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A Winter's Tale

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  1. A Winter's Tale
    Let's start with a more interesting year like 2010, then a more mad and messed up year like last year and so how 2012 is faring!

    January 2010: UK Mean Temp = 0.9C, Max Temp = 13.2C, Min Temp = -22.3C
    February 2010: UK Mean Temp = 1.9C, Max Temp = 13.3C, Min Temp = -19.2C
    March 2010: UK Mean Temp = 5.1C, Max Temp = 18.0C, Min Temp = -18.6C
    April 2010: UK Mean Temp = 8.0C, Max Temp = 22.9C, Min Temp = -7.0C
    May 2010: UK Mean Temp = 9.8C, Max Temp = 28.9C, Min Temp = -6.0C
    June 2010: UK Mean Temp = 14.2C, Max Temp = 30.9C, Min Temp = -0.1C
    July 2010: UK Mean Temp = 15.6C, Max Temp = 31.7C, Min Temp = 0.1C
    August 2010: UK Mean Temp = 14.2C, Max Temp = 26.7C, Min Temp = -1.3C
    September 2010: UK Mean Temp = 12.8C, Max Temp = 24.6C, Min Temp = -4.4C
    October 2010: UK Mean Temp = 9.4C, Max Temp = 23.1C, Min Temp = -6.6C
    November 2010: UK Mean Temp = 4.3C, Max Temp = 19.0C, Min Temp = -18.0C
    December 2010: UK Mean Temp = -0.9C, Max Temp = 12.0C, Min Temp = -21.3C
    Annual: UK Mean Temp (15.6C/-0.9C), Max Temp = 31.7C, Min Temp = -22.3C

    January 2011: UK Mean Temp = 3.1C, Max Temp = 14.5C, Min Temp = -13.0C
    February 2011: UK Mean Temp = 5.3C, Max Temp = 16.0C, Min Temp = -6.8C
    March 2011: UK Mean Temp = 5.8C, Max Temp = 20.0C, Min Temp = -7.5C
    April 2011: UK Mean Temp = 10.7C, Max Temp = 27.8C, Min Temp = -5.4C
    May 2011: UK Mean Temp = 11.0C, Max Temp = 25.4C, Min Temp = -6.3C
    June 2011: UK Mean Temp = 12.7C, Max Temp = 33.1C, Min Temp = -1.9C
    July 2011: UK Mean Temp = 14.2C, Max Temp = 27.4C, Min Temp = -0.8C
    August 2011: UK Mean Temp = 14.1C, Max Temp = 30.3C, Min Temp = 0.5C
    September 2011: UK Mean Temp = 13.8C, Max Temp = 29.2C, Min Temp = -0.4C
    October 2011: UK Mean Temp = 11.2C, Max Temp = 29.9C, Min Temp = -3.3C
    November 2011: UK Mean Temp = 8.7C, Max Temp = 19.2C, Min Temp = -6.1C
    December 2011: UK Mean Temp = 4.8C, Max Temp = 15.5C, Min Temp = -9.4C
    Annual: UK Mean Temp (14.2C/3.1C), Max Temp = 33.1C, Min Temp = -13.0C

    January 2012: UK Mean Temp = 4.7C, Max Temp = 14.0C, Min Temp = -10.5C
    February 2012: UK Mean Temp = 4.1C, Max Temp = 18.7C, Min Temp = -15.6C
    March 2012: UK Mean Temp = 7.7C, Max Temp = 23.6C, Min Temp = -8.5C
    April 2012: UK Mean Temp = 6.3C, Max Temp = 19.7C, Min Temp = -8.2C

    How does 2012 fare againts 2011 and 2010?

    The 2010's So Far:

    January: UK Mean Temp = 0.9C/4.7C (2010/2012), Max Temp = 14.5C (2011), Min Temp = -22.3C (2010)
    February: UK Mean Temp = 1.9C/5.3C (2010/2011), Max Temp = 18.7C (2012), Min Temp = -19.2C (2010)
    March: UK Mean Temp = 5.1C/7.7C (2010/2012), Max Temp = 23.6C (2012), Min Temp = -18.6C (2010)
    April: UK Mean Temp = 8.0C/10.7C (2010/2011), Max Temp = 27.8C (2011), Min Temp = -8.2C (2012)
    May: UK Mean Temp = 11.0C/9.8C (2011/2010), Max Temp = 28.9C (2010), Min Temp = -6.3C (2011)
    June: UK Mean Temp = 14.2C/12.7C (2010/2011), Max Temp = 33.1C (2011), Min Temp = -1.9C (2011)
    July: UK Mean Temp = 15.6C/14.2C (2010/2011), Max Temp = 31.7C (2010), Min Temp = -0.8C (2011)
    August: UK Mean Temp = 14.2C/14.1C (2010/2011), Max Temp = 30.3C (2010), Min Temp = -1.3C (2010)
    September: UK Mean Temp = 13.8C/12.8C (2011/2010), Max Temp = 29.2C (2011), Min Temp = -4.4C (2010)
    October: UK Mean Temp = 9.4C/11.2C (2010/2011), Max Temp = 29.9C (2011), Min Temp = -6.6C (2010)
    November: UK Mean Temp = 4.3C/8.7C (2010/2011), Max Temp = 19.2C (2011), Min Temp = -18.0C (2010)
    December: UK Mean Temp = -0.9C/4.8C (2010/2011), Max Temp = 15.5C (2011), Min Temp = -21.3C (2010)

    Records to beat:

    January: Max Temp = 18.3C, Min Temp = -27.2C
    February: Max Temp = 19.7C, Min Temp = -27.2C
    March: Max Temp = 25.6C, Min Temp = -22.8C
    April: Max Temp = 29.4C, Min Temp = -15.0C
    May: Max Temp = 32.8C, Min Temp = -9.4C
    June: Max Temp = 35.6C, Min Temp = -5.6C
    July: Max Temp = 36.5C, Min Temp = -2.5C
    August: Max Temp = 38.5C, Min Temp = -4.5C
    September: Max Temp = 35.6C, Min Temp = -6.7C
    October: Max Temp = 29.9C, Min Temp = -11.7C
    November: Max Temp = 21.7C, Min Temp = -23.3C
    December: Max Temp = 18.3C, Min Temp = -27.2C
  2. A Winter's Tale
    17th October: Some snow fell in Altnaharra and Aviemore as precipitation arrived from the SW.

    25th-27th October: Widespread snow showers in northern, eastern Scotland and northern and eastern England, depths of a couple of cm in places and up to 5 to 7cm in parts of Aberdeenshire. Snowfall led to motorists being urged to drive with extreme caution around Aberdeen later on the 26th, with particularly bad conditions on the A90. A number of routes in the Grampian area were affected by snow.

    29th October: Snow showers were observed on Fair Isles in the morning.

    31st October: Some snow showers fell in northern Scotland later in the day.

    1st November: Some wintry showers for parts of Wales, especially with a little elevation; a dusting of snow in settlements with elevation. Some slight snow in northern Scotland in the evening.

    3rd November: Some wintry precipitation for parts of north west England and parts of southern and central Scotland; a dusting of snow in a few places such as Perthshire.

    4th November: Channel low brought some heavy snow to parts of southern, south western and central England; depths up to 15cm in places and a couple of inches around the Bath area. Over 5cm of snow fell across parts of Somerset, Wiltshire, South Gloucester and North Dorset. Parts of Oxfordshire also reported snow during the afternoon.

    5th November: There was some snowfall across parts of Cumbria and northern Scotland during the day.

    9th November: Some snow fell across parts of NW Scotland for a time.

    18th November: Some snow fell in the showers in N and NW Scotland during the day.

    28th November: Some snow fell in NW Scotland.

    30th November: Some snow for parts of Scotland and Northern England - especially with elevation - including Fife, the Borders/south east and the highlands as a result of a front moving south - some accumilations in a few places.

    1st December: Some snow showers for northern and eastern Scotland in a northerly wind.

    2nd/3rd December: Some snow showers in northern Scotland on the 2nd. Frontal snowfall later in the day and into the 3rd for large parts of Scotland aswell as northern England, some distruption and widespread accumilations, including 3cm over many parts of Scotland.

    4th/5th December: A front moving south brought some snow to parts of Scotland and some parts of England. Some accumilations in places. Snow showers in north eastern Scotland on the 5th.

    6th December: Some snow for eastern parts of Scotland before midnight as front moved south. Some accumilations in Perthshire and Fife.

    8th December: A little snow in Aberdeenshire from a front coming in from the north - it quickly turned back to rain with milder air.

    9th-12th December: Some snow flurries, especially in eastern and northern coasts. Some snow showers in northern and eastern parts of Scotland on the 12th.

    13th December: An area of precipitation moving north brought some light snow to parts of Scotland leaving a dusting.

    26th-27th December: A band of precipitation moving north late on the 26th brought some snow to parts of Scotland. Snow showers were also moving into northern parts of Scotland. On the 27th, the same band was pushed further west but moved back towards Scotland and brought a spell of snow. There was some accumilations in just a few places, especially with elevation.

    29th/30th December: Showers driven by a westerly wind in the evening brought some snow to some parts of Northern Ireland and north western Scotland and further inland towards the Cairngorms. There was some snow and sleet across parts of Scotland into the morning with accumilations on the mountains.

    12/13th January: A few snow showers in eastern Scotland on the 12th, a band of precipitation brought snow to parts of NW Scotland. Into the 13th and snow fell over large parts of Scotland, some accumilations that varied greatly from place to place. Some snow in NI, parts of Wales, northern England saw snow from the band, extending into Yorkshire, parts of the Midlands and extending further south along the eastern end of England. Accumilations typically a cm or two, perhaps more and in some areas close to 5cm.

    14th/15th January: Band of precipitation brought snow to eastern areas of England in particular and parts of eastern Scotland - some accumilations of around 2-5cm and more in a few spots. Some snow showers moved into Wales on 14th. Late on the 14th, snow fell in eastern Scotland with the earlier band of precipitation backing west off the north sea - continued into the 15th - accumilations in some areas as high as 10-15cm locally.

    16th January: Some snow flurries in parts of western and central Scotland and later in Wales as a result of a band of precipitation moving in from the west.

    17th January: Light snow across a large part of England and Wales and shortwave brought snow to eastern parts of East Anglia and little bit of light snow flurries in some parts of Scotland.

    18th January: Significant snow event with band of precipitation moving in from the west bringing heavy snow to Northern Ireland, Wales and much of England with depths up to a foot in parts of Wales - very significant and widespread distruption with school closures. Heavy convective snow showers for NE England and eastern Scotland with accumilations as high as 15cm and squall line bringing snow into the highlands and reaching Lochaber. Snow in southern Scotland moving north from England.

    19h January: Snow shower across eastern parts of Scotland and England and some flurries and local snowfalls in various parts of the UK.

    20th January: Heavy snow for south east England, spreading northwards along eastern England and affecting parts of the Midlands, north Wales. Some snow for parts of Ireland and flurries across Scotland.

    21st January: Heavy snow across large parts of Scotland, especially eastern areas. North east England and the Borders hardest hit with depths up to a foot. Some snow showers in NI and eastern parts of England.

    22nd January: Snowfall continued across eastern parts of Scotland with depths over a foot in Deeside, some more snow for the Borders and snow in southern Scotland during the early hours. An area of low pressure brought some snow to southern parts of both England and Wales, spreading northwards towards the midlands.

    23rd January:

    Heavy snow showers in southern counties of England and also Wales, some snow showers and flurries for north east England and east Scotland.

    24th January: Some snow showers in the early hours in parts of eastern Scotland. A few flurries in some eastern parts of England and a little bit of snow in parts of western Scotland later in the day from a front moving in from the west.

    25th/26th January: Heavy and widespread frontal snowfall across large parts of Scotland and northern England and in other areas too, some significant accumilations and also distruption in places. More than 10cm of fresh snow fell in some locations. Snowfall continued into the night and the morning of the 26th in eastern parts of England with depths over a foot in places and some significant distruption.

    27th January: Some snow showers fed in by a fresh westerly wind into parts of Scotland - especially across parts of the highlands.

    31st January: Some wet snow across parts of the central belt and southern highlands of Scotland.

    1st-2nd February: Snow showers across northern parts of Scotland in a northerly wind and lasting into the morning of the 2nd with some snow showers across parts of eastern England.

    4th/5th February: Heavy snow showers driven by a strong westerly wind across large parts of Scotland, northern Ireland and northern England with accumilations in many places. The snow showers continued across many areas in the northern half of the British Isles with depths of around an inch in many places aswell as some distruption.

    6th February: A northerly wind brought snow showers to exposed parts of northern and eastern Scotland and eastern England.

    7th/8th February: Patchy, brief and light snow in some locations as a weak band of precipitation moving east brought a little bit of wintryness to some areas. This continued into the 8th and there was some snow showers in the morning across a few eastern parts of England

    10th/11th February: Some heavy wet snow as a band of precipitation moved in off the atlantic. There was snow in the morning and afternoon across a number of parts of Scotland aswell as parts of northern England then into the evening the Midlands, east of England, Yorkshire and even parts of the SE saw some snow. Accumilations mainly on higher ground. The snow continued overnight before fizzling out but it left accumilations across eastern parts of England, ranging between typically 2-5cm and as high as 13cm at settlements with elevations.

    12th February: Some snow flurries in eastern parts with a south easterly wind.

    13th February: Heavy snow from a band moving in from the atlantic - mostly affecting the northern half of the UK. Some significant distruption in places with widespread accumilations and depths over 5cm in many areas and over 10cm in a number of areas.

    21st/22nd Febuary: Light snow flurries across some parts of south eastern England. Some further snow flurries into the 22nd across eastern parts of England with a dusting in some locations and light snow grains down the eastern side of the UK.

    23rd February: Quite widespread light snow showers/flurries across eastern parts of England, Scotland and Ireland in particular and there was some heavy snow showers in north eastern England. A covering in some locations. Snow flurries also ending up in more central and western areas aswell.

    24th February: Further snow showers and flurries, particulary in eastern areas in south eastern parts of Scotland, some locations had up to 2-3cm of snow in the morning.

    9th March: An area of precipitation pushing south from Scotland turned to snow across some areas in southern Scotland and some eastern parts of England such as East Anglia.

    10th March: Heavy, frequent convective snow showers in eastern parts of Scotland in particular with depths exceeding 5cm in parts of north eastern Scotland. Depths of a cm or so in other eastern and central parts of Scotland and some more snow showers for parts of eastern England.

    11th March: Further heavy snow showers for south eastern Scotland and eastern England in a north easterly wind and plenty of snow showers affecting many other parts of the British Isles away from north western Scotland. Some more accumilations for some eastern parts of Scotland. An area of low pressure brought a snow storm to the Channel Islands - believed to be the worst here for possibly decades - with some significant accumilations as much as 14cm aswell affecting south eastern parts of England too with some travel distruption.

    12th March: Snow showers for northern and some eastern parts of Scotland, some other snow flurries in north eastern parts of England. Heavy snow clearing south east England in the morning but accumilations of around an inch or so brought distruption to counties such as Sussex.

    13th March: Further wintry showers in a northerly wind for northern Scotland, eastern counties aswell as further inland in England and in some other areas.

    14th March: A few flurries in northern and eastern areas into the early morning before patchy light snow from the west fell in some areas of Scotland for a time in the morning.

    16th March: A period of snowfall mixed within an area of precipitation moving northwards into Scotland. Some accumilations, but mostly on the high ground.

    17th March: Some snowfall in various areas of precipitation across parts of eastern England and eastern/central Scotland with some accumilations locally, especially on the high ground.

    18th March: Snow throughout the day in north eastern areas and into central areas but during the afternoon and evening various bands coming off the north sea brought some significant snowfall to eastern Scotland and north east England with accumilations of 3-5cm in many affected areas and up to 10cm or more in others.

    19th March: Further snowfall across much of eastern Scotland and north eastern England and with snow showers making it into more central and some western parts, and a few wintry showers elsewhere. Some significant and distruptive snowfall for south eastern Scotland, with depths of 10-15cm+ in places.

    20th March: Some snow flurries in eastern areas and in some other locations too.

    21st March: Further snow showers for eastern Scotland and north eastern England - locally some accumilations. A band of heavy rain turning to snow in NI and parts of N Wales and England late in the day.

    22nd March: An area of low pressure resulted in fronts stalling and bringing heavy snow to many areas including: Northern Ireland, southern and western Scotland, north Wales and north England. Accumilations in many areas with snowfalling for much of the day - depths as high as a foot in worst hit areas and even larger depths in dfifts. Significant disruption to travel, sport and many tens of thousands of homes without power. Some snow showers in eastern parts of Scotland in the easterly.

    23rd March: The front fizzled out during the day, further snowfall for south western Scotland, eastern NI, parts of northern England, north Wales, the Midlands and into some southern parts of England. Further accumilations, drifs of many feet in worst affected areas. Snow showers in south easterly wind for parts of north eastern Scotland.

    24th March: Light snow flurries for eastern Scotland. A weak band of snow moving south brought some snow to parts of the Midlands, East Anglia and some other regions.


    25-30th March: Snow showers for eastern, central Scotland, north eastern England and parts of eastern Ireland. Some accumilations in places, especially before dawn.

    2nd April: A few snow flurries in some eastern parts.

    3rd/4th April: Light snow for south eastern England, settling in some locations.

    6th-7th April: Snow to lower levels across northern parts of Scotland from a front moving south.

    8-9tth April: Snow showers across northern parts of Scotland. Some wintry showers also reached some eastern parts of Scotland on the 9th.

    1st May: Some snow showers In the Shetland Islands.

    2nd-3rd May: Some snow to lower levels in the northern and western highlands and islands on the back edge of a frontal system.

    14th/15th May: An extensive area of persistent and heavy precipitation across southern parts of Britain late on the 14th and into the 15th saw snow fall across upland areas and in some lower elevations and towns. There were accumilations of snow of up to 5cm in some places, snow depths in parts of Shropshire and Devon

    22nd May: A northerly wind brought showers to northern parts of Scotland with a wintry mix. Some snow was observed in some places including Lerwick.
  3. A Winter's Tale
    [center][b]SEPTEMBER DICUSSION[/b][/center]

    1st September: A bit drizzly earlier, then it turned quite nice and sunny for a spell but cloud cover again increased and much of the evening was wet and dull. Tomorrow should be a better day, beyond this there could be some rain at times, cloudy and the model outlook is for quite a warm looking first half of September.

    2nd September: Quite grey and dull in the morning before things did brighten up for afterwards. Some clear skies and nice evening light to the south but always a little cloudier further north the area was kind of on the boundary of cloud/clear skies - nonetheless it was a nice September evening sky when looking south towards Glasgow. It's now cloudy now here, but tomorrow we see winds coming from the west and some rain moving near western areas.

    3rd September: It was meant to be a grey day but around lunctime and into the afternoon there was a lovely September's day with blue skies, sunshine and a lovely light to the land and it felt quite warm. Then cloud arrived from the west at around 3pm and soon the rain arrived and it was quite heavy at times as atlantic air replaced the sunny, clear skies. Tomorrow, the central belt/Glasgow area could be on the border line between cloud cover and sunshine.

    4th September:

    Pretty nice September weather today, on the cool side but lots of sunshine and blue skies with some nice looking clouds too so a fairly seasonal and pleasant day. There was a lovely sky in the evening with a nice light blue sky with the earlier dusk and some interesting colours in the cirrus clouds as the sun sets. The next few days are okay with some sunshine tomorrow but more cloud afterwards with some rain and the possibility of an early frost perhaps.

    5th September:

    Today was very nice day weatherwise, lots of lovely September sunshine and pleasant looking skies and surroundings too! A lovely evening too with a great clear sky in the twilight and it's a nice night - quite cold looking and there's a different light than the summer light and tonight could be quite a cool one. Rain is expected to be in the area tomorrow and it's not too bad an outlook at all for September but I'll keep you posted on what the weather has been like and discuss and comment about upcoming weather and so on.

    6th September:

    The cold front arrived in the morning and brought grey skies and some rain for a time. It remained cloudy for much of the day but now the clouds aren't as think and there are a few clear patches.

    7th September:

    Grey and dull all day with some rain at times - hardly an inspiring day for weather.

    8th September:

    Today was a lot better. There was still some grey, cool, cloudy weather at times but it wasn't as slate grey as yesterday and there were some nice sunny, clear spells in the sky so an okay day overall but right now there is a cloudy night sky with just a few breaks.

    9th September:

    Another cloudy and uneventful day and rain eventually arrived from the west but it was quite patchy but heavy for periods. Scotland does look set for yet more frontal rainfall but next week could start quite cool and showery with snow on the hills.

    10th September:

    Grey and damp earlier but tonight it's mostly clear skies with a few clouds - dusk now much later at before 9pm.

    11th September:

    A nicer, fresh September day with lots of lovely blue skies, sunshine and some showers so a nice autumnal feel to things today.

    12th September:

    Another beautiful, cool, clear, calm September day, really lovely and scenic and pleasing! But all good things have to come to an end eventually I'm afraid but tonight is going to be another cool one.

    13th September:

    Today was an classic example of the windier and wilder side to autumn as we have the remains of ex hurricanes. Calmer now but there were some big gusts and some impressive skies and some rainfall/drizzle throughout the day, tomorrow should be a slight improvement.

    14th September:

    As I said yesterday, today was meant to be a slight improvement and indeed it was. Some nice, cool, autumnal sunshine and clear skies with plenty of regular showers and some strong winds and always breezy.

    16th September:

    There was some sunshine and blue skies for a period yesterday afternoon but it go cloudier later in the day. Today started off quite windy and wet but it improved and it was a lovely evening.

    17th September:

    Quite wet and dreich earlier with persistent showers and cool aswell but now lovely, but cool, perfect evening September sunshine glowing on the autumn leaves with a lovely autumn light and a lovely calm, cool evening blue sky.

    18th September:

    Glorious sunshine and again blue skies but the light of everything looks much more autumnal now. A cool day with some showers and quite fresh too so quite a pleasant cool September day. And the coming nights look cool, well into single figures and temperatures here could drop below 5C. So a cool couple of days, some rainfall in the form of showers and some but skies should rarely be completely overcast.

    19th September:

    After sleet being reported at Loch Glascarnoch yesterday, last night was very cold and here in Glasgow it got down to around 4C and colder than that in other rural spots. A lovely day with some and a nice cool, sunny, at times breezy and showery September day. Tonight is also quit cool, calm and largely clear.

    20th September:

    Well into autumn now and today was largely went and cold and miserable thanks to a front moving in from the south stalling over southern and central scotland. It later cleared so there was an improvement in the evening and not a bad, calm, half-clear autumnal night and cool too - current 7C. The next few nights and days should be dry and with clear skies but cold.

    21st September:

    It went down to 3C earlier today, lovely morning aswell with glorious sunshine. A few more clouds in the sky later on in the afternoon but I was able to play tennis in lovely evening sunshine before a few showers crossed over. A lovely autumn night too and currently 4C so a frost could be on the cards!

    22nd September:

    I can confirm that this morning had the official first frost of the winter. Woke up at 8am and the car was covered in a frost and some ice, very slight frost on the grass and beautiful morning. Minimum temperatures between 7-8am were at around 0C across the central belt, -1C recored at Glasgow Airport so I'm not sure whether there was an air frost here but nevertheless the autumnal chill was present this morning with frost and low temperatures. Once the sun was up the temperature rised rapidly, clouds did increase however thanks to a system influencing from the west but it was a fairly pleasant, average autumnal afternoon. Still cool outside right now but it should be nowhere near as cold as last night. Some stormy and unpleasant weather is expected for southern areas of the British Isles tomorrow.

    23rd September:

    Another cold, sunny, beautiful morning with a low of 4C and with the sun up the temperatures rose. A lovely, bright day with some sunshine, blue skies and fair cloud cover and a nice evening too with an interesting moon. Tomorrow however looks like being a wild day here.

    24th September:

    A miserable day here, but even worse further south where more than a month's rainfall fell in less than 24hrs resulting in floods. The heavy rain is now moving further north so Glasgow should get some rain but should escape the worst of it but right now the winds are strong and gusty and there is a distinct, wild, stormy autumnal feel about tonight. Tomorrow should be changeable too but the following days should be a lot calmer with some decent but cool conditons at times.

    25th September:

    Last night was stormy and lots more leaves are on the ground after last night. Today had less rainfall, but still breezy and it became a little brighter but still a classicly set-up unsettled autumn day. Some terrible distruption from the deep low in other areas of the UK with floods and strong winds and in Aberdeen there foam mixed with sand being blown off the sea into the villages. The next few days look better though.

    26th September:

    Quite pleasant and stunning at times today with some lovely periods of autumnal sunshine throughout the day but quite cool and there were some pockets of clouds moving over from time to time bringing a few showers. Less wind today after the recent low which was the deepest for September in the British Isles in around 30 years.

    27th September:

    Another cool day, quite pleasant at times with some nice autumnal skies and sunshine in clear periods. Overcast currently and fairly calm too.

    28th September:

    Showery, fresh and cool today, classic autumnal weather with some nice cool, crystal clear blue skies with some impressive shower clouds bringing short but heavy rainfalls. Cool today but very scenic when the sun comes out. A nice moon and night sky tonight - very atmospheric.

    29th September:

    Less showers today than yesteray, quite calm too, cloudy right now but there was plenty of lovely autumn sunshine and skies earlier but transitionary between periods of cloud cover and clearer skies.

    30th September:

    Some rain overnight and heavy showers in the morning but it turned out a very nice autumn day, some lovely sunshine and skies once more and a calm, largely clear night with another bright, small moon.

    [center][b]OCTOBER DISCUSSION[/b][/center]

    1st October:

    The first day of October has been changeable, less sunshine than yesterday with plenty of showers coming in from the west - some very heavy. A recent heavy shower has cleared, patches of fast moving clouds in the night sky with glimpses of a moon in the clear bits. Quite cool at 8C too.

    2nd October:

    Another showery day, brief periods of some sunshine and the changeable theme looks set to continue this week, some sunshine at times but some rain will be present too and it should become colder as we move go through the week. Possibility of stormy and cool autumnal weather beyond this week.

    3rd October:

    Brighter today with some spells of autumn sunshine and impressive autumn colours are highlighted in it's full glory when the sun is out. But it was a cool autumn day with showers around and one or two these where pretty heavy but on the whole there were less showers than yesterday. Tonight, it's currently 5C so a cold night is likely and there are less showers around the it's a nice, calm, largely clear October night.

    4th October:

    Fantastic crisp, cold October morning with temperatures hovering just above freezing and it looked wonderful with the sunshine glowing on the fog. Temperatures were close to an air frost but nonetheless it was a cold, winter-like morning and the second of the type this season so far (although we have had temperatures dip below 5C on no. of occasions) temperatures weren't quite low enough for long enough for a ground frost to form. The flog cleared and temperatures rose quickly as a calm and mostly bright afternoon followed but there were a few showers at times and usually a little cloud cover. The light during the day and night and the weather combined with the earlier dusk/later dawn and the migrating birds signals that we are properly into autumn now. Temperatures have been at 9C for a while now and cloud cover is increasing with some rain approching from the west.

    5th October:

    Temperatures went down to around 6C here this morning but there was so morning mist/sunshine once more. Temperatures rose and it was a lovely autumnal day some clouds developed as the day went and one moment in the afternoon it was quite cloudy but the evening and night has remained largely clear and cool. The next few days also look quite cool/cold in the mornings and some sunny spells. Definetley getting deeper into autumn now!

    6th October:

    5C was a cold as it got this morning and it was another glorious morning too. Around luchtime and early afternoon it became a little overcast but afterwards skies were mostly clear again and there was fantastic dusk with red/pink cirrus clouds in the pale blue sky. Currently 4C so another cold, clear, calm night is on the cards.

    7th October:

    Very cold start with an air and group frost and temperatures just below freezing early this morning and glorious day too with fantastic sunshine. Right now, tonight is milder and cloudier now.

    8th October:

    It's a very familiar story now, as we continue our run of lovely, cold, sunny October mornings. A touch of frost this morning as the temperature hovered around 0C - possibly another air frost - and again the autumnal sunshine was glorious. A bit cloudy as a weak front passed over earlier this evening but it's about to clear and another cold morning should be on the cards for tomorrow.

    9th October:

    There have been some slight frosts so far this autumn but this morning was the frist proper frost of the autumn so far. A very covering of shinning frost on cars and roofs this morning as temperatures were around freezing so probably an air frost. And again, a wonderful, sunny, calm, cold October day in what has been a spell of lovely autumnal weather. Tonight, it's calm, clear and the temperature is already at 2C so another ground and air frost could be on the cards for the morning.

    10th October:

    Possibly one of the best days of the year so far, glorious weather until late this evening, a fantastic, sunny autumnal day. And the best frosty morning of the season so far with a minimum of -3C and fantastic morning sunshine and blue skies and quite a hard frost, the afternoon had fantastic sunshine and blue skies too. Really stunning and pleasant autumnal weather, and the frosts and changes in temperatures, daylight and environment shows that we are very much in a different season now. However cloud is increasing from the west as a front approches to push this settled weather east and replace it with rain.

    11th October:

    A largely grey day which became very wet and dark and dull later on, but right now at night it's the rain isn't as heavy and should be clearing quite soon, but the run of lovely dry, cold days has ended but it isn't bad to get your dreich autumnal day as long as you don't got it 7 days a week lol! A lot milder at night, temperatures by day around 12C, unsettled outlook lets set to continue for a while. Nights are longer now, dawn at 7am and dusk at 7pm, and the leaves have begun to really fall of the trees with increased rainfall and wind after a spell of cold nights.

    12th October:

    Little sunshine at all today, just a generally grey, overcast and at times damp October's day. But further north and east in Scotland, the front stalled and dumped lots of rain over the area and as a result there was some flooding.

    13th October:

    Well, we had the cold, sunny, frosty side of autumn now we've got the grey, quite wet side with temperatures around 7-11C and darker alot earlier with the cloudy skies - very few clear breaks today. We also had the showery side of October but we're yet to the see the stormy and windy side but so far it's been a fairly typical October. It should remain overcast tonight but tomorrow should perhaps see some more breaks as the day goes on and tomorrow night may be a cold one. Quite changeable, with short periods of cold nights, sunny days and before fronts arrive bringing cloud cover and rain.

    14th October:

    After a wet start, skies cleared later in the morning with some sunshine but there were always scattered clouds in the sky and it became showery - some said it was sleetly (however I'll only start the snow diary once proper snowfall is observed) and there was the first risk of low land wintry precipitation in NE Scotland, things then cleared at around dusk with a fantastic sky before some more showers arrived, tonight should be quite clear and possibly a frost. The next few days should have a mixture of sunny spells and fronts.

    15th October:

    A frosty start today, and a lovely sunny morning with the temperature around 0C again this month. A lovely day too and a cold one, quite cold right now but a frost is unlikely with a front coming in from the west across from Ireland, a cold night further north however.

    16th October:

    No frost, but a miserable morning with the front moving north, as a result some freezing cold rain at temperatures hovering around 2-5C, more like a January morning with snow on the hills but the front cleared and we had the first sub 10C maxima since 18th May and there was some lovely October evening late sunshine, cold day in Aviemore with maxima of 3C, temperatures now at 2C with ice forming on car but front is approching from the south so how low can it gow before the front arrives?

    17th October:

    Got down to 1C at Glasgow airport before the front arrived, a very wet and miserable morning, very cold in Braemar with a low of -8C, some snow at low levels in the highlands for a time but mainly above sea level. A wet few days up here possible, possibly an indian summer to follow for the south of England and maybe a taster for winter later in the month?

    18th October:

    No sunshine or clear skies today really, just grey and very wet and miserable at times. Temperatures reaching max of 11C. Tomorrow should be grey at times, so yes we're currently experiencing the dull, dark and damp side of October, a brief indian summer seems likely for the south of England, potentially a taste of northerly later next week.

    19th October:

    Grey, drizzle, windy, cold in other words miserable. The next few days could continue to be overcast aswell.

    20th October:

    Mostly cloudy for the morning and lunchtime, sometime sunlight made it through the clouds, come afternoon clouds cleared in the south and east and there was some lovely autumnal sunshine and blue skies and the land looked great with the autumnal colours. A nice evening too, hardly absolutely clear skies but scattered clouds making a fantastic sky. After a max of around 12C, there was a nice dusk and a great moon. Half clear night, the clouds are orange in the night sky with Glasgow conurbation down below, now 7C. Could be a fine line between cloud cover and some sunshine during the next few days. End of next week and northerly plunge into Europe seems likely, Scotland on the edge of it. Snowfall in Glasgow seems highly unlikely but it should be cold for a while, it's great to see potential that was impossibe to get this time last year, I'm fine with seasonal autumnal conditions for now but cold and wintry conditions do have a place in autumnal weather I suppose.

    21st October:

    Much better day, fantastic sunshine and warm in the sun too, infact it was the warmest day of the month so far with a max of 14C, a lovely dusk too, a different type of colour to the sky at this time of year, and it becomes darker a lot earlier. A fantastic moon too. Got to say that I really love clear evenings at this time of year but in actual fact I generally love autumnal weather as much as the other seasons - all four seasons are marvelous. So today was a calm, sunny day, the next few days more overcast and dull, end of next week is looking interesting with potential in the charts regarding cold synoptics that was impossible this time last year, a real blocked scenario, low pressure over Scandinavia and a northerly so a cold end to next week looks likely and there could be some snow. Fascinating stuff!!!

    22nd October:

    Started off misty with and very cold with a low of 0C recorded at Glasgow airport. A bone chilling wind too, a mostly cloudy and grey day, and largely calm with a little breeze that felt pretty cold. Mild in the south of Britian, next few days should continue to be cloudy before colder and crisp conditions arrive later this week.

    23rd October:

    A nothing day is how I would describe today's weather with no wind and just very low extensive cloud cover and poor visibility. But all the leaves on the ground makes things look nicer though.

    I'm not expecting any snow here later this week but looking forward to some fantastic crisp, sunny and cold conditions with some lovely frosty nighst too and am really looking forward to hearing the snow reports from a lucky few. What difference a year makes.

    BBC says maximum temperature for Glasgow should be 6C for Friday and Saturday, Torrance should be a little cooler than the city and even colder to the north of the Campsies. Lowest temperature this month is -3C so on Friday night the minimum should come close to that. It would be interesting to see what sort of temperature readings we get across the country. One thing that has caught my eye is the rain moving into western and northern areas late on Saturday night, cold temperatures on the ground but I'd imagine that the hills should see some snow. The outlook beyond is interesting, one to follow that's for sure.

    24th October:

    Sunny and clear skies especially afternoon and evening, some fantastic skies and conditions and colours and great relief from the cloud cover from the past few days. Now a little cloudier hidding the moon. Northerly and colder nights to come after tomorrow for a couple of days.

    25th October:

    A cloudy and mild start but arctic air moving south saw periods with fantastic, clear, blue but cold looking skies - the sort of air you have during clear northerlies. Sometimes lines of clouds increased because of cold fronts moving further south. Following that, a stunning dusk and incredible clear, cold looking skies with very few clouds and some fantastic colours as the sun set below the horizon. And temperatures took a big fall after the cold front passed, Glasgow airport recorded no air frost today (as far as I know) but here I think there's a frost developing on the cars, certainly by morning it'll be very cold and sunny. Shetland so the first snowfall today, later tomorrow some others will see snow which is great, probably none here but following the temperatures and enjoying the great weather will be fantastic.

    26th October:

    An outstanding day!!!! Started off cold, now visible frost but I think the temperature droped below 0C. There was a thin cloud cover that sooned cleared replaced by fantastic, crisp, crystal clear cold looking skies with a few small, isolated clouds. In the afternoon/evening cloud cover increased with the remains of snow showers. At 5pm, one snow shower managed to make it down to this part of the world, I could see the dark purple snow shower and a fantastic moon to the east in the cold evening sky. The maximum temperature failed to make it above 7C, and at 5pm a very light snow shower fell here! Not only the first snow event of the season here, but the first snowfall I've ever seen here in October. And that marked the start of my snow diary which keeps record of snow events this season and the winter blog with discussion about winter weather - both this Diary of weather and the winter blog will discuss weather throughout the winter. But what about elsewhere. Well, snow showers were persistent across northern and eastern areas and the met office issued a yellow warning for snow (never seen a warning for snow so early before). Many eastern and northern areas saw some wintry showers and some areas that didn't expect snow showers received some and convection of snow showers exceeded expectations and so did the depths of snow that were'nt expected in some areas - it probably snowed in more places that previous expected. However, NE Scotland and Aberdeen in particular were hit very badly by a very potent snowfall for this time of year, causing distruption and snow measured in inches - very remarkable for this time of year. Last notable snowfall in the British Isles was in April. Definetley a notable period of cold and wintry weather here in the British Isles along with October 2008. As we've seen already this month, you expect a trend for temperatures to generally cool down and to have some cold nights with frosts as we've seen this month but today has been an example of both very cold and wintry weather this early in the season. Reporting Scotland also had some decent coverage of the snow today. This evening was fantastic, a great clear dusk with a fantastic moon, fantastic scattered clouds and a fantastic clear, cold clear sky. A cold night should be on the cards with an air frost, before rain moves in from the west and milder weather intervenes, uncertainty over the details of the unsettled weather to follow and what could follow the start of next week so watch this space! Certainly an interesting period of weather, an interesting October day it has been in an interesting month.

    27th October:

    Droped to -3C at Glasgow airprort, since 1999 there has never been an October with as many air frosts as 2012. A fantastic clear, sunny and cold October's morning. Cloud gradually increased and so did the temperature and later some rain arrived with low pressure moving from the west. An unsettled few days seem likely.

    28th October:

    A mostly cloudy, grey and at times damp autumnal day. However right now, there are a few breaks in the night sky, and a fantastic moon in the dark clear patch is reflecting its light on surrounding clouds, further towards the city however there's a classic orange glow of the night sky. A calm night too with a coating of water over plants and trees, temperature now somewhere near 7C after being stuck at 8 to 9C for much of the day. Now the moon is visibile but a thin layer of cloud cover is in front of it. A very typical night for this time of year and the typical autumnal, mostly unsettled, changeable and mostly cool weather should continue - an interesting period of weather to follow.

    29th October:

    A chilly day today with a bone-chilling breeze. But cloud cover was thinner with some clear spells and during the evening the clear spells become more widespread and it was a nice autumnal evening and another good moon. However cloud cover has increased somewhat recently. An autumnal week infront of us but Hurrican Sandy is causing alarming problems for the east coast of America.

    30th October:

    A grey, dull and a classic atlantic day in autumn with rainfall coming in from the west. And some more rain to come as this atlantic, unsettled weather continues overnight and tomorrow but some clear spells and some showers in the following days seem likely with some cool night - so a cool, changeable but quite sunny few days of autumnal weather to come I suppose....

    31st October:

    A band of rain brought damp, dull and heavy overcast, grey skies for the day with an atlantic aspect of our autumn weather with slate grey skies, steady rain at times and a bone-chilling winds making things feel quite raw. As the front cleared, a mosaic of strips of thin cloud cover with a tint of purple against a backdrop of the black autumn evening night sky and it's now mostly calm and clear and a nice unique sort of night sky and colour that only really happens at this time of year. A cold night too with temperatures at a few spots in Scotland below freezing, here it's at 1C, with some most so a nice cold night in what has been a frosty October. On this Halloween night, we conclude what has been a fascinating and enjoyable October but I wonder what November will bring - nonetheless I'm looking forward to it.

    [center][b]NOVEMBER DISCUSSION[/b][/center]

    1st November:
    Showery but cold wi
    th an air frost recorded at Glasgow Aiport during the early hours with mist too. Really cold air throughout the day with maxima of only 7C and the light now during the day has a wintry element to it now and it's getting darker earlier - with dusk at 5.15pm. A lovely evening and afternoon and skies cleared and a fantastic pale blue sky becoming darker as the dusk neared and clouds increased from the west bringing an organised area of showers - quite dreich and raw, wet weather has followed later this evening a cloudier autumn night - some heavy showers at times too. The cool and showery regime looks set to continue for the next few days so not a bad start at all to November.

    2nd November:

    Temperature rose to 8C in the early hours before dropping a bit then rising again in the afternoon. There was a particulary heavy shower here at 10am but thereafter it's been another nice, generally clear November evening with a few clouds and nice colours and tones of blue in the dusk sky. The temperature in the evening dipped to around 2C and the temperature at Glasgow aiprort is close to freezing now. The showery and cool regime should last for a couple of days before we should enter a period of transition/change to milder westerlies but what will follow that remains uncertain but there's a lot to look out for during the coming days and weeks.

    3rd November:

    The temperature in the early hours dipped below freezing before a more organised area of showers arrived. Snow was reported at 6am at Faifley, unfortuantly I wasn't there to confirm whether it snowed here but the presence of snow in the area would be enough to make snowfall no.2 of the season so far. Snow also fell across Fife, Perthshire and Stirling earlier in the morning. It was a cold morning here, mostly sunny with a few scattered shower clouds moving in off the Firth of Clyde from the south west - maximum temperature failed to make it above 7C as it was a lovely cold, sunny November's day with some light rain showers at times. I went for a drive at around 4pm as some more rain showers arrived. Some snow on the northern side of the Campsie Fells and some lovely clear, cold evening skies with stars when showers cleared. Further into the evening, it was cold with temperatures around 3 to 5C, showers further west so drier with some scattered thin clouds that fade as they move further east across the cental belt, a lovely cold, calm night too with the sound and smell of fireworks, an evening chill and a mostly clear, dark evening sky with a few clouds reflecting the orange glow of the city - fantastic November weather. Not a bad start to November with cold days and nights, some showers but also some nice skies and sunshine/clear spells. The next few days should stay on the cold side, perhaps becoming a little milder then it's anyones guess as to what comes next....but it'll be interesting and exciting to watch how things unfold.



