Autumn 2022 - Moans, Ramps & Chat

[stainesbloke]

Seem to have missed autumn here and gone straight to winter, there’s been snowfall in the northern mountains bordering Germany and Poland. Very cool and windy here with plenty of rain and heavy showers. At least there was some sunshine today but the 12°C maximum temperature felt very chilly. Nice cloudscapes though

[East Lancs Rain]

On 19/09/2022 at 14:32, Sunny76 said:

They had someone on the radio predicting the worst of the winter weather will happen between mid December and mid January, with many days of snow and cold dry sunny periods.

Let’s hope they’re wrong.

On 19/09/2022 at 16:15, Weather Enthusiast91 said:

I love the 'cold, rain and gloom' of autumn and winter. Though perhaps I am just a little weird? 

We have had a good summer this year with plenty of warmth, sunshine and dry days. Now it's time for something different.  

Tbh, I think because we’ve had a good summer this year it feels sad to see it go, and so I’m less enthusiastic about colder weather.

On 19/09/2022 at 17:16, Sunny76 said:

As much as I don’t care for the cold damp weather, it does have it’s time and place, and we are fast approaching that.

While it’s nice to have a change of season, I think it would be nice to have a few sunny cold days thrown in mixed with a few rainy damp cloudy ones. Even a 1-2 day snow event, and in relatively mild winter would suit me fine if it helps people to keep the heating on low this coming winter.

Tbh, I don’t like winter full stop, whether it’s mild and wet or cold and dry. Most other countries have better winters than us - either they get more snow or it’s warmer and sunnier. UK winter is the worst of both worlds - not much snow but still cold, damp and miserable. A lot of countries have colder winters than the U.K. but they are rewarded with more snow and tend to get more sunshine too. It also tends to be more of a dry cold rather than the horrible damp cold that the U.K. gets. They also tend have better infrastructure to deal with it.

 

I just can’t get excited for a U.K. winter like so many on here do. UK winter is mostly just cloudy, damp, windy and 5-10°C, with the odd dusting here and there. It goes on for far too long as well. It’s just so depressing and dreary, the gloom, the very short days, the lack of sunshine, the incessant dampness. From late October until mid March. It just makes me want to hibernate and stay inside all day. By New Year I’m usually counting down the days until Spring.
 

I enjoy extreme winter months - January 2010 for the heavy prolonged snowfall, December 2010 for the exceptional cold, December 2015 and February 2019 for the exceptional mildness. February 2020 for the incredible wetness and strong wind storms. But the rest are just boring and forgettable.
 

The worst is always from when the clocks go back till late January. By February I usually start to feel a bit better as the days are starting to get longer and there are signs of spring.

 

The ideal winter for me would be around 10°C with lots of sunshine, with some wind storms chucked in and snow from Christmas Day to New Year.

Im dreading this upcoming winter because of the huge spike in energy prices, it will be a difficult winter for many. Which is why I’m hoping we get a warm/mild October and November and an early spring.

23 hours ago, LetItSnow! said:

January 2021 was the coldest January since 2010 across Scotland IIRC, and even February 2021 wasn't as mild up north I think, so perhaps in terms of snowfall it was hit and miss in different areas, but it seemed to be a decent winter up north. Down here it was very wet in Decemeber and January, and fairly cold throughout - particularly January. First half of February 2021 gave 4-5 days of lying snowfall and sub-zero maxima but then deteriorated in the second half.

 

Not particularly on topic though is it? Perhaps a thread of winter 2021 in the historic thread would be more appropriate.

 

Back to the moment, loving this second-half to September so far. It's switched from summer to autumn very quickly and last few nights feel so crisp. You can smell autumn and dare I even say that Christmasy vibe coming on.

I hate it when it switches too quickly. I prefer a more gradual transition into autumn so it’s easier to acclimate to the colder temperatures. And please don’t talk about Christmas already dear god! 

23 hours ago, Coldilocks said:

Winter is much better when it's colder, more chance of snow and it feels more seasonal. I just don't understand how people like mild winters, to me there's nothing appealing about them.

