Winter 2015/16.

[damianslaw]

Despite what looks like ending up the mildest winter on record, we have managed to go down as low as -14.5 degrees or thereabouts in Braemar overnight Sat/Sunday - a colder min than in a number of winters. So not bad at all. Indeed absolute mins have been colder on occasion that in winter 13/14 which barely delivered a frost here. What has made this winter so mild is the exceptional mild maxima in Dec and late Jan, and the very mild minima in Dec. December was an extraordinary month, abnormal and unique in every sense of the word. Badging the 14-21 Jan and now the 12-19 Feb means together, we will have seen a half decent 2 week chilly spell, but completely cancelled out by about 9 of very mild.

A similar season was spring 2011 - the exceptional warmth in April.

[Evening thunder]

20 hours ago, Summer Sun said:

-5.2c made it Northern Ireland's coldest night of winter so far

 

 

 

 

 

 

so I recorded a lower minimum this morning here in balmy Devon (-5.3C) than anywhere in NI over the whole winter.. hehe (sorry couldn't resist) 

 

10 hours ago, damianslaw said:

Despite what looks like ending up the mildest winter on record, we have managed to go down as low as -14.5 degrees or thereabouts in Braemar overnight Sat/Sunday - a colder min than in a number of winters. So not bad at all. Indeed absolute mins have been colder on occasion that in winter 13/14 which barely delivered a frost here. What has made this winter so mild is the exceptional mild maxima in Dec and late Jan, and the very mild minima in Dec. December was an extraordinary month, abnormal and unique in every sense of the word. Badging the 14-21 Jan and now the 12-19 Feb means together, we will have seen a half decent 2 week chilly spell, but completely cancelled out by about 9 of very mild.

A similar season was spring 2011 - the exceptional warmth in April.

We have had a couple notably lower minima than in Jan or Feb 2014 here, though also winter 2012/13 here which was almost as bad as 2013/14 for absolute minima, and frost numbers in December and January.. Seems this area has a bit of a funny microclimate sometimes.

Edited February 16, 2016 by Evening thunder

[Summer Sun]

A chilly week next week as winter draws to a close but not much in the way of rain

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/35621413

[I remember Atlantic 252]

1 hour ago, Summer Sun said:

A chilly week next week as winter draws to a close but not much in the way of rain

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/35621413

good hope it comes off, but dry weather tends to downgrade, rain seems to always pop up

[Snowyowl9]

On ‎2‎/‎15‎/‎2016 at 9:46 PM, damianslaw said:

Despite what looks like ending up the mildest winter on record, we have managed to go down as low as -14.5 degrees or thereabouts in Braemar overnight Sat/Sunday - a colder min than in a number of winters. So not bad at all. Indeed absolute mins have been colder on occasion that in winter 13/14 which barely delivered a frost here. What has made this winter so mild is the exceptional mild maxima in Dec and late Jan, and the very mild minima in Dec. December was an extraordinary month, abnormal and unique in every sense of the word. Badging the 14-21 Jan and now the 12-19 Feb means together, we will have seen a half decent 2 week chilly spell, but completely cancelled out by about 9 of very mild.

A similar season was spring 2011 - the exceptional warmth in April.

Thanks or no thanks to that crackers exceptionally mild december 20.2c currently I make it,2006-07 ended up 19.3c and the last mildest,despite a very heavy snowfall in February.

More grass this winter than I`ve ever seen,but theres no goodness in it this time of year,but does look like the colder air is coming in more now second half of feb into march as the atlantic drops off with more propped up highs.

Late edit of course the CET does not represent the whole country and the north this year have had a pretty cold winter in comparison with the south unlike 1988-89 when the whole of the country endured very mild,so 1988-89 is still the mildest winter on record.

Edited February 20, 2016 by Snowyowl9

[Wildswimmer Pete]

Noticed the number of daisys blooming in our local playing fields, here we generally only expect daisys in April not February.

[Snowyowl9]

Well its going to hit the flowers from now on as this best looking cold spell of the winter looks like coming,snow will be a bonus.

Edited February 21, 2016 by Snowyowl9

[Costa Del Fal]

Quite a few trees well into budding here, daffs out and snowdrops seen etc.

Edited February 21, 2016 by Costa Del Fal

[reef]

The daffs have been out since December here and several trees were budding back then too.

Ironic that potentially the coldest spell of the winter is right at the end and into the start of spring. It seems to be the way in El Nino winters.

[Costa Del Fal]

11 minutes ago, reef said:

The daffs have been out since December here and several trees were budding back then too.

