bedlington83

Is the shop on the corner Dog Happy? (I'm trying to work out exactly where on the A692 I'm looking at)

I presume we're talking about the forecast rather than the OPI itself, which is there; -2.12. (Click OPI - Final data above where it says "The revision of the index OPI and forecast")

Getting a few flakes of snow falling now

Not at the moment but the sky's starting to look black

It might be best if you just gave up and didn't bother

Hmmm. I think I'm coming round to TyneValleySnow's point of view: We've had enough now thanks - time to share

I can see what you you're saying, but what about that clump making its way around East Anglia? It seems reluctant to line up behind the rest of the streamer and may join in on it's southerly flank

@DavyF & recklessabandon: Thanks

We've got similar problems. I took this on the way back from the pub - its the path from the Travellers to Knitsley Lane: https://www.dropbox.com/s/q6v3qct17j4a1yd/Trees.JPG

I stopped after the black and white documentary but thought it was fascinating

It's amazing - the difference is less than four miles and yet the weather couldn't be more different

How come you're getting all that when I've just got broken clouds?

That's what's forcing the convective snow into a more easterly track isn't it?

Thank you :-)

@ PeterF And the wind. You keep forgetting about the wind :-)

Thank you. I've been thinking along similar lines but have been too afraid to give voice to my concerns until you posted this. There's nothing wrong with being excited about the current possibilities synoptically - I am, I love snow and the slightest chance of it appearing where I live I welcome with open arms. But there are others for whom its a disaster and, if anything like what is being suggested by the charts comes off, people will die. Sorry for putting a damper on things but as fergieweather says "for many it's not a funny snowfest yahoo but a deadly serious matter."

Did none of you see the snow at St James Park earlier? Ok, it was only brief - less than a minute - but it was snow

I've often joked about living in the snowiest town in England but is it really Consett? What about the likes of Buxton and Congleton?

And now it's stopped

It's snowing in Consett

I've been watching the radar at rain today and it seems to me that the band of precipitation is taking a more northerly track than forecast or am I just seeing what I want to see?

Thanks for the link; it was very interesting, although I confess that the days when I could completely follow the mathematical argument are long behind me. Perhaps a better quote given the title of the thread is that referenced at [2]. I.e. "a recent study of the past behaviour of cosmogenic isotopes suggests an 8% chance that the Sun could return to Maunder minimum conditions within the next 50 years." To my mind an 8% chance doesn't warrant the suggestion that a new mini-ice age is likely or probable. I would regard 8% as a remote possibility. (I am, of course, conflating "maunder minimum" and mini-ice age, which may not be correct)

Charts here go back 18 years. From a very cursory examination of random samples there does seem to be an argument for a slight weakening (over the whole 18 years) but nothing as dramatic as suggested by the NOAA charts today and last year

There were many times last winter that my wife arrived at work having struggled through the snow to get to the clear roads lower down only to be met with looks of derision at work when she complained about the snow. It's right what you say about a little bit of height as well - the snow line for much of last winter was around Dipton/Medomsley which are only around 25m lower than Consett itself. Where they had a little bit of wet slushy stuff in Consett it was like this.