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0.6C here with just over 2 inches of frozen crispy snow on the ground. I was working over in West Lothian all day and it was agonising watching the Traffic Scotland cams, seeing Fife getting a pasting cos all we were getting was torrential rain. So the first thing I did when I got home this evening was head out for a stroll over the Lomonds. Can't beat a bit of night hiking

Enjoying the pics peeps. Scenic drive home from Skye as always, saw a Sea Eagle soaring above us on the way (just visible in 1st pic) Colder picture back here. -2C, snowing heavily and about 10cm+ so far, so decent covering. Snow starting to blow about on local roads. Obligatory bin shot before it got dark

First real snowfall of the winter, here in Dundee, a wee video of the event !...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2apLr-822Y

Quite heavy at times today. This was a couple of hours ago where I now live, in Moulin. Heavy snow for about 20 minutes is just easing up now

Reliable timeframe roughly Friday, is very much more the same, a marked temp contrast in the atlantic is helping to fuel a very strong Jetstream, the north will see fluctuations between colder weather and milder, the south will remain locked in very mild air. A very marked contrast tomorrow night is forecast, could be a difference of 24 degrees between south coast and N Highlands (12 degree min and -10 degree min..), very noteworthy. Secondary low development is being forecast for mid week, which is likely to bring a spell of very heavy rain to the south. The last couple of days have seen the balance tip in favour of the atlantic winning out against any ridge development from the south... Longer term - always worth keeping an eye on the Jetstream forecasts, by mid month, the jet is shown to be weaker and considerably further south with the UK located on the cold side, so perhaps the models will start to show some colder output in the not too distant future. It is very plausible.. there does appear to be a battle taking place between the colder polar air and much milder tropical maritime air.. and signs that all that bottled up cold over the arctic is just waiting to flow outwards... the models were very late in showing the colder polar air descending on Scotland this weekend and into early next week, very late indeed..

Took a drive out to Braemar today and it was beautiful from Ballater onwards. They had about 5 inches in Braemar so everything was really covered. Dodgy drive back home in some serious heavy snow but great to see an unexpected covering here in Westhill too! 😊

Last (yesterday's) output continued the current mobile theme - in broad sense - on towards later Dec, but signals remain more mixed/indistinguishable by late in the month. For info, GloSea5's monthly suite runs once every day, as do the stratospheric diagnostics. The seasonal modelling runs once a week (but appears on public website once per month).

BOOM! Currently 2.0ºC/1ºC with occasional squally wintry showers passing through and a bit of a thaw on - for now.

Always enjoy reading the Scotland winter discussion thread, conditions often a world away from the benign SE. It never fails to perplex me how many seem to tarnish the UK climate as a whole with what happens in the southern part of England, failing often to note what is happening north of the border and instead bemoaning lack of snow and cold etc. when on our doorstep..

And away from IMBY, Scotland will see heavy snow today at all levels and even NI early tomorrow. So Clondagh brings some fun and games to the UK it would seem...Gales, heavy snow, heavy rain...MetO warnings......great weather BFTP

Glencoe this morning.

30 mins later considering the ground was soaking wet

...compare/contrast where the larger (just) majority of the two clusters from EC 12z takes us by the same timeframe out into the distant yonder...

A nice wee cell blasted through there, heavier precipitation turning from rain > sleet > snow for a brief moment. The wee guy is patiently watching out for snaw - think it must be genetic !

Window weather report...

This time 5 years ago...

Sorry Scotland, but you and your snow won't get away with this...

Don't laugh. This counts as a heavy snowfall in Crail. Edit: you can tell I'm not in the habit of posting snow pics....it's upside down. Snowing steadily, 0.5c. (Sorry for not pulling my weight in the mongoose stakes, HC)

It has been very heavy. 1 hour update

Heeeyyyyy! Don't forget us Irish! There's a good few of us here!!!! ;-) I'm just playing a minority card for likes! :-)

Goodbye cruel world, signed Ireland

Snow has stopped here, we ended up with a very thin covering, nothing measurable but a very nice surprise. Remarkable how evaporative cooling pulled the temperature down from 3.7c at 0940 to 0.4c at 1140.

Believe it or not some wet snow now here in Crail. Temp has dropped from 3.7c to 2.6c in the last hour.

Not sure we'll want the ECM to verify at t168. I've never been to the Outer Hebridies and I'd like it still to be there when I do get the chance to visit.

Hi all, Just wanted to take the time to thank you for putting together an excellent and fascinating read about the Stratosphere and its effects on us in the Troposphere. I am a long time weather enthusiast, but never fully understood the mechanisms behind what drives the Stratosphere and in turn our sensible weather at the surface. I came across your site from a Google search looking to learn more about the Stratosphere. I am glad it brought me here It seems most of you are from the UK. I am from the U.S. I'm not sure how often I will be posting but definitely wanted to take the time to just say thanks. Best, Frank

Mother nature at its Winter Best with moonlit snow covered fields. Incoming snow showers to the west lit up by the moon and to crown it all snow showers to the north across the Firth backlit by an aurora. Fabulous Snow surface sparkling in a frosty wind of -0.5c

Good to see Scotland at least is in full winter mode.. the Highlands much be seeing a very good early cover of snow, great news for the ski resorts. Despite a milder blip mid week, snow on highest ground should consolidate sufficiently thanks to freeze thaw cycle. Hoping somewhere can record -10 degrees tomorrow night, a nice welcome to winter 15/16.

