Scotland - Weather Chat

[Hairy Celt]

Max of 11C today with lots of heavy cloud, prolonged mizzly showers and a horrible wind. Fkn rank weather.

 

However before I get too despondent, it's only 3 years since we had a June when I was still wearing a hat and gloves right up till midsummer.

 

Time for bed, said Zebedee.

 

Oh look it's just the same this morning

[Ravelin]

A layer of white/grey cloud cover here this morning but still bright(ish) rather than dull. Temp in Dyce currently just over 11C, with maxes over the last few days of around 12/13C so nothing to write home about. A pretty persistent wind has been the most annoying feature of the weather here recently. At least it's not rained much.

 

I don't think I've managed to walk the dog this month wearing just a t-shirt, but I did risk a t-shirt with a sweatshirt on top last night and got away with it.

 

On a positive note, the lettuce & radish seeds I planted around 10 days ago are showing through. They are well protected in a raised bed and a covering of plastic though. I'll need to get around to doing some of the other veg or it'll be getting quite late. Oh, as mentioned by someone else, my rhubarb is doing well at the moment. I'll swear you could actually sit and watch it growing!

 

Had rhubarb & strawberry crumble on Sunday, thanks to the wife. Yummy!

[Hairy Celt]

Just when you thought it wouldn't get any worse, it does. Now 8C, moderate rain and still a nagging wind. C'Mooooon.................

 

 

2 hours later and heavy rain... Nice!

Edited May 27, 2015 by Hairy Celt

[Guest]

Just when you thought it wouldn't get any worse, it does. Now 8C, moderate rain and still a nagging wind. C'Mooooon.................

 

 

2 hours later and heavy rain... Nice!

 

It's even been skanky pants weather down here today too HC, must be proper rank up with you

[Northernlights]

Cool wet evening and late pm. We were actually  needing the rain as all the wind we have had ln the last few weeks has soon dried up any showery rain we have had.Currently 5.5c so no growth tonight. Snow must be falling on the tops again  In fact the Mountain forecast (MWIS)is quite wintry for the next few days. The cooler than normal N Atlantic is really giving us a cool May. We sure need a long draw southerly wind.and not these constant  westerlies.

Edited May 27, 2015 by Northernlights

[carinthian]

Cool wet evening and late pm. We were actually  needing the rain as all the wind we have had ln the last few weeks has soon dried up any showery rain we have had.Currently 5.5c so no growth tonight. Snow must be falling on the tops again  In fact the Mountain forecast (MWIS)is quite wintry for the next few days. The cooler than normal N Atlantic is really giving us a cool May. We sure need a long draw southerly wind.and not these constant  westerlies.

Sorry to hear of the continued run of depressed temperatures above 55N. Quite a feature the persistent winds. Would drive me mad at this time of year. The cold North Atlantic as you report not helping. My daughter reports the same in Sweden with no spring growth only cold winds and cloud, she too getting fed up and has booked a holiday to the Greek Isles to get away from the dullness. Sweden really looks forward to long summer days after the dark days of winter. The Mid Summer fest soon beckons there .

C

[Northernlights]

Sorry to hear of the continued run of depressed temperatures above 55N. Quite a feature the persistent winds. Would drive me mad at this time of year. The cold North Atlantic as you report not helping. My daughter reports the same in Sweden with no spring growth only cold winds and cloud, she too getting fed up and has booked a holiday to the Greek Isles to get away from the dullness. Sweden really looks forward to long summer days after the dark days of winter. The Mid Summer fest soon beckons there .

C

Hi Thanks For your post The biggest problem for farmers in the area with livestock is no or little regrowth in grazed fields and many are still feeding patial winter diets outside.No one wishes to graze fields shut up for silage or hay as these fields are next winters feed and with a normal winter of 220 days feeding conserved grass as hay or silage we all need to secure a lot of feed to see us through.

[carinthian]

Hi Thanks For your post The biggest problem for farmers in the area with livestock is no or little regrowth in grazed fields and many are still feeding patial winter diets outside.No one wishes to graze fields shut up for silage or hay as these fields are next winters feed and with a normal winter of 220 days feeding conserved grass as hay or silage we all need to secure a lot of feed to see us through.

Hope the warmth returns soon. We are waiting for the snow to retreat further up. Had a widespread cover down to 1500ma few days ago. The farmers around here will be putting out the sheep and cattle to graze on the summer meadows next week as 6 months penned in is getting too long. Should see some pasture growth next week with warmer temperatures coming. Further south and east of here, lack of spring rain has not helped. A Sussex farmer friend of mine who farms in the Low Weald country tells me of a great spring season for all things growing with the right amount of warmth , rainfall and plenty of sunshine. Maybe the winds from the south would make a welcome change for you hardy highlanders ! Edited May 28, 2015 by carinthian

[Ravelin]

Another decently sunny morning here again but far from warm. Also quite windy again!

 

I can't remember a day this month when the flags outside the office were sitting vertically rather than horizontally. If the MetO keep stats for average monthly wind speed compared to normal I'd be fascinated to see the stats for this month.

[Ross Andrew Hemphill]

God I'm glad to be back on here!! Finally finished my exams and have countless hours to see what's happening in the world of weather! This warm spell looks quite promising although so have many others and England and Wales end up with the lions share...

[Big Innes Madori]

God I'm glad to be back on here!! Finally finished my exams and have countless hours to see what's happening in the world of weather! This warm spell looks quite promising although so have many others and England and Wales end up with the lions share...

Grrr the Bassas!

