Winter 2023/24 Chat and Discussion

[raz.org.rain]

31 minutes ago, lassie23 said:

Don't that lot have any daily chores to do like cooking, cleaning shopping etc lol

To be fair, if you're logged in on mobile you can multitask those things while posting here too.

[CLReeve]

8 hours ago, reef said:

I'll never understand why people join a weather enthusiast's forum and then whinge about people following the models in the other thread or about potential weather that is actually interesting and not the grey, miserable rubbish we have had for pretty much all of the winter (and much of the Autumn) so far. Enough of the guilt-tripping and saying how cold weather isn't good for people. People have preferences that are different. Deal with it. Not to mention, the same people will be whinging in summer when the models don't show the weather they desire or if  anyone dare show any other preference to them. Its ridiculous.

I agree 100%. It's one thing when folk say "I prefer the hot weather and hate cold" but when people come in with an "I like hot weather and here's why you should too" that really gets my goat.

[SussexSnowman]

-3 this morning!  clear and crisp start to the day. Sunshine aplenty. Lovely stuff.

[Summer Sun]

Winter looks like it has finally arrived in Western Canada

 

[Stabilo19]

Credit where credit's due, the modelling has been remarkably consistent since last week for cold, northerly winds to arrive around the 15th January

[Catbrainz]

I think what made December so bad even for a Atlantic siege winter month is that it seemed lows and fronts were slower moving than normal resulting in cloud and rain stalling over the U.K plus narrow gaps between lows/fronts. IIRC some Atlantic dominated winter months had okay to good sunshine levels and weren’t as wet. Oct/Nov 2023 despite being Atlantic dominated had a fair few nicer days presumably as lows/fronts ether were faster moving or wider gaps. 

[In Absence of True Seasons]

14 hours ago, Coldilocks said:

I don't think wind and rain is an upgrade. After the December we've had, I hope the Atlantic onslaught doesn't return. 

Absolutely. And let's not forget the November we had prior to that...

If i recall, wasn't it the wettest November on record for certain parts of the UK? Or at least, one of the wettest

[In Absence of True Seasons]

7 hours ago, CLReeve said:

I agree 100%. It's one thing when folk say "I prefer the hot weather and hate cold" but when people come in with an "I like hot weather and here's why you should too" that really gets my goat.

There is certainly a degree of scoffing and judgement aimed at those with differing preferences in regards to the hot v cold sides of the camp on here, which is a real shame IMO. People have different weather preferences for different reasons, some based on what they enjoy, others based on how the weather affects them physically and/or mentally - regardless, it's all valid in my book. If someone says that they get unpleasantly cold at anything below 10c, then there's no need for others to pipe in with "Pfft, that's not even cold, I wear shorts at 8c" or whatnot. Likewise, people who are sensitive to heat and feel unpleasant at anything above 25c, do not need the "Nooo don't be silly, 25c isn't bad at all, 30c+ is what's hot!" responses.

Perhaps It's because I enjoy hot and cold weather, whereas many here do seem to be firmly in one camp or the other, but I don't see the point in dismissing other people's preferences in favour of your own. Disagreeing on preferences is fine, but that's very different to mocking or saying someone is 'wrong' for feeling a certain way about hot or cold weather... (or any weather conditions they dislike, for that matter). 

My two cents (pennies) on the situation...

Hope people are enjoying the sunnier, drier conditions. I certainly am! 

[rwtwm]

What a wonderful winter's day! Clear blue skies, a hint of warmth from the sun, and a crisp feel to the air. Perfect for a lunchtime walk.

[StingJet]

22 minutes ago, rwtwm said:

What a wonderful winter's day! Clear blue skies, a hint of warmth from the sun, and a crisp feel to the air. Perfect for a lunchtime walk.

Enjoy 

Cold and cloudy further north and west, at least the wind has eased a tad from yesterday 

Edited January 10 by StingJet

[reef]

I'm surprised by today, I expected more of featureless grey sheet with the lack of cold uppers and a north-easterly wind direction, but instead we've got sunshine and showers.

Its a bit cooler than forecast aswell with a max of 6.5C. BBC keep persisting with maximum temperature predictions that are too high. They were going for 8-9C for us under the NE'erly later in the week. I cant see it to be honest.

[Metwatch]

36 minutes ago, StingJet said:

Enjoy 

Cold and cloudy further north and west, at least the wind has eased a tad from yesterday 

Right on the unlucky side today, 20 miles south east and i'd be under crystal clear blue skies. Looks like little in the way of sunshine now until that Arctic airmass arrives on Monday.

