Spring moans, ramps, chat and banter

[mushymanrob]

1 hour ago, Weather-history said:

That is the problem with easterlies. You need a cold pool to tap into otherwise they deliver little. Who remembers March 1996? There wasn't a lot of snow but that was a very easterly month. Most days were cloudy and cool and that was it. The North Sea despite being cold didn't do anything other than making  sure  any winds were nagging.

indeed, cold nagging overcast but dry easterlies in march/april are far more common (at least here in derby) then anything snowy. easterly snow (that settles) in march is much rarer then these overcast dull cold days.

[IanR]

I hate easterlies in march,  pointless faux cold , stratus laden boring fest, although that cloud tends to break  sometimes on this side of the pennines

[March Blizzard]

4 hours ago, I remember Atlantic 252 said:

Agree about Feb being coldest month and Dec warmest, but isn't that only because of frequency of Atlantic air/low pressure? surely if we had exactly same setup mid Dec and mid Feb, mid Dec would be colder, seas colder also in Feb, colder still in march

I get what you are saying in that February is probably more prone to winds from an Easterly/Northerly quadrant than December, so therefore has the more favourable conditions for colder weather than a Westerly/Southerly December. However, I'd still assert that the exact same set up in mid Dec and mid Feb would be colder in the latter for a variety of reasons.

Mid February is in what I think of as the "core" of winter, the coldest 6 weeks, being January to mid Feb. December and second half of Feb, despite being winter and still capable of very low temperatures, fall outside of that period in which we historically have seen the coldest temperatures.

As I said, the setup in December 2010 was as near perfect as you could get for cold, and it was of course very cold, but not colder than Feb 1986 and nowhere near as cold as Feb 1947. That late Nov/Dec 2010 setup, picked up and dropped into late Jan/February, would have probably returned a February CET around the -1.2C mark in my opinion, as opposed to the -0.7C of Dec 2010.

 

[snowblizzard]

2015/2016 officially the warmest winter (England & Wales) on record!

R.I.P. UK Winter 

Edited February 28, 2016 by snowblizzard

[markyo]

At least we are having a extended spell of much more pleasant colder conditions,long may it continue. Lovely crisp walk,so much more refreshing to the stinking warmth of summer,everything seems just so much more cleaner and enjoyable. Here's to a cool summer with only the odd hot spell,that would be perfect.

[Weather-history]

 

2 minutes ago, March Blizzard said:

I get what you are saying in that February is probably more prone to winds from an Easterly/Northerly quadrant than December, so therefore has the more favourable conditions for colder weather than a Westerly/Southerly December. However, I'd still assert that the exact same set up in mid Dec and mid Feb would be colder in the latter for a variety of reasons.

Mid February is in what I think of as the "core" of winter, the coldest 6 weeks, being January to mid Feb. December and second half of Feb, despite being winter and still capable of very low temperatures, fall outside of that period in which we historically have seen the coldest temperatures.

As I said, the setup in December 2010 was as near perfect as you could get for cold, and it was of course very cold, but not colder than Feb 1986 and nowhere near as cold as Feb 1947. That late Nov/Dec 2010 setup, picked up and dropped into late Jan/February, would have probably returned a February CET around the -1.2C mark in my opinion, as opposed to the -0.7C of Dec 2010.

 

Late November  to Christmas 2010 was actually -1.5C, colder than February 1986. The coldest 31 day period did not coincide with the month.  So if it were a month later, it probably would have been even colder. 

[IanR]

indeed, the nuisance factor faux cold sticking around now is adding salt into the wound for fans of real cold and snow, just go away and lets have spring in, you had your chance winter and failed , now naff off

[March Blizzard]

10 minutes ago, markyo said:

At least we are having a extended spell of much more pleasant colder conditions,long may it continue. Lovely crisp walk,so much more refreshing to the stinking warmth of summer,everything seems just so much more cleaner and enjoyable. Here's to a cool summer with only the odd hot spell,that would be perfect.

