Spring 2023 - Moans, Ramps & Chat

[richie3846]

11 minutes ago, Summer8906 said:

I've always found that surprising for somewhere like the UK, where temperature is not necessarily a good indication of season but light level is. I'd have expected north-western European species to be primarily responsive to light level and day length, as these are the reliable indicators of season. Adopting a strategy of responding to temperature can easily be "fooled" by years in which midwinter is mild then late winter cold (1983 being a very good example).

Personally I'm hoping this does not happen too much, at least while this dull, damp, unsettled spell is ongoing. It really would be a great shame if we see peak spring flowering before this unsettled spell is done with us, that would risk significantly impacting upon our enjoyment of spring.

I'm rather hoping instead, if that is the case, that the more sustained cold spell (shown on the GFS 00z for example) does come off, to slow nature down a little - followed immediately after by some calm settled weather in which we can actually enjoy spring.

Yes this very problem has impacted European wine harvests in recent years. Warm spells in late winter followed by deep continental frosts in April, damaging buds. When we look at the wider picture, nature is resilient, and an established bush or tree does not suffer in the long term. There are good years and bad years, but the plant lives on. 

[cyclonic happiness]

1 hour ago, Summer8906 said:

OT but I haven't had a bad cold since early 2020 - except Covid, which for me resembled a bad cold. Have had lots of very, very minor "sub-cold" things though, the sort of things where you feel very, very slightly rough but not enough to feel ill, as such. Hope it stays that way!

Now you mention it, I've had covid three times now since the start of the pandemic, I've had three vaccines, and I've not had a cold in the past 2 years either?

Either it's the covid that has done this, or the vaccine or both?  Wouldn't it be ironic if covid finally cured the common cold? :-p

[SunSean]

The forecast of a mainly sunny day in the South East for Monday is slowly being downgraded to show more and more cloud. It may be early in the year still but I've already lost all patience for this spell of dismal weather. It honestly doesn't seem like its ever going to end. Even the models and long range forecasts are woeful. From 20th February up to this point and counting for another few weeks maybe, this is the most depressing spell of weather I have ever lived through with no end in sight. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the SSW was the worst thing to ever happen. A lot of people won't care about sunlight etc but for me its THE most important factor and this month long plus spell of mainly overcast weather is as fun as feeding yourself through a woodchipper. I'll have to spend my entire savings on holidays this Spring if this garbage grey and wet theme continues.

[kold weather]

Really has been a very wet March so far, we are now running at 90mm for the EWP with several more rainy spells to come before months end. 

If the month ended now it'd be 44th wettest ever. Its clearly going to be getting further up the list.

We have to see how the pattern evolves, but today's models dont suggest a drastically different pattern into April, so that will be off yo a wet one. If that is the case  we may not be all that far away from 100% of spring rainfall come mid April

[ANYWEATHER]

Well this month has certainly lived up to its reputation of March winds! I wonder if  next month will live up to its reputation of April showers

[Summer8906]

34 minutes ago, SunSean said:

The forecast of a mainly sunny day in the South East for Monday is slowly being downgraded to show more and more cloud. It may be early in the year still but I've already lost all patience for this spell of dismal weather. It honestly doesn't seem like its ever going to end. Even the models and long range forecasts are woeful. From 20th February up to this point and counting for another few weeks maybe, this is the most depressing spell of weather I have ever lived through with no end in sight. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the SSW was the worst thing to ever happen. A lot of people won't care about sunlight etc but for me its THE most important factor and this month long plus spell of mainly overcast weather is as fun as feeding yourself through a woodchipper. I'll have to spend my entire savings on holidays this Spring if this garbage grey and wet theme continues.

The GFS, both 00z and 06z, do suggest something very much sunnier in the first week of April, seems there is a transition to a more northerly type and anticyclonic influence at times too.

Not warm, but one could argue 10C and sunny is better than 14C and dull!

[SunSean]

15 minutes ago, Summer8906 said:

The GFS, both 00z and 06z, do suggest something very much sunnier in the first week of April, seems there is a transition to a more northerly type and anticyclonic influence at times too.

Not warm, but one could argue 10C and sunny is better than 14C and dull!

I hope so. My forecasts are all saying dull and rainy for the foreseeable. Yes i agree, hell I'd even take 6 degrees and sunny over 18 degrees and overcast! Sunshine is always the main factor for a good day to me, temperature is just a bonus. Although strong winds can be annoying too.

[RebsAbbo]

This second half of March feels more like a traditional April, with lots of sunshine & ‘April showers’, just cooler. I still think we are very lucky in this area, we seem to be having more than our fair share of the sunshine. Today is another sun & showers day, with perhaps the showers winning out more, but still can’t complain.

[johncam]

24 minutes ago, Summer8906 said:

The GFS, both 00z and 06z, do suggest something very much sunnier in the first week of April, seems there is a transition to a more northerly type and anticyclonic influence at times too.

Not warm, but one could argue 10C and sunny is better than 14C and dull!

It's the new GFS,  would take it with a pinch of salt

[Fourty Point Three Degrees]

BBC weather has non stop rain continuously from Tues right through until 6th April.  Looking like its a definate end to the dry year so far. 

[SunSean]

4 minutes ago, RebsAbbo said:

This second half of March feels more like a traditional April, with lots of sunshine & ‘April showers’, just cooler. I still think we are very lucky in this area, we seem to be having more than our fair share of the sunshine. Today is another sun & showers day, with perhaps the showers winning out more, but still can’t complain.