    4th November:

    During the early hours of this morning, the temperature was a couple of degrees above freezing and some thin cloud cover and a few light rain showers persisted through the morning and early afternoon. Later in the afternoon the cloud cover began to break up before sunset as the temperature maxed at 7C and it was a very cold evening. The temperature hovering around 0C for much of the evening and a largely clear sky with calm, cold conditions and starry sky with fireworks and distant thin clouds in the southern horizon moving westwards as the wind changed to an easterly. Current -1C at Glasgow Airport so tonight could be a very cold one and then we have the last of the cold spell for Bonfire Night - hopefully another calm, crisp and mostly clear night for fireworks - lovely November weather when it's cold and clear, especially in the evenings. And I also have to mention that there was a potent snowfall for parts of the south west England this morning with a channel low and some accumilations up to 15cm in places. Milder weather should arrive after tomorrow but what will follow this - as I've said before an interesting period of model and weather watching is upon us.

    5th November:

    Bonfire night! Had some average fireworks earlier but it was a cold evening with a frost developing in frost and temperature hovering around 1C. It was a fantastic day too with a very cold morning and a low -3C and a lovely sunny day before dusk fell and the starry night followed with some mist. Turning milder tonight with a front coming down from the north west.

    6th November:

    A milder day today after a low of 1C in the early hours. Also quite cloudy too with just a few spells when there were breaks in the clouds in the westerly wind and there was some rain at times. Tomorrow should have some ligh rain during the day and a mostly cloudy day with the westerly theme continuing for the next few days.

    7th November:

    Temperature reached a maximum of 11C and minimum of 9C so much, much milder today and also yesterday. On top of that, the westerly winds have brought windy, mostly cloudy conditions with rain - some breaks, but also some heavy downpours at times. There were a few clearer spells in the evening amongst the fast moving clouds moving further east. Tomorrow may be drier with some sunny spells before another front arrives on Friday followed slightly cooler, possibly drier weather for the weekend with a few sunny spells.

    8th November:

    Some pleasant spells of autumnal sunshine and many patches of clear skies earlier today with just a few clouds blowing over at times. Temperatures still milder than the first few days of the month although it felt chilly in the wind at times. Cloud cover increased in the evening with less clear spells, now mostly overcast with the orange glow of the city and quite calm too before the next front arrives.

    9th November:

    After the frontal rainfall this morning, the rain eased but skies remainded quite cloudy into the early afternoon before more clear patches developed in the afternoon but there were also a few showers too. Right now there are patches of clear skies and cloud cover, largely calm. Cool, dry and possibly sunny weekend before a more unsettled start to next week.

    10th November:

    Throughout much of this morning and into the afternoon, it was a fairly overcast and grey day with some light/rain drizzle at times. Quite uninspiring and it seemed really dark early in the afternoon. However things thankfully did clear up later in the afternoon and the evening with a lovely clear, autumn evening/night's sky with wonderful stars insight with some scattered areas of cloud cover. A calm night right now with the temperature at Glasgow airport at 0C, some mist here and a half-clear skies.

    11th November:

    It was quite bright earlier in the morning with temperatures of 3C but skies were mostly grey until later in the afternoon when some clear skies developed as dusk approched. With a front coming in from the west tomorrow should start off wet.

    12th November:

    After a low of 2C in the early hours, the depression brought much milder, atlantic weather with cloudy skies all day and plenty of wet weather in the morning. Mildest day of the month with a high of 13C, tomorrow should also be mild with further rainfall in the coming days. The outlook for November is uncertain but should be fun to follow and GFS 18z shows perhaps the start of the big freeze 2013....??!!

    13th November:

    Grey, dull and damp day which made things even darker earlier in the afternoon. Very mild too with maximum temperature of 14C. Tomorrow also looking damp, grey and mild too and after that things are looking changeable but I'm really looking forward to what's yet to come this month as the models are catching attention and should continue to do so - I'm intruiged to see which sort of synoptics evolve in the runs during the coming days and weeks. With a bit of luck we should be in a very good position to start the winter off.

    14th November:

    Another mild, grey, overcast and wet day with some unpleasant conditions to be out in earlier but the rain did ease for periods but conditions remained damp into the afternoon and skies mostly overcast since. However right now it is foggy but looking up I can however see a star so it could be a little clearer. Tomorrow however is looking like a murky sort of a day.

    15th November:

    Quite dense fog during the early morning and visibility remained poor into the afternoon. An entirely grey, dull quite murky and dreich day with some unpleasant conditions with periods of rainfall with wet conditions throughout. After a chilly start temperatures got milder later maxing at 10C. I think the rain has stopped here for now and possibly some rain tomorrow but I think there could be brighter and colder weather for the weekend and possibly some wintry showers in a polar westerly flow but it would be marginal for this part of Scotland. Staying unsettled a bit beyond with low pressure close to the British Isles and high pressure further east but there are signs of developments which could lead to blocking - certainty a period of transition is developing later on the model runs.

    16th November:

    Grey all day and wet too at times - a bit drier now. Tomorrow should be a sunnier, cooler day with some showers - hopefully wintry.

    17th November:

    A lovely sunny start with some light rain and a hail shower in the morning. Shower activity increased in the afternoon with some heavy showers and fewer clear spells. During a drive around the Campsies there was some sleet around Fintry and also some bits of sleety rain in Lennoxtown and Bearsden. The temperature had dropped to around 3C. With less shower than earlier, skies are clear and conditions are calm.

    18th November:

    A nice sunny November's day. Went for a walk in the afternoon and it felt very cold with largely clear skies as the sun began to set. A few showers at around 3pm with a bit of hail. Since then, cloud cover has increased throughout the evening - the signs of change to what is looking like a mild, wet and classic autumnal affair this coming week.

    19th November:

    Very mild today with a maximum of 13C and very heavy rain and unpleasant conditions in the morning with flooding across parts of Scotland. There was a little brightness in the afternoon as the rain eased but skies have remained mostly cloudy.

    20th November:

    A mild day with southerly winds. The morning was cloudy but there was some pleasant sunshine and clear spells during the afternoon and early evening, a pleasant sunset and dusk and a good view of the moon too with a largely clear sky. Now it's more overcast.

    21st November:

    It felt cooler today, but it was a lovely day. Particulary lunchtime and afternoon in what was fantastic, clear sunny and calm November weather as the sun stes earlier and the moon comes out earlier too. Some lovely looking scenes and skies. It was a great night sky after dusk, but a front moving in from the west - set to bring rain tomorrow - has led to increased cloud cover here. But, northern blocking could return in 7 days time, with some fantastic charts today - shades of November 2010, very exciting but need more runs!!!

    22nd November:

    Severe, wet and windy = unpleasant conditions for many parts of the UK today. An incredible squall at 7am with very heavy rain, winds too, loss of tv signal it fel like the world was ending and everybody here noticed it. Thereafter, it was cloudy with spells of steady rain throughout the day feeling chilly but max of 11C. Showery and a little cooler weather in the next few days. Nothern blocking likely to set-up and a cooler/colder period next week but at this stage, of course, there is a lot of variability regarding the details of the cold spell but the potential remains, as I've said we are in very interesting and exciting times to start winter.

    23rd November:

    A cooler and fresher day today with plenty of showers and intervals of clear skies and sunshine and clouds in the westerly wind. But generally clear spells developing during the evening and now it's mostly clear other than a few clouds passing over and there is a moon, that was visible in the sky since the afternoon. Regarding the cold spell later next week, the blocking pattern is there, however the details of the blocking and the weather associated with it at this stage aren't at all clear but it's exciting to follow and the scenario we are in now is a good one to start of December. I wonder what the coming days will bring with regards to the development of mapping out the details of the cold spell. It's early but exciting times on the winter rollercoster.

    24th November:

    Coldest day of the autumn and coldest since February. At 11pm, the temperature at Glasgow airport has reached it's maximum of 4C - could be the first sub 5C day of the season but that needs to be confirmed. Another air frost this morning with a low of -1C, ice on the cars and the temperature was at 2/3C throughout the day. A calm day too, with thin cloud cover during the afternoon after a sunny start. But now it's raining as a big system is moving northwards so tomorrow should also be wet, cloudy here. Colder spell is coming, details are far from being clear, a few models showing some spectactular charts. Trend for northern blocking also in place, to end the month and start December. It's far from clear, but it is interesting and hopefully as details become clearer we'll be rewarded with fantastic winter weather.

    25th November:

    Started off wet and raw, before skies cleared in the afternoon and it was a lovely, cold, clear and starry evening with fog patches developing later. Maximum temperatures of 6C and temperature dropped to -1C at 11pm. With the floods in England, this week is looking better with drier conditions with winds turning to a northerly after the last of the wet conditions tomorrow - but it looks like we'll have a cold end to November with seasonal conditions which I'm looking forward to. We'll have to wait longer to have a clearer idea regarding synoptics - quite volatile variations - blocking is a certainty but the details regarding the nature of the blocking and the weather associated with it are very unclear, but day by day we should be gaining a clearer idea. Great times for model watching and for following the weather. Plenty of potential regarding the weather that could be ahead of us -we should find out a lot more during this week and I'm looking forward to the weather this week and following how things evolve. Very foggy outside and cold - great late November night.

    26th November:

    After a low of -1C, there was thin cloud cover during the morning which broke up in the afternoon to leave a pleasant sunset with the fantastic colour of the sky with the blend of the blue clear sky and the red on the scattered clouds reflecting the light from the setting sun. Right now the sky is half clear/cloudy but the moon is visible through the thin clouds - calm with temperatures of 5C. I'm looking forward to some pleasant and seasonal weather during the rest of the week with potentially the coldest day of the season so far - possibly the coldest this year. As I tend to enjoy the weather for what it is, I particulary love cold, crisp weather at this time of year but it would be fantastic to have some snow to top it off, perhaps during the coming days as the model begin to have a grasp on the outlook later this week then perhaps there could be a brief taste of something wintry. The model rollercoaster and see-saw continues but it's looking like a generally cool/cold outlook (for Scotland at least) regardless of whether it's zonal or blocked and the potential for further blocking througout December which is a pretty good place to be - it should be interesting to see what sort of weather we get and what the developments regarding the stratosphere and the NH are during December. You never know, we could well be in a big freeze come Christmas with it a bit of luck (hopefully we'll have more solid blocking firmly over Greenland rather than having a block that's under pressure from the jet stream) and with yet more potential for later on in the winter. We are in a much more promising position than we were last year - having said that last December was very good for wintry weather here in Glasgow.

    27th November:

    A lovely crisp, sunny winter's day with a fantastic colour to everything with the sun so low in the sky. Absolutely fantastic looking sky this afternoon as the sun sets, and the dusk was breathtaking with an incredible orange glow looking south west on the horzion - totally clear, cold looking skies as the night's draw in with only a few thin strips of cloud on the horzion as the city begins to light up during the rush hour. Temperature dropped to 0C this evening with the 20th air frost day at Glasgow airport this autumn. Temperature has risen now to 3C before midnight, a clear night other than a few clouds and a fantastic starry sky and a great moon. It's feeling like winter again. A cold week coming up, the weather during the next few days is looking nice with possibly the first ice day of the year on Thursday according to the BBC and maybe a little snow for the weekend. But considering how we are in a particulary tricky period for forecasting - even at a short-range- many details will change but this is making for an enjoyable and interesting week for following the weather and the models. At the moment it seems likely that for the first part of December there could be a cold pool to our east, and favourable background signals for blocking so there's a lot to look forward to into December on the model front and on the weather front.

    28th November:

    Stunning winter's day, sunshine and great colours in the afternoon and evening as the sun sets, a wonderful reflection the landscape and the clouds and the tones in the clear sky are amazing at dusk as the stars and the moon come out early. Very cold this morning with low of -3C, high of 5C and frost remained all day in sheltered spots. Currently -4C which is the coldest it has been all season - I wonder how low it will go. A fantastic, calm, clear cold night. The next few days are looking good with the possibility of perhaps some snow on Friday and during the weekend.

    29th November:

    Very cold this morning with -5C reached for the first time this season and the coldest temperature for this date in my lifetime. Another great winter's day with cold, crisp, calm and clear conditions and maximum temperature at Glasgow airport was 3C - now back down to 0C. A harsh frost with a very cold morning, everything white and the frost lingered very well in places all day. Some cloud cover in the afternoon and evening with a few clear patches, temperature hovering at -1/0C but right now there are a few clear spells and I can see the fantastic stars. Cold, -2C and another cold night on the cards. Tomorrow and the weekend should be cold to finish November and start December. There could be some snow for some, even here in Glasgow tomorrow and maybe even some wintryness on Sunday. A fantastic end to November and start to winter, very seasonal, wonderful winter weather.

    30th November:

    Last update of what has been an enjoyable and a cold autumn 2012. Another very cold morning with a low -5C with another great, quite hard frost. The view this morning was umbeliavable as the sun was barely above the horizon, a red sky in the morning as the sun rose, a fantastic slight mist in some of the valleys and the entire landscape looking frozen. Frost lingered into the afternoon and in some shaded areas the lingering frost looking more like a covering of snow. Wonderful sunshine and blue skies later in the morning and into the afternoon but cloud cover increased in the afternoon with a front moving southward. This evening the temperature was at 1/2C (2C the maximum temperature and the joint coldest high of 2012) and there was heavy cold rain and very cold air making incredibly raw conditions. It was so cold that a kind of steam/mist was rising off objects. Snow flurries this morning in the east and this front has brought some accumiltions up to 3C in a few places in south eastern Scotland snow showers are following behind in the north east. But for the start of winter, I imagine that ice will be a very big hazard. Looking outside, it's clearer with some scattered clouds and I can see the stars in the clear patches - calm. An interesting way to end autumn 2012. Next - Winter 2012/2013.
  4. A Winter's Tale
    Any notable or interesting or nice event will be covered. Be it an upcoming Heatwave, Snowfall, Storm, Last Frost or first 20C will be covered here from March 2012 onwards.




    [center][b]MARCH DISCUSSION[/b][/center]

    23rd March:

    March started typically spring like with some sun, some rain, some snow and frost before a long cloudy period followed. The past few days have been warmer and sunnier as yesterday we had 15C and sun here in Glasgow with hazy sunshine and the first UK 20c of 2012 was reached in England. The next few days look warm in deed (not too disimular to April 2011) but currently it's cloudy and it was a cold moring with temperatures down towards -4C in Aboyne. I'm certainly looking forward to some nice weather - a quiet, yet interesting and benign at times March with some nice sunny weather too.

    25th March:

    Hot. Hot. Hot. Warmest UK temperature yesterday saw 22C in England. A nice hazy, but sunny and warm weekend and today up here in Scotland it's the warmest day of the year so far at 3pm, 3 sites have seen the first 20C of the year in Scotland and Aboyne is just 0.8C away from the all time warm March temperature in Scotland. Here in Glasgow it's sunny and warm but how warm and how long will it last? More updates soon.

    26th March:

    Yesterday, Fyvie Castle saw the record warmest Scotland March temperature with 22.8C. Today was even hotter, here it was 20C and lovely and summer like with bees, butterflies and daffodills - it's a mix of summer and spring - and in Aboyne the new record was 22.9C. Quite a fantastic period of weather that brings back memories of April 2011, hopefully next month and the following months will see similar record breaking spells for Scotland too. March, not a cold month despite one snow event and some frost, a dull period, a nice Spring like start and an incredible warm end - not a bad month. It will have to go in my up and coming review blog.

    29th March:

    On the 27th, the record went again after Cromdale got the record of 23.2C on the 26th, Aboyne maxed at 23.8C - a third of 20C temperatures across the country. No rain, not muggy or sweltering, just perfect - it felt like summer at it's best but still with that Spring element. Today and yesterday were cooler but still very warm for the time of year at 18C. The next few days will see a return to normality but this spell was exceptional and we will see more of this from now until October - although I'd like to the rest of Spring to see a variety of things but mainly sunny.

    31st March:

    Well yesterday was another lovely day, and even today was nice despite being a bit cloudier and cooler but nonetheless still blue skies to be seen. But.....next week we see a return to winter with the potential for snow, return to frost. High pressure moves further west allowing northerlies so it would be interesting to see how it pans out - my snow diary may not be finished yet. Snow is my preference for winter and heat is my preference for summer but in Spring both are equal and I enjoy both aswell the different types inbetween. Let's see how it pans out but April is proving to be interesting. March, on the other hand was a very interesting month, despite a dull period in the middle with cloud, the start had a snow event and some nice Spring days and the ending was Spectacular. I'll review March soon - a very interesting month, and April could well be an interesting one too - let's hope we get cold, snow, sunshine, heat aswell as Spring-like conditions. Best to enjoy Spring as it's a great time of year!

    [center][b][u]APRIL DISCUSSION[/u][/b][/center]

    1st April:

    Snow!Snow!Snow! The met office snow warnings return and 2-5cm could be falling here. Just to have snowfall in April is great and to have our first since 2008 after such a great warm spell would be marvelous and to have my first ever lying snow event in April would be amazing! So lot's to look out for but this shows how Spring is great - you get the best of both world's in such a short space of time and your typical Spring weather is often great. Let's see how this turns out - expect more updates, plus an update on the March review. 2012 is turning out to be interesting- how will the rest of it pan out? In other news, today saw the last day of the great settled spell, a bit cloudier and cooler but still that nice blue sky so a more typical, normal spring like day that you get when it's not snowing or heatwaves!

    2nd April:

    The first UK April snow event since 2008 has begun in places in the highlands where it's very cool and wet and in some places snow is starting to lie - an amber warning has been put in place. Snow events in Spring and Autumn are always special - even a widespread wet snow event becomes equally as special as your snow events with lying snow in winter. So, a notable event is happening and for some further east it could be the best snow event all winter! Here in Glasgow I might see my first April snowfall since 2008 so I'll be happy with that - though it would be close - but I'd love it if we could get lying snow - further east this could be possible and there seems to be some excitement about tonights event. Tomorrow should be cold and feel really like winter - colder than anything last April. So a real feel of the winter side of Spring after the summer side. More cold spells could follow so model watching would be interesting although I'd hope for increasingly more warm days, some sunshine plus the Spring mix.


    3rd April:

    Snow started to fall last night. The Highlands and east have been very badly hit with up to 25cm of snow in places and widespread lying snow. Here in Glasgow I've had my first April snowfall since 2008 and it's later end to the snow season than last winter. Unfortuantly I couldn't get something that we haven't had since December which is a proper snow event with accumilations but never mind, snow in April will do me fine and the scenes in other parts of the country are brilliant. Could this event end up in the major events of 2012 blog, I think it should. But I do hope that this month has some good and interesting weather and same goes for the rest of the year. What it seems like now is April could be a cool month with northern blocking so some more wintryness could be possible at times - interesting to see what happens and what follows.

    10th April:

    A few snow showers from an easterly on the 3rd, snow in England the following day and cool unsettled April weather following. Today has seen snow further east but I'm unsure about here. Dull today but things could turn colder as we go on.

    13th April:

    A nice day yesterday with spring sunshine and April showers - great Spring weather. Today, a pretty sunny day with some nice thin clouds - a nice period of Spring weather indeed. Some snow in the NE of Scotland and could be a few frosty nights ahead. Not a bad Spring for weather so far, hoping for a few more cooler periods and more warmer and sunnier periods although a stormy day or two is ahead next week. Looking at the record at Glasgow Airport, this April has been snowier than March and November (1 snow event) with 11 from October to May - one of the highest in the past 13 years!

    21st April:

    Some days with Hail, interesting clouds and skies, cool but all pleasant and typically Spring-like. Very nice season it's been and today we've had blue skies and hail.

    27th April:

    Not a bad April, could be sunnier, could be snowier and could be warmer but still pretty good. Sunshine and showers keeps things interesting and seasonal in my opinion aswell as being settled.

    29th April:

    Another sunny day here. But it's now getting cloudy after drought-hit England have been hit by a monster front from the east! It's brought floods, temps of 6C, sleet and winds! The wettest April on record after the warmest March and last year having the warmest April! Thank-god it's been decent up here and I hope that mainly sunny, seasonal, progressively warmer but varied and at times extreme weather prevails into May and beyond.

    [center][b][u]MAY DISCUSSION[/u][/b][/center]

    3rd May:

    Today has been absolutely fantastic with 18C temperatures, blue skies, sunshine. This what the weather should be like on most days between Mid April and Mid September with a bit of variety and extremes inbetween. April was a decent enough month here but far from perfect. The weather for May so far has been seasonal and typical of the month. But we are in for a notherly which could bring snow to some areas. If I get some snow I'll be over the moon (even if the Campsies get some) and I'll be delighted if Shetland got something. As I say, decent seasonal weather and some variety and extremes is pleasing. Perhaps a few frosts could be possible. If we get more sunshine, a few record breakers, some varied days and temps would just be fantastic and an element of May wintryness would be great.

    4th May:

    Yesterday was great for warm May weather, but today was another characteristic of May weather in the UK. A cool northerly brought snow to Northern parts for the first time in May since 2010 which is significant. The sun made things feel pleasant and skies were clear. This evening there was a great cool looking but clear sky....another pleasing aspect of May weather. Could be in for a frost. 2C currently at 11pm. More updates to come!

    5th May:

    -3C and a frost this morning but at 11am we had a snow shower! My second May snowfall which is very significant. Of course at this time of year I'll be looking forward to sunshine and warmth but wintry weather is an aspect of Spring weather in the UK and to get your last snowfalls and frosts is great. The winter 11/12 started late, a good December, a poor January and February and March for snow and a decent April and May for late season snow. The snow season ended a lot later than the classic 10/11 winter. Anyway, snow events at anytime of year is special but a snowflake in May is more significant than one flake in February so I'm delighted to get another bite at a late season snowfall aswell as other parts enjoying a late season snowfall too. Snowfalls and cold spells values is greater the earlier or later you are in a season whereas in winter, a more widespread, prolonged and significant event is value. More updates to come...

    6th May:

    Not quite as cold as the previous night but close to freezing which is still quite notable for May, but certainly not unusual. A think we may have had a wintry shower so that looks like the last hoorah of an unusual season for wintry weather. But as this is not winter, any frost or snowfall is more significant is more significant now whereas an event of the same importance in winter would require something even more special than a snowflake or 0C. But as this is Spring, you'll be looking for a mixture of weather but mostly seasonal, pleasant, interesting, record breaking at times and getting warmer as you head towards summer. Today has seen things brighten up and get warmer with the sun's strength and there is some nice blue periods inbetween showers aswell as some nice fluffy clouds. An interesting year then let's see how the rest of the weather goes for the coming months.

    11th May:

    The 8th (my birthday) was a typical May day with humid, thundery showers in the morning before clearing up in the afternoon and evening. Yesterday, and the day before was horrid with cold temperatures of 6C, heavy rain and wind. You'd expect to have a day like this 3 times in each month and the same goes for the cold spell earlier this month but I'd expect to see things getting a bit sunnier and warmer. But there will be more good days and bad days to come and perhaps this could mean a good summer. It's also been snowing on the hills and lower ground in the highlands.......AGAIN!

    22nd May:

    It's been a mostly cool and wet month up til now. High pressure is in place and looks like we are going to get a good run of warm, sunny days to end an unusual but interesting but at time unpleasant May. Here comes the summer.....at last!

    24th May:

    Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Summer is here. Yesterday saw much of the UK experiencing temperatures into the 20Cs and Scotland was very warm with 27.3C at Altnaharra. 26C here in Glasgow and sunny too. I went for a walk in the evening heat whilst convection brought storms further east over Falkirk. The nights and mornings are cool but the temperature quickly rises, I played tennis this morning which was fab. Now, it's 27.1C in Glasgow which is currently the warmest temperature in the UK! Cool in side though. However, clouds are increasing so storms could be possible. The heat is set to continue and I hope to make the most of it. Expect more updates and probably expect this event to end up in the Best Moments Blog.

    29th May:

    The warmest, sunniest spell here in Glasgow since 2006 probably. 4 days of 25C temperatures, a record warm May temp for me, 6 days of 20C+ temps, sunshine, UK records, it was a fantastic spell. On the 25th, I spent 5 hrs enjoying the weather in the garden, then had a BBQ the following day, spent the next two days at Lochgoilhead. I'll review the Spring and this spell in detail soon. I'm also planning in creating a page about the weather in Glasgow since I can remember so that we can look back at averages and notable events and see how recent weather compares. I'll review the Spring soon before I open the summer blog.
  5. A Winter's Tale
    MUNRO NAME: CARN AOSDA
    DATE CLIMBED: 15/8/11
    HEIGHT: 3009 FT, 917 M
    MOUNTAIN REGION: THE CAIRNWELL MOUNTAINS (GLENSHEE)
    COUNCIL: ABERDEENSHIRE
    TIME TAKEN: 1.5 HOURS

    LOG:

    CARN AOSDA IS OFFICIALLY MY FIRST MUNRO OUT OF THE 284 MIGHTY MOUNTAINS OVER 3000FT IN SCOTLAND. LOCATED NEAR THE GLENSHEE SKI CENTRE CAR PARK, IT IS A 580M ASCENT TO THE SUMMIT, SO A PRETTY EASY CLIMB TO ARGUABLY SCOTLAND'S EASIEST MUNRO. ALL IN ALL THE WALK WAS QUITE EASY UNTIL A LONG AND STRENUOS, STEEP CLIMB UP THE FACE OF THE MOUNTAIN TOWARDS THE SUMMIT. I WAS QUITE FAST UP UNTIL THAT POINT SO I NEEDED A FEW BREAKS. HOWEVER ONCE THAT TOUGH PART WAS OVER, IT WAS JUST AN EASY STROLL TOWARDS THE SUMMIT WHICH WAS LITTERED WITH STONES. THE FEELING OF REACHING THE SUMMIT WAS THAT OF TRUIMPH, WITH THE KNOWLEDGE THAT I'VE JUST CLIMBED ONE OUT OF THE HIGHEST MOUNTAINS IN SCOTLAND.

    WEATHER VIEW:

    IT WAS GENERALLY A NICE, SUNNY DAY ON THE WAY UP TO GLENSHEE. THERE WERE A FEW VERY HEAVY SHOWERS AROUND PERTHSHIRE, HOWEVER IT CLEARED UP NICELY ONCE WE WERE ON OUR WAY TO THE GLEN. THERE WASN'T MUCH IN THE WAY OF WIND UNTIL THE SUMMIT WHERE IT WAS QUITE STRONG. WITH THE SUN ON IT'S WAY TO BED, THE AIR TEMPERATURE WAS COLD AND IT CERTAINLY DIDN'T FEEL LIKE SUMMER. FROM THE SUMMIT YOU COULD SEE DARK, STORM CLOUDS BEING BLOWN TOWARDS THE CAIRNGORM MOUNTAINS.

    VIEW:

    THE BEST VIEWS FROM THE SUMMIT OF THE MUNRO, WERE TO THE NORTH AND SOUTH. TO THE EAST WERE THE HIGH MOUNTAINS OF GLENSHEE AND ANGUS SO YOU COULDN'T SEE PAST THEM. TO THE WEST WAS A VIEW OVER HIGHLAND PERTHSHIRE/ABERDEENSHIRE WITH A VIEW OF A SCOTTISH LOCH. TO THE SOUTH, YOU LOOKED DOWN THE GLEN AND COULD SEE THE LOWLANDS AND STRATHMORE BATHING IN LATE EVENING SUNSHINE. TO THE NORTH, THE VIEW WAS FANTASTIC, LOOKING AT THE CAIRNGORM MOUNTAINS AND PARTS OF ABERDEENSHIRE.

    A WINTER'S TALE...
  6. A Winter's Tale
    Prior to the release of 'Love Over Gold', the British rock band Dire Straits had acclaimed recognition and mainstream success with their self-titled debut in 1978 (an album which included the classic Sultans of Swing) followed by Communique in 1979. Their first two albums had unqiue country/jazz/pub-rock/folk/rock and roll sound with Mark Knopfler delivering excellent melodic lead guitaring aswell as his unmistakable husky voice and his poetic, story-telling lyrics. The rest of the band included Pick Withers as drummer, David Knopfler on rhythm guitar and John Illsley on bass. Their third release 'Making Movies', released in 1980, was a turning point. As ever, Mark Knopfler was the dominant member (his brother David left the group during the recording of the album) but the inclusion of some keyboards/piano (notably on the classic track 'Tunnel of Love') saw the group expand on their style/sound from their first two releases to their later work - in my opinion, Dire Straits, Mark Knopfler and his songwriting had achieved a greater range.

    'Love Over Gold' was recorded between March and June in 1982. Hal Lindes (guitar) and Alan Clak (keyboards) joined the group. The album was a success, reaching no.1 in UK and the single 'Private Investigations' reached no.2 aswell.

    The album begins with the amazing 14: 18 long 'Telegraph Road'. This track is possibly Dire Straits' greatest recording and I'd say this is one of the greatest pieces of music of the 20th Century. The song tells a story one person's struggle with unemployment in a city. It starts with a faint note on the keyboard which gradually builds for around 55 seconds - a very atmospheric start which sets the scene for the start of a long, emotional story about a man who is lost in the struggles of his life. 55 seconds in and the texture of the atmosphere and story builds further with the introduction of acoustic guitar and piano which leads to the introduction of the drums and the musical tension around 1:30. Knopfler's trademark electric guitar enters at 1:50. The tension halts between 2;10 and 2:15 with nice piano work being the precursor to Mark Knopfler's wounderful story-telling lyrics and singing - "A long time ago came a man on a track, walking thirty miles with a sack on his back - And he put down his load where he thought it was the best...made a home in the wilderness" - this is accompanied with gentle piano work.

    At 2:35, his story continues further with the addition with an upbeat tempo - including drums, bass, acoustic and melodic electric guitar - "built a cabin in a winter storm...". Following this at 2:55 is the chorus "then came the churches, the came the school, then came the lawyers..." with an upbeat tempo aswell as piano and organ. The beat stops for Knopfler to say "the dirty old track...was the Telegraph road" and the tense music returns. 3:35, Knopfler returns to telling the story of the town/city ("then there was a hard times, then there was a war/Telegraph road sang a song about the world outside, telegraph road got so deep...and so wide"). This is followed by a sublime and emotional musical passage with Alan Clark on piano from 3.35 and a fantastic guitar solo from 4:10-4.45 - his solo escalates the emotion of the song. The music starts to slow down as Knopfler sings "my radio says tonight it's going to freeze - people coming home from the factories". At 5.15 the music dies down to organ followed by slow and sad piano at 5.25. The drums and guitar return at 5.50 to accompany the mood of the piano and the music continues to build up to 6.40. There is some fine atmospheric music from 6.40 to 7.15 with keyboards, light piano and guitar work punctuated by a bell or some similar percussive instrument. At 7.00, the guitar sounds very similar to the slide guitar at the end of the Queen song Radio Ga Ga. "I used to like to go to work but they shut it down" - the struggle becomes more apparent and dramatic. The music, lyrics and singing becomes even more emotive from 8.20 with some fantastic lines such as "You know I'd sooner forget but I remember those nights when life was just a bet on a race between the lights". The drama of the music escalates up to 9.05 with the line "and I don't want to see it again. . ." The sorrow of the tale is just about complete with line "from all of these signs saying sorry but we're closed/all the way down the telegraph road". 9.36 is the beginning of one of the greatest guitar solos and 5 minutes in the history of rock music. The tempo and the intensity of music builds into the most stunning ending to the track as the song fades into 'Private Investigations'.

    Like the opening track, 'Private Investigations' builds the atmosphere and in doing so includes different passages of music. The track begins with a sinister mood from the synthesizer. This is a slow track and is driven accompanied Spannish-style classical guitar and piano. Knopfler's lyrics describes the emotions akin to a Private Investigater, but in this case it is the bitter feeling resulting from being betrayed by a lover. The song around 3.55 moves into a slow, bass driven sequence - accompanied by acoustic guitar and marimba. The tension builds, there is some fantastic electric guitar chords around 4.50. The musical drama continues with effective piano playing around 5.10. This returns at 5.45 after a sinister passage. The music slowly fades with deep notes from the synthesizer.

    Industrial Disease is an up-beat rock and roll trick driven by drums, guitar and keyboards. The song focuses on the decline the manufacturing industry in Britain during the early 1980s but Knopfler does seem to approach the song with a tounge-in-cheek attitude in some ways.

    Love over Gold is a fine, romantic Dire Straits song. The song is driven by gentle piano and acoustic guitar. Quite slow in tempo and quiet in nature but the music builds from 1.20 with the inclusion of the drums and the music finds a beat. From 4.00 the song enters a nice instrumental passage - with nice flourishes on the piano, acoustic guitar and marimba driven by the drum beat. The beat ends at 5.20 and the song fades with gentle touches on the marimba.

    It Never Rains is a fantastic track to end the album. The song starts with soft, friendly keyboards followed by a steady rhythm, gentle use of the piano and guitar. The song builds and gets heavier. There is some excellent music from 4.45 with a solo from Knopfler, on top of the heavy rythm and keyboards. This intsrumental passage continues to build and twist before fading into its ending.

    I would assume that a lot of people would say that the 1985 release Brothers in Arms is Dire Straits 'definitive' record but I personally think that Love Over Gold is Dire Straits finest in terms of musical structure, texture, sequences and atmosphere. The opening track is a stunning musical/dramatic/emotional epic and the ending is one of the finest in music. All of the other tracks are solid, well-crafted and consistent. Certainly, Dire Straits as a band, and Knopfler as individual song-writer, singer and guitarist made for a high standard of music but no album in Dire Straits' or Knopfler's catalouge displays music any better than their 1982 release 'Love Over Gold'.
  7. A Winter's Tale
    In the closing year of the 20th Century, finally, Scotland had its own devolved parliament in the wake of a referendum in 1997. In just thirteen years, Holyrood had performed tremendously to boost life for Scottish citizens including: the introduction of the smoking ban, abolition of tuition fees and the provision for free prescriptions. These stupendous decisions made by MSP’s have exhibited how taking responsibility for the decisions of your own land, economy and people is essential in enabling a country to prosper. Now, we have been blessed with a once in a lifetime opportunity - to build on the benefits that devolution has brought to Scotland with an independence referendum due in 2014.


    Scotland has a unique and diverse culture famed for innovation, creativity and artistry, inspired from a dynamic and awe-inspiring landscape which is rich in beauty and potential: renewable energy; oil and gas resources; thriving cities; landscapes that boasts renowned habitats, scenery and industry; its intelligent and famous people from Burns to Bell to Fleming and Ferguson. Scotland has the fertile soil to sow the seeds for a healthy economy with unparalleled industry that could deliver an egalitarian society and present our own innovations to the world. It is outrageous that this dynamic country is ultimately restrained by a UK government that imposes bedroom tax, austerity cuts but backs bonuses for the rich. In the 2010 UK general election, the Conservatives won one seat in Scotland, yet we end up with a Tory Prime minister because of the right-wing consensus south of the border. With 83.9% of the UK population living in England, Westminster politicians are elected from an English consensus and focus primarily on English matters. Scottish consensus (staying in the EU and opposition to trident) are not well represented in the UK. The Westminster system only benefits London (ONS revealed that Scotland had 6% growth in output between 2007-2011 but London had 12.4%). It is time to accept that Westminster is not serving Scotland. An independent Scotland would make decisions for Scotland by introducing policies and make good use of our assets and revenues to enhance Scotland. It is time to say yes.


    However, saying yes to independence is not based on our wish to present romantic stereotypes but to recognise that we are a vibrant and modern nation that no longer needs to rely on the union to survive. Scottish independence is about the centralisation of our resources, power and decisions to take responsibility for ourselves. By saying yes, we would break free from the external factors, ideologies and circumstances influencing government decisions. Scotland would no longer fight wars that we disagree with, obey politicians we did not vote for and tolerate tough decisions from Westminster. By voting yes, we can cultivate our aspirations, set our own targets and make policies that are in the best interests of the people of Scotland.


    In Europe, there are examples of the benefits of independence. [color=#000000]The population of the Baltic Nations in total is 6 million people and Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are not well-known nations. However, independent, the Baltic nations had the highest growth rates in Europe between 2000 and 2006 as unemployment fell below the EU average. Furthermore, Estonia was among the top ten most liberal economies in the world. The success in the Baltic States derives from taking responsibility for the unique set of demographic, economic and geographic circumstances of a country which results in the right decisions being made. The concept of responsibility, in essence, is paramount to how self-sufficient a country is. The resources behind the decisions are important in mapping out the potential an independent country has. Scotland is bursting with a rich and wide-array of primary resources that would make Scotland a very self-sufficient country. [/color]
    [color=#000000] [/color]

    [color=#000000]Scotland[/color][color=#000000] is also the oil capital of Europe. Since the discovery of North Sea oil, Aberdeen became the centre of Europe’s petroleum industry which created half a million jobs in the Aberdeen energy industry. Scotland produces more oil than Kuwait according to the BBC and the Scottish government says that North Sea oil and gas is an asset worth £1 trillion and North Sea oil revenues of £54 billion are due in the next 5 years. The Scottish government is confident that North Sea oil should provide a safety net for at least another 40 years. The OECD suggested that oil prices could be $150-a-barrel by 2020. This suggests a bright future for the oil and gas industry in Scotland. However, the Scottish parliament obtains no revenue from oil and gas; an independent Scotland would receive all the revenue from oil and gas within Scottish waters. In 36 years the UK government has raised around £180 billion from oil and gas production. The Norwegian government revealed that in just under twenty years, it had used its oil revenue to build a pension fund of £450 billion: this shows how a relatively small nation had used its own oil wealth very wisely. It has been suggested that Scottish oil and gas could produce more revenues, and it is imperative to have an independent parliament receiving all the revenue. In an independent Scotland, we would be able use our oil wealth to improve life across the nation and to ensure that oil wealth will be passed onto future generations. As much as Scotland’s oil supply is a massive factor for our industry and economy, an independent Scotland would also need to invest in other industrial sectors as our oil supply cannot last forever. [/color]
    [color=#000000] [/color]

    [color=#000000]Oil is not the only substantial asset Scotland has. We have unsurpassed offshore wind and tidal energy potential. According to the Met Office, Scotland is the windiest place in Europe. The combination of strong winds and the exposure to the elements makes for an ideal place for offshore wind and tidal energy. As Scotland has over 790 islands, most of which uninhabited, it is vital we locate wind turbines in the most exposed and inhospitable of locations without spoiling natural beauty. Scotland’s offshore wind and tidal energy combined would produce 25% of the EU’s potential – an asset worth billions each year. The renewable industries would generate further jobs and supply Scotland with more capital for the economy. An economically and industrially stronger Scotland would be able to build stronger trading links with the rest of the British Isles and other nations. A wealthier Scotland should make it a better place to work and live in, but an independent Scotland would also take responsibility for its own landscapes and environments which have made our nation a very special place for Scots and people from all around to globe to live in and visit. [/color]



    [color=#000000]Scotland[/color][color=#000000] has earned its right to control its own destiny, to break free from the inequality of the Union and to develop qualities to enhance our communities and our environment. We have got the character, the inspiration and the industry to be a country with a strong and stable economy. By having our own parliament for thirteen years, we have gone a long way from the days of Margaret Thatcher, but to progress even further, Scotland needs to be independent from a government that has made the wrong decisions for our country. Cabinet after cabinet, budget after budget, Westminster continues to serve London above the rest of the UK. [/color]Do we need a family in another household to determine how we run our own house? I think not. [color=#000000]It is time to look at the reality that Scotland is self-sufficient with oil and renewable energies and by going it alone, we can cultivate our supplies sensibly and take responsibility for ourselves to be in control of our own destiny. Let’s say yes to a brighter future. Let’s say yes to independence. [/color]
  8. A Winter's Tale
    Sunday 6th November - Snow grains in the early hours - No Lying Snow
    Saturday 3rd December - Wet snowflakes in heavy showers from the west - No Lying Snow
    Sunday 4th December - Snow from showers from the west - Lying snow of 2cm later in the day
    Monday 5th December - Heavy snow from showers from the west - Lying snow of 6cm
    Tuesday 6th December - Snow showers from NW in the early hours - Lying snow of 3-5cm
    Wednesday 7th December - No snowfall - Lying snow of 1-2cm
    Friday 9th December - Some snow showers from the west - No lying snow
    Saturday 10th December - Snow showers from the west in the morning - Lying snow of a dusting
    Tuesday 13th December - Some snow showers from the west - No lying snow
    Friday 16th December - Heavy snow band from South West in Early Hours - Lying snow of 2-3cm
    Saturday 17th December - No Snowfall - Lying snow of 2-3cm
    Sunday 18th December - No Snowfall - Lying snow of 2-3cm
    Monday 19th December - No Snowfall - Lying snow of 2-3cm
    Tuesday 20th December - No Snowfall - Lying snow of less than 1cm
    Thursday 29th December - Snow Showers from the West - No Lying Snow
    Tuesday 3rd January - Some snow from Showers from the West - No Lying Snow
    Thursday 19th January - Some snow from Showers from the West - No Lying Snow
    Tuesday 24th January - Some wet snow from front from the west - No Lying Snow
    Wednesday 25th January - Some wet snow from front from the west - No Lying Snow
    Thursday 26th January - Snow showers from the west - Lying snow of a dusting
    Friday 27th January - No Snowfal - Lying snow of a dusting
    Tuesday 31st January - Light snow showers from the east - No Lying Snow
    Friday 3rd February - Light snow flurry from the east - No Lying Snow
    Saturday 18th February - Snow showers from the NW - Lying snow of a dusting
    Wednesday 7th March - Snow showers from the west - No lying snow
    Tuesday 3rd April - Snowfall from a band from the north - No lying snow
    Saturday 5th May - Snow shower from the north - No lying snow
    Sunday 6th May - Snow shower from the west - No lying snow
  9. A Winter's Tale
    December 1st: Welcome to winter, and a fantastic way to start it with another sub 5C maxima, frost and fantastic sunshine and wintry scenes aswell as some snow showers across parts of Scotland. But there was a lot of ice on surfaces this morning - very dangerous.

    Went for a drive this afternoon with another fantastic wintry sunset and dusk, magical winter colours and shadows to everything. There was some snow on the Campsies, plenty of icy slushy deposits on the roads. The Queen's View had a fantastic view of the snow covered mountains (down to 1500ft) all the way from the Luss Hills to the Ochills. The Trossachs looked stunning and frozen, took a trip around Aberfoyle through wonderful rich Scottish scenery before taking an icy drive through Duke's Pass with a fantastic view of the snow covered Ben Ledi. Loch Venachar looked great as the calm water reflected the sky during dusk. Also another fantastic view looking south above the Lake of Menteith. All in all a fantastic journey through magical Scottish countryside and atmospheric, wintry weather.

