Scotland Weather discussion

[mardatha]

HC, I hope you ran back oot to that poor slug wi a bit of lettuce

[Wee County Exile]

Good morning from Stavanger - a dull and relatively mild start - around 5 degrees with very light winds. Off to Oslo later today - naturally it will be a good bit colder as I head east - albeit as I will be back in Scotland Thursday evening I will miss the real cold air digging in thereafter. Perhaps a taste of what is coming our way next week ?

I’ve tried to wade through the model thread this morning to get an update on how things will pan out. Have given up as the vast majority of it is well over my head and every second post seems to contradict the preceding one lol

[LomondSnowstorm]

Morning folks, long time no see! I've been busy with the new job (which is something of a dream job combining weather forecasting and the railway but also not the most sociable hours), and now living in Glasgow which will be a novel experience in terms of snow chasing. 

 

I think we're in a relatively good place as far as snow chasing, certainly as good as we've had since 2010 (though bearing in mind there were a couple of years since where we had a watered down version of this which fell apart) - the worse versions of the medium term from the GFS are still fairly promising at least in terms of inland snowfall with a modest bit of elevation, and the European model has the fastest and cleanest evolution to deep cold we could really ask for 

 

Ensemble mean is as good as you'll see too, a textbook negative NAO setup with a northeasterly flow. 

 

I do think that things will become a bit less clean closer to the time, and we're very much fighting with the very mild ssts which mean the bar for snow is higher than the usual rules of thumb (though also likely pep up the showers) but given the starting point it's hard to think of a more promising outlook to start winter. 

[Sceptical]

BBC weather picking up on the colder conditions for next week. Snow showers for Aviemore from Wednesday 7th December onwards. If the forecast holds.....

[Hawesy]

4 hours ago, LomondSnowstorm said:

I do think that things will become a bit less clean closer to the time, and we're very much fighting with the very mild ssts which mean the bar for snow is higher than the usual rules of thumb (though also likely pep up the showers) but given the starting point it's hard to think of a more promising outlook to start winter. 

Wow, things must be getting interesting if LS is back (great to hear from you). I can translate the above paragraph: “forget about seeing any snow @Hawesy”

Actually in East Neuk terms the last snowfall was very recent (Feb 21). Have gone years between snowfalls before as regulars know.

A chilly 1.2c minimum this morning but still no air frost. Sun is out again in St Andrews, been a great few days.

 

[Sceptical]

Not weather related, but good news for winter sports types. The repairs to Cairngorm Funicular appear to be going well. Tram testing today with hopefully snow for the resort next week.

Edited November 30, 2022 by Sceptical

[Hairy Celt]

2 hours ago, Hawesy said:

Wow, things must be getting interesting if LS is back (great to hear from you). I can translate the above paragraph: “forget about seeing any snow @Hawesy”

Actually in East Neuk terms the last snowfall was very recent (Feb 21). Have gone years between snowfalls before as regulars know.

A chilly 1.2c minimum this morning but still no air frost. Sun is out again in St Andrews, been a great few days.

 

I share your pain. Some transient snow and a few cold grey days is about the best I dare hope for.

[Hairy Celt]

1 hour ago, Sceptical said:

Not weather related, but good news for winter sports types. The repairs to Cairngorm Funicular appear to be going well. Tram testing today with hopefully snow for the resort next week.

Hmm. More mess. It's a National Park and they treat it like a lowland construction site. Total lack of respect, lip service only. Words fail me.... but it's no surprise.

[Sceptical]

Met 10 day trender.

 

Best get this dusted off....

 

[SW Saltire]

Very chilly last few days. 

Yesterday didn't get above 4c during daylight hours due to the thick fog and today has been no warmer. Only my return home car was showing 1.5c at 4pm.

Feels very seasonal! Bring on the proper winter weather

[dryfie]

44 minutes ago, SW Saltire said:

Very chilly last few days. 

Yesterday didn't get above 4c during daylight hours due to the thick fog and today has been no warmer. Only my return home car was showing 1.5c at 4pm.

Feels very seasonal! Bring on the proper winter weather

Very much the same here Salty, except…..Both days dawned bright and clear with thick frost, but around 0900 freezing fog drifted up very slowly from the south, and then sat here all day.