Cold winters make it too cold to want to be outside for very long, plus the icy pavements can make it treacherous to walk outside sometimes. I also enjoy the wind storms that mild winters often bring. I do love going for a walk in deep snow though.

3 hours ago, SunSean said:

Already tired of this weather already lol. Those constant grey skies  

I actually don't mind too much if its freezing cold this winter if we get lots of cold and crisp sunny days. I just cannot stand this grey dullness!

I agree. Today was a bit depressing. Very overcast. Was just 13°C with 90% humidity at midday and it felt cold and damp, it warmed up a bit later but only managed 15.7°C because of the thick cloud cover, which actually isn’t far from average here but after the couple of warm sunny Septembers it feels rather chilly. Saturday despite the cool temperatures was actually quite a pleasant day because of the sunshine. The grey gloomy skies are the worst thing about U.K. autumn/winter. I don’t mind the cooler temps too much but the cloud is just

 

I’ve just been on an evening walk and the skies have cleared to leave a lovely sky.

[*Stormforce~beka*]

Well considering what a grump I am I'm actually doing ok with Septembers rubbish weather so far. I this is in part due to dry weekends so I've been able to get and get fresh air as well as garden prep for the winter.

Edited September 20, 2022 by *Stormforce~beka*

[Summer8906]

13 hours ago, East Lancs Rain said:

Let’s hope they’re wrong.

Tbh, I think because we’ve had a good summer this year it feels sad to see it go, and so I’m less enthusiastic about colder weather.

Me too, though to be fair I spent much of this summer outside the UK. But somewhere even hotter and sunnier. The current coolish dry spell is fine for me, but I have reservations about next week. Seems to be a mixed message, GFS suggesting very cool but fairly bright towards the west while ECM topples the high and we end up with full on zonality by the end of the month. The two models paint very, very different forecasts for early October - heaven from the GFS and hell from the ECM, so to speak.

13 hours ago, East Lancs Rain said:

I just can’t get excited for a U.K. winter like so many on here do. UK winter is mostly just cloudy, damp, windy and 5-10°C, with the odd dusting here and there. It goes on for far too long as well. It’s just so depressing and dreary, the gloom, the very short days, the lack of sunshine, the incessant dampness. From late October until mid March. It just makes me want to hibernate and stay inside all day. By New Year I’m usually counting down the days until Spring.

Couldn't agree more. UK winters are the pits, even in the south. Dull, damp and temps in the high single figures or low double figures is the norm for this part of the country. I can see wind storms can have their interest, but much of the time it's merely windy-ish, frost-free, overcast and damp with much drizzle or moderate rain.

To be fair here in the far south the winter tends to 'break' around late February, we don't normally have to endure the worst of the conditions until mid-March.

13 hours ago, East Lancs Rain said:

I enjoy extreme winter months - January 2010 for the heavy prolonged snowfall, December 2010 for the exceptional cold

Agree these two.

13 hours ago, East Lancs Rain said:

December 2015 and February 2019 for the exceptional mildness.

February 2019, yes, as the mild was associated with sunshine and dry weather, as is often the case in very mild Februaries (see also 1998). On the other hand December 2015 was just desperately dull, drizzly, damp and humid. A horrible month for me.

13 hours ago, East Lancs Rain said:

February 2020 for the incredible wetness and strong wind storms.

I found that one very dull and depressing, I have to admit. Feb 22 was "better" in that respect, it had a couple of strong windstorms, notably Eunice, but was less wet and less gloomy and had a fine spell towards the end.

13 hours ago, East Lancs Rain said:

 

The worst is always from when the clocks go back till late January. By February I usually start to feel a bit better as the days are starting to get longer and there are signs of spring.

Completely agree again, for me, 5pm sunset is a major milestone (in early Feb) or millstone (in late Oct). The most difficult time of year is that with pre-5pm sunsets. Whose idea was it to have five months of GMT when three would suffice?

13 hours ago, East Lancs Rain said:

The ideal winter for me would be around 10°C with lots of sunshine, with some wind storms chucked in and snow from Christmas Day to New Year.