    Currently -2C at Glasgow Airport and I wonder whether tonight we'll see the temperature drop below the coldest this season (-5C) or even the coldest this year (-7C). In other parts of the UK we've already seen ice days this season and the coldest so far is -7C, hopefully the first -10C of the season tonight. It's shaping up nicely for the first snowfall of December 2012 during Sunday night in many areas and there's a potential for the biggest snowfall of the year for some. The mountains will be pasted, rural areas should also be pasted and even many parts of central lowlands could potentially be pasted. I'd say that parts of Lanarkshire, Stirlingshire, Falkirk into Perthshire and parts of Fife could do very well out of this event and I was delighted to see that Ian Fergusson mentioned that Glasgow could get a serious dumping. The lying snow could be short-lived here, nonetheless it'll be fantastic to see snowfalling, hearing snow reports from elsewhere and potentially to have a wonderful, Scottish-wide significant snow-event. It'll be good to have the first significant and lying snow event of the season out of the way so that we can enjoy the rest of the season without chasing and sweating over snow events. Of course, as ever during any snow event, it's a matter of nowcasting considering all the variables and factors regarding snowfall. Next week is looking staying cool before we get another northerly. A great way to start winter and there's a lot look forward to regarding the interesting developments regardining synoptics and I'm looking forward to the weather that lies infront of us.

    2nd December:

    EPIC: Coldest temperature since February 2012, low of -6C and a very cold night - -8C at Loch Glascarnoch and an ice day there. Joint coldest day of the year here with maximum temperature of 2C. Magnificent sunshine, hard frost and wintry scenes - you can well and truly smell winter in the air with snow showers in northern parts. Front moving in from the west, cloud increased this evening and then came the snow - 3rd this season - see my signature, my diary and you'll get more detail there. First snow of the season at Glasgow airport. Wonderful seeing snow steadily falling through the glow of the lampost and the noise of it landing on surfaces. And because of the cold surfaces it lay very quickly and it has snowed from around 9pm to now 11pm. Best snowfall since December 2011 here, the first proper lying snow of the year and the season ensuring that we continue our series of winters that deliver the goods and it's great to have it in December. Snow depth now 3cm, cars, roofs, roods, trees and everything is white. It's a winter wonderland, the wonderful sound of snow falling and the quite sound of the areas. Vivid and wonderful wintry scenes, most of it should melt by tomorrow morning but hey it's great to have a significant snow event out of the way, to have good memories from the winter already in what has been a very decent cold spell and start to winter. Some more comment and plenty of pics tomorrow.

    3rd December

    It snowed till around 2am - last wintry precipitation was at around 9am in a shower once the band had cleared. The maximum depth was 4cm and it was one of the days that I love winter for is a proper day of lying snow. It rained quite a bit in the showers - maximum temperature 4C so snow was at threat of melting but it has survived and there's still a winter wonderland outside - roofs, graff is still covered in snow but there has been a melt, now 2cm. Cold outside, went to check the snow depths and the driveway was an icerink. The coming days are looking active, on the cold side and wintry as the wonderful cold spell continues aswell as the bonus of the lying snow that has confirmed that already the winter 2011/2012 has delivered. I hope to enjoy the rest of the snow, cold spell and the weather during the coming days aswell as getting into the festive period - and there's the potential for very interesting winter synoptics later this month. Interesting times ahead of us and content times we are in now. Perhaps once the snow and this cold spell is over, I'll upload the pictures and look back at the stats/events. Certainly I can already tell you that this has been the best snowfall and quite possibly the best cold spell of 2012...so far! Currently fantastic clear skies with stars, cold and with a blanket of snow on the ground - looks like the lying snow should be present during three different and consecutive days.

    4th December - 11pm

    The tree is up yet to be decorated. Maximum temperature 2C (joint coldest of this year) with a low of -2C. Snow cover has stayed all day - I went for a walk in the very cold evening and observed a depth of 2-3cm on the pavement and concrete - seemingly between 4 and 7cm on the grass but I think that could be the influence of the length of the grass. Nevertheless, not only do we have a fantastic, classic white landscape it has stayed for three different days and about to be four days which is just so pleasing for winter to have a spell of such wonderful winter scenes of fantastic looking lying snow for a duration of days - it's nice to have the snow on the ground for a while. There was freezing fog during much of this morning keeping the temperature around freezing - the area looked fantastic with lying snow but the pavements where lethal with ice on the foot steps. The fog cleared in the afternoon and conditions become overcast as snow fell in northern and eastern parts of Scotland. The temperature went up to 2C when the fog cleared as the weak band edged closer to the central belt. It brought a few snow flakes here so we've had three days of falling snow here and also at Glasgow airport - on top of that many consecutive days of maxima below 5C and minima below freezing with some of the coldest weather of the year and by far the snowiest and just in time for the festive period. Tomorrow is looking like another cold but sunny day - it could be coldest maximum temperature at Glasgow Airport this year with a bit of luck. A cold night to follow but a band of rain could potentially end the run of sub 5/0C maxima/minima but in doing so it could bring some snow here and elsewhere. After that it stays chilly, possibly wintry and certainly changeable for a while and into next week there are interesting synoptic developments, possibly more blocked so something to keep an eye on.

    5th December

    A very cold start with temperature of -5C, it briefly warmed up to 4C in the afternoon so that's now day 8 of this great cold spell. No snow today, but very wintry with a frozen landscape and a crystal clear sky and very wintry looking sky too with the low sun. The wonderful golden colours, the dark mornings and the colours at dusk with a pink glow on the horizon at sunset. And the snow cover of 2cm, very icy, makes for a very wintry scene on the ground. So very wintry and seasonal scenes and moods in a very good period of wintry weather. This eveing has been very cold with the temperature constantly at -5/-6C here so the coldest temperature this season so far at Glasgow Airport and the first -10C of the season at Loch Glascarnoch. Also some snow in England today as a band moved south and some snow showers in northern and eastern areas. A crystal clear sky, with stars tonight but tomorrow a band of rain should meet the cold air - so there could be another snowfall, it should turn back to rain but there may be some accumilations here and certainly in other areas with elevation. A very active, more unsettled day and the next 5 days are looking like staying on the cold/cool side, less wintry prospects after tomorrow. But this could be a transition between this cold spell and the next, and indeed the next cold spell could be very special with a Scandi block, possible retrogression to Greenland. A solid trend for the general location of the block and this could open the door to a very seasonal and possibly significant period of wintry weather, some biblical charts today with easterlies so this will make for very interesting times ahead of us.

    6th December

    No snow observed today, I woke up to rain and it seemed like it precipitation was mostly rain from the atlantic system. Maximum temperature of 5C, minimum of -5C in the early hours so the cold spell continues and there was still a very decent covering of snow in the early hours. A decent cover throughout the day but temperatures hovering at 3/4C and plenty of rain with heavy showers following the front has led to snow melt so in places where people have been walking, near busy roads and under trees there is no snow cover but in some gardens, fields and some pavements there there's still snow cover. It's currently raining but there has been snow in parts of Fife and Perthshire as a front moves southward, it may turn to snow here. Tomorrow could be a cold day but for the weekend it should be a bit milder and next week is looking like a return to cold weather.

    7th December

    Well the cold spell has ened. Maximum temperature of 8C which ends the run of sub 5C days but there is an air frost tonight. The morning started off very cold with ice on the cars and there was some lovely wintry sunshine and wintry colours throughout the day. And today was another day with lying snow, there's still a covering in many gardens, some pavements, even some roofs and roads - variable but still a lying snow day. The Campsie Fells looked pretty white this morning and I went on a drive towards Strathblane in the late afternoon, a wonderful wintry sunset and colours combined with a decent covering of lying snow on the ground and the mountains in particular. A cold, clear, calm and starry night right now. This weekend looks a little bit milder (maxima of 6-8c) but becoming colder later on Sunday and into the start of next week but a lot of uncertainty remains regarding the details. As promised as the cold spell has finished here is a gallery of the wonderful snow earlier this week: [url="http://forum.netweather.tv/gallery/album/1165-snow-early-december-2012/%20details"]http://forum.netweat...r-2012/ details[/url]. At Glasgow airport, we've had 14 consecutive air frosts since November 24th, 9 consecutive days with temperatures below 5C between November 28th and December 6th. On 6 days the minimum temperature has been below -5C, aswell as the joint coldest maximum temperature of the year on 3 days (2C). Plus snowfall on 3 (consecutive) days, lying snow on 6 consecutive days and a depth of 4cm and in addition, the lovely wintry scenes, weather and colour that we've seen during this cold spell. A very decent period of wintry weather and a fantastic way to start the winter and already in the first week of winter, 2012/2013 and December has delivered.

    8th December:

    There was still a covering of snow this morning and another air frost with a low of -2C at Glasgow Airport. However the position of the high pressure further south in the British Isles extending westwards into the atlantic has allowed some atlantic systems to influence the weather in Scotland so things have become milder today with periods of rain - temperatures now rising to around 8/9C. There was some clear spells at times in the afternoon and tonight the cloud cover should flood southwards whilst clear skies follow in Scotland in Sunday. Temperature should also fall on Sunday and the start of next week is looking like another seasonal, cold and seasonal spell just after the very decent wintry period we've just experienced. Thereafter it's not very clear as the Atlantic tries to return to the British Isles but the Siberian high could have a bit of fight in it. It makes for interesting times, certainly another cold spell after a very good period of seasonal, wintry weather is makes for a very satisfying start to winter. Also, I've got 1 out of the 2 Christmas trees up and decorated!

    9th December:

    A much better day - maximum temperature of 9C in the early hours with some rain, 1C at Glasgow airport at 11.20pm with a crystal clear, starry, calm night. Some fantastic sunshine and clear skies today with nice wintry colours with dusk coming in the afternoon. Winds are now from an origin of cold air so the next 3-4 days are looking seasonal, calm, clear and cold - possibly a chance of snow duringthe breakdown - after that there could be a battle between the atlantic and the block to the east - intruiging!!!

    10th December:

    And on the 10th day of December the weather gave to me.....a cold frosty morning, fantastic sunny skies, lovely wintry colours, maxima of 6C, a cold starry evening and a low of -5C . And the next two or three days are looking cold too as the run of many consecutive frosty days continues - very impressive. And as I've said yesterday there could be a snowy breakdown this week as the models continue to map a particulary uncertain run-up to Christmas. Hopefully I'll be able to get the other tree up soon!

    11th December:

    Officialy the coldest day of the year here. A very cold morning with a minimum temperature of -8C at Glasgow Airport (the coldest since late December 2010!) and a maximum temperature of 0C in the afternoon (the coldest since January 2011). That is very impressive and just about rounds off what has been a excellent December so far. And today's weather was seasonal and pleasant with wonderful wintry scenes and colours with calm, largely clear and sunny conditions with a mixture of haze on the horizon, some mist and some wall to wall blue skies as shadows and colours change during the sun's short duration in the sky. Also the wonderful green, glittering surfaces from quite a hard frost. A cold evening with temperature dropping to -6C at one stage but cloud cover increased and so has the temperature but nonetheless it looks tomorrow will be yet another day with an air frost. Tomorrow should be another cold day, possibly a little cloudier with a small risk of wintry flurries before the atlantic returns but details are yet to be clarified regarding key players such as the Scandi/Siberian block and co. so the outlook in the run-up to Christmas remains in the balance.

    12th December:

    Another very cold day here with a minimum temperature of -6C and a maximum temperature of 0C with frost staying all day in the grass. It was a relatively bright day but there were variations between bright and cloudy and clear but it was a clear, cold dawn and dusk with fantastic wintry scenes. There was also some snow flurries during the early hours. So this wintry start to December continues and this December is already looking impressive with the coldest and snowiest weather of the year - infact the run of consecutive days with an air frost since the 24th November could be the longest since I can remember at Glasgow airport. And the lowest maximum/minimum values are already colder than last winter. This evening it also went down to -11C at Loch Glascarnoch with ice, fog and cold wintry weather across the British Isles. Tonight there is an area of precipitation moving north and it's close to Glasgow - snow is forecast for western and central parts of Scotland and expected accumilations so possibly there could be another snowfall and importantly another event with lying snow which would be fantastic in this seasonal and excellent start to winter. Another cold and wintry day tomorrow before becoming milder and unsettled afterwards with the run of air frosts ending but already this month has been a success and with 18 days to go until the New Year - I'm looking forward to the remaining weather of 2012.

    13th December:

    There was some snow during the early hours and I woke up to a dusting of snow on pavements, some roads, cars etc and grey, wintry looking skies throughout the area with some snow grains throughout the morning. Another cold day with a low of -1C and a maximum temperature of 2C as December 2012 has already beaten 2011 in terms of air frosts and almost everything else bar the snow - having said that this month has been pretty decent for snow here. The dusting of snow disapeared very quickly and it was a cold afternoon with more a breeze that made things feel very little and the sun came out a bit in the afternoon and there was one last wintry sunset before the atlantic comes back tomorrow with milder temperatures, heavy rain and strong winds. The general theme for the weekend and into next week is unsettled, changeable and not as cold as recently but December 2012 will go down as a good winter month as far as I'm concerned but it would be nice to have some more wintry and seasonal weather in the second half and a white Christmas would be especially nice. And if January and February 2013 have a continuation of the sort of weather we've had so far this December then that would be great.

    14th December:

    It was a cold, start with the 14th air frost of the month with a low of -1C. However it was cloudier with influence of milder winds coming from the south however the combination of a breeze and cold temperatures was absolutely bitter. Then in the afternoon the rain arrived and it wasn't all that pleasant - temperatures reached a high of 5C at Glasgow airport so the cold spell continued but tomorrow should be milder. And the indeed the following days should be milder than of late and also unsettled but we await further details.

    15th December:

    A milder day today with a low of 3C and maximum temperature of 8C. Also it was very much an atlantic day with overcast skies, quite dark too in the evenings. The coming days may also see temperatures near to/above average with some fairly average December weather - possibly on the cloudy side with the threat of showers. Great uncertainty about what will happen in the run-up to Christmas but all will be clear as time goes by.

    16th December:

    Quite mild today with maximum and minimum temperatures of 8 and 5C respectively. A cloudy start with some pockets of sunshine before these breaks became much larger to make for some bright sunshine as the sun set in the afternoon and also a crescent moon was in sight.So through this afternoon and evening the sky was half clear/cloudy with a stars in the deep pruple of the night sky amongst thin, scattered clouds tinted by the orange glow of Glasgow. The unsettled theme should continue for a whilse but it remains very uncertain as we see a battle between Scandi/Siberian block and the Atlantic - there are a variety of outcomes but no one really knows what wil happen for Christmas but this will make for good model watching and hopefully with a result of seasonal weather.

    17th December:

    A quiet day. Calm, mostly cloudy and grey with poor visibility at times but some clear pockets and I was able to see the stars in the evening. Some unsettled weather to come this week, a knife-edge easterly and God knows what next. Maximum at Glasgow airport 6C, min 4C.

    18th December:

    Another quiet day here with calm and fairly average conditions with a high of 7C and a low of 3C. There was some clear periods, particulary in the afternoon when a crescent moon could be seen aswell as the colours of the sky at dusk in December. However the sky was mostly cloudy this evening but quite a thin layer of cloud with the orange glow and some patches of the clear, dark night sky. A wet day instore for many areas of the British Isles with a risk of flooding in south west England. However there is certainly a brief chance of an easterly and snow for parts of Scotland for a time in the coming days the but confidence is very low at a very short-range so changes are expected. It doesn't look like this Christmas will be a white one, it could be positively mild, but a few changes here and there could allow for something wintry and seasonal and that emphasises the uncertainty. Nevertheless it is the season to be jolly and it's worth enjoying the festive period and to have a merry Christmas regardless of the weather.

    19th December:

    Shocking conditions here in the afternoon it what was a grey and benign day - once the front arrived, skies became very dark and very heavy rain was dumped all over the region for a period - poor visibility today and mild with maxima 7C and minima 5C. And Flooding concerns continue in the run-up to Christmas across parts of Scotland and the rest of the UK. It looks like the south easterly flow for the weekend is not looking as promising as it has been on past runs but some parts could see some brief wintryness from it - especially Shetland. Christmas Day could be unsettled - who knows whether it will be a white one but with a bit of luck, if the charts during the coming days ugrade the uppers in the north westerly flow later on the big day then there could indeed be a white christmas for some. After seeing the potential for eastern areas during this weekend be downgraded - for Boxing day - the focus switches to more western areas with potential for snow showers to be fed inland in a decent north westerly flow.
    So all and all, the model output is particulary changeable at the moment and at short time-frames aswell. There's some certainly some active weather to be looking out for during the run-up to Christmas and at the same time there's the potential for some festive magic - and although it's near impossibe to define what could follow in the new year, I'd say that things are looking decent for a more enhanced potential for wintry joy across Scotland during the rest of the winter.

    20th December:

    Another dreich day with further heavy rain and temperatures of 6/4C at Glasgow Aiport making for unpleasant wintry conditions and flooding problems and of course very dark as we approch the solsitice. The unsettled theme continues in the run-up to Christmas but the big day itself could see a north westerly flow and potentially a white christmas. It's also looking interesting beyond with a wintry end to December judging on latest runs. Interesting developments that could unwrap itself during the festive period.

    21st December:

    The winter solsitce today but there were no clear skies to observe the dusk and dawn. Some wet conditions overnight with grey, quite damp conditions lasting into the afternoon and big flooding problems further east in Scotland. At Glasgow airport the maxima/minima was 6/5C and right now there are a few clear patches in the night sky. This weekend is looking very wet and also quite windy with more flooding concerns. Christmas Day could be drier, cooler and possibly a chance of snow but the potential of wintry weather increases after Christmas.

    22nd December:

    A very dark day today. I woke up at 12pm thinking it was 9am as it was so dark with heavy rain and thick cloud cover - not a single glimpse of sunshine today. The really dreich conditions lasted all day with further damp weather - tomorrow could be wet too and a very changeable outlook with the potential for snow being downgraded. A white christmas doesn't look likely but it isn't impossible - at least it'll be drier and cooler.

    23rd December:

    The mildest day of the winter 11C/7C and started off grey but there were some pockets of brightness and some clear patches developed but also some very heavy showers with a fast moving and constantly changing sky. Right now it's quite calm with some clear patches with the stars in view. The unsettled theme should continue but the specific details will vary so it's quite an active outlook.

    24th December - Christmas Eve:

    I wish you all a Merry Christmas time at the most wonderful time of the year. However flooding problems continue across the UK in what has been possibly the poorest weather in the run-up to Christmas I've seen in a while. Today was mostly grey to start with and also some rain too but a few hours before midnight, it's a more festive scene with a fairly calm and a partly clear night with some thin clouds with an orange glow and a lovely shinning moon and the wet rooftops reflecting it's light. Temperatures today was 8/4C. Christmas Day could be colder, possibly some precipitation but much drier than of late and beyond the unsettled outlook continues but there's always a room for variability regarding weather beyond a couple of days. Nevertheless, tomorrow is Christmas and hopefully it'll be an enjoyable one for all.

    25th December - Christmas Day:

    Merry Christmas everyone! Well, this year it wasn't a white one with maxima/minima of 7/3C but it was a decent day - quite fresh with plenty of showers as weather conditions fluctuated throughout the day but there was some very pleasant weather in the evening with the low wintry sunshine and colours. And it was a quiet day weatherwise with some pleasant and scenic clear periods and some periods of showers. Recently it was a fantastic clear night sky with the moon and stars visible and thin, almost see-through clouds scattered in the sky moving quickly from the west and the sort of clouds that look more like smoke. However the changeable nature of the weather today, we now have an orange sky over Glasgow as another shower arrives and as it clears right now it's a return to the clear conditions of a minutes ago. So a quiet and a nice Christmas Day weatherwise with conditions switching and changing between showers and clearer periods. The weather should be unsettled and changeable for a while and perhaps high pressure might increase from the south for the New Year?

    26th December - Boxing Day:

    It was a grey, benign day with average temperatures of 6/1C. A band of rain arrived earlier in the evening and has brought some snow to parts of Scotland and also some snow showers further north. Nothing wintry here and right now it's overcast but I can see the ghostly glow of the moon through the cloud cover.

    27th December:

    The coldest day for a while, the maxima/minima currently at 4/1C but also the first snow day for a while. It was another grey day but a wintry looking sky. The front that brought rain later last night was pushed out to the west but the band moved back towards Scotland in the afternoon. As I was playing tennis in the freezing cold breeze it started snowing lightly and for about an hour there was a pleasant snowfall that turned quite heavy for a while. It never settled other than a very light dusting on some of the grassy areas but it was nice to see snow again and to have it in the second half of the month was also good considering how that never happened last December. Tonight should see heavy rain from a front moving in from the south west and tomorrow should be milder then followed by a cool showery spell and then high pressure moving north could bring some settled conditions - especially in the south. The possible SSW for early January could make for further potential for greater winter conditions into the new year. Certainly December has been a decent winter month.

    28th December:

    A mild day with temperatures of 12/3C and also a grey day with some rain and notably a windy day too. It's now turning quite wild outside and gales are expected in the north west. Tomorrow could be a showery and a fresh day with a possible snowfall tomorrow night. A wee bit beyond into the New Year and there could be a period of high pressure close to the British Isles but generally mild conditions.

    29th December:

    Quite wild conditions in the early hours whilst benign, calm and overcast conditions continue throughout the morning and into the early afternoon. However things did clear up somewhat in the afternoon in the cooler westerly flow with only a few scattered clouds rolling across the sky during the wintry sunset in the afternoon. Some showers arrived in the evening with hail and the wind picked up a bit too but it's been dry and currently is dry with the sky alternating between clear intervals and period of cloud cover. Very mild in the early hours with 12C at Glasgow airport but the temperature in the evening dropped to 4C. There could be further showers overnight with a chance of snow. The atlantic should arrive later tomorrow but colder conditions could briefly arrive for New Year's Eve before milder weather returns for the start of the New Year.

    30th December:

    A cold start with a low of 2C at Glasgow Airport. Showers continued to feed in from the west and at 2am it was certainly snowing for a time but later in the morning the showers turned more to rain and as they arrived in organised bands there was some good periods of quite heavy rainfall. And also fairly windy too. It was mostly cloudy all day with just a few occasions in the early afternoon when it looked like it was going to clear up. It was also quit cold for much of the day but now the temperatures are into double figures as a front arrives from Ireland and there have been periods of rain throughout today. For the last day of 2012 it looks like being quite wet and cloudy to begin with before colder air follows behind later and there could be some wintry showers for parts of Scotland. Then things start to become settled but Scotland is still vulnerable to atlantic fronts and should be mostly mild. However, the predicted SSW and other current trends could mean that this high pressure may find itself at more northern latitudes -aka Greenland - and there is the potential for something significant later in January.

    31st December - New Year's Eve:

    It was wet and mild to during the early hours and morning with a maximum temperature of 10C. The front cleared but some cloud cover lingered into the early afternoon but the sky cleared for a one last sunset for 2012 and it was a wonderful wintry sunset with red cirrus clouds and a great wintry tint of blue in the sky. The temperature dropped in the cooler northwesterly but there were a few showers and some of which fell as snow in central Scotland but I didn't observe clear-cut snow. It's quite chilly, currently 2C at Glasgow airport so I don't think there'll be an air frost there during remaining hour of 2012. Looking out the window not too long ago it was a lovely winter's night with a starry sky and hopefully to start the New Year there will be some snow in those showers. But it will become milder but more settled in the first week of January but things should become really interesting as we progress through January. 2012 has been a strange year for weather it could have been better but let's take a look back: January was mild and unsettled to begin with and there was an incredible storm on the 3rd. It was settled, cold and frosty mid-month before becoming unsettled again. January did become colder towards the end and the cold conditions lasted into the first third of February. However February ended wet and mild. March was very mild overall and a very dry towards and end but many will remember it for the exceptional warm spell in late March with records broken. April was a contrast with a snowfall in early April and much of the month was cold and quite unsettled. And the cold and unsettled weather prevailed into May before there was another amazing heatwave in late May with the warmest temperature of the year 27C. June was really poor for summer weather and so was July but there were a few decent moments. August was the best month with quite warm weather during the first two thirds before it turned quite cold at the end. September started off fairly pleasant but it fairly mixed and there were some cold days and also some stormy and very wet weather. October was cold and frosty with alternating wet and dry periods and a snowfall at the end of the month. November started off showery, fresh and frosty but wetter and milder weather prevailed during the middle of the month. But November ended on a cold note and snowiest and the coldest weather of the year persisted from late November into the first half of December with snow lying for around a week in early December. However, despite the very decent start, much wetter and unsettled weather has been present in the final two thirds with problems with flooding. A milder end too but there have been a couple of snowfalls. December has been a month of two halves but overall a decent winter month. That's it for 2012 - and here's to a great new year! After this year's weather, we're all intruiged to see what 2013 has instore!
  10. A Winter's Tale
    WINTER MONTHS:

    DECEMBER 1999: SNOWFALLS -8 (2nd, 4th, 12th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 25th), COLDEST TEMP (0/-8C)
    JANUARY 2000: SNOWFALLS - [b]0[/b] , COLDEST TEMP (2/-4C)
    FEBRUARY 2000: SNOWFALLS -3 (12th, 15th, 16th), COLDEST TEMP (2/-4C)
    OVERALL: 11, 0/-8C

    DECEMBER 2000: SNOWFALLS - 5 (17th[b],[/b] ,26th, 27th, 28th, 31st), COLDEST TEMP (-3/-11C)
    JANUARY 2001: SNOWFALLS - 3 (1st, 19th, 21st), COLDEST TEMP (0/-9C)
    FEBRUARY 2001: SNOWFALLS - 5 (4th, 5th, 24th, 26th, 27th), COLDEST TEMP (2/-7C)
    OVERALL: 13, -3/-11C

    DECEMBER 2001: SNOWFALLS - [b]2[/b] (13th, 29th), COLDEST TEMP (2/-7C)
    JANUARY 2002: SNOWFALLS -1 (25th), COLDEST TEMP (1/-10C)
    FEBRUARY 2002: SNOWFALLS - 3 (22nd, 23rd, 24th), COLDEST TEMP (4/-5C)
    OVERALL: 6, 1/-10C

    DECEMBER 2002: SNOWFALLS - 2 (18th, 19th), COLDEST TEMP (-3/-8C)
    JANUARY 2003: SNOWFALLS - 4 (1st, 8th, 30th, 31st), COLDEST TEMP (-1/-11C)
    FEBRUARY 2003: SNOWFALLS - 2 (2nd, 3rd), COLDEST TEMP (2/-7C)
    OVERALL: 8, -3/-8C

    DECEMBER 2003: SNOWFALLS - 0, COLDEST TEMP (-2/-8C)
    JANUARY 2004: SNOWFALLS - 3 (13th, 28th, 31st), COLDEST TEMP (3/-4C)
    FEBRUARY 2004: SNOWFALLS - 2 (7th, 25th), COLDEST TEMP (3/-8C)
    OVERALL: 5, -2/-8C

    DECEMBER 2004: SNOWFALLS - 3 (24th, 25th, 28th), COLDEST TEMP (2/-5C)
    JANUARY 2005: SNOWFALLS - 5 (2nd, 8th, 12th. 17th, 18th), COLDEST TEMP (1/-5C)
    FEBRUARY 2005: SNOWFALLS -7 (2nd, 17th, 18th, 19th, 21st, 23rd, 24th), COLDEST TEMP (3/-4C)
    OVERALL: 15, 1/-5C

    DECEMBER 2005: SNOWFALLS - 2 (29th, 30th), COLDEST TEMP (-1/-5C)
    JANUARY 2006: SNOWFALLS - 1 (11th), COLDEST TEMP (-1/-7C)
    FEBRUARY 2006: SNOWFALLS - 0, COLDEST TEMP (4/-6C)
    OVERALL: 3, -1/-7C

    DECEMBER 2006: SNOWFALLS - 0, COLDEST TEMP (3/-3C)
    JANUARY 2007: SNOWFALLS - 3 (16th, 18th, 23rd), COLDEST TEMP (5/-4C)
    FEBRUARY 2007: SNOWFALLS - 1 (27th), COLDEST TEMP (4/-7C)
    OVERALL: 4, 3/-4C

    DECEMBER 2007: SNOWFALLS - 2 (8th, 25th), COLDEST TEMP (-1/-5C)
    JANUARY 2008: SNOWFALLS - 8 (2nd, 3rd, 4th, 9th, 10th, 21st, 24th, 31st), COLDEST TEMP (2/-5C)
    FEBRUARY 2008: SNOWFALLS - 3 (2nd, 12th, 13th), COLDEST TEMP (5/-7C)
    OVERALL: 13, -1/-7C

    DECEMBER 2008: SNOWFALLS - 7 (1st, 2nd, 5th,7th, 11th, 12th, 30th), COLDEST TEMP (-1/-7C)
    JANUARY 2009: SNOWFALLS - 5 (14th, 18th, 19th, 20th, 29th), COLDEST TEMP (1/-8C)
    FEBRUARY 2009: SNOWFALLS - 6 (2nd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th, 12th), COLDEST TEMP (1/-7C)
    OVERALL: 18, -1/-8C

    DECEMBER 2009: SNOWFALLS - 12 (14th, 17th 19th, 20th, 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th, 29th, 30th), COLDEST TEMP (-4/-10C)
    JANUARY 2010: SNOWFALLS - 8 (2nd, 5th, 9th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 24th, 29th), COLDEST TEMP (-6C/-12C)
    FEBRUARY 2010: SNOWFALLS - 5 (2nd, 3rd, 24th, 25th, 27th), COLDEST TEMP (0/-9C)
    OVERALL: 25, -6/-12C

    DECEMBER 2010: SNOWFALLS - 10 (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 8th, 9th, 16th, 18th, 19th, 25th), COLDEST TEMP (-8/-15C)
    JANUARY 2011: SNOWFALLS - 4 (5th, 7th, 8th, 12th), COLDEST TEMP (-2/-7C)
    FEBRUARY 2011: SNOWFALLS - 5 (7th, 14th, 19th, 20th, 21st), COLDEST TEMP (4/-3C)
    OVERALL: 19, -8/-15C

    DECEMBER 2011: SNOWFALLS - 6 (4th, 5th, 6th, 9th, 16th, 17th), COLDEST TEMP (2/-5C)
    JANUARY 2012: SNOWFALLS - 3 (20th, 24th, 26th), COLDEST TEMP (2/-5C)
    FEBRUARY 2012 - SNOWFALLS - 1 (7th), COLDEST TEMP (2/-7C)
    OVERALL: 10, 2/-7C

    DECEMBER 2012: SNOWFALLS - 4 (2nd, 3rd, 4th, 13th), COLDEST TEMP (0/-8C)
    JANUARY 2013: SNOWFALLS - 7 (13th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 25th) COLDEST TEMP (1/-4C)
    FEBRUARY 2013: SNOWFALLS - 5 (4th, 5th, 10th, 13th, 23rd), COLDEST TEMP (3/-7C)
    OVERALL: 16, 0/-8C

    DECEMBER 2013: SNOWFALLS - 2 (5th, 6th), COLDEST TEMP
    FEBRUARY 2014: SNOWFALLS - 3 (1st, 11th, 14th)

    STATS:

    SNOWIEST WINTERS:

    1. 2009/2010 - 25
    2. 2010/2011 - 19
    3. 2008/2009 - 18
    4. 2012/2013 - 16
    5. 2004/2005 - 15
    6. 2000/2001 - 13
    7. 2007/2008 - 13

    8. 1999/2000 - 11
    9. 2011/2012 - 10
    10. 2002/2003 - 8
    11. 2001/2002 - 6
    12. 2013/2014 - 5
    13.2003/2004 - 5
    14. 2006/2007 - 4
    15. 2005/2006 - 3



    SPRING AND AUTUMNAL SNOWFALL:

    MARCH 2001 - 3 (2nd, 3rd, 22nd)

    MARCH 2002 - 2 (9th, 10th)

    MARCH 2004 - 1 (19th)

    MARCH 2005 - 1 (1st)
    APRIL 2005 - 1 (8th)

    NOVEMBER 2005 - 1 (25th)
    MARCH 2006 - 6 (3rd, 7th, 11th, 12th, 16th, 18th)
    APRIL 2006 - 1 (7th, 9th)

    OCTOBER 2006 - 2 (15th, 16th)
    MARCH 2007 - 2 (18th, 19th)

    OCTOBER 2007 - 1 (25th)
    NOVEMBER 2007 -1 (27th)
    MARCH 2008 - 5 (3rd, 11th, 24th, 26th, 28th)
    APRIL 2008 - 2 (4th, 6th)

    NOVEMBER 2008 - 5 (4th, 9th, 23rd, 27th, 30th)
    MARCH 2009 - 4 (3rd, 4th, 5th, 8th)

    MARCH 2010 - 1 (30th)

    NOVEMBER 2010 - 5 (26th, 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th)
    MARCH 2011 - 4 (9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 15th)

    NOVEMBER 2011 - 1 (6th)
    MARCH 2012 - 1 (4th)
    APRIL 2012 - 1 (3rd)

    MARCH 2013 - 11 - (10th, 11th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 22nd, 23rd, 26th, 27th, 28th, 30th)

    NOVEMBER 2013 - 1 (18th)

    NOVEMBER 2015 - 1 (28th)


    SNOWFALL FOR AUTUMN, WINTER, SPRING:

    2010/2011 - 28
    2012/2013 - 28
    2008/2009 - 27
    2009/2010 - 26
    2007/2008 - 21
    2004/2005 - 17
    2000/2001 - 16
    2011/2012 - 13
    1999/2000 - 11
    2005/2006 - 10
    2002/2003 - 8
    2001/2002 - 8
    2006/2007 - 8
    2013/2014 - 6
    2003/2004 - 6

    My Snowiest Months - TOP 10:

    1. December 2009 - 12
    2. March 2013 - 11
    3..December 2010 - 10
    4=. January 2010 - 8
    4=. December 1999 - 8
    4=. January 2008 - 8
    7=. February 2005 - 7
    7=. December 2008 - 7
    7=. January 2013 - 7
    10=. February 2009 - 6
    10=. March 2006 - 6
    10=. December 2011 - 6
  11. A Winter's Tale
    [center][b]JUNE DISCUSSION[/b][/center]

    6th June:

    Hello there folks, we've had a tops-turvy Spring and now we are in summer. The first we days were sunny but cold here in Glasgow with frosts in the highlands. Now, the Atlantic is up and running with a southerly tracking jet bring rain to all from the SW, however sunny sunny intervals between fronts are possible. It's worth following developments in the models and what the weather is like over the next wee while. Not long to the Euros soon, so an exciting month as I begin 5th year. So every few days, I'll give a round of of what the weather has been like, what I've been doing and so on.

    9th June:

    The Euros have started and I am looking forward to some good football. The weather recently has been interesting, not what you'd normally expect for summer as a more autumnal storm hit the SW. Today there has been floods in Wales. Here, we've had some periods of showery and bands of rain aswell as some brighter periods, generally cool and changeable. Could be worse, so it's not all that depressing yet but I would like to eventually see a change to something else, preferably more akin to summer. But I tend to appreciate all forms of British weather and accept and enjoy it but there are some weather types that I prefer to some others at different times of year.

    14th June:

    Hello. Been enjoying the football recently. The weather is less dull and wet as in recent days, but still, we haven't had wall to wall blue skies and 20C yet. But we've had sunshine and a bit of variety and some pleasant weather so that's good enough, but I would prefer to see something a bit warmer and something different eventually but I'm sure it will come and what we've currently got will do until we get that inevitable pattern change.

    21st June:

    Today is the lightest day of the year. After a 3 day spell of nice weather and wet, cool weather before that, today it is still windy, cool, cloudy and wet. It's nice to have some pleasant days but I would like to see some more sunshine and warmer days but plenty of time left and we've got to make the most out of this weather we've currently got.

    23rd June:

    Yesterday has a nice warm spell with 16C before we got a thunderstorm. Black skies before 2pm then brought rain with rumbles of thunder, a few flashed before becoming quite intense around 3pm. It then calmed down a bit but it's been wet today with some flooding in some parts of the UK.

    [center][b]JULY DISCUSSION[/b][/center]

    4th July:

    Since I last updated, we've learnt that June was the wettest on record and one of the coolest and dullest too. There was some extreme storms with hail, floods and tornadoes too. Right now, well it's raining here but lot more muggy and warm than June was although things did warm up in the second half. Some sunshine at times though it's stil too short-lived for my liking and it looks like more wet weather is to come. I suppose I should make the most of any decent spells as it is looking wet. I hope that it won't be too dull and that things will change before the end of the month.

    5th July:

    Not my perfect day but a day that's more akin to summer with some sunny intervals, hazy skies, muggy and warm. Not exactly summer in its glorious form but definetly summer weather and I hope that we get more summer weather in its many shapes and forms in the latter part of summer - of course a bit of cool and wet weather from time to time but generally I'd like conditions not be like last month with less constant grey skies. Let's see how it goes but it looks like there could be yet more rain in the coming days.

    8th July:

    It's been a funny period of weather with lots of rain in the south with floods and it was muggy before becoming cooler. Some brightness at times but lots of rain about so the unsettled conditions continue. I'll hope to update a lot more detailed very soon.

    11th July:

    More overcast and wet conditions today but it's cleared up tonight.

    14th July:

    The past three days have been ideal - not spectacular - and nice for summer weather with less persistent rain and cloud cover, a bit variety and warmth and sunshine. A return to wet weather looks on the cards now, but let's see how it goes and I'll update on what it unfolds and what the summer is turning out to be.

    16th July:

    Yesterday evening didn't turn out too bad with some nice clear skies, today is a bit more overcast. I hope to update on the review for Spring, some finishing touches to winter and start summer. I also hope to update more sections in the blog.

    18th July:

    Today was meant to be a very very wet one but here in Glasgow we escaped the worst of the rain. The jet is set to move northwards thanks to the Azores high but here in Scotland may remain wet. Any further developments on this and other general stuff will be found here.

    20th July:

    Yesterday was a bit better with the odd shower but generally warmer, less wind and a bit of sunny intervals. Thin cloud here right now with some sunny intervals and temperatures of 17C with a breeze so pleasant July weather which has been illusive this year. High pressure is a major factor but the precise details will only be known closer to the time and I'll update you on this and the general weather. I hope to also look at the data and stuff of the weather of the past months of 2012 so far to make a really good review to use and look back on.

    23 July:

    Wet today and yesterday and quite cool too but last night was muggy. In the south of England it's much warmer/hotter and sunnier.

    25th July:

    The Olympics are here, and it was a very good summer day here. The temperature got up to 21C, it felt very pleasant and the sun and blue skies were pleasant so yes, a great day for summer weather here in Glasgow. Right now, I'm doing a review of the weather and past months here in Glasgow since the year that I can remember back to, so I can get a good record of the weather that happened and we can have a look at extremes, look back a particular months, seasons and years so this will be interesting once that's done. But that's in the past and there'll be a more detailed review of the weather of the months, seasons and overall weather of 2012 and we can use my records for previous years for comparisons. So we can have a good look at past weather, what the weather of this year has been and with this page you can get a daily and personal comment on the weather. I hope to update on this as much as I can as soon as possible. Come December 31st, it'll be good to see what the weather of 2012 was like and then start the Scotland Weather Central 2013 blog. See you soon.

    26th July:

    I'm back from watching two Olympic Football matches at Hampden Park which I enjoyed. And the weather today is great again, blue skies, pleasant temperatures, sunshine and we got 21C maxima too. How about that, eh?

    28th July:

    More unsettled, cooler with showers but some sunshine and better than Atlantic lows. I'll hope to update more detailed later!

    29th July:

    Today has been showery and cool at times but generally we've had sunshine and mostly blue skies for much of the day which is good. We'll see if this will last and soon I'll update on the reviews of 2012.

    31st July:

    Yesterday was showery with some nice sunshine but cool but a decent enough day for badminton in my back garden. Today started off lovely and felt quite warm in the sunshine but cloud increased from the west and the rain has arrived and will be here tomorrow.

    [center][b]AUGUST DISCUSSION[/b][/center]

    3rd August:

    We are now into the third and final of month of summer 2012. Yesterday was fantastic with temperatures at around 20C, a little breeze and lovely blue skies and sunshine - brilliant summer weather. Today was a little wetter and very muggy with little/no wind but it was warm despite being a day akin to the wet and muggy side of summer. However right now we've got some late evening blue skies and with some clouds so all in all decent and satisfactory summer weather. And that theme should continue tomorrow with sunshine and showers, Sunday looks wetter, sunny showers on Monday and some rain on Tuesday - not spectacular but normal summer weather that can leave us all fairly content.

    5th August:

    Yesterday was a very decent one for summer weather. Started off nice and sunny, got very warm with maxima of 22C, then clouds started building up and it was fascinating to watch the convection build as Torrance largely missed the showers and stayed near the blue skies and sunshine. There were rumbles of thunder, some fascinating clouds and funnel clouds in the area too, then it cleared up in the night time with a nice moon and nice sky so all in all yesterday was an interesting, fun and pleasing day for weather in what has been a below par summer. Today wasn't as impressive, maxima of 15C, a lot duller, some rumbles of thunder and pretty wet but boy hasn't the Olympics been good - more updates on things soon!

    8th August:

    Yesterday was a day with a strong breeze but almost 15 hours of fantastic summer sunshine and blue skies aswell as a maxima of 19C - perfect. The night of the 17th was also a lovely one, calm, clear, a wee bit of a chill in the air, a few whispy clouds near the moon. Today started off with blue skies and sunshine and at lunchtime it's still here. I'm going to Lochgoilhead then Morar so I'll be away for a few days but with high pressure in charge, some settled weather is expected and good scenery so that's good and it's great to get away after receiving very decent exam results yesterday. I'll update you on things when I come back aswell as looking forward to other stuff in the future. See you soon.!