Certainly not unprecedented, but noteworthy that current coldest place in UK, mountain tops included, is Charterhall.  Some fall from July grace!

[Hairy Celt]

In case you miss this...

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2022/nov/30/how-seasonal-lightning-varies-around-the-uk

Or, to get it from the horse's mouth: https://rmets.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/joc.7680

[Kirkcaldy Weather]

errr ECM  

[Norrance]

5 hours ago, Sceptical said:

Not weather related, but good news for winter sports types. The repairs to Cairngorm Funicular appear to be going well. Tram testing today with hopefully snow for the resort next week.

Imo the biggest mistake for skiers CML and HIE made was building the funicular and the abandonment of some of the old lifts. Really inefficient uplift when compared with gondolas (not cable cars) or modern multi chairs and also a much bigger waste of money. They had already gone out of fashion in the Alps. Also didn't take into account the wind and drifting at Cairngorm though that was one of their main reasons for building it in preference to the alternatives.
Ok for Summer tourists though.

A misty and rather cool day here. Max of 5C.

[Sceptical]

37 minutes ago, Norrance said:

Imo the biggest mistake for skiers CML and HIE made was building the funicular and the abandonment of some of the old lifts. Really inefficient uplift when compared with gondolas (not cable cars) or modern multi chairs and also a much bigger waste of money. They had already gone out of fashion in the Alps. Also didn't take into account the wind and drifting at Cairngorm though that was one of their main reasons for building it in preference to the alternatives.
Ok for Summer tourists though.

A misty and rather cool day here. Max of 5C.

Before the Funicular went tits up in 2018, I maybe averaged 10-15 days a season, the tram was extremely busy and I suspect attracted the more fussy skiers and boarders. The type that wouldn't normally visit Cairngorm. Not everyone is interested in the archaic drag lifts, especially those that have perhaps been spoiled by Euro ski trips.

The only reason I would entertain, revisiting Cairngorm would be once the Funicular is up and running.

I do get that the aesthetics might not be to everyone's taste, but I doubt any of the alternatives would have been better. 

 

 

[Scottish-Irish Skier]

1 hour ago, Norrance said:

Imo the biggest mistake for skiers CML and HIE made was building the funicular and the abandonment of some of the old lifts. Really inefficient uplift when compared with gondolas (not cable cars) or modern multi chairs and also a much bigger waste of money. They had already gone out of fashion in the Alps. Also didn't take into account the wind and drifting at Cairngorm though that was one of their main reasons for building it in preference to the alternatives.
Ok for Summer tourists though.

A misty and rather cool day here. Max of 5C.

Totally agree. 

Also, ski areas cover a teeny tiny part of the highlands. The most destructive force is rich people having the heather burnt to bravely shoot wee birds from next to a warm land rover loaded with cucumber sandwiches, after said birds have been guided towards them in their hundreds by lowly serfs marching up to their waists in freezing peat bogs for a pittance. 

Then we have overgrazing by that other favourite absentee landlords rifle target, the red deer. Bring back wolves! Also the sheep, put onto the land to replace those who used to live in the ruined croft remains scattered throughout, forcibly cleared in their thousands to 'send back letters from America'. 

But look what happens when that's undone! 

Anyone for some glade skiing?  At least before climate change puts paid to it!

Anyhoo, happy St. Andrew's day folks. A fitting day for me to check in for the winter now a greenie high has reared it's pretty head!

Finally proper frosty. 

Not much to report from fort SS of late, other than it ended up a good mushroom season when the rain finally came!

700g penny bun. Divine!

 

[Norrance]

42 minutes ago, Sceptical said:

Before the Funicular went tits up in 2018, I maybe averaged 10-15 days a season, the tram was extremely busy and I suspect attracted the more fussy skiers and boarders. The type that wouldn't normally visit Cairngorm. Not everyone is interested in the archaic drag lifts, especially those that have perhaps been spoiled by Euro ski trips.

The only reason I would entertain, revisiting Cairngorm would be once the Funicular is up and running.

I do get that the aesthetics might not be to everyone's taste, but I doubt any of the alternatives would have been better. 