Agree with the first part of that completely. I love cold nights/frost at this time of year, and the potential for large diurnal temperature ranges, a common feature of late February and March. So much better than Atlantic driven cloud and rain, with almost static temperatures throughout. 

If we can't have a genuine cold spell, then I'll take cool, calm and clear gladly.

[markyo]

44 minutes ago, March Blizzard said:

Agree with the first part of that completely. I love cold nights/frost at this time of year, and the potential for large diurnal temperature ranges, a common feature of late February and March. So much better than Atlantic driven cloud and rain, with almost static temperatures throughout. 

If we can't have a genuine cold spell, then I'll take cool, calm and clear gladly.

When i ment cool summer i was talking about temps in mid 20's and no awful so called spanish plumes which imo are possibly the worst aspect of the uk weather,so uncomfortable and make your working day a real pain. This time of year weather like this makes for so much more usable weather if the atlantic crap keeps its place well away from our shore!

[Costa Del Fal]

5 minutes ago, markyo said:

When i ment cool summer i was talking about temps in mid 20's and no awful so called spanish plumes which imo are possibly the worst aspect of the uk weather,so uncomfortable and make your working day a real pain. This time of year weather like this makes for so much more usable weather if the atlantic crap keeps its place well away from our shore!

Good job that Spanish plumes are as rare as snow in recent years then! Last summer was ridiculously cool imo on the whole aside from that freak day of strong heat on the 1st July. 

Recent summers seem to have the heat stuck at around Calais and cannot come any further north! So frustrating but it seems high pressure can never really set up on the continental land mass during summer, allowing Atlantic lows to barrel through and thus veering winds west of south and just making everything 'meh'.

[mushymanrob]

.... so if we vote out of europe, will we stop getting european weather linke spanish plumes?...lol

[markyo]

22 minutes ago, mushymanrob said:

.... so if we vote out of europe, will we stop getting european weather linke spanish plumes?...lol

Oh one would so wish!! I'll be voting out then!!!

[stainesbloke]

29 minutes ago, mushymanrob said:

.... so if we vote out of europe, will we stop getting european weather linke spanish plumes?...lol

Stop getting Spanish plumes? That happened about a decade ago!

I love heat and storms in the summer so I suppose I'll be voting to stay in 

 

[Thundery wintry showers]

In late-February the stronger sun tends to prevent excessively low daytime maxima and results in snow cover tending not to hang around for as long as in December, January or early February.  However, in some parts of the UK, particularly coastal parts of the west and south, late-February is close to the peak time of year for falling and lying snow, since the surrounding seas traditionally get to their coolest.

A similar synoptic setup around 22 March 2006 delivered lower temperatures than what we've been having during the past week.  I think the culprit is the excessive warmth up in the Arctic.  It wasn't quite record-breaking up there during November and December, but since that warm plume at the very end of December, it's easily been record warm.  The current northerly outbreak was preceded by another warm plume around the Barents Sea, with temperatures of up to 0C at Franz Josef Land when the long-term average is around -25C and most recent years have been around -15 to -20C.  Sea ice in the Barents Sea is massively down on anything that we've seen previously in late-February, even compared with the exceptionally warm Barents Sea winter of 2011/12.

Current model outputs have colder weather establishing around Greenland in the coming week or two, but it stays anomalously warm from Svalbard eastwards.  I am seeing potential in the model outputs for some marginal snow events on Friday from a westerly, before, ahem, milder air moves down from the north.  

Edited February 28, 2016 by Thundery wintry showers

[Frosty.]

2 hours ago, stainesbloke said:

Stop getting Spanish plumes? 

 

I love Spanish plums..but especially plumes!

[SLEETY]

On 27/02/2016 at 0:23 PM, mountain shadow said:

 

so looks like march yet again going to be colder than any of the winter months ,so thats two marches in three years to achieve this,quite extraordinary

[Frosty.]