Big Hopeful Innes

[SW Saltire]

Have you not got your first cut in yet NL? All fields have had silage taken from them here now. Slowly but surely we are getting there, behind normal but not by much. The anticipated warm weather 3/4th June onwards will bring us back up to normal levels.

Only 7.5c and wet when I was outside working about 11am. A little better now at 11.2c, frequent showers with spells of strong sunshine thereafter. A bit meh, fine in early April (reminds me of then) but 6 weeks on... C'mon!

Forecast does look good for is, just a little delayed on E&W. Should be hitting 20s in 7-10 days. Fingers crossed

[Northernlights]

Have you not got your first cut in yet NL? All fields have had silage taken from them here now. Slowly but surely we are getting there, behind normal but not by much. The anticipated warm weather 3/4th June onwards will bring us back up to normal levels.

Only 7.5c and wet when I was outside working about 11am. A little better now at 11.2c, frequent showers with spells of strong sunshine thereafter. A bit meh, fine in early April (reminds me of then) but 6 weeks on... C'mon!

Forecast does look good for is, just a little delayed on E&W. Should be hitting 20s in 7-10 days. Fingers crossed

No silage cut here yet not even the progressive farms down at the coast .Any I pass is thick but  very short and is getting nearer heading all the time as the plant seeks to survive to another season and for this reason I think you will see a huge amount cut next week but with below average yields. I expect everyone will be hoping the second cuts will be good but if dry weather arrives  next week then moisture will limit them too.At dentist this morning in Forres and he was saying the greenkeepers  on the golf course are getting hardly any grass to cut so this backs up my thoughts. Showers of hail today and currently 9c. There was fresh snow on the hills above 2500 feet all round the Firth first thing this morning when it was 4c here. I am expecting  a ground frost  here tonight and would say we are about two weeks behind normal with plant growth and this gets even worse as you go further north.

Edited May 28, 2015 by Northernlights

[Ross Andrew Hemphill]

High pressure wiggling its way in. If the jet wasn't so strong we'd be fine! I need some sun and heat!!

 

[SW Saltire]

Cheers for the reply NL. I think we have a fair bit of moisture in the ground so hopefully some heat will make it take off...

[Hairy Celt]

We had a bright start in the far north this morning (5C) but things went downhill steadily and it's been more wet than dry since mid afternoon and although we got up to 11C late morning, it's back down to 5C again now and the sky is black.

 

Grasses that were sown last summer did ok in the back end but are struggling to do anything this year.  The woolly maggots are everywhere searching out a few new leaves and grabbing them before the lambs get a look in.  The forecast is for slightly higher temperatures from late next week but that's only a couple of weeks from midsummer.

[Guest]

We had a bright start in the far north this morning (5C) but things went downhill steadily and it's been more wet than dry since mid afternoon and although we got up to 11C late morning, it's back down to 5C again now and the sky is black.

 

Grasses that were sown last summer did ok in the back end but are struggling to do anything this year.  The woolly maggots are everywhere searching out a few new leaves and grabbing them before the lambs get a look in.  The forecast is for slightly higher temperatures from late next week but that's only a couple of weeks from midsummer.

 

There's still a good chunk of wet weather to get through before the warm up starts, Sunday and Monday look very wet and windy with a low pressure only moving slowly away before the warmer weather moves in.

 

The GFS has the high pressure set up nicely for the north and west of Scotland, I think it's going to be payback for the relatively good weather we've been having down here

[Northernlights]

Another cool morning but bright with a temperature of 6c. More fresh snow over 2000 feet on the surrounding hills. Still a tiny patch of snow on the Cawdor hills below 1500 feet the latest I have seen snow on these hills in over 50 years. See there are crevasses  forming on the ski runs at Glencoe with such huge depths begining to melt and slip down the mountain(a mini glacier?)

 

 

Looks as if my mothers saying "Spring does not happen in Scotland summer arrives on the 1st of June." may have some truth in it this year. (She was brought up in London but had an Aberdonian grandfather so knew what Scotland was like as a child)

[Hairy Celt]

Cold this morning

 

Another cool morning but bright with a temperature of 6c. More fresh snow over 2000 feet on the surrounding hills. Still a tiny patch of snow on the Cawdor hills below 1500 feet the latest I have seen snow on these hills in over 50 years. See there are crevasses  forming on the ski runs at Glencoe with such huge depths begining to melt and slip down the mountain(a mini glacier?)

 

 

Looks as if my mothers saying "Spring does not happen in Scotland summer arrives on the 1st of June." may have some truth in it this year. (She was brought up in London but had an Aberdonian grandfather so knew what Scotland was like as a child)

 

I'd adapt your mother's saying to 'There is no spring in the Highlands, it goes from crap winter to crap summer, just the timing's a bit variable'

 

4C here now, heavy showers all night.

Edited May 29, 2015 by Hairy Celt

[Richard Taylor]

Some pretty interesting clouds around Aberdeen at the moment. Airport TAF had the chance of a storm & it wouldn't surprise me looking out now.

[Richard Taylor]

We now have a hail shower (pea sized!)

[Richard Taylor]

Heavy shower of hail, one of my colleagues reported flash of lightning. Sorry, no camera

[Ravelin]

Nothing that dramatic out in Dyce. Rain showers on and off but haven't' heard any thunder.

[Richard Taylor]

Ground here (city centre) partly-white with the hail... long time since I've seen a hail shower like that! Worst of it away to our SE now.  

[Richard Taylor]

Checked the Aberdeen airport TAF, their last report (17mins ago granted!) said thunderstorm in vicinity. Still clouds about so we say yet see more action later.