Winter 2023/24 Chat and Discussion

[JoeShmoe]

1 hour ago, Alderc 2.0 said:

MAD thread meltdown this morning - apparently the worst winter ECM run ever. Can’t wait to take a look. 
 

The thought of a properly white Xmas would be amazing, I’m lucky all my family live within walking distance for everyone else these days a white Xmas would be a complete disaster. 
 

It’s so painful watching  the models lead them all up the garden path, although to be fair the ECM didn’t (the most reliable imho)

No doubt one cold gfs chart at +300 and off they will go again 

meantime a relatively cool and wet week looks likely and over Xmas 

[Downburst]

It’s spring like in the garden this morning. Grass looks remarkably green and happy for time of year, everything including the grass is dry, although cloudy it’s bright with a southerly wind. Just a light pullover needed. Should really take advantage of it but I’m feeling lazy and in that weird indecision mode us humans get into

[blizzard81]

3 hours ago, Rob 79812010 said:

2010?? Similar to 79. Also, mid 90's had some great winters in your neck of the woods. Remember the great blizzard of Jan 95. Incredible snowfall in West Yorkshire. Was living there at the time. 

Very short lived though. I get your point, would be good by today's standards. I was on college day release during that Jan 95 blizzard and remember having to walk home as all the buses were off and dad couldn't get his car out. I absolutely loved it

[SunSean]

Saw the sun for about 20 minutes this morning and then it was back to the regular British grey sheet. Truly diabolical month down here in my area... not for the first time this year...

Why oh why did humans have to colonise this Atlantic dominated island of grey sky... Other countries must be laughing their heads off at how little sun we get down here on this island! Getting 2000 hours of sun in a year is a massive achievement while in America, it would be seen as incredibly dull!

[TwisterGirl81]

1 hour ago, Downburst said:

It’s spring like in the garden this morning. Grass looks remarkably green and happy for time of year, everything including the grass is dry, although cloudy it’s bright with a southerly wind. Just a light pullover needed. Should really take advantage of it but I’m feeling lazy and in that weird indecision mode us humans get into

Yes, totally, apart from cherry and apple tree, everything else in my garden still has lots of leaves of them, in fact my David Austin roses have buds on them too, not that they will bloom now but still.

The frost we had a few weeks back did killed my marguerite daisy plants but they aren’t a hardy perennial anyway, everything is looking very green. Hoping January and February aren’t frigid either, if it’s not going to properly snow (which is rare here) then I have little interested in being very cold and wet. I don’t mind cold, dry and sunny though.

Edited December 17, 2023 by TwisterGirl81

[In Absence of True Seasons]

34 minutes ago, SunSean said:

Saw the sun for about 20 minutes this morning and then it was back to the regular British grey sheet. Truly diabolical month down here in my area... not for the first time this year...

Why oh why did humans have to colonise this Atlantic dominated island of grey sky... Other countries must be laughing their heads off at how little sun we get down here on this island! Getting 2000 hours of sun in a year is a massive achievement while in America, it would be seen as incredibly dull!

Think the SE, or just the South generally, is getting the worst of the muck this month.  And certainly for the past couple of days. Much sunnier up North. Which was also the case in May and Early June this year too. 

Forecast for the next 7-10 looks basically the same as well lol. Unsurprisingly. Nov-Dec are the worst time of year IMO for dullness. Jan and Feb often bring clearer skies.

Your sunshine table will be interesting

Edited December 17, 2023 by In Absence of True Seasons

[In Absence of True Seasons]

1 hour ago, Scorcher said:

I've always found it strange that they persist with an incorrect forecast, even though they could look out of the window in some cases and see it's wrong.

Its really weird. They kept doing it earlier in the year as well. Especially in summer when we were dominated by cloud, they'd be claiming the current conditions were "sun and cloud", whilst I'm literally standing outside in 100% overcast skies lol.

57 minutes ago, blizzard81 said:

Very short lived though. I get your point, would be good by today's standards. I was on college day release during that Jan 95 blizzard and remember having to walk home as all the buses were off and dad couldn't get his car out. I absolutely loved it

We have a Maritime climate though, which means that any prolonged, proper coldness is going to be hard to achieve. Irrespective of a warming climate. 

We're never going to have, and never had, the sort of Winter that, say, Latvia gets. Unfortunately. Don't get the sort of summers they get either for that matter lol.

[Jake March-Jones]

The constant up and down of this topic never ceases to amaze me… doom and gloom one day, positivity the next. It’s bad for your health!!!

Edited December 17, 2023 by Jake March-Jones
Grammar

[Singing in the Snow]

12 minutes ago, Jake March-Jones said:

The constant up and down of this topic never ceases to amaze me… doom and gloom one day, positivity the next. It’s bad for your health!!!

Some people watch tragic grand opera or horror films... For us there is nothing quite like the sado masochistic activity of longing for Narnia in a rapidly warming world in a country that's never really been known for cold winters anyway.

[JoeShmoe]

On a positive note only a few more days until the days start getting longer again, weather wise this time of year is so depressing 

[Shaunado]

Ah, the soft reflection of Christmas lights on the mirror-like puddles outside, while the bleak skies of the UK only serve to make the joyful decorations and spirits of family indoors all the more cozy and cheerful. 

Ah yes indeed. A green Christmas Day is still a beautiful day. Whatever the weather, keep up the joy!

[SunSean]

32 minutes ago, In Absence of True Seasons said:

Think the SE, or just the South generally, is getting the worst of the muck this month.  And certainly for the past couple of days. Much sunnier up North. Which was also the case in May and Early June this year too. 

Forecast for the next 7-10 looks basically the same as well lol. Unsurprisingly. Nov-Dec are the worst time of year IMO for dullness. Jan and Feb often bring clearer skies.

