Scotland Weather Discussion - 20th November 2015 and Onwards...

[GraemeB]

Absolutely peeing down through the Central belt to Glasgow M80/73/74/8 - pretty much every matrix sign displaying "Snow Forecast" warnings though.

Can't see it myself....

[Paul]

10cm's or so of lying snow here this morning

[snawbaw]

Over 200mm of snaw!!!!! Now to try to get to work.

[Northernlights]

Exceptionally icy out there today after sleet falling onto frozen surfaces last night. Currently overcast and 0c.   

 In spite of this daffs are coming through both in the garden and in pots at the back door Snow lying  all around down to about 600 feet

[Hairy Celt]

Stayed above 0C and no ppn to speak of recently.  Poor show from this set up as usual.  ZZZZZZZZZZzz

[Ravelin]

Despite temperature of around zero it was definitely raining when I went to bed last night. So it was a bit of a surprise when I looked outside this morning to see a decent covering of wet snow. It looked a bit better than these snapshots taken just now from my cam. 

[NUT]

Dreich sums it up. Not pouring with rain. That drizzly type and quite misty. A little chilly but nothing bad

[Paul]

A few from this morning

 

 

[Polar Maritime]

Yes looking lovely in parts of the Highlands today. I'll be up climbing hopefully when winter 'proper' arrives.

 

[Paul]

Funny enough drove past the person taking these photos - whereas I was out with my mobile phone, he had waders on, the full photography kit and was standing in the loch to take some of them, that's going the extra mile 

[NorthernRab]

Deary me, the TOORPing in the model discussion thread has reached biblical proportions this year to the extent that everyone's happily acting as though they're not TOORPing. 

[Northern Strath]

52 minutes ago, NorthernRab said:

Deary me, the TOORPing in the model discussion thread has reached biblical proportions this year to the extent that everyone's happily acting as though they're not TOORPing. 

I wouldn't throw toys out here, they'd get lost in the snow..

Been a decent wee spell. Had snow cover since Thursday, sat night dropped to -6C, yesterday it was -5C at midday, got another 10-12cms last night to top up the cover, winter ticking over nicely in the Heelands 

[Ravelin]

It's funny isn't it. I know the models currently lack any sort of 'excitement' but the reality is that north of the border at least it's been a half-decent start to the winter, especially in comparison to recently winters. Even as the 'December is a right-off' posts were going up parts of Ireland and even some areas of England were seeing lying snow, and it's not even half way through December yet.

[snawbaw]

Aye but in the MT it only counts as a 'proper' winter if you have ten foot of snow and you live somewhere south of the Watford Gap.

We haven't had as many days of falling and lying snow pre-Hogmanay for quite a few years.  Yes, we've had some mild days in there too but there's been seasonal weather akin to winter generally since winter truly began, doesn't have to be snow does it?  Can't some folk just be happy with the weather they get (except disastrous flooding obviously), a wee bit of cheer for the variation that comes with living in Great Britain.  Hope casting and moaning about hopecasts are such a load of old pish, honestly, you're a long time deid! 

Incidentally it was the same last winter and the one before that and...a pattern emerges.

Here's a pic of some winter snow today, somewhere very north of the Watford Gap. Did I say it was well over 200mm deep and still here.  Hopefully at least until tomorrow morning anyway.  Rant over, I'm away to play in the snow.

[Northernlights]

 I know I"ll sound like Old Father Time but as I have said before it helps to   be 600 miles or so nearer the Arctic Circle when it comes to looking for cold weather almost at any time of the year so we in Scotland are always going to have more winter than the the south of the UK.

A very dank dreary dark day here with a maximum temperature of 1c.

 

[peborant]

59 minutes ago, snawbaw said:

51 minutes ago, Northernlights said:

 I know I"ll sound like Old Father Time but as I have said before it helps to   be 600 miles or so nearer the Arctic Circle when it comes to looking for cold weather almost at any time of the year so we in Scotland are always going to have more winter than the the south of the UK.

A very dank dreary dark day here with a maximum temperature of 1c.