In normal years, the ideal winter for me would be rather colder than that, more like 5C with lots of sunshine, two snowy spells (one in Jan, one in early Feb, let's say, and one from a NW-SE aligned jet and the other from an easterly) before switching abruptly to much milder, but sunny and dry, in mid Feb (so late Feb has days around 12C or so with lots of sunshine). Feb 2009 and 2012 were close to ideal Februaries.

This year however there is a need for milder weather. If given a choice I would like to see a repeat of autumn/winter 2011/12 this year. Fine, warm, sunny weather in October and November (the latter was incredibly warm and sunny for so late in the year), Dec was a bit rubbish but the mild and sunny weather returned for much of Jan and Feb - apart from one potent spell of cold with snow for about two weeks.

 

13 hours ago, East Lancs Rain said:

Im dreading this upcoming winter because of the huge spike in energy prices, it will be a difficult winter for many. Which is why I’m hoping we get a warm/mild October and November and an early spring.

Indeed, just like 2011/12. Just as long as April onwards next year doesn't also follow the 2012 pattern...

13 hours ago, East Lancs Rain said:

I hate it when it switches too quickly. I prefer a more gradual transition into autumn so it’s easier to acclimate to the colder temperatures. And please don’t talk about Christmas already dear god! 

Quite, we have this obsession with starting Christmas very early, when it's still relatively warm and the days relatively long, and ending it abruptly on Boxing Day, rather than the traditional date of Jan 6. Result being that after the ridiculousness of Christmas in October, we then end up with this depressing, dead, flat period starting on Dec 27th.

Edited September 21, 2022 by Summer8906

[Summer8906]

On 16/09/2022 at 18:56, Sunny76 said:

No, but what I was trying to say is, those Septembers were cool compared to ones before 92. 
 

True, that is a fair point.

[Summer8906]

On 16/09/2022 at 15:49, LRD said:

Don't remember them at all. Sept 2019 was wet and windy? Can't be bothered to check to be honest but I'll take your word for it. Just don't recall it

An abrupt change, around the 20th or so. The first three weeks were dry and fine, coolish at first becoming very warm, then a huge low advanced from the SW and the rest of the month was very dull, wet and windy.

 

Edited September 21, 2022 by Summer8906

[East Lancs Rain]

On 20/09/2021 at 20:07, Weather Enthusiast91 said:

I remember how excited I was when we first got our boiler in late 2010. I never once lived in a home with central heating before that, so how do you think I felt?  

Just in time too, before the December to remember....

On 12/10/2021 at 11:22, leehewison said:

Yes, heating is on full blast 24/7 all year round (thermostat set to 35 degrees). I hate being in a room that's even slightly chilly. It only clicks off when the room temperature reaches 35. I have the thermostat upstairs in the bedroom as I have the log burner on most of the time too in the front room so if I put the thermostat in there the heating would never come on! Temperature in the front room is currently a lovely toasty 42 degrees celcius and it's so nice!!

You are the polar opposite of Markyo, if you are being serious then I dread to think how high your energy bills are!

On 18/09/2022 at 19:31, Weather Enthusiast91 said:

Electric blankets are good for keeping your bed nice and warm. 

Never had an electric blanket, never really felt the need for one, getting into bed at night in winter it can be a bit chilly but then it doesn’t take long to warm up when you’re under a thick duvet.

[Weather Enthusiast91]

8 minutes ago, East Lancs Rain said:

Just in time too, before the December to remember....

I remember saying that at the time. 

Ah, memories...

[Don]

16 minutes ago, East Lancs Rain said:

Never had an electric blanket, never really felt the need for one, getting into bed at night in winter it can be a bit chilly but then it doesn’t take long to warm up when you’re under a thick duvet.

I don't see the need either when you have a thick duvet, I think it would be too hot!

[cheeky_monkey]

Perfect Autumn day here today in Edmonton..was 2c first thing this morning 20c this afternoon wall to wall sunshine not a breath of wind either

[Mapantz]

A nice run of max temps. 21.3°C can be added to that for today.