    15th August:

    Now, I give you an update on the previous days. Arrived at Lochgoilhead on the 8th with a lovely summer evening sky and nice clear night too. The following day was a bit windy with some fair cloud from time to time but some nice sunshine, blue skies and pleasant temperatures. The following day, I left to go to Morar and it was spectacular, fantastic scenery, warm temperatures and blue skies and sunshine aswell as a breeze - perfect - and the sunsets were great too. The following day was lovely, warm and sunny too with a breeze with a little more haze and the area was busy - it really is a lovely part of the world up there. The following day was also fantastic, windy, warm and sunny and I went to the beach but by the time we had left some rain had arrived. The Olympics closed when I arrived back in central Scotland. The following days were still decent enough with temperatures but with more rain around and yesterday after the showers the drive around the Campsies was fantastic with mist, and a fantastic late summer/autumnal look, a really nice atmosphere. Today started sunny but got windier before a front arrived and we had an impressive squall too. Tomorrow its back to school and back to hard work but the weather looks like staying warm and tomorrow should be sunny then the following days remain warm but a bit wetter and cloudier. Nonetheless, I've enjoyed the recent weather and days away and August is turning out to be a decent month and I'll hope to update more on the world of weather and AWT.

    16th August:

    Back at school today and a typical first day back with slate grey skies, then it got more humid with the threat of thunder with a few showers and then in the evening skies cleared up nicely! It's now overcast with rain arriving from Ireland and the next few days look warm/pleasant temperature wise, but quite damp and overcast unfortuantly - but nevermind, that's the Great British weather for you!

    18th August:

    Yesterday started off grey and wet then it got a bit warmer and sunnier with some nice clear skies and late sunshine and a nice night. There was some rain early today too but things warmed up and we had some nice sunshine with a few clouds so a nice summer's day - some rain is forecast tomorrow aswell as more cloud cover than today and possibly a degree or two cooler but the SE of England may see temperatures near 33C! Beyond that, a showery outlook which isn't bad in what has been without doubt the best month of summer 2012 without the pattern of endless deep low after deep low in June and July resulting in a lot more interesting month.

    19th August:

    Sunny and calm earlier before cloud then rain arrived - very heavy for a period too - and now skies have cleared to allow a cloudless and a starry night sky. It's certainly getting darker a lot earlier now too! A showery week is in store for us here. Expect more updates about the world of weather and AWT.

    20th August:

    Cloudy and wet earlier, showery and sunny later and now in the evening, mostly clear skies with a few clouds. It really hasn't been a bad month but, now we are looking forward to what Autumn can bring and also looking back on the weather this year so far and looking forward to the weather to come.

    21st August:

    Some showers earlier on and some heavy rain and cumulonimbus clouds lurking but it turned out brighter and it's a nice night witha purple clear sky with a few clouds.

    22nd August:

    Started off quite wild, more like a day of April showers. Fresh with some sunshine and regular showers and some cumilonimbus clouds and at earlier this morning there was a massive rainfall for a few minutes. It was sunny for some good periods in the afternoon but later in the evening skies were a little more overcast and now the night sky is purple/orange with light of the city reflected onto the clouds.

    23rd August:

    A few showers today but less than yesterday. Some nice spells of sunshine and blue skies earlier and I could sit in the back garden - there was a decent spell of pleasant summer weather in the afternoon. Then, cloud increased from the west and the rain from a front arrived and it was heavy at times.

    24th August:

    A mostly cloudy day with some rain at times but the sun also made a few appearances. Right now, mostly cloudy but quite thin cloud cover with some clear patches. Some showers tomorrow then a sunny Sunday then a wet Monday looks set - more details on reports and outlooks in the coming days.

    25th August:

    A cloudy but bright start then skies cleared for a bit too before some precipitation moved southwards and we got dark skies and a period of heavy rain. Now, calmer with thin and patchy cloud cover and some clear skies - lovely. A cool nigh could be instore too.

    26th August:

    Today was overall quite grey and dull with occasional periods when you could see some clear skies. Quite cool too, freezing on top of Cairngorm this morning. However, it's a little clearer now at night, some clear skies and able enough to see the stars and some patchy cloud cover - some of which on the horizon and appearing orange with the glow of Glasgow so quite nice and there's a nice moon low on the horizon - sometimes appearing through strips of clouds. Tomorrow however is going to be wet and windy.

    27th August:

    A wet, grey and windy day thinks to a front associated with low pressure coming off the atlantic. But in the coming days things should improve with less rainfall.

    28th August:

    After the threat of a few showers, today was windy, quite pleasant temperature-wise and sunny and lovely with blue skies and some nice clouds scattered in the sky and at night there are still a few clouds but mostly clear with a great moon.

    29th August:

    Some rain earlier after a front passed, then it cleared up with some impressive cumilonimbus clouds in the area but it remained largely dry, quite breezy and at times warm with nice sunshine and blue skies as storms affected other areas. It clouded over a bit in the evening but skies have cleared with a nice night sky and moon.

    30th August:

    Another very nice but cool day here. The temperature never really got above 15C but there was nice blue skies, sunshine with some fluffy clouds and no rain but it looked and felt more like April or October than August but you can get these type of days in late summer as we head towards autumn but you can't rule out some heat in September. A lovely cool night with clear skies, another great moon and cool with temps of 8C, and temperatures in the highlands are already at 2C after snow on the Cairngorms earlier. But the atlantic will come in as front brings a front and rainfall to end summer 2012 - typical!

    31st August:

    The last day of summer. Last night was very cold, -2C and an air frost in some highland regions, some record August minima for some sites and here in Glasgow, the minima was between 3-4C which is very low and it's always a milestone to see the temperature drop below the different temperature thresholds as you progress through the year and as we have generally left the height summer and are already on the slide to autumn and winter. But you can't rule summer warmth out in autumn as much as you can't rule out early (or late) seasonal frosts in summer. Today, started off cold, sunny with good visibility but cloud increased from the west with a front. And the air had that atlantic feel, with at times heavy and drizzly rain and very grey skies. Very cold too with maxima only at 13C. Now moon in sight tonight, an overcast sky but dry. So that's it for summer 2012 - the verdict is could do better but it wasn't exactly wall to wall, constant, neverending diabolical weather, far from it infact as there were decent days - particulary in August - but the consistency of persistent spells of disapointing weather for the time of year earlier on in the summer and spells of decent weather being short-lived. So hardly a complete disaster, but could do better is the verdict of summer 2012. That's it for summer 2012 and I'll have a detailed look back on the season aswell as other in-depth and general views of the weather, but for now, it's time to look forward to autumn 2012!
  12. A Winter's Tale
    [u][b][u]DECEMBER[/u][/b][/u]...quite cold, changeable with periods strongly influenced by low pressure but there should be some quiet and settled spells at times. Some periods of partciulary wet weather and at times quite windy and there could be a few storms. Temperatures 0.5 below to 0.25 above the average. CET 4.3C. Rainfall 90% in the north and west and 70-80% in the south and east. A good deal of hill snow in the highlands and some wintry weather at times . Sunshine 0-5% above average.

    [u][b][u]JANUARY[/u][/b][/u]...cold with a sustained period of below average temperatures, wintry precipitation and dry conditions - in the north, and some cool, changeable and unsettled weather during the month with some wet and windy weather and possibly wintry in the north. Temperatures -1.25 to 0.25C below avergae. CET 2.8C. Rainfall 85%. Some widespread snowfall in cold spells and a risk of hill snow in the highlands throughout the month. Sunshine 5% above average.

    [u][b][u]FEBRUARY[/u][/b][/u]...average with some cold, wintry spells but generally more unsettled and changeable with temperatures in general close to the average. Temperatures 0.25 below average to 0.5C above average. CET 3.8C. Rainfall 85 to 100%. Some wintry precipitation in cold spells. Sunshine 5% above average.

    DECEMBER - MORE DETAILED FORECAST

    First week: Starting cold, and dry, becoming unsettled with some wet and windy weather but on the cold side with the threat of some wintry precipitation in the north.
    Second week: Initially unsettled and quite cool, turning a bit colder with northerly associated with mid-atlantic high with some snow in the north.
    Third week: Becoming more settled for a few days with high pressure close to/over the British Isles - cold, frosty. Return to chilly, unsettled conditions.
    Final week: Cool, quite unsettled start, becoming progressively colder later with snow becoming increasingly more widespread

    JANUARY - DETAILED FORECAST


    First week: Starting cool and showery in NW, quickly becoming settled with dry, calm and mild conditions - some rain in the NW at times -some overcast periods, driest in SE
    Second week: Staying mostly settled -mostly in E - but some wet and windy weather will be present at times - mostly in W - temps overall average, turning cooler and unsettled
    Third week: Unsettled, at times quite dry in SE, temperatures around average, occasional snow in N, turning colder and a bit drier later
    Final week: Very cold with a widespread risk of snow and ice. Some significant snowfalls at times and harsh frosts. Overall dry conditions with sunshine.

    FEBRUARY - DEATAILED FORECAST


    FEBRUARY - DETAILED FORECAST

    First week: Starting cold and bright followed by a brief interlude of milder, wetter conditions before a return to cold, showery conditions with snow in the N and W
    Second week: Cold and settled to begin with then a mild wetter interlude before a return to cold and settled conditions.
    Third week: Largely cold with settled conditions in the north and at times unsettled in south, highest risk of snow in eastern areas
    Final week: Starting cold before unsettled conditions brings a breakdown with a change to temperatures closer to average and changeable weather conditions.
  13. A Winter's Tale
    [center]WINTER 2011/2012[/center]

    FACTS:


    REVIEW:

    [b]DECEMBER 2011: [/b]

    [b]SCOTLAND MEAN: 3.1C, CET: 6.0C, MAX TEMP: 15.5C, MIN TEMP: -9.4C[/b]


    [b] Scotland Diary of Highlights[/b]

    [b]A persistent Atlantic airstream brought changeable, sometimes very stormy, conditions. Temperatures were near or a little below normal for much of the month but it became milder in the last 10 days. There was rainfall on most days and hill snow at times. [/b]
    [b]The mean temperature was equal to the 1971-2000 average - almost 5 °C warmer than December 2010. Rainfall totals were above average in most of the west and north, over 75% above in places, but close to normal in the east. In northern and western Scotland it was one of the wettest Decembers in the last 100 years (and the number of days with rain was among the highest for December in 50 years). It was a relatively dull month, especially in the Western Isles and towards the south-west.[/b]
    1st to 10th: Heavy showers early on 1st, these easing during the afternoon, although it was windy with a gust of 68 mph at Prestwick (Ayrshire). A bright start in the east on 2nd with showers for the north-west before rain spread from the west during the afternoon. A showery windy day on 3rd with a gust of 78 mph reported at Loch Glascarnoch (Highland). A much colder day on 4th with frequent showers, these becoming wintry in the north. The 5th saw snow showers in a strong north-westerly wind for much of the north and west with 15 cm of snow recorded at 0900 on 5th and 6th at Eskdalemuir (Dumfries & Galloway). The showers eased on 6th and it remained cold then rain, preceded by some sleet and snow, spread from the west during the afternoon. A showery day on 7th with some snow for higher ground in the north. The strong north-west wind kept it feeling cold with a 64 mph gust at Stornoway (Western Isles). A very stormy day on 8th with much of the country experiencing gale-force winds and heavy rain. A gust of 105 mph was recorded at Tulloch Bridge (Highland) and over 25 mm of rain fell across much of Highland with 57 mm at Loch Glascarnoch. A better day on 9th with scattered wintry showers mainly in the north and west. A band of snow spread from the west into central areas in the early hours of 10th followed by a cloudy day with scattered showers.

    11th to 20th: The 11th saw showers for northern and western areas with the east having the best of any bright spells. The 12th saw scattered showers for the north and west, with snow on high ground, before wind and rain spread from the west during the evening. A wet and stormy day on 13th with snow for higher ground; Tyndrum (Stirling) recorded 57 mm of rain and a gust of 71 mph was recorded at Prestwick. There were showers for western and northern areas on 14th and 15th, wintry on high ground, with any bright weather in the east. After an early frost on 16th, with -8.7 °C recorded at Aviemore (Highland), it was bright but cold with only scattered wintry showers in the far north-west and south-east. Similar on 17th and 18th, with frosty nights and scattered coastal wintry showers; -9.4 °C was recorded at Loch Glascarnoch early on 18th. On 19th a band of rain, initially falling as freezing rain in places, moved eastwards during the morning with clearer weather following. Some patchy rain for much of 20th before a band of rain spread from the south-west during the late afternoon.

    21st to 31st: A wet start on 21st although the rain cleared during early afternoon to leave a cloudy and mild day which continued on 22nd, with rain spreading to north-western areas later. A band of rain moved south-eastwards during the morning of 23rd clearing to scattered showers. It was very windy and wet for the north-west on 24th with a gust of 54 mph at Loch Glascarnoch and 51 mm of rain at Achnagart (Highland). Achnagart also recorded 71 mm on 25th, when again most of the heavy rain fell in the north-west. However, it was very mild, with 15.1 °C recorded at Dyce (Aberdeen). On 26th there were strong winds for northern areas with a 101 mph gust recorded at Sella Ness (Shetland) and heavy rain again in the north-west with 52 mm at Kinlochewe (Highland). Still very mild, especially towards the east, with 15.5 °C recorded at Fyvie Castle (Aberdeenshire). A quieter day on 27th with patchy rain spreading from the south during the afternoon. Stormy on 28th with gale-force westerly winds and frequent squally showers. Gusts of 79 mph were recorded on Tiree and South Uist. Winds eased on 29th but there were still frequent showers. Rain spread eastwards on 30th turning heavier and persistent for a time with some snow, especially over high ground. New Year’s Eve was rather cloudy and outbreaks of rain spread south-eastwards during the evening, with clearer skies and showers following by midnight
    [b]My Analysis:[/b]

    December 2011 was the most interesting month of the Winter 2011/2012 and a very good month for snow in W Scotland and just slightly below the Scottish December Average. The month was mainly dominated by the Atlantic, however it's tilt allowed for Polar Maritime incursions during the first 20 days. These brought short but regular cold feeling days with the risk of ice and snow. It was also a very wet and windy month too with the fields nearby always being flooded and it was windy regulary. A snowy month too with two decent cold spells with good snow events brought some notable lying snow to the Glasgow Area which makes December 2011 a great month and the best of the Winter and perhaps it's the month that has saved/made the winter's reputation of carrying on decent form and not reverting back to snowless winters. This month certainly contradicted that.

    The month began on a wet and windy note until we entered a cold spell around the 3rd/4th. This would bring persistent, heavy snow showers to much of the West of Scotland and dumped around 5-15cm in this area. The snow remained on the ground until around the 6th. A very decent cold spell. Following this was a milder but wetter and windier period including a powerful storm on the 8th that earned a Red Warning. Following this was shorter periods of cold air streams and some snow but generally fluctuating between wet and windy to cold, settled with risk of ice. On the 16th was a heavy snowfall for Glasgow that dumped around 3-8cm. The snow would remain on the ground until the 19th following a cold, crisp and sunny cold spell - very seasonal and festive. Beyond this was a very mild period with heavy rain and strong winds and little sunshine. Almost a record breaking warm Christmas with 15C in Aberdeen. However it was still interesting weather at a nice time of year and the first 20 days were very good. All in all, for weather I'd give this month somewhere between 7 to 8/10.

    A very good month for snow, cold and interesting weather in between.


    [b]JANUARY 2012:[/b]

    [b]SCOTLAND MEAN: 3.2C, CET: 5.4C, MAX TEMP: 14.0C, MIN TEMP: -10.5C[/b]

    [b] Scotland diary of highlights[/b]

    The first week was mild, but very stormy at times, with a major storm on 3rd affecting southern Scotland in particular. It remained wet in the north and west, but gradually turned more settled towards mid-month, with some dry sunny days and night-time frosts, especially in eastern areas. A mainly westerly airstream brought a return to unsettled conditions later in the month, with rain and hill snow, before it turned much colder but dry at the end.
    Temperatures overall were 0.8 °C above the 1971-2000 average. Rainfall totals varied widely, from more than 150% of normal in parts of the north to only half the normal for Fife and the eastern Borders. It was sunnier than normal except for south-west Scotland and the Western Isles, provisionally the second sunniest January in the series (since 1929) for eastern Scotland.

    1st to 10th The 1st and 2nd saw strong westerly winds, with frequent showers mainly in the north-west. The 3rd was a very stormy day, with gale-force winds and squally showers for most of the country. There was a gust of 102 mph recorded at Edinburgh Blackford Hill. The 4th started dry in the east, but rain spread from the west during the afternoon with some strong to gale-force winds again. 58 mm of rain was recorded at Cluanie Inn (Highland), and Dundrennan (Dumfries & Galloway) had a gust of 76 mph. The windy theme continued on 5th with gale-force north-westerlies, and a scattering of showers mainly in the north-west. A gust of 65 mph was recorded at Peterhead (Aberdeenshire). The 6th started bright, but patchy light rain spread from the west during the morning. It remained windy with scattered showers in northern areas on 7th, then it was dull and damp on 8th with rain and drizzle for most areas. The 9th was a brighter day with sunny spells and only scattered light showers. The north-west saw some heavy rain on 10th, with 28 mm falling at both Cassley and Resallach (Highland), whilst other areas were generally dry but cloudy.

    11th to 20th A generally dry, mild but cloudy start on 11th although rain and strengthening winds spread into north-western areas by late afternoon. A windy start on 12th with Loch Glascarnoch (Highland) recording a gust of 68 mph, but winds eased during the morning to give a cooler, brighter day. After a chilly start, 13th was dry with sunny spells. The settled theme continued on 14th and 15th; after frosty mornings (down to -6 °C in parts of the Highlands and Borders), these were dry days with sunny spells. The 16th was dry with sunny spells too, after a cold and in places foggy start, with -10.5 °C recorded at Aboyne (Aberdeenshire). Another cold start on 17th, temperatures falling close to -10 °C in parts of the Highlands; scattered showers were mainly confined to the north-west. A band of rain cleared overnight to leave showers on 18th, mainly for western and northern areas, becoming wintry on higher ground. On 19th a band of showers, with snow for higher ground, spread from the west, giving a snow depth of 8 cm at Aviemore (Highland). The 20th started bright, but a band of rain spread from the south-west during the day accompanied by strengthening winds.

    21st to 31st The 21st was a day of frequent showers and strong winds, with a gust of 70 mph at Loch Glascarnoch. The 22nd saw the showers confined to northern and western areas, and the winds eased slightly later in the day. There was more sunshine on 23rd, especially in eastern areas, whereas the showers continued in the north and west. The 24th started with a band of rain (snow for higher ground) spreading from the west, although this cleared during the morning to leave a dull and cloudy day. The 25th was milder and drier than of late, with some strong winds for western areas. However, a band of rain spread from the west during the evening which cleared overnight giving a colder day on 26th with a band of rain and snow spreading eastwards for central areas during the afternoon. A frosty start on 27th, with Loch Glascarnoch recording -6.9 °C, then a bright but chilly day with only a few scattered snow showers mainly for the north, whilst 28th remained chilly but was generally dry until rain edged in to the Western Isles during the afternoon. The 29th was a bright day after a chilly start for northern areas, with scattered showers, but the south-west saw rain for much of the day. It felt cold in a south-easterly breeze; this continued into 30th and 31st which were generally dry but cloudy days.
    [b]My Analysis:[/b]

    Overall, despite the lack of cold and snow in the first half of the month and the lack of a major snowfall in January, the month was just about satisfactory. Certainly nowhere near snowless, we had days of snowfall and some tempory coverings and the second half was pretty cold with lots of frost and sunshine. Certainly, I've seen worse months than this. The first half of the month was very mild and very stormy, compared to the cold and sunnier second half. However the warm first half influenced the Mean temperature more and we got a milder than average month.

    The first few days of the New Year was wet, windy and mild with little sunshine. However on the 4th, the Met Office gave out a late Red Warning for Scotland as its worst storm since 1998 hit which brought extreme damage and extreme gusts of wind. Following the storm was unsettled weather with some cooler periods with sleety snow at times. Around mid month, we entered a far more settled period as High Pressure sat over the UK and brought cold conditions with sunshine and frost and interesting sunsets, it certainly did feel very seasonal. The following period saw a brief return to the jet stream and then we got some snowfalls. The last few days saw us enter another cold spell with lots of sunshine and nighttime frosts . A nice end to the month. Overall, for snow January wasn't awful but it failed to produce interesting snow events and there weren't many snow events but there was at least 3 snow events observed in Glasgow (15 winter months since 2000 have had worse records than that). The storm was incredible, and the wonderful crisp winter sunshine of the second half was good. Overall I'll give the month somehwhere between 5 to 7 out of 10. Average for snow, good for cold and interesting with mild, wet and windy periods.


    [b]FEBRUARY 2012:[/b]

    [b]SCOTLAND MEAN: 4.4C, CET: 3.8C, MAX TEMP: 18.7C, MIN TEMP: -15.6C[/b]

    [b] Scotland diary of highlights[/b]

    After a cold, fine start, for most of the month there was a westerly component to the airstreams over Scotland. These brought generally mild weather, especially in the last 10 days. Cloud and rain were most frequent in the west, whilst sheltered eastern areas were mainly dry and recorded some unusually high temperatures at times.
    The mean temperature was 1.8 °C above the 1971-2000 average, making it the mildest February since 1998 and one of the mildest on record. It was drier than average across most of central and eastern Scotland, especially from the Lothians to Aberdeenshire where only about a third of the normal amount fell. Rainfall totals were close to average in the west and the Northern Isles. It was a relatively dull month in the west, especially along the west coast and in the Western Isles, but sunshine totals were nearer normal along the east coast.

    1st to 10th: A frosty start on 1st and 2nd, with temperatures dropping to -7 °C on both nights in parts of the Highlands, but dry and sunny days followed. The 3rd again saw a frosty start after temperatures fell well below zero, with -10.9 °C at Braemar (Aberdeenshire) and –11.8 °C at Cromdale (Highland). It was a dry and sunny day, although rain reached the far west during the evening. This spread eastwards overnight resulting in a wet day on 4th with rain for most areas but snow for the higher ground. This cleared overnight to leave a slightly milder day on 5th with scattered showers in the north. The 6th and 7th were dry but cold days after a frosty start with temperatures down to -10 °C in parts of the central Highlands. There were long sunny spells although fog was slow to clear from parts of the Central Belt. The 8th was milder but wet after a frosty start for the north-west and dry and cold in southern and eastern areas. The 9th saw an area of freezing rain in Dumfries and Galloway in the morning but a dry day elsewhere and on 10th a band of patchy, light rain spread from the west.

    11th to 19th: The period 11th to 16th was more settled and generally dry, with the best of any sunshine in the east where temperature maxima reached 11 or 12 °C from 13th. On 16th rain in the north-west overnight gave way to showers, and it was dry and bright elsewhere. The 17th started dry and bright but rain, heavy at times, spread from the west during the day. This was persistent in the north-west, with 52 mm recorded at Cluanie Inn (Highland) and 71 mm at Achnagart (Highland) in the 24 hours ending 0900 on 18th. Turning much colder from the north-west as the rain spread southwards during the early hours of 18th, followed by showers of hail, sleet and snow. A frosty start on 19th with temperatures down to -10 °C in some Highland glens, and wintry showers at first in the north-west, but dry and sunny elsewhere.

    20th to 29th: Rain spread to all areas from the west on 20th and it turned milder in the south-westerly flow, the temperature reaching 13 °C along the Moray Firth. The 21st continued mild, especially in the east, but it was cloudy with rain at times, persistent in the higher parts of the west where over 40 mm was recorded (60 mm at Achnagart). This unsettled theme continued into 22nd and 23rd with strengthening winds but still very mild towards the east with 15.7 °C at Aboyne (Aberdeenshire) on 22nd and 15.9 °C at Dyce (Aberdeen) on 23rd. Fresh or strong north-west winds gave a bright day with scattered showers on 24th and again at first on 25th but cloud and rain spread south-eastwards through the day. Dry and cloudy with showers in the north-west on 26th, rain arriving from the west later which spread to all parts overnight. This cleared south-eastwards during the afternoon of 27th. The 28th and 29th were dry and cloudy but very mild, especially in the east, with the temperature reaching 17.2 °C at Dyce on 28th


    [b]MY ANALYSIS:[/b]

    Overall February for the UK was a pretty interesting month. Here in Glasgow, it was notably disapointing month for snow with only two days where I observed snowfall and Glasgow Airport didn't even record a single snowfall. However, despite the lack of snow and the mild average temperature, the first half was pretty cold here with our coldest temperatures of the winter. It was also quite sunny under an easterly flow. However in Europe it was notably colder making it a 4th Consecutive Winter with a Big Freeze and this affected England too which saw colder temperatures than in Scotland. And England (and Wales) enjoyed the two of the most widespread and notable snow events of the winter too with depths up to 15cm and lying on the ground for a few days. However, despite the UK's most notable cold spell of the winter (December 2011 was best for Scotland, however for the UK, this cold spell could perhaps have carried on the theme of severe cold spells of the previous winters), the second half was much milder with only one snowfall event in Scotland. This resulted in some horrible cloudy, mild days with drizzle aswell as some lovely spring-like days. As a result some very mild temperatures were recorded. Despite the lack of snow here in Glasgow (but not exactly snowless) and missing out on the best of the cold spell, it was overall for the UK an equally interesting month as December and January with a notable cold spell that could perhaps make the category "Big Freeze", the most notable snowfalls for the UK happened and even the milder end was interesting.


    From the 26th January till around 6th February, Glasgow was enjoying a cold spell which saw temperatures drop as low as -7C on the 2nd under a cold easterly flow. There were some days with cloud cover and others with fine winter sunshine. However, the cold spell ended earlier here and we got some milder and wetter conditions whereas the SE of England had a very cold first half with a major snowfall on the 4th and another on the 9th. But most notably was the cold temperatures with -18.7C being recorded at Chesham and and a maximum of -5.4C at Coningsby. This didn't last long as milder weather arrived (although here in Glasgow there was a brief cold spell) which resulted in a mix of dull days and some good spring-like days. Towards the end of the month, the February maximum temperature record was under threat as the temperature reached 18.7C near Birmingham and maxed around 17C near Aberdeen. Overall, an interesting month but like January it had long very mild periods that cancelled out the colder periods and it lacked a notable snowfall (it was the poorest month of the winter for snow). However even the milder weather was interesting and most notable was the cold spell. Despite Glasgow lacking out on the snow, intensity and length of the cold spell as in Europe - the cold spell here was quite notable and further south east it was included two notable snow events and some very cold temperatures and even made the BBC use the phrase Big Freeze. So perhaps the Winter 2011/2012 did continue the run of severe cold spells in the UK afterall - anyway the good run had continued anyway thanks to a good December and interesting periods of weather in January and February (good cold weather) that cancel out any of the long, very mild and less interesting periods that lacked snow. 5 or 6/10.



    [b]OVERALL REVIEW OF WINTER WITH FACTS, KEY EVENTS AND RATINGS[/b]

    TBC (Facts of winter, my overall analyse, how good it was, it's best moments, what caused it, how it compares....)

    [b]WINTER 2011/2012:[/b]

    [b]SCOTLAND MEAN: 3.53 (18th Mildest, 5th Mildest in My Lifetime)[/b]
    [b]UK MEAN: 4.54 (16th Mildest)[/b]
    [b]UK COLDEST TEMPERATURE: -15.6C[/b]
    [b]UK WARMEST TEMPERATURE: 18.7C[/b]
    [b]UK SUNSHINE: 38.7hrs (DEC), 60.3hrs (JAN), 65.3hrs (FEB), WINTER = 164.3hrs - sunnier than average[/b]
    [b]SCOTLAND SUNSHINE: 23.4hrs (DEC), 46.7hrs (JAN), 53.6hrs (FEB), WINTER = 123.6hrs[/b]
    [b]UK RAINFALL: 168.1mm (DEC), 108.3mm (JAN), 54.5mm (FEB), WINTER = 331.0mm[/b]
    [b]SCOTLAND RAINFALL: 265.4mm (DEC), 177.4mm (JAN), 99.2mm (FEB), WINTER = 541.9mm[/b]
    [b]UK AIR FROST: 7.4 days (DEC), 8.6 days (JAN), 11.1 days (FEB), WINTER = 27.1 days[/b]
    [b]SCOTLAND AIR FROST: 11.9 days (DEC), 10.2 days (JAN), 9 days (FEB), WINTER = 31.2 days[/b]
    [b]SCOTLAND MONTHS FROM COLDEST TO MILDEST: DECEMBER 3.1C; JANUARY 3.2C; FEBRUARY 4.4C[/b]
    [b]MY MAXIMUM SNOW DEPTH: 7CM, DECEMBER 2011[/b]
    [b]SNOW RATING: 6/10 - A GOOD DECEMBER, JANUARY AND FEBRUARY QUITE POOR[/b]
    [b]COLD RATING: 6/10 - A DECENT DECEMBER, DECENT JANUARY, DECENT FEBRUARY - SOME LONG PERIODS WITHOUT COLD[/b]
    [b]KEY EVENTS: DECEMBER SNOW, JANUARY STORM, FEBRUARY COLD[/b]
    [b]OVERALL RATING: 6/10[/b]

    GLASGOW SNOW EVENTS:

    DECEMBER 2011: SNOWFALLS - 6 (4th, 5th, 6th, 9th, 16th, 17th), COLDEST TEMP (2/-5C)
    JANUARY 2012: SNOWFALLS - 3 (20th, 24th, 26th), COLDEST TEMP (2/-5C)
    FEBRUARY 2012 - SNOWFALLS - 1 (7th), COLDEST TEMP (2/-7C)
    OVERALL: 10, 2/-7C

    The 5th Snowiest Winter since 1999/2000

    Overall Review:

    A decent winter that continues the good run of the past few; no real big freeze despite a relatively prolonged cold spell in February. Nonetheless, we didn't revert back to some of the poor winters prior to 2009. The good points are that December saw two very decent cold spells and snow events with the area covered in lying snow for Days - a generally interesting month. The storm of January 2012 will be remembered for years. January and February both saw some snow at least but most notably there were good spells of cold, crisp weather and even the mild end was interesting. Disapointments is of course no white christmas and the incredible prolonged very mild spell until mid January. Other disapointments are that there wasn't that much in the way of snowfall and barely no significant even in January and February. Another disapointment is the great cold spell in Europe never reached us to make a 4th consecutive big freeze winter. But overall, an interesting and varied winter with some good moments aswell as bad but ultimately we did exceed the threshold for snow and cold in a winter which makes a decent one.
  14. A Winter's Tale
    April 1st: After an amazing March which rounded-off and was the highlight of an interesting and consistent season for cold and snow, we now enter the month April and are now into April. However with the never-ending winter of 2012/2013 and a memorable March, the landscape is still stuck in winter with snow on the Campsies and some drifts remaining on the walls and the countryside and vedgetation remain in winter with litte growth. April is very much a Spring month and right at the middle of the cross-over from winter to summer. This means for a variety in weather, longer daylight hours and a stronger sun making for pleasant conditions and further plant growth. Last April was a cold one with a number of frosts and also a snowfall whilst the year before was a record breaking mild one. I don't mind which side of the average this months ends up, but I'd like Spring 2013 properly get under way with the final huraah for winter and the first signs of sumer and the unique variablity but also tranquility of the Spring weather. At Glasgow airport, 15C hasn't been reached whilst 20C was recorded in late March last year. The first 15C and 20C is something to look out for aswell as the last proper frosts and hopefully a final snowfall to conclude a very decent winter. But I also hope that the weather makes for interesting days and events to summarise in this diary and also to look back on in a review. Today, started with an air frost and a low of -2C at Glasgow airport. A maximum temperature of only 7C which is colder than all of previous maximum values in April since 2008 at the airport. However, today felt Spring-like in the glorious sunshine albeit it felt chilly in the wind at times. The light also had a tinge of Spring to it despite how vedgetation is far from where it should be and the top of the Campsies are covered in snow. A nice, chilly but largely clear April evening too. Some more air frosts to come in the next few days and hopefully some sunshine too. The prolonged period of below average temperature look set to stay for a few more days at least, rather settled conditions too, but perhaps around a third of the way through the month there could be a change to something new.

    April 2nd: A very cold night with a low of -5C in the early hours which is the joint coldest April temperature at Glasgow airport since 1973. Braemar recorded a low of -11.2C, which is the coldest April temperature in many years and lower than February's coldest temperature of -10C. A glorious start before some cloud cover rolled in from the east. I thought I saw one or two flakes of snow but I cab't confirm. Maximum temperature of 7C making for a chilly April day. Skies cleared around dusk allowing for a cold evening with a very cold looking sky. Right now, -2C and partly clear and another cold night is on the cards. The below average and settled conditions should last for a few more days before low pressure moves in.

    April 3rd: An extremely cold start with a low of -6C at Glasgow airport which I believe is the coldest April temperature from available records. An absolutely glorious, but quite chilly April day with a little breeze, fantastic Spring sunshine and blue skies with just a few passing clouds. I even played tennis for the first time in 2013. Maximum temperature 9C which is a little below average. Staying on the cold and settled side for the next few days but I'm intruiged to see what's coming next with the change in pattern commencing next week.

    April 4th: A low of 0C with some partly cloudy skies, even a few spots of rain. However it was another glorious morning, feeling a bit milder but the maximum was only 9C (it's been over a month since 10C was recorded at Glasgow airport). Some nice bright and clear periods this afternoon and evening but there were also some cloudier periods at times too and a similar story tonight. Settled, chilly theme continuing.... a change to something more unsettled next week.

    April 5th: Another beautiful but rather chilly Spring day. A low of 0C, but rising to 9C in the strong Spring sunshine. A really sunny and stunning day with clear, Spring skies. I went for a drive in the evening towards Aberfoyle. The landscape and countryside is still stuck in late winter with no plant growth and snow patches on the mountains. Some parts of the sky looked a bit wintry at sunset, especially looking east above the snow-covered Campsies with a little bit of a pink haze on the horizon, but the stronger light, and longer time between sunset and dusk has a seasonal element to it aswell. It's certainly remarkable how this year, nature seems to be a month or so behind where it should be and gven the persistence of the below average conditions, it has the feeling of late winter rather than early April. A cold night to come, another decent day tomorrow, low pressure trying to move in next week but it could stay cold in Scotland for a while.

    April 6th: -5C low at Glasgow airport with a clear, cold and stunning Spring morning. Some clouds rolled over during the afternoon making it bit darker and bringing a few spots of rain. Went on a drive to Lochgoilhead and it was very chilly in the wind, the land still stuck in winter with only a few daffodils and hills covered in snow. Maximum temperature of 9C at Glasgow airport maintains the cold experienced so far this Spring. Some snow in northern Scotland too. Staying cold into next week which should complete an exceptional but very strange first half to Spring that has been unusually and persistently cold for Spring standards. The second half to the season could be very different but it will sure but fascninating to see how the rest of Spring 2013 unfolds.

    April 7th: Minimum temperature above freezing at 1C, maximum 9C again but it was colder today around 5-8pm with some cloud cover thanks to a front in the north of the country which has brought some snow today. Some pleasant sunshine for a time in the afternoon. Currently cloudy so perhaps no air frost tonight but it looks like staying cold during the next few days, some sunshine at times and maybe some precipitation in the easterly wind.

    April 8th: A cold day with a maximum of 7C, some cloud cover and an easterly wind making it feel even colder. It did clear up a bit in the evening allowing for a cold looking dusk sky. Some snow showers for north in the country. Cold theme to last up until the weekend with the models agreeing on southerly winds finally ending this amazing run of unseasonably cold weather.

    April 9th: A really nice bit quite chilly April day with pleasant Spring sunshine and clear, blue skies lasting well into the evening but it felt a bit chilly in the breeze and the maximum temperature failed to reach 10C with a max of 8C, min of 0C - cloudier now. Really impressive Spring this year, the theme is going to last for a few more days this week before southerly winds bring milder temperatures for the weekend.

    April 10th: Maximum of 8C and a minimum of -2C at the airport concludes a particulary cold first third to April 2013, but this morning's conditions did not fit in well with the dry theme of recent days. Cloudy skies brought spells of rain during the morning with some rather wet conditions in heavy bursts and there was even some hail, part of a group of showers coming in from the east. Then in the afternoon it did clear up and was brighter, albeit quite hazy but now, the sky is seemingly overcast. A day or two more of this period then a change for the weekend with southerly winds,.

    April 11th: 8C/3C at Glasgow airport thanks to cloud cover which allowed for a pretty dull and damp day compared to recent weeks. Feeling cold, especially in the wind. But it will be turning milder for once, but it will also be quite unsettled.
    April 12th: Another dull and damp day with quite heavy rain at times in the morning and some drizzle throughout. Max/min of 7/2C and another cold feeling day. It should turn milder over the coming days with double digit maximum for the first time since early March.
    April 13th: This time last year, the warmest temperature of 2012 was 20C in late March. Today was the joint warmest of 2013 with a high of 12C! And it was the first day with double digit temperatures since the very start of March. It just shows what an interesting year and very unusual spring we are having, and April has been very chilly so far with minimum temperatures as low as -6C at Glasgow airport which makes for a potent finale to the winter season. Today's minimum was 4C, the mildest for some time. Southerly winds helped to bring milder uppers but there was some sunshine earlier before cloud cover arrived later, the wind also increased and there has been some persistent rainfall this evening. For the coming days, it is certainly going to be much milder compared to Spring 2013 so far, and it will be interesting to see when we get the first proper warm day of 2013 with maximum above 15C, aswell as the next, possibly last chilly weather to add the cold conditions thexperienced in the first third of April.
    April 14th: The warmest day of the year sa high of 15C at Glasgow airport (low of 9C) anda high of 22C in SE England.. The last time it reached 15C here was on the 21st October. Pretty windy too with a few strong gusts. The sun did come out at times too and clear/cloudy intervals and there was a brief bit of rain late in the afternoon. Mostly cloudy now. Further strong winds to come, possibly some precipitation but it is staying milder than of late but there could be a return to chilly conditions.
    April 15th: Another mild (and windy day) with a high of 14C and a low of 8C. Some clear intervals with scattered clouds but temporarily cloudier at times which resulted in a brief rain shower in the afternoon before clearing. The look of the sky abd sunshine certainly looks very different to the past few weeks and it seems that spring plant growth is starting to get underway with the milder and wetter weather recently. Another persistent area of precipitation has arrived later this evening and is now bringing rain.
    April 16th: Not quite as mild as previous days with a high of 11C, and under clear skies recently, 5C has been recorded at Glasgow airport. There was some cloud and rain early on and it was really windy too with quite strong gusts but it is pretty calm now. Things cleared up in the afternoon and evening with a few scattered clouds and a shower. Some pleasant April sunshine which brings a different look to the sky and light compared to previous weeks when the air was colder, and as a result Spring growth is starting to catch up. Right now, it is a nice calm, clear Spring night with the stars out and just a few scattered clouds moving across the sky. Another spell of rain tomorrow, but becoming more settled later this week with temperatures close to average.
    April 17th: A thoroughly miserable start with heavy, persistent rain and some drizzle. Quite calm compared to yesterday but since this evening there has been a return to some strong gusts. Max of 12C earlier, low of 3C making for average April temperatures. It briefly cleared up a bit early evening/late afternoon with some bluu skies but since then there has been some showers. Temperatures staying close to average, possibly some more sunshine further into the week.
    April 18th: There was rain overnight but it ended up a calmer day with some brightness but also some cloudier intervals aswell as the odd shower. Minimum of 8C and maximum of 11C. Partly cloudy just now and it could be a chilly night and tomorrow should be a pleasant April day, Saturday doesn't look too bad either but rain could return again for Sunday.
    Aprol 19th: A cold night with a low of 1C under clear skies. It turned out to be a very nice April day with a high ogf 12C, a little breeze, feeling very pleasant in the glorious Spring sunshine with only just a few small clouds scattered across the sky. With a front edging southwards towards Scotland, cloud cover has just increased a bit and tomorrow should be a cloudier day followed by rain on Sunday and potentially a chilly week to follow.
    April 20th: Not the same clear blue skies as yesterday but it was a bright day after a cold clear start with an overnight low of 2C. Kind of hazy looking clear patches in the sky and some clouds blowing around; a stronger breeze than yesterday. Maximum of 14C continues the more seasonal theme after the cold start to the month. Cloud cover gradually increased during the evening with the cold front nearing, so a wet night is ahead but things are expected to clear up tomorrow but for next week there could be some more rain at times in Scotland.

    April 21st: After cloud and a spell of rain overnight lasting into the morning, it turned out to be a decent day with a high of 12C, calm conditions and some clear intervals with some scattered clouds with cloudier periods during some passing showers. On an evening drive around the Clyde, then toward Irvine and the moon and stars are out in the clear parts of the sky. This evening recorded a low of 5C. Temperatures fairly close to average during the next couple of days with some rain at times.

    April 22nd: A low of 6C in the eraly hours and a dry, calm night. It was cloudy later in the morning and early afternoon with some rainfall but some clear intervals and sunshine made an appearance early in the evening before turning windy with some rain around 8pm. Maximum 12C. Now, calmer, drier with some clear patches from time to time. The next few days could be on the chilly side with some rain from time time.

    April 23rd: 12C maximum and 8C minimum - much colder in Scotland than further south. Some cloud cover and showers with some clearer intervals at times but there were more clear skies during a time in the evening in which the moon could be seen. Turning clouider now with a band of rain arriving. Turning colder over the coming days with some showers.

    April 24th: After overnight rain it turned out to be a decent day with clouds breaking apart allowing for clear and sunny intervals in the afternoon and evening - calm conditions too. A quiet night but overcast now.Max/min of 12/6C. Turning colder, possibly some overnight frosts and the threat of showers with thunder and hail.

    April 25th: A front brought rain which lasted into the morning after a low of 5C. It then brightened up with some very pleasant Spring sunshine and blue skies with some clouds scattered but also some sharp April showers at times too. Maximum of 11C which is on the chilly side, growth on trees and hedges is still behind schedule but at least nature is somewhat representive of the time of year. Some chilly and showery April weather for the next few days.

    April 26th: A chilly day (11/3C), with some brightness but also some regular and quite heavy showers, some of which included hail. A chilly night to come but a nice, dry day should follow before a front edges in from the north west later. Still looking cold for the time of year though for next week.