I didn't like the idea initially but I'm warming to it now. Makes it easier to refer to past storms when they're named, rather than the [insert date here] storm.

Snowing again here. Would be nice to get a good covering but I suspect it'll just be a dusting. Stupidly excited, but as I'm Cornish and not really used to snow think it's ok to keep looking out of window every 2 minutes.

The charts continue with a mobile Atlantic but it's not without interest with the UK right on the boundary beteween the polar and tropical airmasses for the next week at least and probably longer. The snow over parts of Scotland today and some for tomorrow underline the cold regime up there currently. We can see this reflected in the 850 charts over the coming days as first the cold comes south then it's pushed away north and then comes back again later in the week. Looking at the wider NH picture shows the jet across our latitude and this image looks typical for the coming week or so as it wavers north and south bringing further spells of wind and rain,with some snow again further north,especially in upland locations . the 2 main features that Greenland vortex and the high pressure to the south. No real sign the Euro high establishing over the UK other than brief ridges so this changeable weather looks like continuing in week 2 .

Oh well looks like I am keeping this thread alive this evening.. not sure where everyone is.. and no word on the GFS 18Z output which I'm surprised as it shows a much colder theme as we approach mid month with jet taking a nosedive to the south and height development to the NW. Yes its the 18z GFS, and yes we are talking 12 days + so take with a pinch of salt, but worth a comment.

Heavy blowing snow piling up against the windows with huge flakes "snow crazy persons heaven" Currently 0c Took last of late calving cows and heifers in at lunch time.Bet they are glad they are in.

Hey Scotland! Loving the snow reports and pics, just been reading and looking through the thread Im very very jealous haha, but enjoy the snow! :cold:

the GFS really does want to give us a greenland high oh go on then... we'll take it!

I've got one of those too, five years ago today.

Just showers but pretty heavy when they do come through everything turning white again.

Innuendo alert on Mucka's last post When it comes to the longer-term model output over the past few days, GFS remains keen to mess with the polar vortex, while ECM can't seem to make its mind up. Before then, the first 5-7 days of December are looking exceptionally mild across the south, just mild to very mild across the middle third and considerably chillier than that for the northern third. One thing ECM is being more consistent about is a violent windstorm next weekend, though the track is still varying quite a bit. There's then a second bout that could hit the SW hardest the following Monday - but that's into highly unreliable territory.

at last it snowing in Ardersier

My personal thoughts are that the last third of December is looking increasingly uncertain and I think the Meto monthly forecasts will reflect this over the next few days. The "indistinguishable" pattern he alluded to earlier with regards to late December (Glosea model) reinforces my belief that a pattern change to cold is pending last third of December.

^^^ Stunning Scenery,was up in Scotland in July,stayed near Glencoe went walking and had a great time,the hospitality of The Scottish folk was excellent,Hopefully be back next year. C.S

Nice last few days to the GFS 12z run. Setting us up for a cold final third of December

Well that was unexpected! About half past 3 I thought I'd better move and get the dog out before it got dark. Sky was beginning to look ominous so stuck on my waterproof on the expectation of getting wet. Oh no, just walked out the door as the wind got up and the heavy snow started. Proper big flakes of snow, on the wet side but not sleety, travelling virtually horizontally. Both the dog and I had one side or other completely white depending on which direction we were walking. In an act of perfect timing it stopped just as we got home, but not before turning everything white. I'd been out earlier and it hadn't felt cold enough to snow, around 3C when I checked early afternoon. Was down to 1.2C after the dog walk. Don't know what they are complaining about in the model threads, that's me had snow the last 2 weekends and it's not even officially winter yet.

Great photos CW Wintry scene in Aviemore, snow is quite wet at this level but there's going to be a lot of it up a bit higher.

Yep, a pasting in progress...

Flakes are huge and I would imagine very wet but I would say 10 mins away from going out to play in it...I literally said to kids don't get excited impossible to lie

Just been looking at the GEFS anomaly at the end of the run, I know completely pointless but I did it anyway, and it continues the trend of late of shifting the Greenland vortex central Siberia way, even to the extent of having slight ridging over Greenland with the trough over the UK. A glance at the 250mb chart and hey ho said Rowley. Faint possibilities here of sneaking a cold interlude from the north over the UK.

Heavy snow here currently

Meant to say it, saw a fabulous falling meteor last night in clear cold skies out in West Dublin, left a trail like a halloween firework! Was at about 4 this morning while I was driving in work! Fairly stunning I must say!

A few charts looking at Clodagh currently the way out west in the Atlantic. From this evening on the Eumetrain site, the MSL and Jet, tricky to read, it is at 80ms or 178 mph! Looking at the white stuff from tomorrow morning here are a few comparisons between Euro 4 and the NetWx 4Km model 0600 1200 1800 The coldest of the air entrenched later in the day. 850hPa temps look borderline in places so will be down to watching the radar and lamp posts. At mid-day - huge range on the 0 isotherm, and fairly breezy further south. Fingers crossed for folks, hope you get a wee blast of snow tomorrow, let's hope the advance of cold pool initiates earlier in the day.

Hey Frank, glad to have you aboard. Yes, most people in here are either from UK or USA. Personally, I am an "outlier" in that aspect, like a failed ensemble perturbation, being from Slovenia in central Europe. To Lorenzo: Here are some graphics from that NASA model, showing basically what those graphics are showing, a strengthening vortex, temperature and height wise in the core, but as the core of the vortex strengthens, so does the angular momentum of the vortex itself, which is evident on the stronger PNJ in the "surf zone". The NASA suite by Recretos :