Plenty of sunshine too.

[East Lancs Rain]

13 hours ago, Mapantz said:

A nice run of max temps. 21.3°C can be added to that for today.

Plenty of sunshine too.

Amazing how much warmer it is down South, especially at this time of year! It’s only reached 15/16°C here the last few days, with thick cloud cover and very little sunshine. As a result, indoor temps are suppressed at 17-18C. Can’t remember the last time I had a 20 degree day here.

[Turnedoutniceagain]

It's been a great week for Autumnal morning mists - quite stunning. 

[AderynCoch]

It's been like October here for the past week. Had it been winter it would have been snowmaggedon.

I'm resisting turning the heating on so badly.

[SunSean]

2 hours ago, minus10 said:

Well quite a signal now on Gfs and Ecm for high pressure to return once the cooler spell with...perhaps some rain this weekend/start of next week has passed..day 10

This borne out by the pressure ens which in general are moving in that direction...gfs and ecm

Perhaps more typical autumnal weather for Autumn returning for the uk with nw se split for distribution of unsettled weather and temps average to perhaps slightly above at times...mist and fog depending on cloud cover and wind...all subject to the usual caveat of trop storms of course.....the search  for some meaningful autumnal rain in the se continues....

 

The search for any meaningful autumnal rain goes on for the South East?? Not in my neck of the woods it don't!! Had almost 100mm already this month so it can stay away again ta very much!

[Dangerous55019]

It’s cool grey and rainy here in north east Wales, with the mist and hill fog rolling in, and after the horror’s that this summer has forced upon me, this current weather feels more wonderful than ever! 🌫🌧🌫️🌫

More please!!

[minus10]

19 minutes ago, SunSean said:

The search for any meaningful autumnal rain goes on for the South East?? Not in my neck of the woods it don't!! Had almost 100mm already this month so it can stay away again ta very much!

Well i know some places have had significant amounts..will be interesting to see the end of month rainfull totals...however many places had nowhere near that and frankly we need more than even 100mm during the autumn at a time when growth has slowed down and temps are lower in order to replenish some of the soil water defecit...

[markyo]

32 minutes ago, SunSean said:

The search for any meaningful autumnal rain goes on for the South East?? Not in my neck of the woods it don't!! Had almost 100mm already this month so it can stay away again ta very much!

100mm won't even touch the drought issue I'm afraid, we need months of more than that to get on an even keel

[damianslaw]

9 minutes ago, minus10 said:

Well i know some places have had significant amounts..will be interesting to see the end of month rainfull totals...however many places had nowhere near that and frankly we need more than even 100mm during the autumn at a time when growth has slowed down and temps are lower in order to replenish some of the soil water defecit...

Expect we've had at least an inch today. Feels so far an average month rainfall wise in thr Lake District. We've had a very dry middle third following a wet first third. Last third looking wetter but nothing substantive. 

[lassie23]

22ND September already and it still hasn't snowed in London

Edited September 22, 2022 by lassie23

[ChannelThunder]

22 hours ago, Mapantz said:

A nice run of max temps. 21.3°C can be added to that for today.

Plenty of sunshine too.

And a few of my work colleagues are putting on the heating already. During a cost of living crisis....

[Frost HoIIow]

1 minute ago, lassie23 said:

22ND September already and is still hasn't snowed in London

There needs to be a miracle for it to snow in London. At times it's bad enough here oop norf 

[Don]

33 minutes ago, Frost HoIIow said:

There needs to be a miracle for it to snow in London. At times it's bad enough here oop norf 

Definitely in September lol!!

[stainesbloke]

Very autumnal morning here, dense mist hugging the ground and clear skies above, just 3°C  

[richie3846]

Another rain band that failed to materialise, patchy drizzle was the heaviest it got round these parts. Looking at the radar imagery, very few had any more than a mm or 2, plus it may remain mostly dry for the foreseeable with a light shower here and there. With such a wet start to the month, it really has dramatically turned around. I'd never have thought it possible that some locations could end the month with below average rain again, but this is now looking like a possibility.