    April 27th: Stil chilly at 12/2C but with some glorious Spring sunshine and fairly calm too but a front coming in from the NW has increased cloud cover during the evening. Some rain overnight, another chilly day tomorrow but should turn brighter with some showers.

    April 28th: Another chilly, showery Spring day with showers of rain, hail and even some sleet in the evening. Some pleasant Spring sunshine and blue skies with scattered clouds but there were also heavy showers. Maximum/minimum of 11/4C making for a chilly day for the time of year in what has been a chilly Spring. Tomorrow, staying chilly, bright with some showers but maybe later in the coming week there maybe more cloudier and persistent rainfall.

    April 29th: A nice day with some clouds scattered across a clear, blue Spring sky with plenty of sunshine too. Still chilly at 12/5C and with less showers than yesterday. A lovely evening and night - very calm, chilly and with a clear and starry sky. Final day of the month should also be a nice one but maybe some rain to start April and the chilly theme to the Spring weather this year may continue into the start of May.

    April 30th: The final day of what has been another chilly April and at Glasgow airport there has been 9 days of 0C or lower minimum including an impressive -6C, and maximum temperature failed to reach 10C on the first 12 days of the month. The maximum temperature was 15C. There has been a mixture of dry, sunny Spring days to rather windy and wet spells but on the whole Spring has recovered from the exceptional cold of March, but this month has been April of a chilly variety. Today was a glorious April day after the first frost in weeks with the temperature at 0C, possibly the last of 0C minimum until autumn. A maximum temperature of 13C in the glorious Spring sunshine with only a few scattered clouds. A pleasant evening but now cloud has increased with a weak cold front moving down from the north. Some rain overnight followed by some sunshine tomorrow. A chilly start to May seems likely with some spells of rain but there are signs of it briefly turning settled.
  15. A Winter's Tale
    [b]DECEMBER...[/b]A mild-very mild month with long periods of south westerly winds. More unsettled in more northern and western areas with little sunshine and persistent rainfall. During the latter half of the month there may be a more progressive outlook with a trend of short cooler and showery spells - especially in northern and western areas - aswell as a risk of the odd gale. Temperatures 0.75 to 2.0C above average. CET 6.3C. Rainfall 85% of the average in southern and eastern areas, around 100% of the average further north and west. Sunshine 0-5% below in the NW, perhaps 0-5% above in SE.

    [b]JANUARY...[/b]A closer to average month, if not a little below average. Unsettled for much of the first half with plenty of wind and rain, a mixture of mild and cold spells (some high ground snow from time to time and occasional drier, settled days. Generally less active atlantic around mid month onwards with a trend for below average conditions during latter part of month with a risk of frost and lowland snowfall - especially in northern or even eastern areas - potential frontal snowfall in western areas towards end of month. Temperature 0.75C below to 0.25C above average. CET 3.6C. Rainfall 75-100% of the average. Sunshine 5% above average.

    [b]FEBRUARY...[/b]Close to average or slightly below. A return to unsettled, atlantic weather for spells but generally staying fairly cold - especially in the northern areas - and cold, anticylconic periods inbetween - occasional milder days (prominently in southern and western areas and especially for periods during the second half of the month). Temperatures 0.6 below average to 0.5 above average. CET 3.4C. Rainfall 70-95%. Sunshine 0-10% above average.

    DECEMBER - MORE DETAILED FORECAST

    Second week: Mild to very mild. Drier and some brighter conditions in more southern and eastern areas whilst more widespread and persistent cloud cover in northern and western areas with more rain and a stronger wind.
    Third week: Generally staying mild - more changeable with spells of wind and rain for all areas but a chance of brief, cooler interludes from the west.
    Final week: Staying unsettled and changeable. Brief settled spells with some frost overnight inbetween depressions - a risk of some heavy rain and gales. Fairly mild but a chance of a brief northerly towards the end of the month.

    JANUARY - MORE DETAILED FORECAST

    First week: Very unsettled with wet and windy conditions. Some colder days with a risk of snow in the north but also some milder air at times too.
    Second week: Starting unsettled with some wet and windy conditions - then becoming a little quieter and cooler with maybe a risk of snow towards the end of the period.
    Third week: Starting fairly settled and cold with some frost and some snow at times. Becoming a bit more unsettled from the west but staying quite chilly with a risk of further snow in the north.
    Final week: Changeable to begin with some chilly conditions at times - especially in the north - but it will turn more settled and much colder with potentially harsh frosts and some snow. February - more detailed forecast. First week. Unsettled with some spells of rain from showers and fronts and some strong winds at times. Temperatures close to or slightly above average. Second week. Initially very wet and windy but turning a settled from the south bringing a risk of frost before turning wet, windy and mild. Third week. Unsettled and chilly in the north, settled and mild in the se. Generally unsettled with more wet and windy conditions but with some drier - and in the north - colder interludes. Final week. Remaining unsettled - particularly in the nw - but perhaps drier in the se at times. Further changeable conditions with some colder interludes possible.
  16. A Winter's Tale
    [b][u][u]ASWT'S SUMMER FORECAST 2012[/u][/u][/b]


    [b][u][u]JUNE[/u][/u] [/b]... mostly warm and dry, with short unsettled interludes. Temperatures 0.5 to 1.5 above normal. CET 15.3C. Rainfall 55% south east to 75% north west, storms and occasional fronts providing most the rain for the SE, a mixture of fronts and showers providing rain from the NW during unsettled interludes. Sunshine 15-20% above normal.

    [b][u][u]JULY[/u][/u][/b] ... cool and wet periods likely at times with warm, dry conditions and some heatwaves likely too. Temperatures 0.5 to 1.0 above normal. CET 16.6C. Rainfall 60% south east to 85% north west, atlantic lows, showery and storms providing rainfall, driest towards the SE. Sunshine 5-15% above normal.

    [u][b][u]AUGUST[/u][/b][/u]... changeable, mainly warm and dry start mixed with cool and wet blips, cooler and wetter end with some warm and dry periods. Temperatures 0.0 - 1.0 above normal. CET 16.3C. Rainfall 80% south east to 90% north west with atlantic and channel lows, showers and storms bringing rainfall. Sunshine 5-15% above normal.
  17. A Winter's Tale
    1st January - New Year's Eve: Happy new year! At midnight, the first moments of the new year was cold and chilly westerly breeze. There was a fantastic moon over Glasgow but gradually cloud cover increased from approching showers from the west and the moon was covered. You could see the lanterns moving in same direction as the clouds and also very quickly too. Then it started to rain. Looking at the car there was some sleety stuff or rain with a wintry element landing on the cars and during a heavier shower in the early hours it left a covering. Certainly sleety but not quite enough to convince me that it was snow event worth putting into my snow diary for the winter. During the early hours it was cold with a low of 2C at Glasgow Airport and the sky altered between a lovely starry sky with a moon and an orange sheet from incoming showers. And it was a lovely winter's day and nice start to the weather of 2013 with stunning winter sunshine, clear, blue skies. It was quite chilly when I went for a walk at Kilmardinny Loch but a lovely sunset despite the chilly breeze. Maximum temperature at Glasgow airport 8C. There was snow in the highlands in the early hours but precipitation in the showers was more of rain later in the day but the shower become somewhat less frequent in what was a fine winter's day. With high pressure edging further north into southern areas of the British Isles it is going to be settled - Scotland will be vulnerable to some precipitation and it could be quite dull at times - and on the whole it should be mild but as the settled theme continues further into the first half of January the position or role the anticyclone has in relation to the British Isles could enable a possible frosty anticyclonic period, and in correspondance with the predicted SSW synoptically things will get interesting further into January - especially the second half of the month. Possibly January will the reverse of December 2012, except perhaps both the mild and cold halves will be more potent?

    2nd January: A much milder day with a high/low of 11/4C at Glasgow airport. The pleasant and seasonal conditions of yesterday was replaced by a milder atlantic flow as a result of high pressure to our south. It has been a largely dull and overcast day here with spells of light rain and drizzle and this should continue overnight and into tomorrow. This pattern should last from a good number of days but it's anyone's guess as to what follows - how will the current synoptic pattern correspond with stratospheric changes that are afoot.

    3rd January:

    Another largely overcast, classic atlantic day in the middle of winter. There were spells of drizzle and a little of wind at times. A very mild day too with temperatures at Glasgow airport above 10C all day and max of 12C. This sort of atlantic driven, mild, overcast and at times damp conditions should last for a wee while but the pattern change is on the horizon and as we grow ever closer toward a key period the models should be really exciting to be following right now.

    4th January:
    Another mild day here with max/min at Glasgow airport of 11/9C. A better day, mostly dry other than a little drizzle at times. There was some decent clear spells and some periods of brightness in the afternoon but the generally cloudy theme continued this evening and should do so for the next 4 days and there should be some spells of rain too as front move in ontop of the high into Scotland and Ireland - NE Scotland best for sunshine. Pretty mild too for the next few days but a pattern change is coming around midmonth but there's great variability at this stage in how the models experiment with the SSW that's very likely but this makes for exciting times with a potentially excellent outcome.

    5th January:

    Another mild day here. There was some sunshine breaking through the cloud cover in the morning but overcast skies resumed pretty soon with the cold front arriving in the evening. It soon cleared and now it is clear, calm with a starry sky which is nice to see after the previous overcast nights.
    The background signals are really looking good for HLB over Greenland. The models are only starting to deal and map out the effects on the SSW so there's a lot of uncertainty and variability so it's about waiting and seeing how the synoptics unfold during the many days to come and it'll be a whilte until we firm up a clear picture about the pattern change. Certainly in about 5 days it will be colder air, probably staying settled aswell. It seems like high pressure will end up between Iceland and Scandinavia and this needs further observation and the Iberian High may push further northwards towards Greeland so there's a lot to look out for, it's early days and there's many hurdles that need to be jumped but the prospects going forward further into January is looking good. It'll be a pleasure to watch this unfold and this sort of spectacle doesn't deserve whinging (in the MT) if all doesn't go well. Loads of potential, it's gonna turn colder, very uncertain and variable but this makes for very exciting and interesting times. It will be fascinating to see this evolve and god knows what sort of progress will be made between this update and the next tomorrow night.

    6th January:

    Another mild, overcast day with some damp conditions from some weather fronts. The damp conditions should continue tomorrow before turning cooler behind the front and it should stay cool/cold through the rest of next week. The weekend is interesting as the models picked up the idea of high pressure north of Scotland and overnight it should some excellent potential but whatever it brought, it was always going to be a starter as the SSW occured today, the tropospheric effects will occur further down the line and the changes occuring over this coming week and next weekend is a result of the transition of different patters. It's a very variable outlook but the background signals remain decent for HLB that should occur later but the path to HLB remain unclear but whatever unfolds next week in the models will be fascinating and potentiall we could see the high pressure in the atlantic ridge northwards towards Greenland. But it's very early days in this pattern change but it seems that during the process of it all, we'll end up cooler next week, possibly followed up by surface cold and there is potential for the real effects of the SSW to occur later.

    7th January:

    Another very mild day but it has been dull, overcast, dark, gloomy and very wet with a bit of mist in the evening 10/9C at Glasgow airport. Tomorrow should be wet but clearing and colder air should follow leaving a sunny and cold day on Wednesday, Thursday looking cold too with a front moving in from the west and with high pressure towards Scandinavia, an easterly flow, so a cold weekend but the real uncertainty lurks beyond the weekend - a decent chance of it staying cold but we need to see what sort of charts and scenarios unfold throughout this week.

    8th January:

    Another mild day with maximum temperature of 11C, grey and wet to begin with but as the cold front cleared it was a clear afternoon allowing for a nice wintry sunset and dusk for once. A starry evening too. A cold night instore, currently 5C at Glasgow airport and there should be fog and mist patches across the British Isles. Tomorrow dry and cold, followed by a widespread frost in the north then a front moving in on Thursday. However with block to our north, a cold weekend looks likey and today, there has been big upgrades in the 12zs and GFS 18z about the snow prospects (particulary in England) for the weekend and it looked good in todays 12z runs for Greenland blocking at a semi-reliable time frame - but there's a lot of scatter in the ensembles so still very uncertain - and FI on some runs has been of epic proportions. Very exciting period of model watching coming up and indeed the actual weather itself should be equally thrilling to follow. Background signals looking good for cold later on - huge potential but very early days. Plus the most users on line was smashed for the GFS 18z.

    9th January:

    A stunning winter's sunset earlier with red skies to the west and a pale/purple sky to the west. There was a little rain in the early hours with some cloud from the west. There were alternating clear periods and some periods with increased cloud cover but generally it was a bright day - especially when compared to what we've seen so far this month. A cool day too with maximum of 8C and currently a low of 2C at Glasgow Airport. Hopefully by dawn there'll be the first air frost on 2013, and the first since the 13th or 14th of December. Tomorrow could be a cloudy day with the UK sat between two weather fronts but certainly it should be a cold day. The cold theme continues into Friday and especially the weekend should see frosts, cold temperatures by day and increased snow risk for UK, especially in England with the easterly wind but eastern Scotland could see something. Even though it's within the 5 day outlook, there'll be subtle changes which will have a big impact on what happens, so confidence is low regarding the detail of this weekend. A mixed day for high pressure extending to Greenland, the GFS op has had a shortwave drama near Iceland, but FI doesn't fit with the background signals. And much of the other models, and indeed GFS ensembles down support the GFS op and the ECM 12z was another stonker. High uncertainty but thrilling.

    10th January:

    A return to winter for the first time this month. Current maximum 3C at Glasgow airport and first Air frost - low of -2C - since just before mid-December. However the sun failed to turn up because of quite dense fog this morning and indeed right now and mist and grey skies persisted all day - largely dry too. The potential for snow starts later tomorrow and throughout the weekend into the start of next week. Probably more likely in the east but it's a very complicated picture so we'll only know until the last minute. Temperatures should be low too so this should make for an interesting weekend. And model watching has been gripping today with EPIC ECM runs, consistency in GFS in 06z and 12z with regards to how GFS differs from other models but 18z was an improvement - ensembles paint a different story for GFS - so it continues to be a very volatile affair and anything could happen.

    11th January:

    Temperatures at Glasgow airport close to normal for winter 6/3C. Quite grey and overcast to begin with, a few clear breaks but a beautiful dusk in the afternoon with clear skies and a wounderful wintry tint of light blue. Now there's a sheet of cloud with a little clear strip to the south. Some drizzle and light rain across the south west during the night, mostly cloudy for Scotland but some clear intervals in the north west. A chilly night too and the colder upper air and sub 528 dam air should spread from the west, a south easterly flow developing and some snow showers for parts of Scotland such as Angus during Saturday. On Sunday a band of precipitation moving in from the north west could bring some snow to Scotland and there are oppurtunities for snow during the early part of next week across the British Isles. Beyond Wednesday next week and it's uncertain.

    12th January:

    Went to Lochgoilhead during the morning and left in the afternoon. It seemed to be clear skies at dawn, a mixture of clear and cloud patches in the sky on the drive up and at Lochgoilhead, the sun occasionally coming up to give a very wintry golden colour on the mountains (light snow cover down to below 2000ft) and shimmering on the loch. Very chilly in the south easterly wind. Overcast on the way back. At Glasgow airport, another day with typical, quite chilly temperatures of 5/2C, no air frost but atleast the maximum was below 5C which makes things seasonal. It went down to below -7C in the highlands last night. A tiny bit of snow in some parts of eastern Scotland with showers, some snow in a few parts of eastern England with showers, and with a front coming down the from north west there has been some snow in parts of the highlands. Now overcast with this feature getting closer to the central belt. It's unclear whether it'll be snow away from the coast, or snow on the high ground but precipitation from this feature is meant to persist throughout the night, morning and afternoon. Some parts of the country will get a fair bit of snow. Another front follows, potential for snow but the warm sector could be problem. The models show a cold, settled week with the potential for some very low temperatures - through time we'll get more ideas about what the latter part of this coming week will be like.

    13th January:

    I woke up to fairly moderate-heavy snowfall at 9am which is the first here (Bearsden, and also most likely Torrance aswell) and at Glasgow airport this year. It left a covering of 1cm on top of the car and the trees, cars, grass, roofs and some drive way were all white - surpasses anything that we saw in January or February 2012. But once the snow stopped falling before lunchtime, it was a wet affair and the snow melted quite quickly. I went for a drive to the whangie and in the upper part of Milngavie, Craigton and on the road towards Queen's view there was a lot of lying snow and a winter wonderland - but the precipitation was rain. Then to my surprise, just after that there was no sign of any snow whatsoever in Kilearn, Drymen and Fintry - the whole valley was green. The Campsies was white however with snow falling. Came through Torrance and it was raining but I noticed the remains of some of the lying snow on a few gardens so it was the first falling and lying snow of the year there too - in my snow diary, I've said depth of 1cm which is the highest depth I recorded today at one of the two sites I spend my time at). The snow generally across Scotland was of a wet nature with little significant accumilations across lower levels. Now the same band is bringing snow to large parts of England. A cold day at Glasgow airport, an air frost and maxima/minima of 3/0C makes for a cold winter's day. Tomorrow, another band in the morning but mostly rain in Scotland - then followed by an easterly flow for a few days, pretty cold, then possibly a snowy breakdown for the end of the week but this is very uncertain as we don't know the details that will decide whether it'll be snow, how significant it will be and where, and whether it will be a breakdown at all.

    14th January:

    It rained during the night but it brought snow to Aberdeenshire and quite a few areas of England but hardly stunning. Some lovely winter sunshine and clear skies through the day and the crescent moon was visible at dusk. With winds turning to more of a north easterly there is currently precipitation in eastern areas. An band of decaying snow showers crossed the area recently and I saw the area of thin cloud cover (with the orange glow of Glasgow) move south across the central belt with the fantastic crystal clear, starry and dark night sky. A cold day at Glasgow airport 4/0C. The next few days probably cold and dry, then there is the potential for a very significant breakdown for the weekend and the cold theme may be maintained beyond anything after this weekend is uncertain.

    15th January:

    The cold spell continues. Maximum temperature of 3C and currently -4C at Glasgow airport. -12.7C at Braemar and Dyce has recorded it's coldest temperatures since Boxing Day 2010. A glorious winter's day here with frost and a stunning winter dusk with crystal clear sky, not a breath of wind and a crescent moon. There was a little snow in eastern parts of Scotland and in some eastern areas of England and sattelite imagery should that a number of areas have lying snow (mostly on the higher ground). There was further distruption in east Anglia and there's low level lying snow in Aberdeenshire. A front out to the west may bring rain to the western isles of Scotland, if it pushes further inland then there could be snow. Tomorrow, could be a cloudier day here but another cold one. Into Thursday and the cold conditions continue possibly some precipitation here coming off the Irish Sea. For the end of the week there is a battle between the atlantic and cold air. Scotland should keep surface cold and cold uppers, but there's uncertainty about how Scotland could be affected with the band of precipitation that will certainly bring a significant snow event to parts of the British Isles between Friday and Monday. It's a complicated affair but it seems Scotland may hang onto the cold air through next week with possible reloads and potentially a more significant blocking pattern further down the line.

    16th January:

    The coldest day of 2013 so far. Maximum of 1C and minimum -4C at Glasgow airport. And there was a snow flurry here in the afternoon, part of a patchy band of precipitation moving in from the west that's bringing snow to Wales. A very cold night in Aberdeen - coldest since December 2010 and it dropped to -13C in Norflok. There was some sunshine in the early afternoon but it's dry, cold and cloudy. Overnight it should remain cloudy here but during the day the clear skies in the east should be more widespread during the afternoon. Then Friday is interesting, battleground sets up as a front meeting the cold air turns to snow - met office warning covering much of the UK, amber in parts of England and Wales. But there's lots of uncertainties regarding how heavy and how far east the snow will fall over Scotland - south west of Scotland most favourable for distruptive snowfall. But it looks like staying cold throughout the weekend, snow showers in a SEly flow in eastern Scotland and staying cold into the first part of next week. ECM 12z was a cracker so there's still model variability post Sunday thus lot's of uncertainty but we are in thrilling times.

    17th January:

    Another cold day -2/0C at Glasgow airport and very cold at some spots in the UK last night. Thin cloud cover but quite bright, at dusk I could see the clear skies further east with a classic wintry orange/pink haze on the horizon. A strong wind making things feel very chilly as a result of low pressure moving in from the west. Scotland shouldn't be affected by the frontal snowfall but much of the rest of the UK should be affected and today the met office issued the first red warning for snow in two years - for south Wales. Today there has been snow showers around the north sea in a SEly wind and light snow across Wales and England. Tomorrow, snowy for many, drier in Scotland but snow showers for eastern parts of Scotland and overnight the snow risk could increase across a much larger area of Scotland. Staying cold throughout the weekend with an easterly flow and the potential for snow with convection off the north sea. The first three days of next week at least will see the cold spell continue and after that it is uncertain.

    18th January:

    Probably the most eventful day for snow in the UK since December 2010. The band of precipitation dumped snow over much of Northern Ireland, Wales and England with significant distruption and depths as high as 30cm. There was dedicated special news reports about the situation. Here a lovely but very cold winter's day with a strong wind and plenty of sunshine with the moon visible at dusk but cloud cover increased later in the evening and there was a little bit of snow. A very complicated picture but today probably had the best north sea convective snow shower activity since 2010 with intense squall lines in the evening in northern England and eastern Scotland in a strong SEly. Snow fell in these areas throughout the day but during the evening there was quite intense snowfall in eastern parts of Scotland and the squall line extended as far as the Isle of Skye and the remainder of the front that brought distruption to other parts of the UK brought some snow to southern parts of Scotland. Much of the UK saw snow today and has lying snow and in many areas significant accumilations and even Scotland joined despite the BBC/Met office not forecasting the convective showers at all well. A very cold day here and at Glasgow airport it was 2/-1C today which is very decent seasonal temperatures. Tomorrow, a cold and strong easterly wind should feed snow showers into eastern areas but it could end up being more widespread and a similar theme for Sunday but details will change. Potentially another significant snow event in E England on Sunday and this spreading northwards could make for an interesting day on Monday here in Scotland. Beyond that there is variability between the models with some suggesting the cold spell will continue to last. Despite the lack of lying snow here in comparison to other areas, I've enjoyed the activity across the country and the length and temperatures and weather we've had here has been very seasonal and shall continue to do so and there is a greater risk of snow here in the coming days. Very active period we are in and we've seen some very interesting and exciting weather in the UK.v

    19th January 2013:

    Today was another cold one 4/0C withb some snow here and at Glasgow airport with just a few showers in he easterly wind. More activity furher east and some light snow across various parts of the UK. Pleasant winter's sunshine earlier but turned a bit cloudier later. A quite day instore tomorrow but Monday could see some snow as the cold snap continues into next week. Sady 4 people were killed in an avalanche at Glencoe.

    20th January:

    A cloudy, grey day and cold with some snow flurries - 2/1C at Glasgow airport as of 11pm. Some snow flurries in a easterly wind affecting Scotland parts of Ireland whilst an area of low pressure moving north from the continent has brought significant snowfall to SE England aswell as bringing some snowfall for the Midlands, northern England and northern Wales and it's moving further north. More significant snowfall overnight in NE England then spreading into E Scotland, possibly some snow here and hopefully accumilations but it's all about waiting and seeing. There could be further snow for parts of Scotland in the following days, the cold spell lasting till atleast Thursday.

    21st January:

    A very cold day here (2/1C at Glasgow airport) but there was a strong easterly wind making things feel bitter. On top of that, throughout the morning and afternoon there was snow, there was a covering of snow in the morning with pavements, gardens, driveways etc... all white with a depth of under a cm but that all disapeared very quickly. Atleast there was another lying snow day and i has already been snowier than last January at Glasgow airport with 4 days. Snowfall was variable across Scotland but the borders have been hit very badly and north east England had snow and a little bit of snow in NI. Some significant snow depths of up to a foot in places - certainly this has been the most notable cold spell in the UK since December 2010 but Glasgow and central Scotland has escaped the worst of the snow but it has been a fairly lengthy cold spell. Wind and snow to continue overnight across parts of Scotland lingering all day tomorrow in NE parts. Another cold and cloudy day to follow, then becoming more settled with the potential for some very low minimum values in places. It seems likely that the cold spell will end by Friday but there could be a snow event to come with the breakdown. The atlantic may come back for a while but I wonder what February will jhave instore - could we see another notable cold spell following the effects of the SSW - it will be interesting to find out and certainly will be interesting to see what the mean temperature for January will be, it could be below average despite a very mild first third. Hopefully February will deliver some snow events and interesting weather in what has been a fascinating winter so far.

    22nd January:

    I think it snowed overnight with an area of precipitation that moed northwards across the central belt and Glasgow airport recorded its 5th day of snow this month. Quite grey the turned a bit clearer in the afternoon for a nice wintry dusk and conditions are much calmer with some clear spells. Maximum of 3C and minimum of -1C, more snow in eastern Scotland and some snow in southern and central parts of England. Depths of over a foot in Deeside . Staying cold and quiet over the next few days before this interesting cold spell will end with possibly a frontal snowfall on Friday followed by milder, wetter and windier conditions - but for how long?

    23rd January:

    A really cold day with some snow in the morning which was a surprise which left a brief dusting at Bearsden. Temperatures of 2/-2C at Glasgow airport, a mostly overcast day but with a wintry looking cloud cover and some clear patches looking south of Glasgow with a hazy look to it. In the afternoon I went for a drive over the Campsies. Lying snow covered much of the hills down to about 500ft, and it looked distinctly wintry beyond the car park with icicles, snow depths of 5 to 10cm, some drifts, trees covered in snow and on the other side of the Campsies there was lying snow throughout the valley around Fintry towards the hills of Loch Lomond, the Trossachs and Breadalbane but visiblity was very poor with a wintry haze over everything. The Fintry Hills and scenery looked wonderfully snowy and wintry with super colours and scenes and it was fascinating to see how the difference in temperatures on both sides of the Campsies influenced the snow cover. Elsewhere, it was another cold day with some snow showers in southern England and parts of Wales. A cold night and day to follow but very quiet before the breakdown occurs on Friday which could produce one final snowfall of this intruiging cold spell. Milder, wetter and windier for the weekend and possibly into next week but the synoptic situation in Europe will adjust following the change of pattern and it's a question of how well the models are managing the changes. And of course, there is the tropospheric effects from the SSW and this leads to a possibility of further HLB so things will remain changeable but certainly interesting with a variety of feasable outcomes ahead of us.

    24th January:

    And the cold spell goes on. A quieter day across the British Isles but still some snow flurries in places. No snow here, a cold day with temperatures at Glasgow airport of 4/1C, some sunshine and blue skies but it varied from place to place and during my drive around the Campsies it remained hazy around Loch Lomond and the Trossachs but some fantastic wintry scenes. The breakdown is coming with a front arriving from the west and it could bring some snowfall with it. If temperatures at Glasgow airport stay below 5C then it's another full day of the cold spell but it will end during the weekend with milder, wetter and windier weather. But it has been a memorable cold spell for many reasons, a decent duration of seasonal weather, some impressive snowfalls across the British Isles, 5 snow days in a row at Glasgow airport - the most since Nov/Dec 2010 - and some poor performances from the models. The only thing that my location lacked was a major snowfall but the cold spell made for an interesting chapter early in the year. [url="http://forum.netweather.tv/gallery/album/1261-snow-the-campsies-240112/"]http://forum.netweat...ampsies-240112/[/url]

    25th January:

    The cold spell continued for another full day 3/0C at Glasgow airport. A band moving in from the west brought widespread snowfall to many parts of Scotland and northern England with some further significant accumilations and distruption in places.I was in Bearsden all day, there was a covering of snow in the morning then it snow heavily throughout the afternoon, the ground was just a tad too wet for it to settle properly but roofs, grass, cars, pavements and stone walls etc were all white for a time. It has snowed quite a bit here in this spell and today had very heavy snowfall and there has been a covering of snow on numerous occasions but unfortuantly it wasn't much in the way of more significant depths. But I'm unaware of what it was like in Torrance and I think there is a chance that there could have been some depths there. Tomorrow could be sunny, if temperatures stay below 5C then the cold spell continues but there's a chance that it may end here. Then the following days low pressure systems bring heavy rainfall, and wind and milder temperatures and and it could remain unsettled throughout next week but this is subject to change.

    26th January:

    After 14 days the cold spell is finally over, with the temperature exceeding 5C at around Lunchtime. It was a cold start with some rain and a low of 1C, followed by some lovely sunshine and blue skies but cloud cover increased from the west in the afternoon and heavy rain soon arrived with it. The thin snow cover on the garden had melted by lunch. I went for a drive up the Campsies where depths were over 20cm and there were variations in snow cover across the region. Now milder air with 9C the high so far. But there was distruption in northern and eastern parts of England earlier with snowfall. The unsettled theme will continue with further rainfall and wind and generally less cold temperatures but there is a signal for a return to colder conditions in February.

    27th January:

    Mild in the arly hours with temperatures around 10C, but it was cooler after that and showery with some hail in the morning and claps of thunder and wintry showers in other parts of Scotland. Temperature dropped to around 2C. There was some sunshine in the morning folowed by a more prolonged period of oragnised showers and some clear spells in the evening aswell as further showers. It will stay changeable, temperatures not notably mild but sometimes cool/average or slightly above, come showery spells aswell as frontal rainfall and quite windy before turning colder towards the end of the week.

    28th January:

    A wet day with a front moving in from the west bringing some rainfall and quite heavy at times too. It was also windy at times. A bit milder than average at 8/4C and the changeable conditions are set to continue this week, sometimes cool here in Scotland and at times mild in England but it may turn colder towards the end of the week.

    29th January:

    Some wild conditions today with the wind pickling up during the day with quite strong and fresh gusts right now and some damaging gusts further NW in Scotland. Some rainfall earlier, but an amazing colour to the clouds with the sun setting in the south west. A mild day with maximum temperature of 12C and minimum of 7c and i reached 14.5C at one spot in the UK which is the mildest since November. Here, at least there is currently partly clear skies with stars visible but plenty of clouds moving quickly in the strong wind. Further changeable conditions in the coming days but a colder end to the week is likely - it could end up being a colder interlude but the signals remain for a theme of seasonal and cold conditions into February.

    30th January:

    Another fresh day with some spells of rain in the form of showers with some sunny and clearer interludes between. Overall quite mild with temperatures of around 9/5C at Glasgow airport and occasionally strong gusts which made things feel pretty cold and unpleasant during the showers. It's quite similar to this time last night with scattered clouds moving swiftly across the sky with the stars, the moon and the night sky visible in the clear patches. Some rain tomorrow across the central lowlands and southern highlands and feeling fresh further north. But turning colder on Friday with northerly winds and wintry showers in places, a cold start to the weekend but milder and wetter conditions rolling ontop of high pressure arriiving from the north west on Sunday and the trend of colder interludes remains into the following week but as always details are not clear.

    31st January:

    There was some heavy rain and even some hail combined with wind here this morning. Surprisingly the sun did come out for in the afternoon with some pleasant clear skies but there was also some heavy showers around. During dusk and the evening the sky was partly clear with wintry colours in the sky at dusk and stars visible in the evening and clouds scattered around and some impressive cumulonimbus clouds dotted around the area. There may be a spell of rain tonight but it will be colder tomorrow with northerly winds to start February before a brief milder/ wet interlude from the NW is followed by cold north westerly flow bringing showers but it's very hard to call what will happen after the weekend but there's a decent chance of cold spells. There was some wet snow and rumbles of thunders across parts of the central lowlands and southern highlands today. Not confirmed, but max/min temps at Glasgow airport was around 8/4C.
  18. A Winter's Tale
    1st February: It is now the final month of winter as the days are noticeably longer than they were a month ago. This winter has seen a cold first half of December followed by an unsettled second half full of flooding problems then the New Year arrived and the first third of January was very mild, the SSW contributed to quite a significant and prolonged cold spell before a return to floods, rain and wind to finish January. We've completed one chapter of the year in weather and it will be interesting to see what this month bring to the weather of 2013 aswell as the conclusion of the winter 2012/2013. This winter, December was below average in Scotland and January probably will be close to average so it's all to play for in February to complete winter jigsaw - will it end up below average? Well, traditionally the atlantic is quieter at this time of year and some may argue that February is the coldest month whilst others beg to differ with regards to increased sunlight. It's been a while since we've seen a notably cold February. Last year, it was quite a cold first third but a notably mild period thereafter, 2011 was also on the mild side in the cold winter of 2010/11 and in 2010, February was a cold one overall in Scotland but didn't stand out. And 2009 saw a significant cold spell in the first half before mild and wet conditions took control. Well, here in Glasgow and surrounding areas of the central belt, temperatures were around average, as of 11.20pm max/min was 7/0C with an air frost to start the month. There was some rain in the morning but northerly winds pushed bands of precipitation/cloud southwards and skies cleared in the afternoon with some wintry sunshine and it is now obvious that dusk is about an hour later than it was a month ago. A lovely, cold, calm evening with a fantastic starry and clear night sky with a frost forming on cars. The cold air has fed further south and temperatures are around/below freezing. There was some snow showers in parts of northern Scotland today and these should continue overnight aswell as down eastern parts of England and some areas could wake up to a covering. A widespread air frost and a super saturday with glorious winter sunshine for many, just a few snow showers in a northerly wind and temperatures distinctly seasonal at around 2 to 6C. Milder and wetter conditions should arrive on Saturday night from NW, rolling ontop of an area of high pressure in the Atlantic but with low pressure centred to the north of Scotland, cold and strong westerly winds early next week could bring some severe gales and heavy snow showers to Scotland in a polar maritime airmass and these can really deliver. This makes for an active and seasonal start to the week followed by a northerly wind on Wednesday. There is real uncertainty beyond mid next week with regards to developments of a key player - Canadian Vortex - but there could be fluctuating mild and cold spells which makes for a changeable and varied theme but in this case, it's very hard to call and there is a likelyhood of a different pattern altogether to emerge. It's all up in the air for February.

    2nd February: A cold day with maximum temperature of 5C in the early afternoon and a low of -4C at Glasgow airport before dawn. So seasonal temperatures for the second day of February and there was some glorious sunshine and blue skies here and across the UK. Feeling chilly in the northerly wind and there was some snow showers down eastern parts of England and northern Scotland which soon died away. A starry sky following dusk but cloud cover has increased from the west with a milder sector toppling over high pressure and arriving from the north west. The temperature is rising and there should be some wet weather overnight, much milder then a drier interlude tomorrow before another front sweeps the country. Then, with low pressure to the north, cold and strong westerly winds arrive on Monday with possible blizzard conditions across parts of Scotland. And the cold weather continues for the first part of the week and this makes for a cold, seasonal start to February with some pleasant conditions such as today aswell as active and interesting weather for the start of next week. For the remainder of the week and it is still all to play for but there's a fair chance of it staying cold, synoptic details and patterns are yet to unfold so watch this space.

    3rd February: 4C in the very hours was the minimum temperature as a front brought rain overnight and milder temperatures with a maximum of 9C. The rain overnight was quite heavy, eventually cleared and there was some pleasant conditions in the afternoon for a time with clear intervals and some sunshine. However, inevitably cloud cover increased in the evening and rain soon followed with the arrival of another front. However once this clears, the polar westerlies should mean that temperatures drop but there'll be a strong wind and plenty of wintry showers tomorrow and lasting into Tuesday before the flow turns to a northerly making for a notable presence of cold weather early in the month. There's real uncertainty and mixed signals about what will folllow, synoptically it's incredibly hard to call but a cold theme could prevail but how cold and whether it's the form of cold zonality or high pressure or whatever remains to be seen.

    4th February:
    Well, the day started mild with temperature of 9C in the early hours but cold air in the polar westerly flooded in and showers in the morning readily turned wintry with a mix of everything plus strong winds making it feel cold. Some sunshine inbetween with the impressive structure of cumulonimbus clouds also visible. There was some mini blizzards as the day went on, widespread snow showers across Scotland and this first snowfall here this month. There was a dusting through the evening but from around 10pm there has been an incredible snowfall, almost blizzard like intense snowfall here which has lead to a depth of around a cm and the first proper winter wonderland scene since 2nd/3rd December 2012. And there is lightning right now thundersnow. Excelllent winter's weather more updates tomorrow, god knows what it will be like but I'm very satisfied.

    5th February:

    I woke up to a proper and fine covering of snow this morning, on confirmed depth but it was around 2-4cm which is a similar depth to the event earlier this winter on the 2nd/3rd of December. Certainly it was the second proper lying snow event of the winter, which equals last winter but they all occured before Christmas 2011 whereas this time it's more balanced and it's probably overall been a better winter this year. Another thing of note is that it may have been the best February snowfall here since 2009. There were further snow showers overnight, some whiteouts I believe and snow lying vertically on some walls with the westerly wind and stars visible in the tranquility of the night sky between showers. However, despite the success of having a significant snowevent with lying snow for around 12hrs, the temperatures did rise in the morning and precipitation turned to rain and there was an impresssive thaw of all the snow in a short space of a time. There was some heavy rain/sleet as a front crossed Scotland and the sunshine and blue skies appeared afterwards making for quite pleasant conditions and temperatures reaching a maximum of 7C. Minimum today was 0C. A pleasant clear wintry dusk as the stars came out. Some rain this evening as a front clears southwards and colder northerly winds arrive, further snow for parts of the country but it will probably stay dry and cold here, temperatures around 3-5C by day and some air frosts, so fairly seasonal conditions all in all. Some fronts make enrodes later in the week with the potential for further snowfall, possible height rises over Scandinavia puts the spanner in the works and it's a messy and unclear situation beyond 4/5 days but as ever, it's always something to look forward to finding out how everything pans out. Certainly, the month has got off to a good start weatherwise with variable, seasonal, at times wild and pleasant conditions aswell as a very decent snow-event and other interesting types of weather.

    6th February:

    Maximum temperature of 6C and a minimum temperature of -2C so far. It was a lovely winter's day with plenty of fantastic sunshine lighting up the entire area and wonderful blue skies and scattered clouds. It's now obvious that the days are getting a little longer now but dusk certainly still has that renowned wintry atmosphere to it with the evening stars emerging, the super blending of colours as darkness nears and some thin and small clouds scattered across the sky with the orange glow of the city. It felt cold in the northerly wind that brought some snow showers down eastern parts of England and Scotland. A brilliant winter's night here with a crystal clear, starry night sky. Tomorrow will be a cold day, should be another air frost and temperatures will struggle to reach above 3C. A band of precipitation moving in from the west could bring a spell of snow to western and central parts in the evening. Staying on the chilly side with temperatures around 5/6C, some sunshine aswell as fronts edging towards the country during the next few days and maybe some snow in the weekend. The picture beyond is still far from certain but I'm hopeful that a clearer picture of the overall theme beyond the weekend will appear over the coming days.

    7th February:

    A very benign and quiet day with grey, overcast skies but feeling cold with no sunshine and temperatures reaching 5C, minimum of 0C at Glasgow airport. Mostly dry but there may have been a little bit of rain from the patchy remains of a front moving in from the west. Quiet conditions over the coming days, but Sunday is looking interesting with potentially a significant snowfall in parts of the British Isles. A Scandinavian high introduces an easterly flow for the start of next week but Sunday's events is even uncertain so details will change but I would think that there is the potential for further seasonal conditions to be extended into next week.

    8th February:

    It was a cold start with a minimum of 0C. It was brighter in the morning and early afternoon with some thin cloud cover but it got more overcast as the afternoon and evening went on with another weak front bringing a spell of rain this evening and it is currently overcast and the ground is damp. After a maximum of 7C, a milder night is on course with cloud cover and more of an atlantic influence - colder and brigter further east. This weak front should hang around through tomorrow, temperatures shouldn't increase by much during the day then another front intially bringing a spell of rain to western parts of the British Isles will turn to snow on Sunday with widespread and distruptive snowfall. The exact positioning will change but it seems like the front may not reach as far north-east as the Clyde-Forth valley but eastern areas could see some snow showers on Sunday and into the early part of next week with an easterly wind. The seasonal theme does continue, Scandi high firmly set-up and should persist through next week but I suspect we'll see a battleground situation and as a result there is very little confidence beyond 7 days.

    9th February:

    Average temperature wise at 5/3C, and benign and quiet weatherwise with overcast, grey days for pretty much all of today and the best part of the past few days as a result of the presence of a weak weather front that has brought some light rain and drizzle this evening. It's meant to be a little colder tomorrow and into the start of next week, frontal snowfalls is set to affect parts of British Isles such as northern England but the front may not make much progress across Scotland but there could be some snow present across parts of Scotland during the next 24-36hrs or so. A breakdown on Wednesday could result in another snow event. A synoptic battle is set to continue into next week and beyond and as I said last night there's very little confidence - anything is possible and as ever it's always intuiging to see how chapters of our weather evolves and unfolds.

    10th February:

    Slowly but surely, this morning the precipitation turned to snow and it stayed as snow for a good few hours at least but no accumilations here with the ground already wet. Snow did settle at slightly higher elevations and it was very white on the Campsie Fells. The precipitation however turned to rain/sleet. Temperatures are now as high as it has been all day with todays high/low at Glasgow airport being 4/1C. Anyway here it has been the 3rd day of snow this month. It's also snowing in a number of parts of England aswell and this may continue into tomorrow before dying out. A few cold days to start next week before another front moves in from the west and should fall as snow initially at least. Thereafter and it's a right old synoptic mess.

    11th February:

    After overnight rainfall it cleared up for a time early in the morning. Later in the morning and throughout the evening and afternoon it was fairly bright with the skies alternating between partly cloudy and scattered clouds but now it's starting to get clearer once more. A seasonal day once more temperaturewise at 5/2C as of 11pm. Some snowfall earlier across parts of eastern England and the Midlands with the remains of the front and there was some accumilations in a number of places. A cold night to come and day tomorrow with an easterly wind and a few snow showers in eastern areas. Then a front arriving on Tuesday night and early on Wednesday morning will start as snow and there could be snowfall across Scotland and northern England for more than 6 hours and there is the potential for significant accumilations before it turns back to rain. Less cold for a bit afterwards and it's still uncertain but there is a suggestion of high pressure being close to the British Isles.

    12th February:

    Another cold day with max/min of 4/1C but generally cloudy with a south easterly flow and quite murky conditions and there was a little snow flurry in Bearsden in the morning. Tonight a front arriving from the west should fall as snow and across the central belt there could be 2-4cm before it turns to rain around lunchtime and quite a wet and windy afternoon and evening to follow. Brighter but less cold following the front and it could stay less cold for a while.

