutes ago, *Stormforce~beka* said:

Up at 815 am bed 430pm you donut

Oh I see!!  

Up at 8.15am?  Glad I don't own any of the little buggers!! 

Edited December 28, 2022 by Don