3 minutes ago, SLEETY said:

so looks like march yet again going to be colder than any of the winter months ,so thats two marches in three years to achieve this,quite extraordinary

Well it puts December to shame, that's for sure.. the warmest December for 357 years!

[SLEETY]

10 minutes ago, Frosty. said:

Well it puts December to shame, that's for sure.. the warmest December for 357 years!

yeah hahah,we need a winter month to be the coldest for 357 years,its about time !!!

[Frosty.]

1 minute ago, SLEETY said:

yeah hahah,we need a winter month to be the coldest for 357 years,its about time !!!

Absolutely agree! Anyway the models show a chilly early spring. Winter arrives, better late than never.

[mushymanrob]

"its not sprinklike"?

lets see

lengthening daylight?.... check

strengthening sun?....... check

fresh spring air?............ check

birds singing springtime mating calls?.... check

springtime flowers and blossoms in bloom?.... check

warming up?................. not really

seems to me the only springtime element that doesnt fit the springtime description are temeratures, and as we all know seasons are not determined by temperatures alone! so please dont tell me its not springlike, because apart from temperatures it certainly IS!

[Frosty.]

29 minutes ago, mushymanrob said:

"its not sprinklike"?

lets see

lengthening daylight?.... check

strengthening sun?....... check

fresh spring air?............ check

birds singing springtime mating calls?.... check

springtime flowers and blossoms in bloom?.... check

warming up?................. not really

seems to me the only springtime element that doesnt fit the springtime description are temperatures, and as we all know seasons are not determined by temperatures alone! so please dont tell me its not springlike, because apart from temperatures it certainly IS!

HEHE mushy gr8 post

I'm not fighting the arrival of spring, far from it because it looks like March will be much more wintry than December although since December 2015 was the warmest December for 357 years since records began..that wouldn't be difficult would it?

[ManiaMuse]

1 hour ago, mushymanrob said:

"its not sprinklike"?

lets see

lengthening daylight?.... check

strengthening sun?....... check

fresh spring air?............ check

birds singing springtime mating calls?.... check

springtime flowers and blossoms in bloom?.... check

warming up?................. not really

seems to me the only springtime element that doesnt fit the springtime description are temeratures, and as we all know seasons are not determined by temperatures alone! so please dont tell me its not springlike, because apart from temperatures it certainly IS!

On the money really, had more sunshine in the last couple of weeks than most of December and January together. Some cloudy starts but sun has been poking through more often than not by lunchtime when I get out of the office to eat my lunch.

Plus it's been fairly dry, if it was warmer it would probably be wet at the same time.

[Bristawl Si]

Cant stand cold March or April. Brings nowt down here other than nagging cold that aint quite cold enough for snow, if there's precipitation about.

There have been a few exceptions in my lifetime but i reckon i could count them on one hand.

[Liam J]

4 hours ago, mushymanrob said:

"its not sprinklike"?

lets see

lengthening daylight?.... check

strengthening sun?....... check

fresh spring air?............ check

birds singing springtime mating calls?.... check

springtime flowers and blossoms in bloom?.... check

warming up?................. not really

seems to me the only springtime element that doesnt fit the springtime description are temeratures, and as we all know seasons are not determined by temperatures alone! so please dont tell me its not springlike, because apart from temperatures it certainly IS!

Starting to feel very pleasant in the afternoon sun despite having chilly air in place, the sun making short work of frost now. Noticed the birds are singing a lot more over the last week or so, spring flowers coming through and some folk round here have cut their grass for the first time since last year and it's still February. Looking at my lawns looks like I'll have to do the same pretty soon! Seasons definitely on the change with all the sights and sounds of spring slowly emerging, not that we really had a proper winter! 

Edited February 28, 2016 by *Sub*Zero*

[Mokidugway]

15 mile walk today , 6 hours of pure Spring