 

 

Its not particularly the aesthetics for me. Just having been brought up with archaic drag lifts I now prefer the comfort of a gondola or modern chair as found in the Alps etc rather than waiting for the funicular to fill up. Anyway hopefully some much needed snow to come in the next few weeks!

edit. Anyone else see the BBC main weather tonight where Aviemore suddenly rose up a 100 mtrs or so? The presenter stating that it was between three and four hundred metres asl when talking about snow showers on higher ground next week.

Edited November 30, 2022 by Norrance

[Snowandrocks]

The funicular was a mistake from the beginning in my opinion (along with just about every decision made at Cairngorm over the last few decades). 

For the same cost they could have easily built a new car park at Glenmore and built a modern gondola up over the forest along with some strategic replacement of other lifts. 

[Hairy Celt]

Lol I'd forgotten how many skiers there are in here!

Skiing used to be the only sport that trashed the uplands - now joined by some off-track mountain bikers, rarely quad joyriding cretins, not that this is a sport... When I say trashing the uplands, what I mean is areas that are managed for an activity that has no regard for the habitat. If you look at a piste or much of the ground around the lifts in summer, you'll see how degraded the flora becomes after a few years. About 20 years ago I was commissioned by SNH (as it then was) to survey a small number in the eastern Highlands - it was pretty shocking really...

I fully take @Scottish-Irish Skier's point about the land take being pretty small. It is, in Scotland, but that doesn't make it right. It's also fairly insignificant when compared to the continuing ecological disaster of mismanagement for grouse shooting - predominantly eastern - and mismanagement for deer shooting - predominantly western and northern. I've spent far too much time in recent years surveying the latter especially, seeing how peat erosion continues and in some parts, accelerates. Frankly I find it disgusting that we - as a nation - don't do something about land management in the Highlands - but I don't include ski infrastructure in this. (Parts of the Alps are so much worse...) 

[Hairy Celt]

Might I get to use my snowshoes this winter?

[Polar Maritime]

29 minutes ago, Hairy Celt said:

Lol I'd forgotten how many skiers there are in here!

Skiing used to be the only sport that trashed the uplands - now joined by some off-track mountain bikers, rarely quad joyriding cretins, not that this is a sport... When I say trashing the uplands, what I mean is areas that are managed for an activity that has no regard for the habitat. If you look at a piste or much of the ground around the lifts in summer, you'll see how degraded the flora becomes after a few years. About 20 years ago I was commissioned by SNH (as it then was) to survey a small number in the eastern Highlands - it was pretty shocking really...

I fully take @Scottish-Irish Skier's point about the land take being pretty small. It is, in Scotland, but that doesn't make it right. It's also fairly insignificant when compared to the continuing ecological disaster of mismanagement for grouse shooting - predominantly eastern - and mismanagement for deer shooting - predominantly western and northern. I've spent far too much time in recent years surveying the latter especially, seeing how peat erosion continues and in some parts, accelerates. Frankly I find it disgusting that we - as a nation - don't do something about land management in the Highlands - but I don't include ski infrastructure in this. (Parts of the Alps are so much worse...) 

Can't not disagree with you, The Highlands have become a money magnet to please and drive folk up there, I remember when I was a young lad living in Strontian it was much different. The place was so wild and unpopulated, like going back in time.. it still is compaired to the South it's just very slowly catching up with many houses being purchased for holiday lets and folk from all over taking the opportunity to live there because of social media.

[Sceptical]

Meteorological winter begins with rain and 6c.

Edited December 1, 2022 by Sceptical

[Wee County Exile]

8 minutes ago, Sceptical said:

Meteorological winter begins with rain and 6c.

It’s beginning for me in Oslo with dull and cold weather just above freezing. Home to Westhill tonight before it gets significantly colder here. Looking like we are in for some snow in Aberdeenshire by this time next week ?

[Sceptical]

4 minutes ago, Wee County Exile said:

It’s beginning for me in Oslo with dull and cold weather just above freezing. Home to Westhill tonight before it gets significantly colder here. Looking like we are in for some snow in Aberdeenshire by this time next week ?

It would seem so  

Met office daily forecast is now showing sleet and snow symbols for parts of Aberdeenshire next Wednesday. BBC weather are also showing similar weather next week.

[Cheggers]

Pea soup has finally cleared, well sort of. I can see the neighbours hoose now.

6c and dreich best sums up this week so far.