Snow On The Scottish Mountains 2015.

[johnholmes]

Que?

Old fashioned stuff that, bloody hard work too, only tried it a couple f times, but do prefer sun and lots of snow rather than jumping over rocks.

[Polar Maritime]

Record amounts up there atm. A good turnout with over 100 attending! 

Edited June 22, 2015 by Polar Maritime

[Polar Maritime]

Huge amount of snow present at the start of July. The most by miles since 1994. (Ian Cameron)

 

[The PIT]

Getting a battering right now though I bet.

[Polar Maritime]

Yes a thaw of sorts will be under-way, This shot was taken today though.

[4wd]

It's rain that really hits it, when it's clear the ground temperatures soon drop away even before sunset - though not to freezing when it's like this!

[skifreak]

]I might have to for a lengthy hike from the top of the gondola and batter Summit Gully a bit more with my skis, but def. not in the heat tomorrow - it's been known to let go in huge full depth slides in very wet weather in late spring / summer and hot temperatures could have the same effect if water builds up underneath but isn't draining freely!

 

Main Basin hanging in there at Glencoe, going to have to get up and bag it in July for the first time for me anyway.... thought skiing the Ciste Gully in July 2013 was a freak show and the chances of skiing a complete in bounds ski run in July again was negligible!

 

[Harve]

Getting a battering right now though I bet.

The most resilient snow patches don't receive sun for too long, even in the summer. Hot and sunny is much better than the worst case scenario of warm, wet and windy. 

[Norrance]

The lower and more exposed [to the sun] patches have taken a hit in the last week at least in Highland Perthshire but still way more than usual making it to July and not only on the usual sites. Will be driving up through Perthshire to Inverness and then over to the North west at the weekend so will be interesting to compare with my last trip up that far a fortnight ago.

Edited July 1, 2015 by Norrance

[Polar Maritime]

Ben Nevis 3rd July 2015.

 

Credit ; Blair Aitken

 

Edited July 5, 2015 by Polar Maritime

[hillbilly]

With a northerly blast heading our way on Wednesday,what are the chances of snow on the Scottish mountains an ,have there been instances of significant snow there in July before?

[Polar Maritime]

[Turnedoutniceagain]

With a northerly blast heading our way on Wednesday,what are the chances of snow on the Scottish mountains an ,have there been instances of significant snow there in July before?

 

Not sure about 'significant' snow, but I was caught in a snowstorm on Glen Shee in July 1993-4ish. It can certainly happen

[johnholmes]

 

 

out of their tiny minds as far as I am concerned

[Polar Maritime]

out of their tiny minds as far as I am concerned

 

They are very clever people actually John, Professors and the likes... Experts in snow patches in the UK. A bit of fun in Mid-summer never goes a miss every year. 

 

Edited July 7, 2015 by Polar Maritime

[Polar Maritime]

 Follow

Iain Cameronâ€@theiaincameron

Really, July? REALLY?

[Ravelin]

Well that'll catch out all the numpties in jeans, t-shirts & trainers who decide to 'climb Ben Nevis' tomorrow!

 

There's still numerous snow patches on the higher hills around the Glen Affric area this weekend. Took a drive up Glen Strathfarrar on Saturday afternoon and although the cloud was covering the tops it did lift enough a times to note that, looking South, there were still 3 large patches of snow (one quite deep looking) and a smaller one on the NE side of Sgurr na Lapaich. All probably at or over the 1000m mark though I'd say.

[NorthYorksWeather]

Heavy snow forecast for above 1000m in the Cairngorms tomorrow!

[Northernlights]

This must be because of the cold Atlantic giving July snowfall on the tops.   Whats the betting that long lasting snow returns to the tops round about the 21st of September (Equinox)if the Atlantic stays as cold?

[Bradowl]

Is this a late Snowfall of last winter or an early Snowfall of next winter? 

[hillbilly]

Is this a late Snowfall of last winter or an early Snowfall of next winter? 

An interesting question,am not sure where the distinction lies,halfway through the summer perhaps but for me it is a late 2014/15 snowfall as summer really hasn't arrived yet[except for a week or so] .Does it really matter anyway!!!

[Norrance]

There is a two week spell from the llast week in July where snow has not been observed falling in the Highlands. I think the snow patch experts take that as the divide. The earliest new lasting snow recorded came to the Cairngorm tops in the second week of September 1976 thus saving the few remains patches from melting despite the very hot Summer.

[reef]

There is a two week spell from the llast week in July where snow has not been observed falling in the Highlands. I think the snow patch experts take that as the divide. The earliest new lasting snow recorded came to the Cairngorm tops in the second week of September 1976 thus saving the few remains patches from melting despite the very hot Summer.

 

That pretty much fits in with the thermal maximum when looking at average UK temperatures which is usually around 31st July / 1st August there or thereabouts. I'd guess before that is 'late season' and afterwards 'early season'.

[Daniel*]

Any chance a glacier could eventually form?

[4wd]

Any chance a glacier could eventually form?

A glacier is probably best defined as flowing ice - that would take decades.

You can get the early stages of ever more compacted snow turning to solid ice developing in a few years of accumulation.

Once that stage is reached it would be harder to melt out in the odd warmer year which might melt deep snow patches.

Most of the snow patch strongholds show clear evidence of relatively recent glaciation.

Though there's not much physical evidence, it's probably likely that early stages of glacier formation occurred during the Little Ice Age. 

Glacier mass increase and decrease is not dependant on temperature alone.

This has been well demonstrated in recent years where winters have had rather average temperatures, but increased amounts of snow have not had time to melt out through the following summer = net gain.