 

 

True stuff - even a 100 miles matter at this stage, look at us in the tropical Central Belt; no snow lying below 150m so far this season and a total non-event last night with pishing rain at 0º. Not even the hills had a covering below 400m this morning, at least in southern facing slopes and you could tell that there had been some melting going on. 

 

Even so another fairly wintry day with a max of 4.5º and a min. of 1.9º in the Academy, have not bothered with the sensor today but as it has been quite dull I do not think the impact of the building has affected the readings beyond the acceptable +-1º range. 

Also, 4.5mm, could not have two dry days in a row, could we now!

[Frost HoIIow]

37 minutes ago, Northernlights said:

 I know I"ll sound like Old Father Time but as I have said before it helps to   be 600 miles or so nearer the Arctic Circle when it comes to looking for cold weather almost at any time of the year so we in Scotland are always going to have more winter than the the south of the UK.

A very dank dreary dark day here with a maximum temperature of 1c.

 

Scotland tends to get more PM/Northerly incursions but they rarely bring extreme temps nor is the snow long lasting on low ground with the exception of December 1995, there's also parts of Scotland that don't do well for snow at all like Glasgow and some other lowland areas. England tends to do better than Scotland with Siberian Continental air from the east and snow tends to settle at all levels with this wind direction because air from the east has a much lower dew point than the wetter type of snow from PM air. The Pennines can get absolutely hammered in an easterly flow. North-East England got 7 feet of level snow in March 1947 and I believe the drifts were more than triple that. It's just a pity that this wind direction is a rare beast otherwise Pennine England would give most of Scotland a run for the money. But yes overall especially with height you tend to get more snow mostly from PM/Northerly incursions.

[Ǝssex Ǝasterly]

I need to emigrate! In the south some places are looking at 16c with cloud and drizzle, and even 17/18c if the sun breaks through 

[Zenarcher]

Satellite images,

Friday

Saturday

 

Sunday

Today

[Hairy Celt]

Like NL, a dreary, cold day on the Black Isle with very little snow - last night's drop barely made it across the Beauly Firth.

Now driven north, through Easter Ross smog and fine rain, then up the freezing strath and lots of ice (tested the winter tyres a few times) and hoar frost to the north coast west of Thurso.  The cottage looks like the temp's not been above freezing for a couple of days, thick crunchy frost underfoot.  Saw Brer Fox trying to separate a sheep from a flock...

Got rain at Kinbrace with a temp of -1.5C

[NorthernRab]

2 hours ago, Medlock Vale said:

Scotland tends to get more PM/Northerly incursions but they rarely bring extreme temps nor is the snow long lasting on low ground with the exception of December 1995, there's also parts of Scotland that don't do well for snow at all like Glasgow and some other lowland areas. England tends to do better than Scotland with Siberian Continental air from the east and snow tends to settle at all levels with this wind direction because air from the east has a much lower dew point than the wetter type of snow from PM air. The Pennines can get absolutely hammered in an easterly flow. North-East England got 7 feet of level snow in March 1947 and I believe the drifts were more than triple that. It's just a pity that this wind direction is a rare beast otherwise Pennine England would give most of Scotland a run for the money. But yes overall especially with height you tend to get more snow mostly from PM/Northerly incursions.

i don't think he'd deny some of that, he's just pointing out that Scotland is the snowier / colder country due to its more northerly latitude and it's more mountainous terrain. There's a reason this thread often has its own microclimate of positivity and that it's quite a bustling wee place!

And there have been a fair few snowy Scottish Decembers, more than just that of 95 at any rate and a recent few spring to mind as fairly big examples of that!

Edited December 14, 2015 by NorthernRab

[Frost HoIIow]

49 minutes ago, NorthernRab said:

i don't think he'd deny some of that, he's just pointing out that Scotland is the snowier / colder country due to its more northerly latitude and it's more mountainous terrain. There's a reason this thread often has its own microclimate of positivity and that it's quite a bustling wee place!

And there have been a fair few snowy Scottish Decembers, more than just that of 95 at any rate and a recent few spring to mind as fairly big examples of that!