    13th February:

    Today saw by far the best snowfall of the winter with a depth of 7cm in the early afternoon and the last time this region experienced such an event and depth was probably in that very famous spell of late November and early December 2010. Today's snowfall was the 15th of the winter, and the 4th this month. It was also the third event that brought depths of atleas an inch but on this occasion is was 3 inches. A cold start with temperatures close to freezing before the front arrived around 4am. I woke up at 20 to 6 and saw a decent covering of snow and the very orange sky. I soon fell a sleep again and woke up to further snowfall and an improved depth at 8am and by this stage the depth was around 3cm. The snowflakes weren't large but fine small flakes, and they were coming down at a fair rate and the temperature stayed close to freezing and fluctuated in the morning. After an hour I thought that the temperature had increased as the snow depth had not increased by much but the precipitation turned heavier and the temperature dropped and the snow depth increased during the late morning and early afternoon. I went on plenty of walks enjoying the winter wonderland. The trees and roofs were absolutely covered in snow with mini avalanches, the main roads weren't treated well with plenty of slush and some cars struggled and the minor roads were very poor to drive on. The snow peaked at 7cm and the depth was consistent on just about all surfaces as everything was buried. Then some larger snowflakes fell in the afternoon but the flakes were wetter and this was followed by ice pellets and then rain. And the rain was heavy too but the decent snow cover in Bearsden remained into the evening and now although I can't see much I believe there is still lying snow on atleast some surfaces. Some really heavy rain in the evening too. The snow was also fairly widespread across the northern half of the UK and across other parts of Scotland depths at fairly modest elevations were even higher than here. Certainly, a very impressive snowfall and snowcover. In early December this winter, the notable snowfall and decent lying snow was already in the bag and has kept the run of winters that have delivered decent snowfalls since 2009. But this was on a level higher than other two notable lying snow events and is on the same line as the best snowfalls of 2009 and 2010 and also 2011. It was a shame that the cover couldn't last longer but the significance of today's event is all that matters and has improved what has been a decent winter up to now. Compared to some recent February's, this year has certainly delievered very well interms of snow. Now tomorrow will be brighter and less cold but the possibility of showers from the westerly wind before a ridge of high pressure moves in on Friday. And there is a suggestion of a Scandinavian high in around 7 days time which makes for an interesting end to this decent winter and possibly heralding a cold start to Spring. This winter and start to 2013 will be interesting to look back on later this year - considerably better than 2012 interms of both falling and lying snow. [url="http://forum.netweather.tv/gallery/album/1281-snowfall-13th-february-2013/"]http://forum.netweat...-february-2013/[/url]


    14th February:

    There was still a covering of snow into the small hours but I would imagine that the depth wouldn't be much more than a cm. Just about all the snow was gone by morning. A milder day at 8/6C but also a brighter day with some pleasant spells of late winter sunshine but skies were changeable with shower mostly to the north and west of Glasgow but there were some regular sunny showers during the day and some heavier showers in the evening but they cleared pretty quickly. Skies during the evening was mostly cloudy but the stars and the moon was visible through the gaps and the thinner cloud cover. A sunny day tomorrow, possibly a few wetter and windier days here in the north west of the British Isles afterwards and then during the middle of next week there could be a return to colder conditions.

    15th February:

    There was some lovely Spring-like sunshine and blue skies at times today. There was a little bit of rain in the afternoon and it became more overcast in the afternoon and into the evening. But looking out right now it's a calm night with a layer of cloud that's thin enough to see through it and not too long ago a good proportion of the sky was clear with stars visible. Maximum of 10C earlier, minimum of 2C recently. Maybe some fog and a touch of frost during the coming days, maybe a spell of rain in the weekend across northern areas and some cloud cover associated with it. Then during the middle of next week, a Scandinavian high looks set to deliver cold easterly winds to the British Isles.

    16th February:

    A mostly cloudy day with some overcast and fairly dull conditions. Very quiet after a cold start with a low of 2C. Temperatures reached a high of around 9C and have stayed at around 8C throughout the evening. There was a period with clear patches allowing for the dusk to be visible but right now it's again overcast and quiet. The quiet theme should continue for quite a few days to come, possibly some brightness for the next few days in the west of Scotland and certainly in other areas, but during next week it may be more overcast and also colder with easterly winds.

    17th February:

    A brilliant day. Fantastic and glorious sunshine and clear skies with just a few cirrus clouds and haze. Went for a drive down the coast of the Firth of Clyde past Largs and towards Irvine and it was a super sunset over the water and after dusk, this evening has been cold with a current low of 1C and a crystal clear night sky with the moon and stars visible. It very much felt like early Spring with a high of 10C, but during the coming days it should be colder and progressively cloudier.

    18th February:

    Another brilliant late winter/early spring day. A very cold start, a minimum temperature of -5C was the coldest temperature at Glasgow airport since the first half of December. As the days are longer now and the sun is a bit stronger too, the temperature does rise fairly quickly and reached a maximum of 8C which is fairly typical of this time of year but certainly it's much brighter now and the sunshine and totally clear skies (other than some haze and cirrus) made for a stunning day and it's wonderful to see the moon and evening stars coming out at dusk and then the fantastic moonlit and starry night that soon follows. A very cold evening with the temperature dropping after sunset and temperatures are at -3C at Glasgow airport and another cold night is on the cards. There could be quite a few more air frosts during the final period of February. A very dry and settled conclusion is also likely but it may be quite overcast after tomorrow. Perhaps there might not be another snowfall before the 28th but this month and indeed the winter as a whole has done alright with snow.

    19th February:

    Another stunning day. This morning was one of the coldest of the winter so far with a minimum of -7C. However the temperature rose quickly when the sun was up to a maximum of 8C in the early afternoon and it was another glorious day with crystal clear skies and it is evident that despite it is still winter, we have well and truly progressing into Spring. However, this evening a cold front moving in from the north sea saw a wave of cloud cover makes progress from the east and the moon and evening stars became more faint before being covered. Temperature now hovering at 5C and tonight will probably be the mildest for a while. About half of the sky has cloud cover in the form of scattered clouds with clear patches. Quite a calm night. Staying settled, cold and possibly on the cloudy side for the coming days.

    20th February:

    Quite cold overnight with a low of 2C and some clear skies at times in the early hours. But it was generally cloudy and benign today but during the evening sky became clearer and now the temperature is currently below freezing - now -1C at Glasgow airport after a max of 6C. It's also a crystal clear, calm and starry night too. The cold conditions are set to continue for the coming days and this may well contribute to a cold enough finish to the season that may result in the winter 2012/2013 being below average overall. This winter has been alright/quite good and then it's onto Spring, starting with March which can be very wintry month in the transition to Spring.

    21st February:

    Another cold and clear start with a minimum of -3C. It turned a bit cloudier later and has stayed mostly cloudy ever since whilst the maximum temperature was 4C. A cold couple of days to come as the settled theme continues and now there are signs of a northerly blast for the start of March.

    22nd February:

    A quiet day with benign conditions and mostly overcast skies but felling very cold in the wind. The temperature rose from a low of 0C to a high of 3C which is the lowest of the month so far. Currently cloudy and cold. There was some snow flurries in eastern parts of England and the risk of snow continues into the weekend. The cold, seasonal and settled conditions look set to continue for at least the next 5 days and this could result in this winter ending up below average overall. It has been a pretty decent winter, and there is the potential for a continuation of wintry and seasonal weather for the start of Spring. I'm certainly looking forward to March and the transition of the seasons. It's a magical, special and transitionary period of the year.

    23rd February:

    -1C minimum temperature overnight and there was a light snow shower here aswell as light snow showers in various other parts of the British Isles thanks to an easterly wind. A lovely winter's day it turned out to be in the afternoon and evening with mostly clear skies other than some scattered clouds across parts of the sky. Fantastic sunshine and sunset and I went for a drive down the coast of the Clyde and through northern Ayrshire into Renfrewshire. The dusk sky reflected against the water and the outline of the mountains and islands standing out against the sky was marvelous aswell as bright moon and the stars that soon followed. Colder where the sky was clearer further west, but it was a chilly evening back in the central belt and greater Glasgow area but later in the evening and right snow it's now overcast. There could be some snow showers making progress through the Forth-Clyde valley tomorrow and if it does snow it maybe the last of the meteorological winter. Certainly, today's snowfall was a surprise with the last snowfall being on the 13th earlier this month. A cold and dry end to the winter seems likely. March could possibly start on the cold side.

    24th February:


    The settled and chilly theme continued today as eastern parts of Scotland woke up to some snow, with an inch of lying snow in some places. I believe that there may have been some snow flakes here earlier this morning which should surely be the last of the winter. Skies alternated between cloudy and bright, crystal clear, partly cloudy with clear intervals and overcast. A cold start with a low of -3C, the 15th day with an air frost this month. The temperature in the afternoon however did rise to a maximum of 6C. Quite a calm night with mostly clear moonlit and starry sky. Temperature already below freezing at Glasgow airport so there could be at least a few more days with an air frost before the month is out and the settled theme should continue into the start of March.

    25th February:

    A glorious day. After a very cold and frosty morning and a low of -4C, the stronger sun as we enter Spring resulted in temperatures rising to a max of 8C making for typical early Spring conditions. But it was a super day with stunning sunshine and clear blue skies which made the entire land look magnificent from sunrise to sunset. A cold evening with a clear, bright moon and stars, very calm and very little clouds, Now there is some cloud cover but another cold night should follow and the settled and chilly theme looks set to continue.

    26th February:


    Another glorious February day here and across much of Scotland. A chilly start with a minimum of 0C at Glasgow airport but much lower in the highland glens. But in this stage in the season, in the sunlight the temperature quickly rises and today the maximum temperature was 9C. But it was the wall to wall sunshine and clear, blue skies that made for another spectacular day of late winter/early Spring weather. A fantastic dusk with a wintery look to it: an orange haze on the horizon to the west, a sharp tint of light blue whilst to the east darkness rolls in aswell as the stars and a very large full moon. Certainly there is still a wintry element but the more hours of daylight and maximum temperatures rising towards 10C certainly puts into context that we are very much at the end of winter and are well into the transition into Spting. It's been a fairly decent month so far and the recent spell of sunny and dry weather may continue into tomorrow. It should also stay settled for the coming days and into the start of March.

    27th February:

    And today was another fantastic day here and across much of Scotland. A chilly start at 1C C and some fog but there was wall to wall sunshine and blue skies after noon which made it another outstanding day in this spell of stunning late winter weather. There is still elements of winter with cold mornings and evenings that still look and feel like winter, very wintery looking sunset and colours too, but there also elements of early Spring including longer days, dusk now later in the evening and the temperature rises very quickly in the sunshine and today the maximum was 10C. Anyway, the characteristics put into perspecitive that we are at the final stage of winter and we're now at a cross-over point into Spring. Eariler I went on a fantastic run up the eastern shore of Loch Lomond. An outstanding winter sunset and colours and the loch looked amazing with a perfect reflection. Some patches of snow on the mountains. And after sunset, in the evening it becomes dark very quickly with the stars coming out. A cold evening with a current low of -1C, the 18th day with an air frost this month and 10th in a row Some dense freezing fog outside just now with the moon visible. Certainly a unique time in the year for weather as winter draws to a close and this opens the door to remarkable rituals, colours, characteristics and scenes at this stage in the season. It's been a very settled end to an interesting winter. And quite possibly a settled start to March. As always, it'll be enjoyable to see how the weather this year evolves and it'll be fun to look back at various periods of weather of the year. This current one has been very good and it'll be fascinating to see what follows next as we enter early Spring and follow the continued transition of the weather, daylight and nature.

    28th February:



    The final day started with an air frost and some dense freezing fog that lasted up until lunchtime. Today was the 19th day with an air frost this month. Once the fog lifted it was sunshine and blue skies. However, a weak front moving south resulted in cloudy skies moving in pretty quickly in the afternoon. Albeit, quite thin cloud cover with some small pockets of clear sky but it was noticeably duller. Temperature rising to around 9C with Spring around the corner. Right now, a mosaic of thin cloud cover and clear patches. A calm night to finish winter. It has indeed been a much better winter compared to 11/12 in many respects but far from a classic and far from a disapointment. Overall this winter was quite decent/alright. It started with a cold spell in early December, with around 13 or so consecutive days with an air frost. There was a heavy snowfall on the night of the 2nd/3rd which dumped around and an inch of snow which stayed on the ground for a few days. A brief less cold spell was followed by a very cold and settled spell before midmonth with the coldest day of the year/winter with max/nin of 0C/-8C. However, thereafter, it was less cold, but noticeably much more unsettled and pretty wet. Quite a similar contrast to December 2011, but this year the month turned out below average with some excellent winter weather in the first half, and the second half was an improvement from 2011 with some snow. January started with a showery New Year's day, but with high pressure to the south, it was generally a very mild, dull and quite damp first third. Then there was the two week cold spell that saw maximum temperatures below 5C for a sustained period but minimum temperatures were not as low as the first half of December. It was quite a snowy spell with a respecable total of 7 snow days at Glasgow airport. But Glasgow in general missed out on the significant accumilating snow that affected large parts of the UK, but there was a brief covering of snow on numerous occasions. January ended up close to/slightly above average with the month ending on a milder and unsettled note. And then this month, started on a changeable note with cool, sunny days and then a polar westerly bringing an intense heavy snowfall with thunder on the night of the 4th/5th which left a covering of around an inch. Some quiet and average weather prevailed for a good number of days until the 13th which saw a frontal snowfall bring the best snowfall of the winter here, and the best snowfall here since Nov/Dec 2010 with a depth of 8cm which melted quickly. Unsettled and less cold weather followed for a few days and then a very fine and settled spell of late February weather from the 17th until the end of the month. 11 dry days with the 23rd having precipitation in the form of snow (the last of the official winter). A fantastic combination of weather, with sunshine and clear skies, feeling warm in the sunshine with temperatures at times as high as 10C but also some cold, winter's day and also cold winter's night with 11 consecutive days with an air frost and minimum temperatures as low as -7C (lowest of 2013 so far). February should turn out to be below average, with 19 days with an air frost at Glasgow airport. Certainly an interesting month with decent and varied February weather with the last of winter, and the transition into Spring. Details of the winter as a whole will be revealed in the coming days. That's it for the official winter which certainly was an interesting one. Next it's that wonderful season, Spring, starting with March. Anything could happen and it will be a joy to watch the transition of weather and environment continue in the coming months.
  19. A Winter's Tale
    1st May: May is one of the finest months of the year with warm Spring sunshine, quite long days, usually fairly dry but prone to thunderstorms and some unsettled weather. Usually the first proper tastes of summer weather arrive at this time of year but also the last of the chilly Spring days and cold nights and even some wintriness. Last year, the first two-thirds was very chilly for the time of year - with some snow - and there was some heavy rainfall too but towards the end of the month there was a fantastic and fairly long spell of dry and warm weather with temperatures at Glasgow airport as high as 27C and the warmest ever Scottish May temperature was recorded with a high above 30C in the highlands. May 2013 follows on from one of the most unusual Springs with an exceptional March with a prolonged and potent taste of winter weather. April 2013 started on a notably chilly note, Spring growth finally began to slowly get underway as the snow on the Campsies melted away. The remainder of the month was still of a chilly variety of Spring weather with a mixture of sunny/wet spells. Vegetation growth and nature is behind schedule but at least the countryside somewhat looks a bit more like Spring compared to back in March. Today saw plenty of glorious sunshine and blue skies, although it was cloudy start with some rain. The maximum temperature was 12C which is probably about right for early May but this evening and tonight the stars are out, there is barely a wind and at the airport the minimum temperature was 2C which makes for a chilly May night. In Shetland, there was snow today which continues the chilly May theme since 2010. A cold night is on the way with perhaps the last air frost of a long season which started in late September. A front should bring a prolonged spell of rain to Scotland during the next couple of days and it looks like it will stay chilly for the first days of May 2013. It isn't unusual for the last of the Spring chilly air to be present in early May, but I would presume that things may eventually warm up but for now, the nature of what this month could end up as remains unknown.

    2nd May: A particularly cold night for late Spring/May with a low of 0C under clear skies at Glasgow airport - surely the last air frost of the season. The maximum temperature was 13C but it was a cloudy day with some rain from a front that was mainly situated to the north west and for parts of the highlands maximum temperatures barely got above 5C at some spots and there was some snow to low levels which is quite amazing but of course May is a Spring month and isn't immune from a bit of wintry and chilly weather but this has been a very long season for chilly weather and this Spring has been notably chilly. And the chilly theme to Spring 2013 looks like staying for the next few days with some more rain at times. But as we near summer and the longest day of the year then surely we should progress and properly enter into the season of warmth and summer weather, hopefully sometime this month!

    3rd May: A truly diabolical day for May. Max/min 12/6C but it was dull, dark and driech! Overcast skies and some heavy rain combined with a bit of wind made it feel and look like autumn. The front even brought snow to some locations in northern Scotland which has now cleared away and skies are mostly cloudy with some clear patches spread out across the sky, rather calm too. A chilly night is ahead but things might turn a bit milder in the coming days, the rain shouldn't be as persistent as the past 24hrs but for Scotland, especially western parts there is a higher risk ol spells of damp and dull weather.

    4th May: Not as bad as the previous day or two, but it was very cold with a maximum of only 10C and a chilly overnight low of 2C. A little bit of a chill in the breeze as well. A mostly cloudy day too with some drizzle and light rain making for rather dull conditions. On a drive across the area situated to the north of the Campsies I noticed that there is still a few small snow patches left on the northern side of the hills - quite similar to Spring 2010. As I've said before nature somewhat resembles a bit of Spring after that very wintry and cold March but it still looks and feels a bit weird. Maximum temperature barely reaching 10C, overcast skies and unspectacular Spring growth resembles autumn rather than May. A little bit milder in the next few days but hardly spectacular and not too much sunshine to talk about either.

    5th May: Despite being a dull and overcast day with a little spell of rain earlier, it was the warmest day of the year with a high of 16C at Glasgow airport and a min of 7C. But in eastern Scotland it was also the warmest day of the year with 21C maximum at Fyvie Castle. It is overcast here now and a weather front situated across north western parts of the British Isles should bring some rain overnight and into tomorrow. Tuesday should be an improvement and could be the warmest day of the year so far, potential highs of 18C in the Glasgow areas but after that it turns a bit more unsettled.

    6th May: Rather uninspiring with some further cloud cover and light rain at times but now it is a calm and mostly clear night other than thin cloud cover towards to the south east. Maximum of 14C, minimum of 9C. Tomorrow could be a landmark day for 2013 with potentially the first 20C of the year at Glasgow airport and at last there should be some sunshine but it may not last though - turning unsettled thereafter.

    7th May: After the first warmth of 2013 in north east Scotland on the 5th, today was the warmest day of the year so far with widespread sunshine and lovely May/summer warmth across many parts of the British Isles. Here, Glasgow airport recorded a high of 22C, which is the warmest temperature of 2013, the first 20C of the year too and it follows a prolonged period of cold weather of the 2012/2013 season with 20C last recorded on the 21st August 2012. It started off on a chilly note with a low of 3C during the early hours. A glorious morning with barely a cloud in the sky but as the temperature rose clouds started to bubble up in the afternoon which created a hazy look to the sky. At the airport, the temperature was at or above 20C from 2.20pm to 7.50pm and it was a lovely May evening with plenty of sunshine and warmth making for a pleasant spell out in the garden. Sadly a front is moving northwards tonight and unsettled and cooler weather should arrive in time for my birthday tomorrow. However, today did remind me of glorious May days of previous years and days such a today are different from the sort of heat and light during the summer. Having said that, in previous years early May has brought chilly, blustery and showery conditions which is of course another face of the sort of weather we can expect at this time of year. During the coming days, this side to late Spring weather could return with low pressure taking control.

    8th May: A front moving north brought grey skies and a period of rain during the morning and into the afternoon. However, it dried up in the evening with a few clear patches and around dusk I believe skies were clear. Today's max/min of 14/9C. Unsettled over the coming days with some rain tomorrow followed by some showers.

    9th May: There was more cloud cover, grey skies and damp conditions today, especially during the evening. Now it is dry, calm but mostly cloudy. Today's maximum and minimum was 12/5C. Tomorrow should see similar temperatures but perhaps brighter with some more showers but Saturday is looking like a dull and damp day.

    10th May: Thankfully growth is now underway with the trees and grass but today's was more likely early Spring or autumn rather than a third of the way through May. Maximum temperature 12C, and a low of 4C and some pretty damp and dull conditions reminded me of some days during the chilly and wet first part of May last year. It did clear up a bit later in the evening with some showers but with the ground so damp, chilly looking sky and temperature of only 6/7C, it didn't really feel or look like the time of year. Tomorrow, it's another wet day but it may brighten up in the afternoon but after that some more rain is likely in the coming days, staying unsettled and cool for the time of year.

    11th May: A cold day for a third of the way through May (!) at 10/5C. Like the past few days it was very miserable in the morning with grey skies and rain. In the evening however, it became a bit clearer with a decent May sunset and night. Staying cold and unsettled for the time of year in the coming days.

    12th May: A pretty dull day overall with some rain and grey overcast skies for much of the day, however during the evening at last there were intervals of clear evening skies. Just now, it's calm, quite cool and partly clear. A showery, windy and cold day to come tomorrow. Still looking unsettled and cool for the coming days. Like last year, early May has been particulary unsettled and chilly and recently there has been some pretty cloudy and wet days in what is normall a decen time for weather in Scotland. Of course all of this follows on from the cold conditions of March and April. A really different Spring this year.

    13th May: More like early Spring/late winter than the middle of May!! What a strange month and season it has been. Today's temps 10/2C (brrrr). Sunshine, quite blustry with showers in passing cumulonimbus clouds. It felt like March or February and there was a fresh covering of snow on the top of the Campsies this morning - possibly the latest fresh snow cover on the hills since I can remember. A pretty windy night so far, showery tomorrow.

    14th May: Quite similar to yesterday wih cold air over the British Isles. Here, it was a day of sunshine, blue skies and passing showers - some more persistent rain earlier in the morning. As the day progressed showers beame fewer and skies became even clearer in the evening. Currently, it's a nice, calm, clear but cold May night. Tomorrow, here in western Scotland it should be brighter whilst the front currently bringing miserable conditions to southern parts of England is moving further north. Staying unsettled...

    15th May: The past few days have seen an 'improvement' from some of the wet and dull conditions of May so far. Today, there was barely a shower of rain and there was glorious Spring sunshine and blue skies Still not particular warm at 13/2C. There was barely a cloud in the sky in the late evening sunshine. In parts of England, including Shropshire and Devon, there was some very late season snowfall earlier with some parts waking upto as much as 5CM this morning! It completes a long season for snowfall in the British Isles but now we should be looking forward to summer 2013 and leaving a remarkable 2012/2013 season behind. The next few days may still be unsettled, possibly becoming a bit warmer in 4-5 days time.

    16th May: Today's temperatures was 12/3C. A decent May day, a bit on the cool side but there was a decent amount of sunshine, calm and partly/mostly clear conditions. There was just one or two showers. Tonight, it is mostly clear and calm. Tomorrow should be a dry day, Saturday very wet but temperatures perhaps are set to rise a little.

    17th May: After a period of grey and wet weather this month, recently there has been a bit more sunshine. Today, it was another mostly sunny and clear day with calm conditions. And a maximum temperature of 17C making for a nice May/early summer day with longer daylight hours now. It was a cold start though with a low of 2C - one ofthe last of the late season chill - but it is milder tonight. However, an area of low pressure is moving in from the east and tomorrow should be a pretty wet day. However, it is a warm front and temperatures should be decent for the time of year and Sunday is looking like a good day.

    18th May: Low pressure resulted in a cluster of areas of rainfall moving in from the continent and off the North Sea. As a result today was a alm, but cloudy and quite muggy dat with some periods of rainfall earlier in the afternoon, looking north to the the Trossachs, there were strips of clearer skies and thinner cloud cover, however, just now it is overcast with some rain in Central Scotland. Thankfully, the next few days are looking drier and warmer with 20C possible.

    19th May: Max/min of 15/10C (warmer in parts of the highlands, 22C at Altnaharra). A quiet, dry day with some high-level cloud cover which lifted later in the afternoon/evening allowing for a decent looking May evening with partly clear skies. Tomorrow should see 20C in the Glasgow area for a second time this year, possibly some thunderstorms to come with it. Not quite as warm afterwards but some decent weather is possible.

    20th May: Joint warmest temperature of the year so far at 22C ( a low of 11C). Second day of 20C this year. It was a humid day, but more than tolerable enough. Not a particulary clear and sunny day with partly clear and hazy skies but it turned a bit darker with the threat of showers. Tonight it is calm, but muggy and a cloudy night. The next few days staying dry and calm but not as warm. It's nice to get some heat in what has been an odd and cold Spring with some final Spring chill lasting into this month. I would have hoped for a May like 2000 or 2008 to kick start the season for summery weather after feeling satisfied from a pretty good winter and early Spring - perhaps a bit excessive the cold weather this Spring, but here's to a good summer.

    21st May: A decent, pleasant May day with a high of 17C and low of 7C. It wasn't as humid as yesterday and there was more clearer, blue skies and sunshine with the countryside looking green and summery. Right now, it's a calm, clear, starrty night with the moon out. The coming days should be fairly dry and sunny but cold for the time of year with a very late appearance of the -5C uppers tomorrow - this unusual Spring continues the theme!

    22nd May: After the humid warmth of the 20th, yesterday's standard May conditions, today saw more blue skies and sunshine, however the temperatures was lower at 13/5C thanks to a northerly air flow. Lovely white clouds scatered across the clear, cold air. There was a shower later in the evening whereas further north there has been some snow in a few places. The next couple of days, staying cold, possibly warmer for the weeked but it looks like staying dry and bright. Currently it is a lovely clear, calm but chilly, starry and moonlit night.

    23rd May: Another decent day, but not quite as good with some cloudier periods, a few showers (some of hail) and a pretty cold day (10/4C) with snow further north. A partly clear, calm evening with occasional glimpses of the moon. Tomorrow slightly better, Saturday quite warm and sunny and Sunday pretty similar before a front moves in on Wednesday.

    24th May: A really lovely late Spring/summer's day with plentiful summery sunshine, blue skies with a few cirrus clouds, wounderful bright, summery colours across the sky and landscape with a super, classic summer's evening look between Loch Lomond and Stirling. A big, big moon in the sky (possibly the largest I've ever seen). Not too warm a day at 15/7C. Just now, it is a calm, lear night with the moon out but the air is now a bit hazy. The weekend should see higher temperatures and more sunshine.

    25th May: The clear overnight skies saw a chilly minimum of 1C (!). Today continued the bright, sunny and summery look and feel to things with barely a cloud in the blue, summer's sky and feeling warm in the sunshine - maximum of 16C. A fantastic summer's evening too with no clouds, calm conditions. Another big and bright moon tonight. Tomorrow, a weak front may bring some patchy rain and cloud but Monday is looking particulary wet.

    26th May: 16/7C temperature wise but weak front brought spells of patchy cloud cover, a little bit of rain. However, in the afternoon and evening there was good periods of clear and sunny skies. It's a little cloudier now witha larger front nearby. Tomorrow looks set to be very wet.

    27th May: For much of the day, the conditions were not all that pleasant with grey skies, periods of rain - at times heavy - and also some heavy showers in the evening. Max/min of 13/8C. It did however clear up in the evening with a mostly clear sky at dusk. It is now quieter and a mostly clear night. During the next few days temperatures could be in the mid-teens, possibly some dry conditions aswell.

    28th May: A mostly clear day with some rain associated with a band of rain stretching northwards across much of England and over the border. However, during this evening clouds began to thin and break up leaving a clear sky at the latter part of dusk. Tomorrow, it could be quite warm with temperatures in the high teens, mostly dry - cloudier further east. Thursday is looking good too.

    29th May: Quite a warm day, but with the influence of a warm front in the east it was fairly cloudy, quite humid with some rainfall in the afternoon and evening at times. Skies started to clear a bit this evening and tonight half the sky is clear with calm conditions and some areas of thin, patchy cloudy cover in the sky, reflecting the orange glow of Glasgow. Tomorrow could be even warmer and sunnier but Friday could be both cloudy and cool.

    30th May: Today was a warm Day and it felt quite humid aswell. A bright day but not absolutely clear and sunny in the morning and noon with a few rain showers. It turned out to be a lovely sunny and largely clear afternoon and evening - typically summery. Later around 9-10pm cloud started to roll in over the central belt but it was fairly thin with clearer stripes and pockets. However skies were clearer further west and it was a spectacular sunset overlooking Loch Lomond and the distant mountains from Queen's view. Further east towards Stirling it seemed a bit murky under cloud cover. The cloud cover over the central areas began to dissipitate towards the end of dusk resulting in a clear, but mild night. Tomorrow should be cloudier with the threat of patchy rain thanks to a weak front.

    31st May: The last day of Spring 2013. After a cold winter, this Spring has generally been unusually and almost excessively cold wih an exceptional March, a chilly April and some chilly weather this month at times. It has been interesting with some pleasant conditions, but at times this season felt out of snyc with normality. This month has seen a mixture of cold, wet dull days to cool, showery and bright to days and a few warm and sunny days - and a few other varieties too. Today, it was cloudier earlier in the morning - but quite bright. It turned out to be even better in the afternoon and evening than yesterday with lots of sunshine and blue skies. There was not a cloud in the sky this evening and right now it is a calm night with an absolutely clear sky. Tomorrow and Sunday, showery to start June. Maybe settled and a bit warm at the start of next week....

  20. A Winter's Tale
    1st March: Welcome to the first day of Spring! Spring 2012 was a season of contrasts with a dry March with record breaking warmth, a dramatic turnaround with a cold, showery April with a snowfall early in the month, a very unsettled start to May before a return to record breaking heat at the end. This year, Spring follows what has been a cold winter with the first snowfall in late October. Between now and the end of May, we'll see a great transition in the weather and nature. We may see the last snowfall of the 12/13 season and the first 20C of the year aswell as seeing the last frost. There may also be dramatic contrasts from cold mornings to warm days etc. The great variety of weather, elements of both late winter and early summer aswell as contrasts and quiet, pleasant weather types and other wonderful rituals and characteristics makes this a very special time of the year. March, can be an extension of winter and nornally has up to 10 days with an air frost and some snowfalls, but as we go through the month the transition will continue further and like last year, we could experience a few warm days. But for now, it remains a mystery as to what the weather will do this coming month but this diary should give a good idea of the conditions and experiences and progression of the weather this month. Today, started where February left off. The settled, dry and pleasant spell continues and this spell could turn out to be quite a notable one to look back on come the end of the year. It was mostly cloudy overnight, however before dawn the skies cleared and the temperature dropped to a low of -2C and combined with wall to wall blue skies and sunshine, it made for a typical morning in early Spring. And indeed, it was another glorious day and the temperature rose quickly after sunrise with a maximum of 10C in the afternoon. There were a few clouds scattered around in the afternoon but after sunset, the sky was clear, making for a cold, calm and starry evening. Temperature is now below freezing again and it's another wonderful late winter's/early Spring night. Tomorrow should be another day with an air frost, but there could be some cloud cover around but some sunny intervals are likely so it could turn out to be another decent day. The settled spell should continue for the following days but perhaps not quite as sunny and the run of frosty nights should also end. Eventually there may be some precipitation next week and it may turn milder with winds coming from the south, off the continent.

    2nd March: A minimum of -2C in the early hours under clear skies, it turned cloudier later in the night but today was another dry one with some more glorious Spring sunshine and blue skies before cloud cover made enrodes later in the afternoon leaving a more overcast evening. Maximum temperature of 12C as this impressive settled spell continues. It should stay dry for a few more days, probably less in the way of frosts. A hint that later next week there could be colder air thanks to high pressure to the north but that's a long way off.

    3rd March: Another dry day, but rather quiet, benign and dull with grey, overcast skies for just about the entire day. The temperature failed to get above 8C and below 5C. The run of air frosts has ended, but the dry and settled period should continue for a few more days at least, however during next week it finally looks like there'll be some rain around. Uncertainty grows as we go through next week but there are signs of it turning colder from the east. Something to keep an eye on.

    4th March: And the dry/settled spell goes on. A quiet day overall. Not particulary cold this morning, very calm and quite benign with a sheet of grey cloud cover and not particulary outstanding visibility either. A maximum temperature of 8C. For a time in the afternoon there was a brief hint of a hazy sky rather than overcast and it became a bit brighter. Quite chilly this evening, with a minimum temperature of 0C. Tomorrow should start of cold with another dry day instore but from midweek onwards we should see the first proper rainfall since mid February. Further on and there is a sign of things turning colder and possibly cold enough for a final hurrah of the winter.

    5th March: A cold start with a low of -3C. In the hazy March sunshine, the temperature rose to 9C in what was one of the last days of the settled spell that started around the 17th February. Tomorrow should start off dry but there may be some patchy light rain. For the remainder of the week, there should some rain around and feeling raw in a strong and cold easterly flow and then into next week, there could well be a return to winter weather. It'll be fascinating to see how Spring 2013 evolves and there's still plenty of it left.

    6th March: Quite a dull day, grey day and feeling cold with a stronger breeze and with maxima/minima at 6/3C. But the long run of dry days ended with patchy rain moving north during the evening. Not all that pleasant out there and there could be further rain tomorrow. A cold and raw end to the week and during this weekend, it seems like winter will bite back with sub -10C uppers. Genuine potential of quite significant cold conditions and possible significant snowfalls too.

    7th March: Not a pleasant day at all. A freezing cold and strong easterly wind, very poor visibility, grey, dark and with patchy rain and maximum/minimum of 7/5C. Tomorrow could have further rainfall and certainly the easterly wind will be here. And it will turn much colder this weekend with sub -10C uppers in the easterly so certainly a sharp and significant return to winter with possibly very cold weather and some snow. This is something to follow closely.

    8th March: Today's weather was pretty unpleasant with a maximum/minimum of 5/4C, a brisk and bone-chilling easterly wind, some rain and overcast skies. A reminder how it can be very much like winter in March. Tomorrow should be cloudy, cold with a strong easterly wind. Sunday should be even colder, possibly some brightness but also with the threat of snow showers with the very cold uppers. It also looks like staying cold into next week so it will be very interesting to find out what sort of weather will unfold over the coming days. One thing's for sure that March 2013 is turning out to be different from the very mild March last year.

    9th March: Another raw day with a bone chilling easterly, grey skies and some rain earlier . Maximum temperature of 4C is a reminder of how winter weather very much exists in March more often than not. This coming spell however is a bit more significant than any old chilly day. Very cold uppers in a fresh easterly flow - particulary on Sunday - would make for a bitterly cold weather. Air temperature very similar to a cold day in winter but combined with the wind and it may feel like -5C. Another characteristic is the theme of sunshine combined with 'wintry showers'. For the next 24hrs or so, the showers could be hit or miss and heavier and more organised in some areas than others, but I expect plenty of excitement in here - especially in eastern parts - with some places in the firing line for classic north sea convection and maybe some beefy showers with cumulonimbus clouds. The radar should reveal everything, convective activity may vary across the eastern counties but prepare yourself for something a little more active than the scenarios illustrated by BBC forecasts. As for here in the western end of the central belt, I'll settle for seeing some snow flurries but I'll hope that there'll be enough convective activity for rather prolonged and beefy showers to feed through the forth-clyde valley. A heavy snowfall with some accumilations would make for a delightful end to a decent 2012/2013 season but I'm happy with just getting the March snowfall in the bag and hearing reports of the events in the high-risk areas. Last year, the last significant snowfall was in early April with the last snowflakes in lowland Scotland falling in early May. This season, the fun started earlier in late October and it'll be intruiging to see how late the snow will finish this time round. It'll be a pleasure to see the rest of this Spring unfold with the last of the winter weather, the tranquility of normal Spring days and the first warmth. Just about all of us enjoyed that exceptional warm and sunny spell in late March last year, perhaps it'll be closer to a March 2006 this year rather than 2012, but hopefully there'll be a few warmer days as April goes on and a dry, sunny and warm May like 2008 or 2000 would be just lovely.

    10th March: One of the most memorable days of the 2012/2013. Today was a classic example of the sort of proper winter weather that can happen in March in Scotland. Very cold uppers between -10C and -15C with a brisk north easterly flow. This morning I woke up to a light snow flurry followed by a brief shower that brought some of the heaviest snowfalls I've ever seen. A few more snow flurries and in the afternoon I went over to Fife. On the journey there were a few more heavy snow showers, some lying snow in Fife, especially on the high ground and some wonderful winter scenes with snow covered landscapes and sunshine. The valley around Falkland and Cupar was snowless but I spent the evening at my relatives and watched the frequent snow showers roll over the house and indeed across the region with vistas across Fife and south towards Edinburgh. An impressive winter sky with classic colours of a winter sunset/dusk, aswell as seeing snow rolling in across the area and in the clearer patches the structure of cumulonimbus clouds were visible. It seemed that the activity was dying off in the evening when I left Fife with a clearer sky and a starry evening. And a very cold evening too with sub-zero temperatures and a bone-chilling wind chill. There was more snow on the lowground of Fife but depths of only around a cm. There was snow on the ground on the other side of the Forth Road Bridge and then I discovered that the snow shower activity was still in business. The M 8 motorway from the road bridge to Harthill was tricky was snowfall and some lying snow on the road and also some snow blowing around. Then we left the snow showers behind but I was surprised to find that snow depths of around a cm or two remained fairly constant as we approched Glasgow. It was green when I left Dunbartonshire but by the time I had got back there was a cm of icy, sparkling snow on all surfaces and a return to a winter wonderland. The 4th decent lying snow event this season but possibly the best day for lying snow here in March since 2006. Another mini-blizzard arrived and dumped another cm. March often offers at least one snowfall here, and ths year it hasn't disapointed. After a decent winter, the desire for significant snowfall isn't as great at this time of year but today certainly rounded off a good season for snow and cold. And there was plenty of snow showers elsewhere in Scotland, particulary in the east and many areas have a depth of some sort but the NE was worst hit with a couple of inches in some places. An ice day for a few locations too. An excellent day for winter's weather in March. Maximum temperature at Glasgow airport 4C, now the minimum is -3C. A very cold night is in store, another cold day is in store too. The cold theme could last, but perhaps maximum temperatures may not be below 5C and the snow cover may melt in the stronger sunshine. However, I look forward to updating tomorrow on the wintry weather here and elsewhere.

    11th March: This is turning out to be a very significant period for winter weather as we near mid-March. Maximum of 3C at Glasgow airport is one of the coldest for a March day since I can remember. Minimum of -4C. Some snow flurries in the north easterly throughout the day until the afternoon but this could possibly be the last time I see snow here this season. The sort of day that would not have felt or looked out of place during the depths of winter except the time/length of daylight puts into perspective that it is Spring. And the snow cover has mostly gone away from shaded areas because of the strength of the sunshine. Further east however there were further heavy snow showers and accumilations aswell as some distruption in quite an active day for winter weather. One of the coldest nights of the season too with minima in the highlands close to -13C and an ice day in some spots. More snow showers for England today and an area of low pressure brining a snowstorm to France has brought lots of snow to the Channel Islands aswell as affecting south eastern parts of England. A very cold night is on store after a sunny, very cold and wintry March day. The coming days are set to be chilly but this could be the last of the significant winter weather of the 2012/2013 season.

    12th March: Very cold last night with -8C reported at Glasgow airport which is the joint coldest temperature of the 2012/2013 season and the last time there was a colder minimum there was in December 2010. There was still some patches of lying snow in shaded areas, about a third of my garden was covered which probably isn't enough to count as a lying snow day. Once the sun was up the temperature rose above freezing with a maximum of 8C. Some sunny intervals throughout the day, now a clear and cold night with the temperature already below freezing. Some snow showers elsewhere today, minimum temperature below -10C somewhere last night and some significant distruption in Sussex after a snowfall which was the worst in the Channel Islands for possibly 30 or so years. It's always nice to see some late winter conditions and Spring snowfall at this time of year but this spell in some sense has been pretty exceptional. Some snow showers tonight for parts of Scotland exposed to the northerly wind. The cold/chilly Spring weather look set to persist throughout the middle-third of this month. There may be brief spells of less cold uppers, such as later this week but in general, if the current synoptic theme continues then uppers should be below -5C for the best part of the next 10 or so days. A prolonged cold spell for Spring standards, but with the strength of the sun maximum temperatures could be close to the average. But certainly, it will be interesting to see how things end up, there is the potential for this month to be pretty cold overall and is already looking like being a very different month compared to this time last year.

    13th March: A very pleasant and typical March day. Bright with clear/sunny intervals and a few light snow flurries in the afternoon in a northerly airstream. After a cold start, the maximum temperature was close to the average at 7C with a stronger sun. Minimum temperature -4C this evening under clear skies. Another cold night to come before a front moves in from the west. This will bring precipitation but it could fall as snow for a time. A wetter period is likely with temperatures close to average but generally the synoptic pattern looks good for colder uppers to persist for the coming week or so some more chilly and possibly wintry weather yet Springlike conditions with any sunshine. The season for snowfall here has been of a good length from the 26th October, today there was a few light flurries but at this time of year it's impossible to judge whether a snowfall will be the last of the season.


    14th March: A cold start with a low of -3C. Cloud cover rolled in with the arrival of fronts off the atlantic. In the morning initially it was cloudy, cold with some patchy drizzle although there could have been some snow - however snow did fall in other parts of the country this morning for a time - and then some heavier precipitation arrived which resulted in some pretty wet and driech conditions throughout the day - maximum temperature of 7C and an overcast night and currently 5C. However clearer and showery air should arrive tomorrow, a bit unsettled for the weekend but next week there could be a return to a wintry element to the Spring weather.

