Spring 2015

[Weather-history]

The meteorological spring is about 6 weeks away now. What will it bring this year?

It's 20 years since the spring of 1995, one of my favourite springs because of its variety: snow, hail, thunder, lightning, warmth. Further, each spell for each variety was not too prolonged.

I am hoping for a similar spring this year.

The worst type of springs are the homogenous ones. I find them boring, IMO.

Spring 1996 was basically chilly and often cloudy. Springs 2002 and 2014 were tedious

[Nick L]

I love changeable springs. Where you get a cold snap one week and then a warm spell the next. The best thing about spring is that it can have weather types to suit all.

[simshady]

Hoping we get a cool /cold spring. Not too warm.

[I remember Atlantic 252]

cor! cannot think about Spring yet! we've only just started winter, but 2013 for me baby! snowy march cold April with snow

[Summer Sun]

I like spring (2nd to summer of course) and its transition as we go from the dull dark days of winter to the warmer (hopefully!) brighter longer days of spring and the emergence of spring colour

 

Saying that late February can and has felt quite spring like over the years its only 3 years ago since I got a high of 16.1c and Coleshill, Warwickshire,  hit 18.7°C

[Eugene]

cor! cannot think about Spring yet! we've only just started winter, but 2013 for me baby! snowy march cold April with snow

 

 

lol we're just past the half way stage now, still wintry weather doesn't automatically finish on March 1st so plenty of time yet for your beloved cold

[March Blizzard]

I'm hoping for the same as always: a cold March, a changeable April and warm, but not hot, May. Large diurnal ranges and plenty of sunshine would be a bonus.

Really don't want a reverse spring, with southerly winds in March and Northerlies in May.

[Summer Sun]

WSI's3 monthly forecast now covers March and April

 

WSI Europe: Hopes of Sustained Cold Weather Decreasing Heading into Late Winter

 

Atlantic Blocking Continues to be Elusive

 

Andover, MA, 19 January 2015 — WSI (Weather Services International) expects slightly below-normal temperatures to generally be confined to Scandinavia, UK, and parts of northwestern mainland Europe for the February-April period, with above-normal temperatures common elsewhere.

According to WSI Meteorologist Dr. Todd Crawford: “Neither the weak El Nino nor the recent stratospheric warming event appears to have been able to conquer the prevailing pattern of low pressure and strong westerlies across the North Atlantic as we head into February. At this point, it appears that the chances for sustained or extreme cold weather are rather limited as we head into the back half of winter. We feel that the pattern for the next couple of months will be characterized by very mild temperatures across SE Europe with near to slightly below-normal temperatures confined to northern/western sections.â€

In February, WSI forecasts:

 

Nordic Region – Slightly colder than normal
UK – Slightly colder than normal
Northern Mainland – Warmer than normal east, slightly colder than normal west
Southern Mainland – Warmer than normal

In March, WSI forecasts:

 

Nordic Region – Colder than normal
UK – Colder than normal
Northern Mainland – Warmer than normal east, colder than normal west
Southern Mainland – Warmer than normal

In April, WSI forecasts:

 

Nordic Region – Colder than normal
UK – Colder than normal
Northern Mainland – Colder than normal
Southern Mainland – Warmer than normal

 

http://www.wsi.com/4a12a845-d496-48e1-8047-b0fa41469531/news-scheduled-forecast-release-details.htm

 

Jamstec model also going for slightly below average surface air temp anomaly

 

 

Precipitation generally looks around average

 

 

The met office ens mean maps show the 850's temps slightly below normal

 

 

2m temps are slightly above normal with slightly above normal precipitation and lower than average pressure

 

[summer blizzard]

I love spring heat, the air is so dry compared to the summer sweatfests. 

 

March 2012 and April 07 will do me.

[SteveB]

Love Spring, but not cold Springs.

 

Hoping we don't get cold weather this Spring, especially as Easter is a little earlier this year (Beginning of April)

[No Balls Like Snow Balls]

Hoping for a cool, wet spring

[MP-R]

March: cold and wintry first third with some snow and frost, stormy wet middle third, mild and sunny springlike final third

April: mixture of bright fresh anticyclonic weather and typical sunshine/showers convective weather

May: any unsettled weather in the first half with emphasis on lengthy dry, sunny and warm conditions in the second half, with some thunderstorms thrown in

 

That's my desire for spring. Normally I don't take much interest in any wintry attempts in March but as December and January have failed, I won't say no to a snow day in early March. 2005 and 2006 were good for this. After about the 10th, snow in March becomes pretty pointless unless exceptional like 2013.