I'm certainly not denying that Scotland on the whole is snowier especially on high ground - that is obvious you have higher mountains. I just wanted to point out some meteorological reasons where England does better - with an easterly. And that there are exceptions to Scotland's colder and snowier reputation. Like, for example, I singled out Glasgow and other low land places in Scotland which don't tend to get much in most situations. In fact I think Newcastle in England is a snowier city than Glasgow for example. Yet Newcastle is not high ground at all. Newcastle does quite well for easterly's, but better still places just a few miles more inland. And to some extent Newcastle can get some decent snow from Northerly's too. Would Scotland do just as good with smaller hills/mountains? No way. The seas/gulf stream around the UK moderate the weather a great deal no matter how far North you are. I think without the mountainous terrain Scotland wouldn't do half as good as it does. I think the reality is most towns & cities of Scotland have not seen lying snow in the past few days. For how far North all the UK is we really should do much better for cold and snow than we do given everywhere from Cornwall to Shetland is closer to the North Pole than the Equator.

Edited December 14, 2015 by Medlock Vale

[NorthernRab]

20 minutes ago, Medlock Vale said:

I'm certainly not denying that Scotland on the whole is snowier especially on high ground - that is obvious you have higher mountains. I just wanted to point out some meteorological reasons where England does better - with an easterly. And that there are exceptions to Scotland's colder and snowier reputation. Like, for example, I singled out Glasgow and other low land places in Scotland which don't tend to get much in most situations. In fact I think Newcastle in England is a snowier city than Glasgow for example. Yet Newcastle is not high ground at all. Newcastle does quite well for easterly's, but better still places just a few miles more inland. And to some extent Newcastle can get some decent snow from Northerly's too. Would Scotland do just as good with smaller hills/mountains? No way. The seas/gulf stream around the UK moderate the weather a great deal no matter how far North you are. I think without the mountainous terrain Scotland wouldn't do half as good as it does. I think the reality is most towns & cities of Scotland have not seen lying snow in the past few days. For how far North all the UK is we really should do much better for cold and snow than we do given everywhere from Cornwall to Shetland is closer to the North Pole than the Equator.

Aye and if my auntie had kn**kers she'd be my uncle! 

Best not to dwell too much on such things man. All these things would of course make Scotland a less snowy country and more in line with England, but they've been a part of Scotland and its landscape for much longer than us Scots have and that's just the way of it  

[Sunshineandshowers84]

Snow in Glasgow is rare and as said above Newcastle gets more days of snow and snowfall than Glasgow gets.. Glasgow City Centre see's little if any snowfall in certain years and only the outskirts of the City see more.. Ayr is another place that gets a covering of snow every 5-10 years if your lucky.. 

[Norrance]

35 minutes ago, Medlock Vale said:

I'm certainly not denying that Scotland on the whole is snowier especially on high ground - that is obvious you have higher mountains. I just wanted to point out some meteorological reasons where England does better - with an easterly. And that there are exceptions to Scotland's colder and snowier reputation. Like, for example, I singled out Glasgow and other low land places in Scotland which don't tend to get much in most situations. In fact I think Newcastle in England is a snowier city than Glasgow for example. Yet Newcastle is not high ground at all. Newcastle does quite well for easterly's, but better still places just a few miles more inland. And to some extent Newcastle can get some decent snow from Northerly's too. Would Scotland do just as good with smaller hills/mountains? No way. The seas/gulf stream around the UK moderate the weather a great deal no matter how far North you are. I think without the mountainous terrain Scotland wouldn't do half as good as it does. I think the reality is most towns & cities of Scotland have not seen lying snow in the past few days. For how far North all the UK is we really should do much better for cold and snow than we do given everywhere from Cornwall to Shetland is closer to the North Pole than the Equator.

Nevertheless Scotland because of its latitude is more likely to be North of the jet stream / Polar front and so is more often in the cold air. Westerlies can give significant cold. My area had -20C in Jan 1984 in a Westerly regime. In Easterlies the Eastern Highlands and borders have similar weather to NE England. March 47 brought 7 mtr drifts to Highland Perthshire and Angus too.

Meanwhile temps are on the rise this evening after another cold day. Now 4.1C.