    15th March: Low pressure is now in control and will continue to do so for the coming days. Today, had fairly typical March weather with some regular showers and pleasant sunny spells inbetween with scattered clouds across the sky - temperatures close to average at 7/1C. A cold evening too with the odd shower and some clear intervals. There could be some snow to low levels in Scotland tomorrow as precipitation moves northwards overnight but any accumilations should be over the high ground. With low pressure in charge, there is a real mixture of weather from distinct areas of precipitation, a wintry mix in showers and some sunshine in areas and even fog in some valleys. Precipitattion over the weekend and into the early part of next week could fall as snow across parts of the UK and into next week with an easterly flow it looks like staying on the cold and wintry side in Scotland. Some interesting weather this weekend and possibly more interesting Spring weather into next week and beyond with another late taste of winter.

    16th March: No snowfall here today but as ever in any marginal event, the fine divide between snow and no snow from region to region is impressive. An area of precipitaton moving up from England during the morning brought light rain, cloudy skies in a benign and cold day with maximum/minimum of 4/0C at Glasgow airport. But further east in Lanarkshire, the Lothians and some other areas some heavy snow did fall but the majority of any accumilations was on the higher ground. A chilly, calm but overcast night here just now a very wintry element to the weather continues for the coming days with quite low temperatures and a wintry mix in the precipitation. There's lots of potential regarding the upcoming period and it'll be interesting to see just how sharp or significant this could be for winter weather this late in the season.

    17th March: Quite a similar day to yesterday with quite cold temperatures for this time of year (6/1C). Grey and showery throughout the day and feeling cold too, the precipitation here was mostly of rain and at times was quite heavy. However, recently an area of precipitation moving in from the east brought a wintry element and some bursts of snow. The easterly winds look like persisting for the forseeable and this week is staying cold and with wintry and snowy weather - especially in eastern areas. March 2013 is turning out to be very different from last year and it'll be intruiging to see what sort of temperatures and snowfall events we will experience in the coming days.

    18th March: An active day. It started similar to the weekend with grey skies, quite cold with a stronger wind today, and some precipitation coming in from the east that was a mix of rain/sleet/snow. In the afternoon, as precipitation changed to fine snow, after a high of 5C with colder uppers arriving, there was finally some clear intervals and even some brightness in a constanly changing sky in the brisk north easterly wind. Convection increased progressively in the afternoon and evening with snow showers affecting many areas. Here there were regular snow showers but no accumilations but further east, in the Lothians and other regions the snowfall has been and is more persistent and heavy and depths are already up to 10cm in some spots - hours before the orange warning from the Met office. Minimum temperature of 1C, and a very winry week coming up so tomorrow's update should be interesting with such exceptional weather for this stage in the month.

    19th March: Very windy today with some strong gusts at times with fast moving clouds that brought regular snow flurries throughout the day. Now 31 days of snow here, and at Glasgow airport today was the 5th day of snow this month and the maximum temperature there was 4C (which is fairly exceptional for this time of year) but minimum temperature was only 1C in the mostly cloudy and windy conditions (there has already been over 10 days with an air frost this month). During the evening, there was a bit more of a sustained and quite heavy period of snow but it failed to settle on wet surfaces. In some areas, it was a similar scenario with snowfall present, but not heavy or persistent or cold enough for it settle. But for some parts, such as the Lothians and Borders there was a lot of snow, 10-15cm+ in places. At Braemar, an ice day very late in the season. Tomorrow, staying cold, quite windy but with the snow fading away, a quiet but cold day on Thursday. A bit more activity late on Thursday into the weekend with an area of low pressure pushing in, there could be a frontal snowfall is the precipitation makes it this far north. Beyond that, there's a fine line between a continuation of cold, or rather less cold conditions instead, but at the moment an easterly wind could be cold enough for a chilly final third to the month.

    20th March: Quite a nice winter's/Spring day! Much less of a wind, some snow in the early hours but it turned out to be a pleasant day with a maximum temperature of 5C (that's cold for winter let alone March) and a cold, clear evening has seen a low of 0C. Some nice clear, pleasant skies today making it a decent March day with a winter's element. The Campsies looked very wintry with a covering of snow (and quite late in the season too) and there was a wee snow flurry on the hills this evening. A cold, clear evening with the moon and stars visible and just a few clouds gently rolling. Another cold and quiet day tomorrow, a front is set to arrive on Friday but there are big question marks about where it will stall. But this month has seen a fair bit of cold, and wintry weather and it looks set to stay for atleast another 7 days.. Impressive!

    21st March: This could turn out to be a historical month and cettainly one to reflect on. A cold morning with a low of -2C, and maximum of 5C. Quite windy with low pressure to the south, some sunshine in the morning and early afternoon but turning cloudier in the evening - feeling very cold in the wind. Winter weather set to stay for atleast another 6 days. Tonight an area of low pressure is going to bring a lot of snow to parts of NI, N Wales and N England. There could be some snow here, if it does then 2012/2013 would equal 2010/2011 with snowfall days and if snow settles, it could be the latest I've ever seen lying snow here. And there's the potential for some pretty low maximum temperatures. The winter that just doesn't want to end.

    22nd March: Across the British Isles, today was one of the most eventful for weather this year and emphasises how notable this month has been. This time last year, we were about to enter a record breaking warm spell that would help make March 2012 one of the mildest on record. This year it is a polar opposite. The front arrived here sometime before dawn and by 9am it was snowing heavily with 2cm on the ground making for the 5th decent lying snow event this year (second this month) - creating a very wintry scene- and it was the 33rd snowfall of the winter - the same as 2010/2011 - and the latest date I've seen lying snow here. It was very windy today with quite strong gusts. The snowfell almost all day long here, but the lying snow melted quite quickly. The wind and small snow flakes couldn't realy settle and the central belt was on the edge of the front. However, this evening the temperature dropped closer to 0C, the snow got a bit heavier and it began to settle and again there is lying snow of 2cm. Maximum temperature was 3C in the early hours - at Glasgow airport since 2000 the coldest maximum temperature in March was 2C in 2001. Snow fell in many areas today from the front: Northern Ireland, north Wales, southern and western Scotland and parts of northern England were hardest hit (floods in south western England). Lying snow in many areas, but over a foot in some areas and some impressive drifts. Transport was badly affected in many areas and many thousands were left without power. And the cold air is set to stay over the British Isles for coming 5-7 days or so. This month will certainly be worth looking back on. Cold and snow isn't unusal in March, but this year has been quite exceptional. I wonder what April will bring....

    23rd March: Last Marc, it was the mildest on record in Scotland. At Glasgow airport it reached a record 20C. Today, the maximum temperature was 1C - the joint coldest for March since available records from 1973. 1980 was the last time the maximum was 1C and the previous coldest of my lifetime was 2C in early March 2001. This is staggering considering how late we are into the month and this month at Glasgow airport already has a very low minimum of -8C (Joint coldest of 2012/2013 and coldest of 2013), maximum of of 1C (joint coldest of 2013), 11 days with 5C or less maximum (probably a record) and around 14 days with minimum of 0C or less (with more to come) and seven days of snow (joint snowiest of 2012/2013 and 2013). And elsewhere there have been ice days, sub -10C minima -a very memorable month in what has been an interesting winter in which each month has peformed well in unique aspects. It will truly be interesting to see how the stats/facts come review. Here, everything was covered with 2cm of snow this morning and the snow continued till around lunchtime - 2012/2013 now snowier than 2010/2011. On concrete surfaces the snow has mostly gone but on all grass surfaces it is white - it's hard to judge snowdepths on grass, especially with some drifts. The Campsies were very white with massive drifts in places. The whole region is looking white with snowcovered fields making it look like mid-winter. In Torrance there was snow on all grassy surfaces and on some concrete and roofs. Latest date for lying snow that I can remember and it was a very wintry looking evening with the snowfields reflecting the orange glow of the sky. It was a cloudy day too with a strong easterly wind making it very cold. Elsewhere in the UK, the snow eased but there was severe disurption in worst hit areas with drifts higher than 10 feet in places. The cold easterly is going to stay and it is going to be fascinating to look back on this month. The March equivalent of November 2010?

    24th March: A mostly cloudy day other than a few clearer intervals. Still windy, and very cold for this time of year at 3/1C. Some snow flurries in the easterly made this month the snowiest of the season. The lying snow was here in the morning but has all melted but this has truly been an exceptional period of winter weather for this time of year. Elsewhere, it was cold - Isle of Arran very badly affected by drifts. The cold easterly wind is here to stay for much of next week, maybe a snowy breakdown or further cold conditions. Very interesting to see how the final run in to the month shapes up.

    25th March: 8th consecutive day of snow (and sub 5C maximum with a high of 3C and low of 1C) here today with a few flurries. Another really cold day too but the wind has now eased somewhat. Quite cloudy too other than a bit of brightness earlier for a brief time. It's hard to believe that this time last year we were all enjoying that record-breaking warm spell with temperatures into the 20s in many areas. A year later, maximum temperatures are barely exceeding 3C (even for the likes of Tiree) and some of the most prolonged and 'deep' cold in March, occuring during the second half - a very different scenario to the usual share of northerly incursions or polar mariime air. One of the other weird aspects of this month is how Spring never really started - other than some of those glorious days back in that settled spell at the end of February - and we are enduring conditions that are akin to a decent cold spell in the depths of winter. March is renowned for its taste of late winter weather, but nothing on this insane level.

    26th March: And the never ending winter goes on. This time last year it hit 20C at Glasgow airport, today the maximum temperature was 4C and a minimum of -2C. The statistics get even more exceptional. At the airport today was the 9th consecutive day of sub 5C maximum and here, my snow diary has recorded a 9th consecutive day of snowfall. The easterly wind was not a strong as it has been in recent days but it feed fairly regular snow showers off the north sea but with some lovely sunshine inbetween - some heavy showers too with some graupel. A very cold and wintry looking/feeling evening with a clear starry sky with the moon. It really is a glorious combination of the light of Spring and conditions and atmosphere of winter. Other than some daffodils, vedgetation hasn't gone into Spring mode yet. The cold weather will see-out the rest of the month but further snowfall, the sort of temperatures and how long the weather pattern will last remains to be seen.

    27th March: Some very cold temperatures at Glasgow airport in the early hours with a low of -5C (probably the last for the season). The maximum temperature was 5C so that is 10 days in a row with sub 5C maximum -amazing considering how this time last year it was 20C - snow showers were regular and for a time around 6am there was actually a cm of lying snow which should be the last of the season. Some glorious sunny and bright intervals today but with regular and heavy snow showers. A cold calm evening with a partly clear sky and the moon is out. I'm not sure whether there'll be further snow here and another sub 5C day but it looks like staying on the cold and settled side into easter weekend.

    28th March: A lovely wintry and settled late March day. It started with a stream of snow showers through the central belt that left a covering of around a cm in Bearsden but closer to 3cm in Torrance - once again, very imressive to have lying snow this late in the season and the run of consecutive days of snowfall has been exceptional. March 2013 has become only the third month since the start of the millenium to have 10 or more snow days at Glasgow airport (on December 2009 has had more by 2). A repeat of yesterday when the strong Spring sun melted the snow very quickly (even more so than earlier this month which is inevitable). It was a truly lovely day with lots of lovely winter's sunshine and blue skies with only just a few clouds whilst the Campsies and landscape still looked like we were still in winter. It was the first day since the 17th to have a maximum temperature above 5C with a high/low of 6C/-1C which is still below average. A very wintry and atmospheric dusk up in the Campsies with the frozen and snowy hillsides and a cold, clear and starry sky with an orange haze on the horizon, a sharper light blue to the west and a darker but less sharp blue to the east above the snow-covered hills as night-time rolled in from the west. A cold and lovely starry evening/night - a bit cloudier now. This month has been incredible for its weather which is reflected in amazing stats so iit will be interesting to see what the overall values are but it is certain that this March will be one of the coldest (and snowiest) on record. Today may have seen the last snow of the season (maybe even the last sub 5C maximum yesterday) but for the remainder of the month and into April it is set to stay on chilly side but very pleasant under an area of high pressure allowing for nice conditions during the day and frosty nights,

    29th March: Another beautiful day and very typical of a late cold spell in March. A very cold night with a low of -5C in the early hours and there was even a light snow shower in the morning which continues this amazing run of snow days. Maximum temperature of 6C in the glorious Spring sunshine but that value is still below average for this time of year. Another wintry sunset/dusk - I was near Gourock where the Clyde looked fantastic and so did the land and the sky was some snow on the hills to the north. Staying on the chilly side but it will be dry, settled and sunny for the coming days.

    30th March: Quite similar to yesterday with a low of -6C, a high of 6C, feeling pleasant in the Spring sunshine but also some cloudier spells. There was a breif snow flurry in the afternoon which should be the last of an exceptional run of snow-days - the longest that I can remember. At Glasgow airport, with 11 snowfalls, since 2000 only December 2009 had more snow days than this month and 2012/2013 season is joint-top for snow days since 2000. The only thing this month has lacked is a few other records and a big snowfall like the frontal event in March 2006. Last year was exceptional but in my experience this month has to go down as the most interesting I've ever experienced and the season 2012/2013 has also been a very interesting and decent one (and pretty long too with cold weather present since the end of September). Some more settled, sunny days and cold, frosty nights to come. It'll be a shame to see a return to wetter atlantic weather but this spell has been enjoyable but Spring has to turn up eventually - although despite below average temperatures, the coming days may look and feel a bit more like Spring.

    31st March - Easter Sunday: Now BST. A low of -2C making it the 20th day with minimum of 0C or lower at Glasgow airport (which I think is the highest of the season) and a maximum temperature of 6C (still below average for the time of year as the prolonged cold period continues but quite as potent as it was earlier this month). Some sunshine earlier in the morning, feeling quite pleasant but it was a bit cloudier in the afternoon and early evening before turing clear - but hazy - just now. At Braemar last night it dropped to a low of -12.5C which the coldest ever Easter Sunday temperature. It has been a remarkable month for many reasons and it's hard to collect all of the amazing statistics of this month. Certainly one of the coldest, snowiest and most notable March's and the most interesting I've ever experienced in what has been a long and a good winter.
  21. A Winter's Tale
    [center][size=5]A Kilted Review of the Year in Weather: 2012[/size][/center]

    [center][img]http://cdn.theguardian.tv/brightcove/poster/2012/5/10/120510PrinceCharlesWeather_6163198.jpg[/img][/center]




    The year started off with a bang as the country was battered in the early hours of the 3rd January thanks to a sting jet. There was widespread damage and distruption and at Blackford Hill, Edinburgh where there was a gust of 102mph - the storm was judged to have been the worst in 13 years.

    [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-16385049"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-16385049[/url]
    [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-16392381"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-16392381[/url]
    [url="http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/interesting/2012_janwind"]http://www.metoffice...ng/2012_janwind[/url]

    [img]http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/media/image/e/j/asxx_20120103_0600UTC_sm.gif[/img]

    [img]http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02101/weather-glasgow_2101482i.jpg[/img]
    Much of the first third of the month was unsettled with atlantic lows sweeping the country - as a result it was a mostly mild and wet period with some stormy weather. Dundrennon in Dumfries and Galloway on the 4th had a gust of 76mph and a peak gust of 65mph was recorded at Peterhead on the 6th.

    There was a change to colder and settled conditions around mid-month with some fine sunny and frosty conditions and some fog. There was some low minimum values such as -10.5C recorded at Aboyne on the 16th and a maximum of -2.8C at Cassley on the same day.

    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120116.gif[/img]


    There was a return to unsettled weather on the 17th but there was a snowfall that left a depth of 8cm at Aviemore on the 19th. There was a return to windy weather with a gust of 70mph at Loch Glascarnoch on the 21st as the weather remained changeable and on the mild side across the country.

    The month ended on a cold, anticyclonic note with a southeasterly breeze developing and there were some snow showers at times in parts of the country. Loch Glascarnoch recorded a low of -6.9C on the 27th.

    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120130.gif[/img]

    January was the mildest since 2008 in Scotland with a mean temperature of 3.2C. The mean maximum and minimum was 5.8C and 0.6C. Despite rainfall being above average at 183mm, it was the 5th sunniest January in Scotland with a total of 44.1hrs. Air frosts stood at a fairly low 10.4 days.



    February started where January left off, as the cold and settled conditions persisted throughout the first third of the month. There were frosty nights, some fog patches and locally some snow flurries to begin with and there were some days of rainfall as fronts edged further east into Scotland. There was even some freezing rain in Dumfries and Galloway on the 9th. Temperatures on a few nights went down to -10C in the highlands.
    [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-16869164"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-16869164[/url]
    [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-16950627"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-16950627[/url]


    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120203.gif[/img]



    The settled conditions continued into the start of the middle third of February in eastern areas but it was mild for everyone with maximum temperatures of reaching 11C or 12C on a few days. There was some wet weather in north western areas during the period.

    Following a very breif cold spell, the final third of the month was unsettled and very mild. It was very mild in the north east with highs of 15.7C at Aboyne on the 22nd, 15.9C on at Dyce on the 23rd and 17.2C at Dyce on the 28th which is just short of the Scottish record.

    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120228.gif[/img]


    It was a very mild month overall, 8th mildest since records began and the mildest since 1998, with a mean temperature of 4.4C. Mean maximum and minimum was 7.1C and 1.7C. It was also a fairly dull month with 50.4 hours of sunshine and rainfall was closer to average at 108.3mm. It was a poor month for air frosts with only 9.1 days.

    The winter 2011/2012 was the mildest winter in Scotland since 2007/2008 with a mean temperature of 3.56 (making it the 17th mildest winter on record) and mean maximum and minimum of 6.27C and 0.87C. The coldest and snowiest weather of the winter mostly took place in December 2011, whilst the first two months of 2012 saw some prolonged periods without any real winter weather but there were some cold and settled periods aswell. The mildest month of the winter was February. There was a total of 31.4 days with an air frost throughout the winter which was below average. A rainfall total of 555.7mm was 118% of the 1981-2010 average. 117.9hrs of sunshine is 91% of the average.




    March began on a changeable note with some fronts, showers, spells of sunshine and a brief wintry spell which resulted in a snow depth of 3cm at Aviemore on the 8th.


    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120305.gif[/img]

    The 10th-14th saw dry, mild but cloudy conditions with the best of sunshine in eastern areas. Some areas of rainfall affected southern and western areas whilst northern areas stayed sunny just after mid-month. There were some cold nights in the highlands with a low of -8.5C at Braemar on the 18th.

    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120312.gif[/img]

    The final third of the month was very dry, sunny and most notably very mild and even warm. It reached 17.6C at Lossiemouth on the 21st. There was some mist and low cloud at times in eastern areas, but the period 24th-30th was exceptional for it's fine and warm weather: a number of days the temperature reached 20C in a good number of places - 22.8C recorded at Fyvie Castle on the 25th broke the Scottish March maximum record, then it peaked at 23.2C at Cromdale the following day and finally the record was set at Aboyne on the 27th with a high of 23.6C. It stayed dry to the end but temperatures began to drop and it became cloudier.

    [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-17506257"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...etland-17506257[/url]
    [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-17512701"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...etland-17512701[/url]
    [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-17511244"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-17511244[/url]
    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120327.gif[/img]
    [img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/United_Kingdom_26_March_2012.png/250px-United_Kingdom_26_March_2012.png[/img]


    March was exceptional for it's very mild temperatures and dry and sunny conditions. It was the warmest March of record with a mean temperature of 7.1C and the mean maximum and minimum was 10.9C (another record) and 3.3C. It was the 4th sunniest March with a total of 126.8 hrs and it was the 11st driest with a rainfall total of just 58mm. It was the 3rd poorest March for air frosts with just 4.2 days.
    [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17595024"]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17595024[/url]


    April however was a different story. The temperature continued to drop during the first few days and there were some spells of rain. The turnaround was complete with a notable snowfall on the 3rd which left a snow depth of 22cm at Whitehillocks, Angus. The chilly conditions followed the snow with a dry couple of days followed by spells of rain and showers. The maximum at Carterhouse on the 3rd was only 0.3C and Braemar recorded a low of -8.2C on the 5th.
    [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-17578739"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-17578739[/url]
    [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-17595143"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-17595143[/url]
    [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-17597584"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-17597584[/url]
    [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-17601709"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-17601709[/url]


    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120403.gif[/img]


    [img]http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/59452000/jpg/_59452899_jex_1368520_de27-1.jpg[/img]

    There was showery conditions before midmonth and there was some hail and thunder included in the showers. A spell of wetter weather arrived around midmonth and much of the final half of April was cool and showery. There some low minimum values of -7.2C at Tulloch Bridge on the 28th and -6.4C at the same location on the following day.
    [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-17852535"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-17852535[/url]

    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120419.gif[/img]



    It was an unusual scenario in which April was colder than March. The mean temperature was 4.9C making it the coldest April in Scotland since 1998. The mean maximum and minimum was 8.6C and 1.3C. It was wetter than normal across the eastern half of the country - the national rainfall total stood at 113.7mm. Sunshine was below average with a total of 121.1 hrs. There was 8.8 days with an air frost. Tiree was the sunniest place in the UK with 237 hrs.





    The first three weeks of May was generally cool and unsettled with the odd fine day and occasionally strong winds. There was some spells of rain during the start although the second was a pleasant day with a high of 20.1C at Kinlochewe. This was followed by a spell of dry but cold weather with the maximum at Fair Isle on the 5th only 4.5C and a low of -6.2C at Saughall on the same day. There was also some snow showers aswell as the frosty nights.

    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120505.gif[/img]


    The period 7th-18th May was changeable was some cool days, some heavy rainfalls with 101mm at Kinlochewe on the 13th. The 13th was also a stormy day with a gust of 67mph at Blackford Hill, Edinburgh. There were also some cool showery days with some brightness.
    [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-18022243"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...w-west-18022243[/url]

    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120513.gif[/img]
    The 19th-28th saw a marked change to much more settled, dry conditions with plentiful of sunshine and most notably an impressive Scottish heatwave during the 24th-28th with temperatures reaching the high to mid 20s. On the 23rd it reached 27.3C at Altnaharra, on the 24th it reached 27.3C at Bishopton, 28.1C at Kinlochewe on the 28th, a new Scottish record for May on the 25th with a high of 30.9C at Inverailort, 28.1C at Kinlochewe on the 26th, 29.0C at Cromdale on the 27th and 26.6C at Aberfeldy on the 28th. The final few days of the month saw a drop in temperatures and a return to rainfall.
    [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-18176494"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...slands-18176494[/url]
    [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-18189728"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-18189728[/url]
    [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-18210356"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...slands-18210356[/url]
    [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-18236851"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-18236851[/url]


    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120525.gif[/img]



    May equalled the 1971-2000 average with a mean temperature of 8.6C and a mean maximum and minimum of 13.3C and 4.2C. Sunshine was above normal with a total of 205.2hrs whilst rainfall varied across the country, it came out as 83.2mm. There was 4.1 days with an air frost which is the 6th highest on record. Tiree saw 273 hrs of sunshine making it the sunniest place in the UK in May.

    Spring 2012 was very contrasting and interesting. Unusuall, April was the coldest month of the season with a mean temperature of 4.9C (just 0.5C warmer than February, and 2.2C lower than the record breaking warm March). There were notable periods of dry and warm weather, with new records being set in both late March and late May for maximum temperatures across Scotland. For most areas, the heat during late May was the warmest of the year. The snowfall in early April was for a number of areas the most significant of the 2011/2012 season. The mean temperature in Scotland was 6.9C with mean maximum and minimum for the Spring at 11C and 2.9C respectively making it a warmer than average Spring overall. Sunshine was also above average with a total of 453.1hrs (115% of the average) and 254.9mm of rainfall is 81% of the average. Air frosts only a little below average at 17.1 days, the very mild March being the major factor.





    The first half of June saw generally cool temperatures and wet conditions with showery spells and some heavy bursts of rain and occasionally pretty windy. It was fairly dry and fine in the north west Highlands at times. A low of -3.5C at Loch Glascarnoch on the 5th. It reached 20.6C at Kinlochewe on the 6th.

    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120607.gif[/img]

    Throughout the rest of the month, the cool, unseasonal conditions continued with further showers and frontal rainfall. There were a few pleasant and fine days at times and there were some thunderstorms aswell.

    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120622.gif[/img]


    A month dominated by low pressure, it was the 9th wettest June on record in Scotland with 126.2mm of rainfall. The north west highlands and islands saw the best of the conditions in what was a very poor summer month for much of the country. It was a cool month too with a mean temperature of 10.4C, mean maximum and minimum of 14C and 7.1C. It was the 3rd dullest June on record with only 110.4 hrs of sunshine. It also had the 3rd highest number of air frost days with a total of 0.6. The sunniest place in the UK once again was Tiree with 167 hrs of sunshine.




    The showery theme continued into the start of July and there were some thunderstorms and this followed by a spell of more persistent and heavy rainfall. It reached 24C at Lusa on the 6th.
    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120706.gif[/img]

    The familiar story of unsettled, wet and generally cool conditions continued into the middle third of the month. There was further showers, some heavy frontal rainfall with just a few fine, dry and bright days.
    [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-18890247"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...t-fife-18890247[/url]

    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120714.gif[/img]
    It was more of the same into the first part of the final third of the month but the 24th-26th were better days with more sunshine and temperatures into the low 20s but the changeable conditions returned to see out the month.

    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120725.gif[/img]

    It was the coolest July since 1998 with a mean temperature of 12.2C, mean maximum and minimum of 15.5C and 9C. It was the 10th dullest July with only 100.5 hrs of sunshine and a wet month with 127.7 mm of rainfall.




    The showers became less frequent and more scattered during the first couple of days of August and there was a spell of pleasant weather with maximum temperature of 22.8C at Achnagart on the 3rd. But it was brief as thunderstorms developed and there was a return to changeable conditions with thundery showers. There were some funnel clouds spotted during the stormy weather.
    [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-19162914"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-19162914[/url]

    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120805.gif[/img]

    From the 8th-11th there was a spell of fine, settled, sunny conditions and warm temperatures up into the mid twenties for many as Eskdalemuir
    recorded a high of 25.9C on the 10th.

    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120810.gif[/img]

    This fine spell was followed by another changeable period of weather which lasted for around 10 days. There were some fine days and temperatures into low twenties for many and into the mid twenties in Moray on the 18th but there were further spells of rain and showers and even some thunder.

    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120818.gif[/img]

    There was a mixture of fine days, showers, + bands of rain in what was a changeable and an unseasonal end to August. There was strong winds for the north west on the 27th with a gust of 64mph recorded at South Uist. The month ended on a cold note with a cold and frosty final night of summer with a low of -2.4C at Braemar.
    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120831.gif[/img]

    It was the warmest August since 2004 with a mean temperature of 13.5C. Mean maximum and minimum was 17.3C and 9.7C. Sunshine was above normal aswell with a total of 144 hrs. Rainfall was above average with a total of 133.9mm. With 0.2 days days with an air frost is the third highest total for August.

    Summer 2012 continued the run of below par summers in Scotland since the stunning summer of 2006. The mean temperature was 0.5C below average at 12.1C with mean maximum and minimum of 15.6C and 8.6C. August was the warmest month of the year. Sunshine was below average with a total of 348.3hrs (82% of the average) and rainfall was 27% above average with a total of 387.5mm. However in north western areas, it was a dry summer with some problems with drought conditions.



    The first couple of days of autumn started wet - especially in the western isles - but away from the north west, the remainder of the country was then generally dry with sunny spells and it reached 25.2C at Dyce on the 3rd.

    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120903.gif[/img]

    Changeable conditions returned from the 7th. There was a mixture of weather: bands of rain; cloudy and dry days; bright and sunny days; showery and breezy days; drizzle. There was a gust of 56mph at Altnaharra on the 13th as the country experienced changeable and autumnal conditions.


    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120909.gif[/img]

    The autumnal conditions continued with showers, some heavy rain and brighter/dry days. It turned pretty chilly too around two thirds of the way through September, with a cold night on the 22nd/23rd as Braemar recorded a low of -4.1C
    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120923.gif[/img]

    Unsettled and very autumnal conditons saw the month out. However the worst September storm in around 30 years hit Scotland around the 23rd-26th. This brought strong winds, low temperatures, heavy and prolonged rainfall and even some thunder. Inverbervie recorded a gust of 72mph on the 25th. Final days of the month was unsettled with a mixture of sunshine, showers and frontal rainfall.
    [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-19713761"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-19713761[/url]
    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120120925.gif[/img]


    It was the coolest September since 1994 with a mean temperature of 10.3C. The mean maximum and minimum was 13.4C and 7.2C. It was quite a sunny September with a total of 113.2 hrs. And it was also a wet September with a total of 148.7mm. The total number of days with an air frost was 0.7 days which is the 9th highest.




    The first 5 or so days of October started with a mix of sunshine and showers and a little bit of thunder. There was a settled period from 5th to 10th with fine, sunny spells, showers in the far north. There were some cold frosty nights too with a minimum of -5.3C at Tulloch Bridge on the 10th.
    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120121007.gif[/img]
    The following days up to the 19th brought periods of persistent heavy rainfall, overcast skies and some spells of sunshine, showers. There was some cold temperatures too: A maximum of 3.2C at Aviemore on the 16th and and a low of -7.8C at Braemar on the 17th and there was some snow to low levels in parts of the highlands for a time of the 17th.
    [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-19935712"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-19935712[/url]
    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120121017.gif[/img]

    The 20th to 25th saw another settled spell with sunshine at the start and end of the spell and fog and some drizzle inbetween.
    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120121023.gif[/img]

    The 26th was a cold day with frequent wintry showers and a spell of significant snow in the north east. A maximum of 2.3C at Loch Glascarnoch on the 26th. However the end of the month was changeable with temperatures on the chilly side and spells of rainfall.
    [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-20106383"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-20106383[/url]

    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120121026.gif[/img]


    It was the 6th coldest October on record with a mean temperature of 6.1C and the coldest since 1993. Mean maximum and minimum was 9.5C and 2.7C. Sunshine was above average with a total of 85.2 hrs and rainfall was close to average with a total of 154mm. It was the third highest October in terms of days with air frost with a total of 6 days.





    The first 4 days of November chilly and showery conditions with typically autumnal weather. These showers were quite heavy and there were cold nights with a low of -5.7C at Loch Glascarnoch on 1st. There were also some decent spells of sunshine.
    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120121103.gif[/img]

    It was much milder and wetter from the 6th-20th with bands of rain, at times strong winds and a few sunny and showery days in what was changeable period. It was also much milder with some very mild days: a high of 14.1C at Tain Ridge on the 7th and 16.3C at Kinloss on the 13th.
    [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-20405763"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-20405763[/url]
    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120121113.gif[/img]

    This was followed by a period of further unsettled conditions and more heavy rainfall but temperatures were generally on the chilly side. It was a cold and wintry end to the month with frosty nights and sunny days with some showers and spells of rain in places at times. There were some very cold temperatures: Braemar saw a maximum of 0.3C and a minimum of -7.3C on the 29th.
    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120121128.gif[/img]

    It was another below average month with a mean temperature of 4.6C and a mean maximum and minimum of 7.3C and 1.8C. Overall, it was the 10th sunniest November in Scotland with a total of 55.1hrs. Rainfall was quite close to the average with a total of 154.1mm. A decent month for air frosts with a total of 7.4 days.


    Autumn 2012 was notable cold with a mean temperature of 7.0C (1.0C below the 1981-2010 average) and mean maximum and minimum of 10.1C and 3.9C. November was the coldest month with a mean temperature of 4.6C (just 0.2C higher than February) whilst October was one of the coldest on record - a very different story compared to 2011. Sunshine was 12% above average with a toatl of 253.5hrs and rainfall was 4% below average with a total of 456.8mm. Air frosts also above average with a total of 14.1 days. There was some problems with flooding at times, but with an unusual blocked scenario at times it was pretty dry. And an early start to the snowfall of the 2012/2013 season in late October.



    The cold, crisp and wintry conditions continued into the first part of December. Overall there was plenty of sunny spells, ice, frost, some fog and snow with temperatures widely struggling to reach 5C during the day. There was a widespread frontal snow late on the 2nd into the 3rd which left much of the country under a blanket of snow that would stay for several days. At Loch Glascarnoch on the 2nd it reached a high of just -2.2C and a low of -8.2C. Aviemore and Tulloch Bridge recorded a snow depth of 6cm on the 5th and Fettercairn had a snow depth of 20cm on the 6th. A low of -12.9C was recorded at Braemar on the 6th. The cold conditions continued with some snow showers before briefly turning less cold with loss of snow cover between the 6th-9th.
    [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-20575339"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...otland-20575339[/url]
    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120121203.gif[/img]


    There was another cold and settled spell between the 10th and 13th with dry, bright days and very cold temperatures both at day and at night. A number of locations had an ice day and lows in the highlands dropped below -10C: Braemar reached a high of just -3.8C on 11th and on the 13th it recorded a low of -12.5C. There was some snow showers and patches of fog at times in some locations.

    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120121212.gif[/img]

    From the 14th onwards saw a very unsettled, wet and wild second half to December with less cold conditions. Frequent frontal activity meant that drier and clearer spells were brief and there were showery spells at times. For much of the period it was dull and damp, but most notably it was very wet with significant problems with flooding in the run-up to Christmas. 89.4mm was recorded at Tyndrum on the 20th. It was also windy and wild at times: severe gales early on the 15th caused extensive damage in places; a gust of 72mph was recorded at Stornoway on the 28th. The year ended on quite a showery note and there was some snow showers in places during the final days.



    [img]http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2012/Rrea00120121220.gif[/img]
    A month of contrasts but overall it was colder than average with a mean temperature of 2.3C (0.5C below the 1981-2010 average) and a mean maximum and minimum of 4.9C and -0.2C. Sunshine totals overall were a little above average with a total of 31.3 hours. Rainfall was above average, mostly due to the wet second half, with a total 212.7mm. A decent month for air frosts with a total of 13.9 days.

    2012 was a very unusual year with a variety of weather with notably warm, cold, dry, wet, quiet and stormy periods. December 2012 was the coldest month of the year with a mean temperature of 2.3C contributing to a below average winter. The warmest month was August, but for many the warmest weather occured in late May with the warmest temperature of 2012 being 30.9C at Inverailort, Highland on the 25th. -12.9C recorded at Braemar on the 6th December was the coldest temperature of 2012 and Braemar was the site of the coldest maximum temperature with a high of just -3.8C on the 11th December. The month with the least amount of sunshine was December with 31.3hrs and the sunniest month was May with 205.2hrs. The wettest month was December with a rainfall total of 212.7mm and with 20.8 days with >1mm of rainfall. The driest month was March with a total of 58mm and just 9.1 days with >1mm of rainfall. December had 13.9 days with an air frost which was the highest total of 2012. The highest snow depth was 22cm at Whitehillocks, Angus on the 3rd April. The strongest gust of wind was 102mph recorded at Blackford Hill. The overall mean temperature for 2012 was 0.1C below average at 7.3C and mean maximum and minimum at 10.6C and 4.0C. Sunshine was bang on the average with a total of 1187.6hrs. Rainfall was 2% above average at 1602.6mm. There were 65.3 days with an air frost which was just short of the average.




    [size=3][color=rgb(255,0,0)]Warmest Temperature: 27C (24 May), [/color][color=rgb(0,0,255)]Coldest Temperature: -8 (11 Dec), Coldest Max: 0C, [/color][color=rgb(255,0,0)]Warmest Min: 15C , +20C days: 32 (26 Mar-21 Aug), +15C (24 Mar-21 Oct) [/color][color=rgb(0,0,205)]<0C max: 1,[/color][color=rgb(255,0,0)] [/color][/size][size=3][color=rgb(0,0,255)]<5C max: 29 (11 Feb, 24 Nov),[/color][color=rgb(255,0,0)] [/color][color=rgb(0,0,255)]<10C max (18 May, 16 Oct), [/color][color=rgb(255,0,0)]15C+min: 6 days (4 Jul-1 Sept), [/color][color=rgb(0,0,255)]<5Cmin (18 Jun, 31 Jul), [/color][color=rgb(0,0,205)]Air Frosts: 73 (20 May, 22 Sep), <-5Cmin: 10 (5 Apr, 29 Nov)[/color][/size]
    [size=3][color=rgb(238,130,238)]Snowfall: 20 (6 May, 26 Oct Torrance) 10 (3 April, 2 Dec, Glasgow Airport), Lying snow 8 days (2 Dec), max depth 5cm (3 Dec)[/color][/size]
  22. A Winter's Tale
    [center][b]SPRING 2012[/b][/center]

    FACTS:

    [b]MARCH 2012:[/b]

    [b]SCOTLAND MEAN: 7.0C (NEW RECORD), CET: 8.3C, MAX TEMP: 23.6C, MIN TEMP: -8.5C[/b]
    [b] [b]Scotland diary of highlights[/b][/b]

    [b]The first part of the month was unsettled, but thereafter high pressure was dominant, giving plenty of fine, dry weather and record-breaking high temperatures for many.[/b]
    [b]The mean temperature was 3.1 °C above the 1971-2000 average, provisionally the equal warmest March in a series since 1910 (tied with 1938). It was much drier than normal, with about half the normal amount in the Western and Northern Isles but less than a third of normal across the eastern side; Eastern Scotland had provisionally its 3rd driest March in a series since 1910. Sunshine amounts were above normal except for Shetland.[/b]

    [b]1st to 9th:[/b]
    [b]Light rain over north-western areas on 1st moved south on 2nd to affect some central areas. The 3rd saw a band of rain in the south-west in the morning, moving north-east during the day to leave a scattering of showers which became more widespread during 4th. The 5th saw more in the way of sunshine, and just a few scattered showers for the far north. After a bright start on 6th, rain spread from the west during the afternoon, clearing overnight. The 7th was showery, with strong north-westerly winds, and snow over higher ground in the north, Aviemore (Highland) reporting a snow depth of 3 cm by 0900 on 8th. After a bright start on 8th, rain spread into western and central areas during the afternoon. The 9th started wet in the northwest, although the rain became more patchy as it moved south-eastwards during the afternoon leaving some scattered showers.[/b]

    [b]10th to 20th:[/b]
    [b]It was dry, mild but generally cloudy from 10th to 14th, eastern areas seeing the best of any sunshine. On 15th a band of patchy light rain affected far western areas, with the east staying largely dry but cloudy. The 16th was a wet day for central and southern areas, but the north remained largely dry. The 17th and 18th gave scattered showers in the far north-west, elsewhere having long sunny spells. Some places were cold by night, Braemar (Aberdeenshire) recording -8.5 °C in the early hours of 18th. By contrast, 19th saw rain in most areas, heaviest in the north-west, clearing overnight to give a drier and brighter day on 20th.[/b]

    [b]21st to 31st:[/b]
    [b]The dry and sunny theme continued on 21st and 22nd, with Lossiemouth (Morayshire) reaching 17.6 °C on 21st. The 23rd started with some mist and low cloud for eastern areas although the far west saw patchy rain later in the day. Dry, sunny and warm weather returned from 24th until 30th, and Scotland’s March temperature record was broken on three successive days. Firstly on 25th, Fyvie Castle (Aberdeenshire) recorded 22.8 °C, then Cromdale (Moray) peaked at 23.2 °C the following day, and finally Aboyne (Aberdeenshire) reached 23.6 °C on 27th to set the new record. Temperatures began to drop from 29th onwards, as winds turned north-westerly, with 30th and 31st continuing mostly dry but cloudier.[/b]


    :[b]MY ANALYSIS:[/b]

    A very interesting month with an incredible warm and sunny end which made March 2012 the warmest March in Scotland since records began. However, it wasn't all warm. The month saw High pressure continue around the Azores to begin with before moving northwards where for around a week or two the UK was under settled, dry conditions. There was snow and frost at the beginning and of course there was heat, records and there was typical Spring-like conditions with interesting skies, sunshine so overall a nice month but not perfect with a cloudy period inbetween and I would have liked to have seen more snow. Nonetheless it had lots of different elements of Spring weather, it was pretty seasonal and pleasant and also record breaking.

    The month began quite wet but there were pleasant sunny periods inbetween and temperatures fluctuated so a Spring feel to things. NWly winds followed low pressure systems and that gave my only Snow event of the month which kept the wintry feel going. The unsettled and continued start continued until mid-month where there was a very long period of cloudy and uninteresting weather thanks to high pressure. However after the wintry start, dull middle, summer would prevail in the final third of the month with memories of April 2011. The 21st-25th were sunny and warm around 15-17C temperatures but after that things got even warmer. Scotland became the warmest place in Europe and the UK with a 5-day period of very warm temperatures around 20C and fantastic sunshine. The previous record warm March temperature in Scotland got smashed around 4 times until we reached 23.6C at Aboyne. The following days were still settled and quite pleasant though a bit cooler. Of course it wasn't perfect with not as much snow as I'd like and a perfect March would have even more changeable and interesting and pleasant seasonal conditions but this month was very interesting and pleasing with records going and a decent variety of weather. I would rate this month at around 8/10.

    A very good month for interesting, record breaking warmth and sunshine aswell other types of weather.