Ironic that potentially the coldest spell of the winter is right at the end and into the start of spring. It seems to be the way in El Nino winters.

Yes, daffs and some sprouting has happened for some time here too. Just now there is a lot of it happening.

[I remember Atlantic 252]

5 hours ago, Costa Del Fal said:

Yes, daffs and some sprouting has happened for some time here too. Just now there is a lot of it happening.

Thing I have definitely noticed as winters become milder, in 90's it used to be April, then March, and now Feb, in 5 years likely to be creeping forward, to maybe early Feb

[MP-R]

Daffodils often came out early in the 90s as most of the winters were on the milder side. The 2000s and 2010s have also seen daffodils come out in February but also a fair share much later. I remember daffodils out in early Feb 2007 and by mid Feb in 2008 but in 2011 they weren't out until March and 2010 the tail end of March.

[Cheshire Freeze]

22 hours ago, Snowyowl9 said:

Well its going to hit the flowers from now on as this best looking cold spell of the winter looks like coming,snow will be a bonus.

Some of the minima look low, perhaps very low for some. Not much new buds or flowering plants can do to stave off temps below about -4 or -5.

[Weather-history]

13 hours ago, MP-R said:

Daffodils often came out early in the 90s as most of the winters were on the milder side. 

They sure did.

By contrast

2nd report on the late arrival of spring bulbs of 2010

 

 

Edited February 22, 2016 by Weather-history
M,

[Summer Sun]

Northern Ireland had its coldest night of winter so far last night dropping to -6.5°c at Katesbridge

[Summer Sun]

Quote

Early statistics for winter 2015/16 show that the season has been wet and warm, and record-breaking for some

It's shaping up to be the second wettest winter for the UK and the warmest on record for England and Wales in records going back to 1910.

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/news/releases/2016/winter-stats?WT.mc_id=Twitter_News_Pressrelease

[damianslaw]

Only 3 days left of what has been an awful winter in the main here, every bit as bad as the exceptional winter of 13/14, worse in terms of rainfalls, but less so in terms of storms.

Suspect it will end up the wettest on record here, also quite possibly one of the dullest, and certainly nearly the warmest. Last couple of weeks, and the 14-21 Jan period excepted, its been a shocker. Good riddance.

[Nick L]

Yep, a truly appalling winter. However, not as bad as 13/14 for me as I've had far less rain and actually saw some snow.

[phil nw.]

Yep too much rain made worse by the number of grey overcast days even when it didn't rain.As others have said a lack of cold high pressure,even a mid-latitude one,to give some bright frosty days was sorely lacking let alone days of snow.

Just the one brief period in mid-January with snow lying here-

a 2 day event before the mild dross returned.

Not a Winter that i will look back on with fond memories. 

 

-

Edited February 27, 2016 by phil nw.

[Froze were the Days]

Thought I saw a snow flake in a brief light shower the other day but that's been about it, agree with Nick L 2013/14 seemed to be more of an abomination than this winter, endless days of rain and few frosts (though generally slightly less mild only due to the ridiculous December this winter).

Overall since mid-January there has been feeble attempts at trying to get some cold in and there have been more frequent frosts of late.

2013/14: 1.5/10  2014/15: 3.5/10  2015/16: 2.5/10

[I remember Atlantic 252]

1 hour ago, Nick L said:

Yep, a truly appalling winter. However, not as bad as 13/14 for me as I've had far less rain and actually saw some snow.

happy b'day nick! yes here not as bad as 2013/14, a few washouts, worst 17th Feb, bit more snow

[chrisbell-nottheweatherman]

50 minutes ago, Froze were the Days said:

2013/14: 1.5/10  2014/15: 3.5/10  2015/16: 2.5/10

Much the same as my ratings.  This winter saw falling snow twice, with snow grains on cars once overnight.  There were a few air frosts, and a few more ground frosts, so not as bad as it ould have been given that December saw almost no sun at all.

[Summer Sun]

NASA / NOAA map showing the snow cover over northern Scotland

Edited February 27, 2016 by Summer Sun

[Hotspur62]

Yep as others have said as this winter draws to a close it will be another very disappointing one for cold and snow lovers, espicially so for those Midlands Southwards. It is funny how that is 3rd winter on trot that has been mild and wet  and yet prior to that we had 4 out of previous 5 winters that saw pretty good nationwide snow events. Be interesting to see if Ian P"s Spring forecast proves right as if it does then at least the North of UK can salvage something from this very poor winter.   

[cheeky_monkey]

it has been a  very mild and relatively dry winter in my location..saw a bit of sleet fall for about 5 mins in January and only had 2 nights that fell below 0c which must be some kind of record?