Yeah, Yorkshire seems to be the new sunniest area in the UK. Been that way for many months now and I still can't understand the factors causing the change.

[alexisj9]

3 hours ago, Summer8906 said:

Judging by some of the rants of serving MPs in the media and on Twitter, I think we already do, don't we?

Yes we certainly do. 

[alexisj9]

3 hours ago, Azazel said:

I’ve had hayfever since I was little (38 now) - I caught covid and haven’t had hayfever since. Last summer I didn’t get hayfever despite going out of my way to walk in long grass etc. 

There does seem to be some evidence that covid does weird things to our immune systems.

It's done nothing to cure my hayfever though, which I get all year round somehow, perhaps it's not just pollen. It is worse in spring summer autumn, than it is in winter 

[Weather Enthusiast91]

1 hour ago, RebsAbbo said:

This second half of March feels more like a traditional April, with lots of sunshine & ‘April showers’, just cooler.

Yes, it has been very Aprilish just lately in regards to both the temps (it's been 12 to 15 Celsius in my neck of the woods) and the weather. But at times the weather reminded us that it is in fact still March by providing us with some March winds. 

With the cold and snow we had earlier this month, followed by a combination of windy periods, sunshine and showers it has been quite a mixed month overall.

 

Edited March 25, 2023 by Weather Enthusiast91

[Earthshine]

Already seeing some leafing here in Exeter, even on small trees.  Quite a bit of blossom near my house too.  Just need some more sunshine to go along with it!  Could potentially reach 17-18°C on Thursday.

[Penrith Snow]

2 hours ago, SunSean said:

The forecast of a mainly sunny day in the South East for Monday is slowly being downgraded to show more and more cloud. It may be early in the year still but I've already lost all patience for this spell of dismal weather. It honestly doesn't seem like its ever going to end. Even the models and long range forecasts are woeful. From 20th February up to this point and counting for another few weeks maybe, this is the most depressing spell of weather I have ever lived through with no end in sight. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the SSW was the worst thing to ever happen. A lot of people won't care about sunlight etc but for me its THE most important factor and this month long plus spell of mainly overcast weather is as fun as feeding yourself through a woodchipper. I'll have to spend my entire savings on holidays this Spring if this garbage grey and wet theme continues.

Come to Southern Spain Sean, after a cool February the sun came out on 1st March and hasn't gone back in since.

It's currently 26c in Cartagena (7c above average) with at least 10 more days of warm sunshine forecast.

The UK low pressure loss is Iberia's High Pressure gain.

Andy

[reef]

2 hours ago, SunSean said:

Yeah, Yorkshire seems to be the new sunniest area in the UK. Been that way for many months now and I still can't understand the factors causing the change.

It looks to be another one of those months where its quite a bit sunnier here than in the south-east. After a pretty good week for it, we're now up to 95 hours of sunshine here. Our 1991-2020 average for March is 123 hours, so there's a reasonable chance we may reach that.

Heathrow on the other hand, 42.6hrs to yesterday, Bournemouth 41.2hrs.

Aberdeen and Edinburgh on 90.2hrs and 80.5hrs.

The sunshine anomoly charts will be interesting this month.

[cheese]

Sunshine and showers has been the theme here too in recent days. Not too bad really.

I would greatly prefer settled high pressure, however. Plenty of time for that.

Edited March 25, 2023 by cheese

[ANYWEATHER]

Typical late March day here in Worcester. Been a lovely day away from the wind…..

[Dark Horse]

19 hours ago, MP-R said:

As above… those are southwesterlies. Not long fetch ones admittedly but they are southwesterlies. No way around that.

WSW'lys. No way around that.

[Sunsetglimmer]

6 hours ago, cyclonic happiness said:

Now you mention it, I've had covid three times now since the start of the pandemic, I've had three vaccines, and I've not had a cold in the past 2 years either?

Either it's the covid that has done this, or the vaccine or both?  Wouldn't it be ironic if covid finally cured the common cold?

I wished this was the case, have come down with the worst cold in my life, ended up getting a chest infection and 3 weeks on I’m still unwell and need antibiotics 

[SunSean]

3 hours ago, Penrith Snow said:

Come to Southern Spain Sean, after a cool February the sun came out on 1st March and hasn't gone back in since.

It's currently 26c in Cartagena (7c above average) with at least 10 more days of warm sunshine forecast.

The UK low pressure loss is Iberia's High Pressure gain.

Andy

Funnily enough I actually went to malaga solo for 3 days back in mid march and it was beautiful. Wish I'd done longer.

[matt111]

I had a couple of fairly bad colds this winter. It seemed there was quite a lot of nasty things like that going around this year. 

Talking of sun, the last couple of days has been the sunniest period this month here, which isn't really saying much considering almost the whole month had been cloudy beforehand.

[Sunsetglimmer]

23 minutes ago, matt111 said:

I had a couple of fairly bad colds this winter. It seemed there was quite a lot of nasty things like that going around this year. 

Talking of sun, the last couple of days has been the sunniest period this month here, which isn't really saying much considering almost the whole month had been cloudy beforehand.

May I ask how long it took you to recover from the cold? 

[matt111]

8 minutes ago, Sunsetglimmer said:

May I ask how long it took you to recover from the cold? 

It took me about a couple of weeks but my dad had it too and it took him several weeks to properly get rid of it.

Also a neighbour had it and ended up with a bad chest infection that lasted a few weeks.

Edited March 25, 2023 by matt111