    [b]APRIL 2012:[/b]


    [b]SCOTLAND MEAN: 4.9C, CET :7.2C, MAX TEMP: 19.7C, MIN TEMP: -8.2C[/b]

    [b] [b]Scotland diary of highlights[/b][/b]


    [b]With low pressure over or near the UK for most of the month, the weather was generally unsettled with plenty of showers and some snow in the first few days.[/b]

    [b]The mean temperature was 0.8 °C below the 1971-2000 average, making it the coldest April since 1998. It was wetter than normal across the eastern half of Scotland, especially in parts of Aberdeenshire, Moray and Banffshire where over 250% of the normal amount fell. In eastern Scotland, it was provisionally the equal-second wettest April on record, with only April 1934 wetter, and the number of days with rain was the highest in over 50 years. Rainfall totals were close to or below average in the western half of Scotland. It was a relatively dull month in the east, especially in Aberdeenshire, but sunshine totals were somewhat above normal along the west coast and in the Western Isles.[/b]
    [b]1st to 10th: [/b]
    [b]It was dry and bright on 1st although rain spread into northern areas during the afternoon and spread south overnight to leave a showery day on 2nd for central areas with more persistent rain for the north. The 3rd saw a band of rain, sleet and snow move south, with 22 cm of snow lying at Whitehillocks (Angus) early in the day. This cleared overnight to leave drier, brighter but still chilly days on 4th and 5th although some light, patchy rain reached north-western areas later. The rain edged further south on 6th to reach central and eastern areas before clearing overnight to give a drier and brighter day on 7th. Although the 8th started dry, a band of rain moved eastwards, clearing during the afternoon to leave scattered showers. The 9th was generally unsettled with rain or showers for most areas; 29.4 mm was recorded at Edinburgh and 28.0 mm at Tyndrum (Stirling). On 10th a band of rain, sleet and snow spread from the north during the early hours affecting eastern areas before clearing southwards during the evening. [/b] [b]11th to 30th: [/b]
    [b]The 11th saw frequent and heavy showers, some of hail with thunder for Dumfries and Galloway. The showers became more scattered from 12th to 14th before becoming largely confined to north-eastern areas on 15th. The 16th started bright but rain spread from the west during the late afternoon, with Lochgilphead (Argyll and Bute) recording 37.6 mm and Machrihanish (Argyll and Bute) 28.0 mm. The rain affected the north-east for much of 17th with other areas having a blustery day with scattered showers. The 18th saw more sunshine but scattered showers developed, continuing into 19th with a cool north-east wind affecting eastern and northern areas. The showers continued on 20th and 21st with some heavy bursts particularly for central areas. On 22nd and 23rd showers were widespread, frequent and at times heavy. A brisk north-east wind brought further showers to most areas on 24th before northern areas had more persistent rain on 25th with the showers more scattered for eastern and southern areas; 41.0 mm was recorded at Drumnadrochit (Highland). The 26th saw rain spread from the south during the day reaching central areas by evening with northern areas having showers and feeling cool once again in a brisk north-east wind. On 27th central and southern areas saw more sunshine and fewer showers although northern and north-eastern areas continued to have frequent, heavy showers. After a cold start on 28th, with the temperature down to -7.2 °C at Tulloch Bridge (Highland), any showers were lighter and confined to northern areas. After another cold start on 29th, with -6.4 °C at Tulloch Bridge, it was generally a better day with early sunshine, although rain spread from the south in the early evening. This reached northern areas overnight before clearing to leave a cloudy day on 30th with some drizzle for eastern coastal areas. [/b]

    [b]MY ANALYSIS:[/b]

    Overall, April was interesting month, strangely it was colder than March, with a Scotland mean of 4.9C, a reading more familiar with some winter months than Spring. The month included plentiful frosts, first UK and Glasgow snowfall since 2008 and one of the main snow events of the season, the wettest UK April on record, a lot of wet and dull weather for the south, but somewhat better conditions further north.

    The month started bright following a record March warm spell, then a cold spell followed. The first April snowfall in the UK and here in Glasgow since 2008 occured on the 3rd, it also brought lying snow to large areas of the northern half of Scotland including 22cm in some areas and widespread distruption. In some respect, it was the most notable snow event of the season for some. Snow showers from an easterly followed the main snow event on the 3rd. This cold spell followed a record warm spell which made the event even more special, although any snowfall at this time of year is special, especially when some areas get a major snowfall. The following days saw regular periods of fronts, generally cool temperatures, some showers and short periods with some clear patches in the sky. The rest and majority of the month saw lots of showers, cloud cover, lots of hail showers and a few frost and pretty cold nights in areas. There was a lack of warm days, and there was never a fully settled day but there were periods of clear skies. High pressure over Greenland resulted in this April being so unsettled and cold with northerly winds. Overall, I'll rate this month 6/10.

    A very interesting month, but could have been better with some more sunny periods.

    [b]MAY 2012:[/b]

    [b]SCOTLAND MEAN: 8.6C, CET: 11.7C, MAX TEMP: 29.3C (New Scottish record), MIN TEMP: -6.2C[/b]

    [b] [b]Scotland diary of highlights[/b][/b]

    [b]The weather was generally cool and unsettled during the first three weeks, with some strong winds at times. There was then a mostly dry, sunny and very warm interlude with some unusually high temperatures, particularly across Highland Scotland. Conditions turned cooler and unsettled again at month-end. [/b]
    [b]The mean temperature equalled the 1971–2000 average, the very warm spell towards the end of the month offsetting the earlier cool conditions. Rainfall was above normal in Shetland and much of north-west and south-east Scotland, with about 150% of average in the Lothians, the eastern Borders and parts of North-west Highland. Elsewhere, amounts were close to or somewhat below normal, being about 75% of normal in Aberdeenshire and the Western Isles. Sunshine amounts were above normal, especially over Northern Scotland where, provisionally, it was the third sunniest May in the series from 1929.[/b] [b]1st to 6th:[/b] [b]The 1st was generally dry with sunny spells, although rain reached extreme south-western areas during the afternoon and spread up the west coast overnight before dying out. The 2nd and 3rd were dry, sunny but cool although low cloud took time to burn off near eastern coasts. A band of rain spread southwards overnight leaving a bright day on 4th with light, scattered showers and the showery theme continued on 5th and 6th with the heaviest and most frequent showers being in the north and east.[/b] [b]7th to 18th:[/b] [b]The 7th started bright but cloud and rain spread from the south-west to reach all areas by the end of the day. This cleared northwards overnight to leave drier, brighter days on 8th and 9th with only a few light and scattered showers. The 10th saw rain spreading from the south to all areas and it was very cool with maxima typically around 7 to 9 °C. It remained wet and cool for most areas on 11th. The 12th saw an improvement with bright spells and only scattered showers for western areas. However 13th was a stormy day with strong winds and heavy rain spreading in from the north-west. There were large rainfall totals, mainly in the north where Kinlochewe (Highland) recorded 101 mm, and a gust of 67 mph was recorded at Blackford Hill (Edinburgh). The 14th saw the winds ease slightly although there were frequent showers in a cool northerly wind with thunder in Fife. A cool north-westerly wind brought further showers on 15th and 16th, these dying out later in the day. The 17th saw rain and cold easterly winds, with maxima typically around 7 to 9 °C. There was a slow improvement on 18th as the rain moved slowly eastwards. [/b] [b]19th to 28th:[/b] [b]The 19th was a drier and brighter day with only a few scattered showers in the east, and the gradual improvement continued on 20th and 21st with plenty of sunshine. The 22nd was dry, sunny and warm and 23rd was warmer still with temperatures rising close to 27 °C across parts of the Highlands and to 28.4 °C at Cromdale (Highland). The hot conditions triggered some scattered heavy showers for central areas, with Livingston (West Lothian) having a thunderstorm and 36 mm of rainfall. The period 24th to 28th remained very warm and sunny with temperatures reaching the mid to high 20s, although eastern coastal areas saw mist and low cloud during some mornings. The Scottish temperature record for May was broken on 25th when Achnagart (Highland) recorded 29.3 °C. Other high values included 27.3 °C at Bishopton (Glasgow) on 24th, 28.1 °C at Kinlochewe on 26th, 29.0 °C at Cromdale (Highland) on 27th and 26.6 °C at Aberfeldy (Perth and Kinross) on 28th. [/b] [b]29th to 31st:[/b] [b]The 29th and 30th were cloudy and some heavy showers broke out in the Borders during the late afternoon with Floors Castle (Borders) recording 19.3 mm on 30th. The 31st saw a band of rain spread from the west which cleared during the afternoon to leave showers for eastern areas.[/b]
    [b]MY ANALYSIS:[/b]

    May 2012 was another interesting month. We had some very warm temperatures and fantastic weather here in Glasgow at the end of the month but also had a pretty wet and notably cool first half to two thirds with some late season frost and snow. The month was dominated by high pressure over Greenland which resulted in a notable cool and wet first half to May. It wasn't all dull and cool with some pleasant enough days here in Glasgow although further south it was quite dire and even up here we had the odd dire day. The beginning of the month also had a notable cold spell which saw Glasgow had it's coldest May minimum since I can remember with -4C and on a few days we had snowfalls. The quite typical/classic example of a May cold spell in the start to some very wet, changeable conditions in between and a very potent and spectacular spell of weather at the end resulted in May being another fascinating month in 2012.

    The start of the month was cool and with some nice, clear spells of weather aswell as intervening fronts bringing spells or rain and cloud cover. There were a few nice warm days in the first 3 days with temperatures up to 19C although the odd rainy day split up these pleasant spells. From the 5th-7th May we had a cold spell that included some snowfall here in Glasgow and other parts of Scotland and we had 3 consecutive frosts. -6.2C was recorded in Ayrshire which continues the run of years with May minima in the -6Cs. Beyond this, saw less frosts but more wet and cool weather with the odd sunny and clearer spell. This period was quite dull and disapointing at times with surpressed temperatures and very dark and wet conditions.

    The end to May was very spectacular as Scotland's record maxima for May was broken aswell as my personal record maxima for May was also broken. The 21st saw temperatures up to 18C with sunshine but the following day saw the first 20C of the month. We then had two very warm days after that with 26C then followed by 27C (the latter a personal record for me). 3 days of 20C+ and two days of 25C+ is as good as it gets in May. The following days saw temperatures at 24C and 23C and the 27th and 28th saw temperatures at 25C. That was 7 consecutive days of 20C+ temperatures - a total tally that's very good for May and this was probably the warmest and longest spell of hot weather since summer 2006 here. It was warm everywhere in the UK but the NW had the best of conditions. This was really as good as it gets in Glasgow when it comes to summer weather and Scotland broke it's May record with 29.3C. The final days of the month were cooler and a bit wetter. I would rate this month at 8 or even 9/10.

    A very interesting month - not perfect - with varied conditions and periods, some fantastic pleasnant weather on both spectrums of cold and warm May weather and some records broken with a very spectacular warm spell.
  23. A Winter's Tale
    After 136 goals in 48 matches, the group stage was arguably the greatest ever. Some big european teams have fallen, whilst 8 sides from the Americas and 2 from Africa have progressed. Other than Greece, the european teams have generally benefited from developing young footballers. The last includes a nice mix of teams from South America, Europe, Central and North America and Africa. Algeria and Greece have reached the last 16 for the first time, and there are sine other decent but other un fancied teams left in the competition. There are some South American sides such as chile, Colombia and Uruguay who can go all the way. Then there are the big teams who are all varied and all have their deficiencies. The favourites Brazil are hosts but despite not that great a side, they are looking to add to their glorious footballing history. Germany, who are a well balanced and organised team, once more should make into the latter stages, but they are looking to add to their successful history by winning their first major international trophy in nearly twenty years. Argentina, on South American soil, have some big stars in their team, and one of the great players Lionel messi will be looking to add a third world title for Argentina in Brazil. The Netherlands, the greatest nation never to win the World Cup for the first time with an unspectacular, but very efficient and well organised side. France, who have somewhat fallen since the 2006 World Cup final, it looks like they mean business and they will want to win a second World Cup. The golden generation of Belgian football, had brought the team into the last 16 of their first major tournament since 2002, they've been unspectacular but despite inexperience at this level, they can write themselves into the history books. The group stages provided a wonderful festival and celebration of football, but now we are into the defining business end of the World Cup where history is made. Half of the teams in the last 16 were at the same stage 4 years ago, and hopefully the knock-out stage delivers more goals, great goals and plenty of drama, excitement and defining moments.

    Today sees a South American showdown with Brazil v Chile and Colombia v Uruguay, all looking for a place in the quarter finals. The first game is a highly-anticipated encounter between the hosts Brazil, against South American dark horses Chile.

    Brazil have qualified into the second round of the World Cup for every finals except for 1966 and they are looking for a 6th consecutive appearance in the quarter-finals. Brazil, ranked 3rd in the world, qualified for the last 16 after beating Croatia 3-1, drawing with Mexico 0-0 and a 4-1 victory over Cameroon, scoring 7 goals (4 from Neymar, 1 from Fernandinho, Fred and Oscar) and conceded just 2. However, despite being such a difficult team to beat on home soil, this Brazilian team isn't the greatest in their history or in the 2014 World Cup and it shows. They know how to create big moments that win matches, but they aren't the greatest going forward, heavily relying on Neymar, and whilst they are stronger defensively than they are upfront there is always a mistake or two at the back. Their squad is made up with: [color=rgb(40,40,40)][font='Open Sans'][size=4]6 from England (4 from Chelsea, 1 from Manchester City and Tottenham); 4 from Brazil (2 from Athletico Mineiro, 1 from Fluminense and Botafogo); 3 from Spain (2 from Barcelona and 1 from Real Madrid); 3 from Italy (1 from Napoli, Inter and Roma); 2 from Germany (1 from Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg); 2 from France (2 from PSG); and 1 from Russia (Zenit), Ukraine (Donetsk) and Canada (Toronto).[/size][/font][/color][size=4] The 5 times champions, will need to improve if they are to win on home soil, but perhaps the home advantage will seem through and that's why I expect them to win the tournament.[/size]

    [size=4]Their opponents, Chile, has a squad made up of: [/size][size=4]5 from Chile (3 from Universidad de Chile, 2 from Colo-Colo) and Spain (Barcelona, Valencia, Sociedad, Osasuna, Celta Vigo); 4 from Italy (2 from Juventus, 1 from Atalanta, Calgiari); 3 from Brazil (Internacional, Palmeiras, Santos); 2 from England (Wigan, Nottingham Forest); 1 from Sweden (Malmo), Wales (Cardiff), Netherlands (Twente), Switzerland (Basel). They've qualified from the group stage for the 4th time in their history and are looking to at least go as far as they did in 1962 when they finished 3rd after losing to Brazil in the semi-finals. Ranked 14th in the World (their highest was 6th in 1998), they [/size]finished[size=4] second in group B after beating Australia 3-1 and the World Champions Spain 2-0 but lost 2-0 to the Netherlands on the final game. They scored 5 goals (from Alexis Sanchez, Charles Aranguiz, Jean Beausejour, Jorge Valdivia and Eduardo Vargas) and conceding 3. Chile have improved since the previous World Cup and they very much lived up to the hype of being dark horses - particularly in the manner of how they defeated Spain 2-0. They are an excellent side without the star names of Brazil. Sanchez and Vidal are crucial players, but as we've seen from them so far, it's the energy and intensity of the team that makes them such a great side. Despite having a small and at times vulnerable back three, their midfield rotates, presses and moves at a high rate and they are a team who are always looking to attack, and are a real threat to any team when they go forward. I suspect Chile will lose to Brazil once again, but this time Chile does have a better chance of an upset. If they do the unthinkable and beat Brazil, then they can go very far but if they lose as expected, then it certainly won't detract from the quality and entertainment this team has provided at the World Cup.[/size]

    [size=4]The head-to-head record: In their last 12 games against Chile, Brazil are unbeaten with 10 wins and 2 draws since Chile last defeated them in a qualifier for the World Cup in 2000. The two sides have met 3 times at a World Cup with Brazil winning all three (4-2 in 1962, 4-1 in 1988 and 3-0 in 2010). In 68 meetings, Chile have only won seven times and lost on 48 occasions. Brazil and Chile last met on the 20th November 2013 as Brazil won 2-1 in a friendly. [/size]

    [size=4]Brazil's only defeat in 24 matches was in last August against Switzerland, and Brazil are now unbeaten in 40 successive home matches, with their last defeat in August 2002 against Paraguay and the Cope America semi-final in 1975 was Brazil's last [/size]competitive defeat, losing 3-1 to Peru. In their last 4 World Cup matches against South American sides, Chile have been defeated and 1962 was the last time they won a knock-out game at the World Cup.

    [size=4]I'm going for Brazil 3-1 Chile. It could be a very close and tight match but I expect goals to come for Brazil, probably in quick [/size]succession[size=4] in the second half, against a small and not the most solid defence in the World. Brazil will be a threat at set-pieces with their height advantage. And given the history of Brazil playing at home, and their superior record against Chile, then it's hard to see how Brazil can lose this despite their [/size]deficiencies and Chile's qualities. The atmosphere should be a big factor and Brazil should be organised enough to prevent Chile from doing much damage, and the pace of players like Neymar and Oscar should threaten Chile's defence. Brazil's defence isn't the greatest either, and Chile's brand of football should give the hosts a few problems, but not enough to go through.

    The final match is an interesting encounter between Colombia and Uruguay. Two similar South American teams who are very decent international sides with some very good players, some weak points aswell. The two nations don't have as big a name as Brazil or Argentina, and Chile's style of football may have won more plaudits, but nevertheless, these two teams are dark-horses and can have a say on the outcome of the World Cup, and one of these relatively evenly matched sides will face another South American opponent in the quarter-finals.

    Colombia, ranked 8th in the World (their highest came last year when they were ranked 3rd), at their first World Cup since 1998 have qualified for the last 16 for the second time in their history and they've never reached the quarter-finals. They emphatically finished top of Group C by beating Greece 3-0, Ivory Coast 2-1 and Japan 4-1, scoring 9 goals (3 from James Rodriguez, 2 from Jackson Martinez, 1 from Pablo Armero, Juan Cuadrado and Teofilo Gutierrez) and conceded just twice. Their squad is made up of: [color=rgb(40,40,40)][font='Open Sans']6 from Italy (Milan, Inter, Napoli, Atalanta, Florientina, Calgiari); 4 from Argentina (3 from River Plate, 1 from San Lorenzo); 3 from France (Monaco, Toulouse, Nice), Colombia (Santa Fe, Athletico Nacional, Deportivo Cali); 2 from Portugal (Porto), Spain (Elche, Sevilla); from England (West Ham), Netherlands (PSV) and Germany (Hertha Berlin). Colombia have been impressive so far in the World Cup and you can see how they are considered dark horses. Despite an slow, but experienced, defence and the injury to star striker Falcao, Colombia have looked excellent going forward with some excellent footballers. James Rodriguez in particular has been impressive, and in my opinion he was the best player in the group stage with his goals, technique and positioning. This is a match Colombia should win to reach the last 8 for the first time in their history, but I think it's unlikely that they'll go any further.[/font][/color]

    Uruguay (ranked 7th, their best ranking was 2nd in 2012), being the smallest nation competing at the World Cup, have had some sort of a golden generation in the past 4 years, reaching the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2010 and winning the Copa America - well earned triumphs for their group of players. Their squad includes: [color=rgb(40,40,40)][font='Open Sans'][size=4]5 from Italy (Juventus, Lazio, Parma, Bologna, Palermo); 4 from Spain (3 from Athletico Madrid, 1 from Espanyol); 3 from England (Liverpool, Southampton, West Brom), Brazil (Corinthians, Sao Paulo, Vasco du Gama); 2 from Portugal (Porto and Benfica); 1 from Uruguay (Nacional), Turkey (Galatasaray), Paraguay (Libertad), Japan (Cerezo Osaka), Mexico (Morelia), France (PSG).[/size][/font][/color][color=rgb(40,40,40)][font='Open Sans'][size=4] The former two times World Champions, Uruguay have qualified into the second round for the 9th time in their history. It was a mixed group stage, finishing second in Group D after losing 3-1 to Costa Rica and beating England 2-1 and Italy 1-0. Reaching the last 16 is a decent enough achievement for a team how have excelled in the past four years, but are past their peak with ageing key players such as Diego Forlan. The big miss for Uruguay is Luis Suarez after his biting incident against Italy. His absence will probably mean that Uruguay won't go through, and if they do, then they won't go any further. Uruguay's performances in the group stage wasn't all that great, and they haven't been at their best in the past two years. Cavani up front doesn't seem to live up to expectations and Uruguay lack width and creativity - meaning they are less pleasurable to watch than some of the other South American sides. Defensively, on paper they aren't the best, but as a team they are clever enough to prevent teams from attacking and this trait could provide a tricky obstacle for Colombia.[/size][/font][/color]

    [color=rgb(40,40,40)][font='Open Sans'][size=4]In 1962, Colombia's first World Cup match was 2-1 defeat by Uruguay. During the past 10 years, Uruguay have won 6 out of 8 games against Colombia and Colombia's last victory was a 4-0 win in a World Cup qualifier in 2012. Since losing 2-0 Uruguay last September, Colombia are unbeaten in their last 10 games. [/size][/font][/color]
    I'm going for a 2-1 victory to Colombia. Uruguay will be much weaker up front without Luis Suarez and Cavani won't be able to fill his boots. Uruguay will be difficult enough to break down, but ultimately I expect Colombia to be fairly dominant in possesion and more of a threat going forward with players like Cuadrado and Rodriguez making all the difference. Colombia, then should go on to play in their first ever World Cup quarter-final (most likely against Brazil and that's where their journey should end).

    Netherlands, finalists in 2010, are ranked 15th in the World (previous best was 1st in 2011) and they have qualified for second round for the 8th time in their history (previous best was runners-up 1974, 1978 and 2010. Their squad includes: [size=4]10 from the Netherlands (5 from Feyenoord, 3 from Ajax, 2 from PSV); 4 from England (Manchester United, Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Norwich); 3 from Germany (Bayern Munich, Schalke, Augsburg); 2 from Wales (Swansea), 2 from Turkey (Fenerbanche, Galatasaray); 1 from Italy (Milan) and Ukraine (Dynamo Kiev). They qualified as group winners by beating Spain 5-1, Australia 3-2 and Chile 2-0, scoring 10 goals (3 from Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben, 2 from Memphis Depay, 1 from Leroy Fer and Stefan de Vrij) and conceding 3. Going into the World Cup, I expected the Netherlands to crash out the group stage but they've proved me wrong. Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie have been excellent and the team (perhaps aided by their approach to football at youth level) has performed above the sum of the parts. There are deficiencies which have been evident at times but the Netherlands look in good condition to play Mexico. If they win, as they are [/size]expected[size=4] to then they should at least reach the semi-finals. [/size]


    [color=rgb(40,40,40)][font='Open Sans'][size=4]Mexico, ranked 20th in the world (their previous best was 4th in 1998 and 2006), have qualified for the second round for the 8th and this will be their 6th consecutive round of 16 appearance - their best was quarter-finalists in 1970 and 1986.Their squad includes: 15 from Mexico [/size][/font][/color][color=rgb(40,40,40)][font='Open Sans'][size=4](4 from America, 3 from Leon and Toulca, 2 from UANL and Cruz Azul and 1 from Santos Languna); 3 from Spain (2 from Sevilla and 1 from Espanyol); 2 from Portugal (Porto); 1 from England (Manchester United), 1 from Germany (Bayer Leverkusen) and 1 from France (Ajaccio). They finished second and unbeaten in group A, winning 1-0 against Cameroon, drew 0-0 against Brazil and beat Croatia 3-1, scoring 4 goals (Javier Herandez, Andres Guardado, Rafael Marquez and Oribe Peralta) and conceded just 1. Mexico have also been a surprise. They are incredibly difficult to beat with a 5-3-2 formation and a goalkeeper who's performing well. They are organised and play with lots of energy and pace which makes them appealing to watch and dangerous going forward. They might be slight underdogs against the Netherlands, but it wouldn't be much of a surprise if Mexico reach the quarter-finals.[/size][/font][/color]

    [color=rgb(40,40,40)][font='Open Sans'][size=4]In the last 4 meetings between the two sides, Mexico have lost three and drawn one. The only time the two teams met in the World Cup was in 1998 with a 2-2 draw in the group stage. [/size][/font][/color]

    [size=4]I'm going for Netherlands 2-1 Mexico. This game will be played in very hot and humid conditions which will very much be in the [/size]favour[size=4] of the Mexicans. And without the hot conditions, Mexico will be a very difficult team for the Netherlands as they are very well organised, very difficult to breakdown and are dangerous going forward. There is a fair chance that Mexico could go through. But I think Louis van Gaal should get his tactics right, the star players and the team as a whole should do enough to negotiate a way into the quarter-finals.[/size]



    [color=rgb(40,40,40)][font='Open Sans'][size=4]Costa Rica ranked 28th in the World (highest was 17th in 2003) have qualified for the second round for the second time in their history. Their squad includes [/size][/font][/color][size=4]9 from Costa Rica (4 from Herediano, 2 from Saprissa, Alajuelense, 1 from Cartagines); 3 from USA (2 from Colombus Crew, 1 from New York Red Bulls); 3 from Norway (Rosenborg, Aalesund, Valerenga); 1 from Belgium (Club Brugge), Spain (Levante), Sweden (AIK), Denmark (Copenhagen), Greece (Olympiakos), Netherlands (PSV), Germany (Mainz), Russia (Kuban Krasnodar). They finished top of Group D beating Uruguay 3-1 and Italy 1-0 and drew 0-0 with England, scoring 4 goals (Joel Campbell, Bryan Ruiz, Marco Urena, Oscar Duarte) and conceded just 1 goal. Costa Rica have been the surprise of the World Cup so far by [/size]finishing[size=4] top of a group containing three former Champions and all ranked in the top 10 in the World. Costa Rica have been mentioned by some to be a good international team and they are proving it. They are very difficult to beat with the only goal they've conceded being a penalty and they can be a threat going forward. They stand a good chance of beating Greece to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in their history. [/size]
    [color=rgb(40,40,40)][font='Open Sans'][size=4]Greece are ranked 12th ( with their highest being 8th in 2008 2011). They have qualified for the second round for the first time in their history. Their squad includes: [/size][/font][/color][color=rgb(40,40,40)][font='Open Sans'][size=4]9 from Greece (4 from Olympiakos and PAOK, 1 from Panathinaikos); 6 from Italy (2 from Bologna, 1 from Roma, Genoa, Torino and Verona); 2 from Spain (Levante and Granada), England (Fulham); 1 from Scotland (Celtic), Germany (Borussia Dortmund), Turkey (Kayserispor). They finished second in Group C, losing 3-0 to Colombia, drew 0-0 with Japan and beat Ivory Coast 2-1 scoring 2 (Georgios Samaras, Andreas Samaris), and conceded 4. A lot has been said about the Greeks and their defensive style, but I do admire how they are consistently a team ranked around the top 15 in the World and how difficult they are to beat. They are limited, but they try to make themselves a very difficult unit to breakdown with the chance of nicking a goal from somewhere. Reaching the last 16 for the first time is a great achievement but this should be as a far as they should go, but they do have a chance against Costa Rica. [/size][/font][/color]

    [size=4]This is the first ever meeting for these two teams and I think Costa Rica will win 1-0. Greece will be very tough to breakdown and could score a goal or two, but they are [/size]fortunate enough to be here and finishing in the last 16 is roughly the level where Greece is at. Costa Rica could see their intensity levels drop after their performances in the group stage but they should stop Greece from scoring and they have enough quality upfront to score a goal or two and reach the quarter-finals for the first time in their history.


    France, ranked 17th (they were top the rankings in 2001 and 2002), have qualified for knock-out round for 6th time - their best performance was winners in 1998. Their squad includes: 10 from England (3 from Arsenal and Newcastle United and 1 from Southampton, Tottenham, Manchester United and Liverpool); 8 from France (3 from PSG, 1 from Saint Etienne, Bastia, Lille, Montpellier and Marseille); 3 from Spain (2 from Real Madrid, 1 from Real Sociedad); 1 from Portugal (Porto) and Italy (Juventus). They finished top of Group E, beating Honduras 3-0 and Switzerland 5-2 and drew 0-0 with Ecuador, scoring 8 goals (3 from Karim Benzema, 1 from Olivier Giroud, Blaise Matuidi, Moussa Sissoko, Mathieu Valbuena), conceding 2. France was one of the best performing teams in the group stage and have surprised many. They were considered dark horses before the World Cup, but now they have a realistic chance of going far. They are a very well balanced team, very organised with an excellent shape. They can defend well, pass well and attack well which makes them a well-rounded team. Benzema is scoring goals and there are other players performing well such as Cabaye and Valbuena. They should be good enough to get past Nigeria, and they have quality to go all the way.

    Nigeria are one of two African sides in the last (the first time this has ever happened) and they are ranked 45th in the world (their highest was 4th in 1994). They've qualified for second round for the 3rd time and will be looking to reach the last 8 for the first time in their history. Their squad includes: [color=rgb(40,40,40)][font='Open Sans']6 from England (Newcastle United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Middlesbrough, Stoke, Norwich); 4 from Nigeria (Enugu Rangers, Warri Wolves, Sunshine Stars, Gombe United); 2 from Belgium (Waasland-Beveren, Cercle Brugge), Turkey (Caykur Risespor, Fenerbanche), Israel (Ashdod, Hapoel Be'er Sheva) ; 1 from France (Lille), Scotland (Celtic), Russia (CSKA Moscow), Spain (Almeria), Italy (Lazio), Ukraine (Volyn Lutsk), Netherlands (Heerenveen). Nigeria finished second in Group F, drawing 0-0 with Iran, beating Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-0 and lost 3-2 to Argentina, scoring 3 goals (2 from Ahmed Musa and 1 from Peter Odemwingie), conced[/font][/color][color=rgb(40,40,40)][font='Open Sans'][size=4]ing twice. Nigeria won the African Cup of Nations a couple of years ago and their young, generally well-balanced and organised side has been hailed as one of the best in African football history and reaching the last 16 has justified that. And despite playing against the French, Nigeria should be a tough test as they are solid defensively and quite dangerous going forward, and some believe that they can reach the quarter-finals.[/size][/font][/color]

    [color=rgb(40,40,40)][font='Open Sans'][size=4]The only time the two sides met was in 2009 with Nigeria winning 1-0. France have lost to African nations at the World Cup in two of their last three matches. But I'm going for France 2-0 Nigeria. Nigeria will be a very tough challenge, but France should be strong enough to stop Nigeria from causing much damage. The French should have enough creativity going forward to provide their attacking players with enough chances to convert at least a couple of goals. [/size][/font][/color]

    [size=4]Germany are ranked second in the World (their highest is number one) and they have [/size]remarkably[size=4] progressed into the second round the 16th occasion, but 15 consecutive appearances since 1954 - three times winners in 1954, 1974 and 1990. Their squad is made up of: [/size][size=4]16 from Germany (7 from Bayern Munich, 4 from Borussia Dortmund, 2 from Schalke, 1 from Freiburg, Honnover, Borussia Monchegladbach), 4 from England (3 from Arsenal, 1 from Chelsea); 2 from Italy (Lazio and Sampdoria), 1 from Spain (Real Madrid). Germany [/size]finished[size=4] top of Group G by beating Portugal 4-0, drawing 2-2 with Ghana and won 1-0 against the USA, scoring 7 goals (4 from Thomas Muller, 1 from Mario Gotze, Mats Hummels and Miroslav Klose), conceding 2. Germany have reached at least the last 4 of the past 3 World Cups and for every World Cup since 1954, their final position has always been in the top 8. Against Algeria, Germany should efficient enough to reach the quarter-finals. It certainly isn't a perfect international team, with some key players being injured, but they are still very efficient, organised, clever and very German, with Thomas Muller scoring goals and their attacking players are creative and very dangerous on the counter-attack. Germany's defence has looked a little open at times, but it shouldn't be too much of an issue yet.[/size]

    [size=4]Algeria, ranked 22nd (their highest was 19th in 2012), have [/size]qualified[size=4] for the second round for the first time in their history - although, ironically, Germany played out a draw in the group stage of the 1982 World Cup to see Algeria knocked-out. Their squad includes: [/size][color=rgb(40,40,40)][font='Open Sans'][size=4]4 from Italy (Inter, Napoli, Udinese, Livorno), Spain (Valencia, Getafe, Granada and Mallorca); 3 from England (Tottenham, Watford, Leicester), France (Reims, Ajaccia and Valenciennes), Portugal (Porto, Sporting and Academica); 2 from Algeria 2 from Algeria (CS Constantine, USM Alger); 1 from Croatia (Dinamo Zagreb), Qatar (Lekhwiya), Tunisia (Club Africain) and Bulgaria (CSKA Sofia). Algeria finished second in Group H, losing 2-1 to Belgium, beat South Korea 4-2 and drew with Russia 1-1, scoring 6 goals (2 from Islam Slimani, 1 from Yacine Brahami, Abdelmoumene Djabou, Sofiane Feghouli, Rafik Halliche), conceding 5. Algeria were expected to be a tough team, but they have been a surprise at this World Cup as they've been very organised and difficult to beat and they have more of a threat going forward than in 2010. They could be a tricky opponent to Germany in the last 16. [/size][/font][/color]

    [color=rgb(40,40,40)][font='Open Sans'][size=4]The two previous meetings were won by Algeria (2-0 v Germany in a friendly in 1964 and 2-1 in the group stage of the 1982 World Cup). But I don't see history repeating itself and I expect Germany to win 2-0. Germany should have more than enough about them to score at least a couple of goals and they should be able to press and prevent Algeria from going forward. But if the German forwards struggle to create or score chances and their defence is as open as it was at times in the group stage, then Algeria could have a chance. [/size][/font][/color]
    [color=rgb(40,40,40)][font='Open Sans'][/font][/color]

    Argentina have progressed to the second round for the 12th and are looking to reach a third consecutive quarter-final appearance. The side ranked 5th in the world (1st in 2007) are looking to claim a third world title. Their squad includes: 7 from Italy (3 from Inter, 2 from Napoli, 1 from Catania and Lazio); 4 from Spain (2 from Barcelona, 1 from Celta Vigo and Real Madrid); 3 from England (Manchester City), Argentina (2 from Boca Juniors and 1 from Newell's Old Boys) and Portugal (2 from Benfica, 1 from Sporting); 2 from France (PSG and Monaco) and 1 from Mexico (Monterrey). Argentina qualified as group winners and won all of their games, beating Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-1, Iran 1-0 and Nigeria 3-2 scoring 6 goals (4 from Lionel Messi and 1 from Marcos Rojo), conceding 3. Despite being one of four teams to have won all of their group games, Argentina weren't all that impressive and were heavily reliant on moments of magic from Lionel Messi. If he performs well then Argentina have more than a chance of doing well, but I feel that other attacking players need to join in and cause problems to opponents, the team needs to be more creative and coherent in midfield and defence is a real issue. Nevertheless, I think Argentina should have enough to beat most of their opponents - even when they are not playing well.

    Switzerland are ranked 6th in the world (previous best was 3rd in 1993) and they have reached the second round for the 6th time with their best performance being quarter finals in 1934 and 1938. Their squad includes: 9 from Germany (2 from Wolfsburg, Freiburg, 1 from Bayern Munich, Hamburg, Nurnberg, Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Monchengladbach); 7 from Switzerland (3 from Basel, 2 from Grasshopper, 1 from Zurich and Young Boys); 5 from Italy (3 from Napoli, 1 from Juventus and Sassuolo); 2 from Spain (Valencia and Real Sociedad). They finished second in Group E, beating Ecuador 2-1, losing 5-2 to France and defeated Honduras 3-0, scoring 7 goals (3 from xhedran Shaqiri, 1 from granit xhaka, Harris seferovic, blerim dzemaili and admir mehmedi), conceding 6. Switzerland are a very difficult team to beat and have lost only twice in twenty matches. They are far from spectacular, but they are solid and efficient and generally well balanced. The performances and results in the group stage were mixed, but Switzerland should give Argentina a good game and a shock cannot be ruled out.

    In the 6 previous times the two teams have met, Argentina have won 4 and drawn 2. They last met in 2012 when Argentina won 3-1 and their only World Cup meeting was a 2-0 Argentinian victory in the group stage in 1966.

    I'm going for a 2-1 victory for Argentina. Switzerland will be a tough opponent for Argentina and the South Americans need to play better than they did in the group stage. I suspect that Lionel Messi will once again make a difference and score or create some goals.

    Belgium, ranked 11th in the world (their highest was 5th last year), have reached the second round for the 6th time in their history. In the first World Cup for 12 years, Belgium are hoping to reach the semi finals as they did in 1986. Their squad is made up of: 11 from England (3 from Tottenham, 2 from Manchester United, Everton, 1 from Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City); 3 from Belgium (Standard Liege, Anderlecht and Zulte Waregem); 2 from Spain (Athletico Madrid), Germany (Bayern Munich, Wolfsburg), Russia (Zenit); 1 from Portugal (Porto), Italy (Napoli) and France (Lille). They won all of their group matches to finish top of group h, beating Algeria 2-1, Russia 1-0 and South Korea 1-0, scoring 4 goals (1 from Marouane Fellani, dries mertens, divock origi and jan vertonghen), conceding just 1 goal. Belgium haven't been spectacular and at times lack cohesion but this inexperienced golden generation have been efficient enough to win all their games, conceding just one goal which was a penalty, and they know how to win games late. On paper they should go through, but it should a close but interesting match against the USA. They may not have impressed, but Belgium are a dangerous side in this World Cup.

    The USA are ranked 13th in the world (their highest ranking was 4th in 2006) and they have qualified for the second round for the 5th time - their best was semi finalists in 1930. Their squad is made up of: 9 from USA (2 from Real Salt Lake, Seattle Sounders, Sporting Kansas City, 1 from LA Galaxy, San Jose Earthquakes and Houston Dynamo); 4 from Germany (Nurnberg, Hoffenheim, Bayern Munich, Hertha Berlin) and England (Everton, Stoke, Aston Villa and Sunderland); 1 from Canada (Tornoto), Mexico (Puebla), Netherlands (AZ), Norway (Rosenborg), France (Nantes), Turkey (Beskitas). They finished second in group g, beating Ghana 2-1, drawing 2-2 with Portugal and losing 1-0 with Germany, scoring 4 goals (2 from clint Dempsey, 1 from john brooks and jermaine jones), conceding 4. The USA have been impressive with their work rate, energy and organisation which makes them a very decent international side that's greater than the sum of the parts. This makes for a very interesting encounter with Belgium and the USA have a chance of reaching the quarter finals.

    The two sides have only met once in the World Cup in 1930 when the USA won 3-0. Since then, the two sides have met four times with Belgium winning on every occasion, the most recent being a 4-2 victory in 2012.

    I'm predicting a 1-0 victory for Belgium. It will be a very tough game for them but I suspect they'll have enough to stop the USA from scoring and Belgium should be able to score enough to beat the USA and Belgium could be dangerous on the counter attack. However, the USA have every chance of progressing.

    Predictions
    Quarter finals:
    Brazil 2-0 Colombia
    France 1-2 Germany
    Netherlands 2-0 Costa Rica
    Argentina 2-1 Belgium

    Semi finals

    Brazil 2-1 Germany
    Netherlands 1-2 Argentina

    3rd place play off
    Germany 3-1 Netherlands

    Final

    Brazil 3-2 Argentina
  24. A Winter's Tale
    [b][u][u]AWT'S Autumn 2012 Forecast[/u][/u][/b]

    [b][u][u]SEPTEMBER [/u][/u][/b]... quite warm and changeable with good periods of both dry and wet and windy autumnal weather. Temperatures 0.0 to 1.0 above normal. CET 14.0C. Rainfall 110% in the north/west to 60% in the south east, spells of active atlantic weather. Sunshine 5-15% above normal.

    [b][u][u]OCTOBER [/u][/u][/b]... warm start, cooler end and wet, windy and changeable at times. Temperatures 0.5C below to 0.75 above the normal. CET 10.8C. Rainfall 120% in the north west to 75% in the south east, depressions and showery precipitation bringing rainfall. Sunshine 5-10% above normal.

    [b][u][u]NOVEMBER[/u][/u] [/b]... cool and mild spells, average overall and quite wet and windy. Temperatures 0.5C below to 0.5C above normal. CET 7.1C. Rainfall 110% in western and northern areas to 70% in the south and east. Sunshine 0-10% above normal.
  25. A Winter's Tale
    [u][b][u][u]CSS Spring Forecast 2012[/u][/u][/b][/u]

    Overview

    With Winter being many Atlantic dominated with a persistent Azores High, I believe that a very interesting Spring is on the cards. I believe that March will start of Atlantic Dominated but I do believe that we will see it become quieter - I believe that his could result in a mixture of cold and warm spells for March and April with plenty of sunshine and increasing the risk of drought although showers may still be possible in the NW. I believe, usually, we'd atleast expect a decent warm spell between Mid April and Mid June so I'm confident that May will see periods of warmth, sunshine and potential thundery breakdowns but it's a question of whether May would continue being generally warm and dry or will the Atlantic return bring wet conditions but with a possibility for cool, showery conditions. I believe that this Spring will be pivotal in the summer that we get - particulary April and May so a warm theme of May well carry on into June but eventually the Atlantic may return leading to poor periods in summer.



    [b]MARCH[/b]

    March is set to start of a wet, windy, unsettled and mild not with some sunny, showery spells between fronts. However as we progress through the month, I expect there to be an increase in northerly outbreaks and potential easterlies as we see height rises return either over Iceland or Greenland. This would mean that the jet stream will move south for periods resulting in spells that include northerlies with snow showers to the north but generally sunny conditions, however the Atlantic will intervene at times. Towards the final third of the month, I expect to see some warmer days mixed in with the northerlies, fronts and a continued sunny flavour.

    [color=#FF0000]Generally incaccurate - Wet, windy, unsettled start is quite accurate with some sunny, showery spells and fronts also accurate. However my referrence to northerlies isn't accurate. However a hint at warmer days at the end is quite accurate.[/color]



    [b]APRIL[/b]

    I expect April to start on a showery note with westerly winds, these generally cool but there may be the odd warmer day thrown in. However, eventually I see winds turning to more of a northerly setting up and cool-cold early-middle part of the month with a continued risk of snow to the north. Following this, I expect a return to fronts from the west breaking up long, periods of generally sunny conditions with a mixture of settled to showery, cool to warm. During the final part of the month, I expect temperatures to be on rise and more undisturbed periods of sunshine.


    [color=#FF0000]Accurate - My forecast of showery, cool, northerlies, snow, fronts, showery is accurate although a warmer end and some other details aren't perfect. [/color]

    [b]MAY[/b]

    I expect the very early stages of May to see sunny, but pleasant to warm temperatures with the odd cool night as the April shower regime begins to fade out. As we progress, we'll see an increase in temperatures but there may be the odd front to break up seperate periods of sunshine and warmth. Towards the middle of the month, I expect the Atlantic to return and subsequently there may initially be some thundery conditions. Following this we may see a period with low pressure systems crossing over the UK bringing rain, but clearing quickly to introduce cooler but sunny conditions with the threat of wintryness on the northern hills. There may also be the odd day thrown in. This shouldn't last too long as to finish off the month, I expect a trend for a return to sunnier conditions with warmth but these periods may be regular - but short lived.

    [color=#FF0000]Not Wrong but Not Accurate - The very early stages of pleasant-warm temps is relatively accurate, an increase of temperatures is wrong, but the return of the Atlantic, wintryness on hills, low pressure and cool is correct. The warm end to the month is also accurate.[/color]


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