[Milhouse]

You know Spring is just around the corner when a Spring discussion opens on netweather lol. In a lot of respects i prefer Spring to Summer, with my liking for the season increasing as time passes. I love the fresh growth of May and especially the woodlands with a carpet of bluebells catching the sun until the canopy fully closes for the summer. Therefore some nice Spring warmth is preferable to enable me to go on walks in the countryside.

[Hocus Pocus]

I see on CFS v2 that March looks cold and blocked with a trough right over us, April looks slightly milder and wetter and low confidence for May. Wondering if the declining sunspot activity maybe enhancing more trough activity into the spring as we go into it?

I would say it's certainly a big factor, lets hope it doesn't bring about HLB from May onwards. Of course it can return come November for 20 weeks.

[Bristle Si]

I'd like a warm, dry and early Spring.

It can start in mid-February if it wants, after this 70s-like Winter were having down here.

[Jax]

A warm spring would be most welcome, lighter days, new growth, return of colour to the garden and countryside, not so long now.

[stewfox]

My forecast for spring

 

March............if only we had synoptics like this in January

April..............if only we had synoptics like this in January

May.............   Long range forecasts are suggesting a colder then average winter

 

Unless its late May spring doesn't hold much for me

[cheese]

A cold, snowy March followed by a warm April and May will do me nicely. March 2013 + April 2011 + May 2008. Obviously very unlikely, but you can dream.

[Thundery wintry showers]

The meteorological spring is about 6 weeks away now. What will it bring this year?

It's 20 years since the spring of 1995, one of my favourite springs because of its variety: snow, hail, thunder, lightning, warmth. Further, each spell for each variety was not too prolonged.

I am hoping for a similar spring this year.

The worst type of springs are the homogenous ones. I find them boring, IMO.

Spring 1996 was basically chilly and often cloudy. Springs 2002 and 2014 were tedious

Very much the same here.  

 

A couple of statistical oddities: according to my records, in Cleadon in Tyne and Wear, Spring 1995 had no thunder-days and no days with snow lying at 0900 GMT, despite having lying snow or hail at some point on several days, and having an unusually large number of "impressive convection days" including 11 with hail.  But it had pretty much everything else that I would want. 

 

May 1997 also stands out for variety, but it followed a March/April that were pretty homogeneous.

 

Another spring that I have fond memories of is Spring 2008 in Norwich, which had some wintry spells in late March/early April, impressive convective storms during 6-15 April, and then a hot sunny first half of May, though I recall the second half of both April and May not producing much of note.

 

The springs of 1935, 1955 and 1975 were also pretty eventful/varied so on that basis I should have high hopes for Spring 2015.  However, sequences like that are notorious for abruptly terminating, like the "dry sunny Junes ending in 0" one that stopped in 1980.

[feb1991blizzard]

March 2013    -     Other notables,    1995, 1987

April 1981       _                "                2012

May 1996

[Cheshire Freeze]

Personally I'm starting to get that 'march will be a cold one' feeling I had before 2013. No good for anyone.

[Snowyowl9]

Looking to last march there was 3 days with falling snow all in the second half of the month.

One with lying snow.

[Frank Trough]

Statistically speaking it won't be a "repeat" of 2013 - especially not two years later. The first half of that "spring" was absolutely amazing. I'd settle for average, really. What's wrong with that? A bit of everything. I would not welcome a repeat of April and May 2012, though. Cold, wet and thoroughly miserable.

[Summer Sun]

Statistically speaking it won't be a "repeat" of 2013 - especially not two years later. The first half of that "spring" was absolutely amazing. I'd settle for average, really. What's wrong with that? A bit of everything. I would not welcome a repeat of April and May 2012, though. Cold, wet and thoroughly miserable.

 

The only thing I liked from May 2012 was the final week to 10 days when we had some hot weather Scotland also broke its May record when a high of 30.9°C was recorded at Inverailort on the 25th England's high was 28.4°C at Treknow on the 26th

 

The summer what followed was poor bar the 2 weeks when the Olympics were on when some hot weather arrived

[Frank Trough]

The only thing I liked from May 2012 was the final week to 10 days when we had some hot weather Scotland also broke its May record when a high of 30.9°C was recorded at Inverailort on the 25th England's high was 28.4°C at Treknow on the 26th

 

The summer what followed was poor bar the 2 weeks when the Olympics were on when some hot weather arrived

 

that final week was fantastic - I remember some really warm nights as well but it really was a blip in a truly horrific April - July.

 

I really would like to see a proper country-wide freeze before the end of February so we can put that to bed before spring. I think all 3 spring months were above average last year (most of the year was, actually) so I can't see that being repeated.