[In Absence of True Seasons]

44 minutes ago, StingJet said:

Enjoy 

Cold and cloudy further north and west, at least the wind has eased a tad from yesterday 

Wow that is a really severe, straight split! Looks like the cloud has been sliced diagonally with a meteorological knife!

[stainesbloke]

2 hours ago, In Absence of True Seasons said:

Absolutely. And let's not forget the November we had prior to that...

If i recall, wasn't it the wettest November on record for certain parts of the UK? Or at least, one of the wettest

Yes. The Thames and many other rivers have burst their banks in a number of places, threatening homes and businesses with flooding and the soil is saturated in much of Britain. No more wind and rain for a while, please  

[stainesbloke]

Another beauty of a day here in Czechia, reached the dizzy heights of 0°C with lovely sunny skies. The sodden ground is starting to dry up a bit at last and river levels are going down after the flooding 

[cheeky_monkey]

28 minutes ago, stainesbloke said:

Another beauty of a day here in Czechia, reached the dizzy heights of 0°C with lovely sunny skies. The sodden ground is starting to dry up a bit at last and river levels are going down after the flooding 

a still sunny winters day at 0c is akin to a still summers day at 22c ..good times 

[Jo Farrow]

19 hours ago, In Absence of True Seasons said:

Agree. 

I understand people who dislike cold weather for health reasons however. Certain illnesses / issues are really amplified in cold conditions. Same as how the heatwaves we get in summer affect certain people's health negatively (alot of people in the Heat Haters thread here for example). 

Sat outside for lunch today wrapped up and definitely felt so much better after, despite it being cold. The sun is the life giver and bringer. I always feel in a bit of a fugue-state from around Nov to March in this country, and I'm unequivocally sure it's due to the sheer lack of sunshine hours we tend to get here.

heat/cold and Health are the focus of the updated Weather/Health alert system (for Health/Social care providers preparedness and planning response) which links to the Met Office but is separate from the usual NSWWS warnings, such as for Snow and Ice (National Severe Weather Warning Service). There is an Amber Cold Health Alert out for England this week which will probably be extended next week as colder Arctic air arrives with snow showers from the north. 

UK winter weather warnings: Snow, Ice and Cold Health Alerts

WWW.NETWEATHER.TV

---

The UK Met Office issues different types of severe weather warnings including Snow and Ice. For January 2024, there has been an Amber Cold Health Alert which is a different type of warning.

 

[raz.org.rain]

Heard a few birds preparing for spring if you catch my drift. Robins chirping at 5pm in the dark and wood pigeons courting. Seems a little early but I guess by the time nesting arrives it'll be much warmer.

Meanwhile, in Dunedin, New Zealand. Currently mid to high 20s but expected to collapse to low teen maximums by the weekend, not far off from the maximums we had the other week!

Edited January 10 by raz.org.rain

[stewfox]

Current cold snap only allowing light objects on water butt

[In Absence of True Seasons]

After joking about how the news/media love terms like "Saharan Scorcher" and "Arctic Blast" a couple of days ago...the 5 o'clock on the radio just now, I quote them: "Forecasts show an Arctic Blast across the UK from Saturday" 

Well, you heard it first from me, folks! 

[raz.org.rain]

19 minutes ago, In Absence of True Seasons said:

After joking about how the news/media love terms like "Saharan Scorcher" and "Arctic Blast" a couple of days ago...the 5 o'clock on the radio just now, I quote them: "Forecasts show an Arctic Blast across the UK from Saturday" 

Well, you heard it first from me, folks! 

No wonder there's so much distrust in forecasting outlets in this country 

[TheOgre]

Never seen -10C on a weather app for my location before

[I remember Atlantic 252]

6 hours ago, Metwatch said:

Right on the unlucky side today, 20 miles south east and i'd be under crystal clear blue skies. Looks like little in the way of sunshine now until that Arctic airmass arrives on Monday.

few spots of rain under it there was too, milder of course today

[MattStoke]

6 minutes ago, TheOgre said:

Never seen -10C on a weather app for my location before

I’ve never before seen that app show such extremes. Even when one of the main computer models throws out extreme output. Wonder what model it uses.

[raz.org.rain]

Lowest daytime I'm seeing on my weather apps is 3°c around the 18th before it turns milder towards the end of the month.