Winter 2022/23 - Moans, Ramps & Chat

[North-Easterly Blast]

3 minutes ago, Weather-history said:

You would have been knackered with your point on fog about 60 years ago as fog was often a horrible thick yellow substance and was anything but white. 

We thankfully don't get the pea-soupers of old with days on end with a choking fog thanks to the clean air act and I think fog "intensities" have decreased because of this.

I think that the type of fog that you are referring to was smog, which was where particles of smoke stuck to the droplets of water in the fog creating a dirty smoky fog, hence the name smog (the first two letters of smoke and the last two letters of fog).

[trickydicky]

Just now, Bristle Si said:

UK Winters past and now.

Never mind snow 'issues' what's happened to wet and windy or storms? I thought they were meant to be more common these days.

Our Winters have become much more benign.

I agree with this. When I think of winter as a kid up here in Cumbria I think mainly of a cold wind! And cold rain, often wet at lower levels but snow on the fells etc. Now it seems to be either a sort of mild nothingness- dull, overcast, 7/8 degrees by day, 4/5 degrees by night, little wind -, or frosty, or a southerly plume and about 14 degrees.  

[Weather-history]

2 minutes ago, cyclonic happiness said:

 

I agree with the OP.

Here in the Middle Midlands, we used to get a lot of rime frosts due to freezing fog, but I think the last time we say a decent amount of rime frost was ten years ago.

Even during the cold spell in December, we had a day of freezing fog, but it left no rime whatsoever and no visible frost, it's weird??

I do think something fundamental has gone awry with the weather in the UK, the old rules of weather that I spend years reading in old weather books in the library, that used to apply almost without fail, now fail 99% of the time, nothing can be relied upon

Still get rime frosts here as we did in December just gone

 

Fog of today is not the fog of old because of the clean air act. So we don't get the great fogs that lasted days on end and its not as thick. Stories of where people got lost even in their local neighborhood because they couldn't see their hands in front of their face don't happen anymore. The clean air act has definitely had an impact. 

[stainesbloke]

Back in west London for work and it’s very foggy this morning and feeling pretty chilly. 

[Sunny76]

Just now, stainesbloke said:

Back in west London for work and it’s very foggy this morning and feeling pretty chilly. 

Welcome back

To be fair, I think winter 2022/23 hasn’t been too bad. It’s been a mixed winter, and despite the lack of snow, it’s had some decent cold spells, and the milder periods have also been pleasant in the sense they haven’t overstayed their welcome.

The worst period was the wet weather, but on the whole it’s been dry, on the back of a wet autumn. 

[alexisj9]

1 hour ago, Weather-history said:

Still get rime frosts here as we did in December just gone

 

Fog of today is not the fog of old because of the clean air act. So we don't get the great fogs that lasted days on end and its not as thick. Stories of where people got lost even in their local neighborhood because they couldn't see their hands in front of their face don't happen anymore. The clean air act has definitely had an impact. 

Even had some down here near the coast in December.

[danm]

Really not interested in a mid-March onwards cold spell. So if we don't get cold and snow over the next month, then roll on Spring and a warm up.

[Rob 79812010]

2 hours ago, trickydicky said:

I agree with this. When I think of winter as a kid up here in Cumbria I think mainly of a cold wind! And cold rain, often wet at lower levels but snow on the fells etc. Now it seems to be either a sort of mild nothingness- dull, overcast, 7/8 degrees by day, 4/5 degrees by night, little wind -, or frosty, or a southerly plume and about 14 degrees.  

Didn't the lakes have extended cold periods in Dec and Jan?? Saw some pics and the Fells looked very snowy!

[trickydicky]

13 minutes ago, Rob 79812010 said:

Didn't the lakes have extended cold periods in Dec and Jan?? Saw some pics and the Fells looked very snowy!

It was very cold for the first two weeks of December but there was no snow bar the thinest of sugar coatings on the high tops. There was snow south of Kendal. Then there was a week in January where there was snow. But thats one week and we’re well into February now. Even that makes it better than most recent winters. Today is a perfect example of recent years default. 8 degrees, overcast, cloud at about 2000ft, no wind. Just a mild drift around the top of a high pressure to the south. 

Another thing that used to be an absolute staple of winter here was a cold spell of frosty weather brought to an end by heavy snow that turned to rain. I couldn’t tell you the last time it happened. You used to get pretty substantial falls for a good few hours before it turned to rain. 

[cheese]

17 minutes ago, trickydicky said:

It was very cold for the first two weeks of December but there was no snow bar the thinest of sugar coatings on the high tops. There was snow south of Kendal. Then there was a week in January where there was snow. But thats one week and we’re well into February now. Even that makes it better than most recent winters. Today is a perfect example of recent years default. 8 degrees, overcast, cloud at about 2000ft, no wind. Just a mild drift around the top of a high pressure to the south. 