Your sunshine table will be interesting

Yeah the sun table is very strange this month so far. Since the pockets of clear sky have been few and far between, as soon as a location gets a sunny day, they jump right up the table! Many places in the North West, North East & Yorkshire are sitting in the top quarter so far! 

[Catherine91]

Cloud has almost completely cleared here. Car showed 10C - it felt colder in the park due to the wind, but in more sheltered areas it feels more like mid autumn or even early spring.

[Weather Enthusiast91]

I don't understand all the sniping at those in the model thread tbh. There is no harm in showing great enthusiasm in something you are passionate about, in this instance being cold winters. Whilst cold winters are more or less improbable these days, there is nothing wrong in hoping and showing an interest all the same.

Weather enthusiasts being on a weather forum is surely to be expected. 

Edited December 17, 2023 by Weather Enthusiast91

[*Stormforce~beka*]

9 hours ago, lassie23 said:

Winter has been typical UK garbage up to now, I'm still surprised that we are not all used to it by now 

I'm used to it! I have daily cloud and I expect nothing less ...

3 hours ago, Alderc 2.0 said:

MAD thread meltdown this morning - apparently the worst winter ECM run ever. Can’t wait to take a look. 
 

The thought of a properly white Xmas would be amazing, I’m lucky all my family live within walking distance for everyone else these days a white Xmas would be a complete disaster. 
 

No it wouldn't! It would stop my mil coming round! IT would be bloody brilliant!!

[Froze were the Days]

Yep!...after 5 days of not seeing the sun and being dull it's great to see the current bun out, really puts a spring in ones step!

[al78]

Usual heavy overcast lights on all day grot in Sussex this weekend. I know that December is not notable for brightness but the first half of this month seems to have been incredibly dull. Even the cold period failed to produce much beyond cool and dull. We have at least passed the date of the earliest sunset and am hoping for a break from the monononous damp conditions in the new year that have been locked in place since mid September so I can get started on weekend training hikes.

[reef]

1 hour ago, Weather Enthusiast91 said:

I don't understand all the sniping at those in the model thread tbh. There is no harm in showing great enthusiasm in something you are passionate about, in this instance being cold winters. Whilst cold winters are more or less improbable these days, there is nothing wrong in hoping and showing an interest all the same.

Weather enthusiasts being on a weather forum is surely to be expected. 

I don't understand it either and if it continues then such posts will be removed.

On the bright side its another sunny day here, so that's two in a row. We're up to the dizzy heights of 37 hours of sunshine now. Only another 36 hours and it'll beat October. 

[Summer Sun]

-13c Icelandic snow blast is doing the rounds in the rags today

 

[LetItSnow!]

Just now, reef said:

I don't understand it either and if it continues then such posts will be removed.

On the bright side its another sunny day here, so that's two in a row. We're up to the dizzy heights of 37 hours of sunshine now. Only another 36 hours and it'll beat October. 

I wish people wouldn't be so snipy. It's the only thing I dislike about this forum, but it's a people issue and certainly not particular to this website or interest. If people want to post crazy out there charts at 384 hours then they should do so gleefuly... while also acknowledging the unlikeliness of it occuring!

A very grey feel here recently. I'm lucky to not be brought down by such conditions.

Not exactly feeling the Christmas cheer and the outlook is looking rather dire, so my inner feelings about the rest of the winter likely panning out a certain way are unchanged from what I posted the other day - but I'll happily be proved wrong!

[Weather Enthusiast91]

I have a love-hate relationship with this current spell.

What I love about it is that for once it isn't raining and it's nice to not have to worry about getting drenched on my commute to and from work. What I hate about it is that it is boring from a weather enthusiast's perspective, as is often the way with high pressure at this time of the year unless it's the crisp and sunny kind. Still, I don't believe in giving up on winter just yet as there is still plenty of time for cold.

Edited December 17, 2023 by Weather Enthusiast91

[Chasbrown]

11 hours ago, alexisj9 said:

Looking at the charts, not by the met office, mid thread is to busy hunting for Christmas snow to notice, but they have flagged up a possible bug storm going down the north see, in a few models. Hopefully that moderates.

Just watched the BBC lunchtime forecast. No mention of a storm, just wet on Tuesday then mild and meh. 

[MP-R]

11 hours ago, Weather Enthusiast91 said:

The UK climate is generally very trying for weather enthusiasts, and that goes for all year round.

Thunderstorms in summer, snow in winter and sunshine at any time of the year can be hard to get hold of and when they do occur don't usually last all that long.

Wouldn’t mind the benign setups if they were at least sunny! This endless bore blanket is so utterly pointless.

[matt111]

1 hour ago, Weather Enthusiast91 said:

I don't understand all the sniping at those in the model thread tbh. There is no harm in showing great enthusiasm in something you are passionate about, in this instance being cold winters. Whilst cold winters are more or less improbable these days, there is nothing wrong in hoping and showing an interest all the same.

Weather enthusiasts being on a weather forum is surely to be expected. 

Definitely agree with this. It’s the reason I hardly read this thread In the winter nowadays as it’s always the same. 

On the subject of the weather, it would be nice to see the sun for even half a day some time soon as I don’t even think I’ve seen it for a total of half an hour across the last week or so. Something more seasonal would be nice too but the way things are that seems an increasingly difficult task to achieve. 

[lassie23]

2 hours ago, Jake March-Jones said:

The constant up and down of this topic never ceases to amaze me… doom and gloom one day, positivity the next. It’s bad for your health!!!

and in the UK hunting for cold is rapidly becoming a waste of time this December

Edited December 17, 2023 by lassie23