Another thing that used to be an absolute staple of winter here was a cold spell of frosty weather brought to an end by heavy snow that turned to rain. I couldn’t tell you the last time it happened. You used to get pretty substantial falls for a good few hours before it turned to rain. 

It was a sunny January in Cumbria:

Edited February 7, 2023 by cheese

[Rob 79812010]

1 hour ago, trickydicky said:

It was very cold for the first two weeks of December but there was no snow bar the thinest of sugar coatings on the high tops. There was snow south of Kendal. Then there was a week in January where there was snow. But thats one week and we’re well into February now. Even that makes it better than most recent winters. Today is a perfect example of recent years default. 8 degrees, overcast, cloud at about 2000ft, no wind. Just a mild drift around the top of a high pressure to the south. 

Another thing that used to be an absolute staple of winter here was a cold spell of frosty weather brought to an end by heavy snow that turned to rain. I couldn’t tell you the last time it happened. You used to get pretty substantial falls for a good few hours before it turned to rain. 

Yeah, February's seem to be following a pattern. I know what you mean about the snowy breakdowns, though they were usually rubbish for the lowest part of Manchester. Strangely we have more snow showers off the Irish Sea now in Manc. Done well last few years and because they're short and sharp, they don't turn to rain. Funny old weather!

[Bristawl Si]

Severe Weather Europe released this today:

A new and stronger warming event is developing in the Stratosphere, which will collapse the polar circulation. As a result, a so-called Sudden Stratospheric Warming event is now forecast to displace the Polar Vortex and potentially shake the weather patterns in the coming weeks.

[ribster]

-3 and misty, another winter wonderland this morning, beautiful!

[summer blizzard]

6 hours ago, North-Easterly Blast said:

Since 2018, I believe that there was also an SSW in Jan / Feb 2021; could someone please correct me if I am wrong?  I think that this led to some of the colder spells in that winter.

The SSW occured in very early Jan however the weather had actually 'turned' already around Christmas. Much like Jan 09, we already had a kind troposphere and I often wonder in those winters if it's boot to the pattern really did us any long run favour after the initial push.

For the Jan 21 SSW it looks like the first polar blocking in our locale showed around the 18th (13 day lag) with the core of the cold occuring in the first third of Feb if memory serves. 

 

[Weather Enthusiast91]

Another day of unbroken winter sunshine following a crisp and clear frosty morning. All this sunshine is quite something for the UK, let alone winter.

I am more than happy for these conditions to continue for the remainder of the winter, and then a gradual warm up in March.

Edited February 7, 2023 by Weather Enthusiast91

[matt111]

Same here with blue skies all day. Nice and warm inside the house with the sun coming in and fairly pleasant outside now after a frosty start. 

[alexisj9]

Just went in my garden, colder outside than it looks, unless you're in the sun 

[johncam]

1 hour ago, ribster said:

-3 and misty, another winter wonderland this morning, beautiful!

Cloudy and damp here 11C very spring like 

[Norrance]

Sunny and mild here at 8.7C but if its wintry weather(snow) that you are after this HP is a Winter waster!

[Methuselah]

It's been a rare winter stonker of a day here -- unbroken sunshine. Meanwhile, we have a new Scandi High Alert, SHA...

Although this time, it might actually happen... Met Office late winter outlook:

 

Edited February 7, 2023 by Ed Stone

[Atmogenic]

could we have a model output for people who just want to see some mild/warmth on the charts now 

[Rain All Night]

34 minutes ago, Atmogenic said:

could we have a model output for people who just want to see some mild/warmth on the charts now 

I much prefer summer to winter but joined this thread just as summer was ending... it will be strange seeing people express pleasure rather than dismay at seeing warm charts, when the time comes!

Edited February 7, 2023 by RainAllNight

[Neil Harris]

16 minutes ago, RainAllNight said:

I much prefer summer to winter but joined this thread just as summer was ending... it will be strange seeing people express pleasure at seeing warm charts, when the time comes!

If we have anything like June/July last year, you will never keep up.

[Mcconnor8]

16 minutes ago, RainAllNight said:

I much prefer summer to winter but joined this thread just as summer was ending... it will be strange seeing people express pleasure at seeing warm charts, when the time comes!

I first joined the thread for the couple of weeks building up to the July heatwave and it was super busy here and everybody looking for upgrades likewise with any hope of cold during Winter

[Froze were the Days]

Chortle! all that and we find the affects/projections (possibly) at the end of the month beginning of March are nowt!

Edited February 7, 2023 by Froze were the Days