A Winter's Tale
-
Posts
4,194 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
6
Content Type
Forums
Blogs
Gallery
Events
Learn About Weather and Meteorology
Community guides
Posts posted by A Winter's Tale
-
-
Here's a screenshot of the Lightning I tried to film on Tuesday night. It's a shame it didn't stay clear for long as it was quite a light show in the east - though I'm glad the storm was not overhead! Yesterday turned out to be a very warm and humid day with a hazy end of summer feel. Last night was largely clear though I was able to see distant flashes to the south - presumably from the storms near the aisle of Man. Cooler and cloudier today.
-
4
-
-
Cloud cover has now obscured the storm though I've been able to hear some thunder.
-
2
-
-
Truly unbelievable light show right now. I've seen many bolts of lightning looking east!
-
2
-
-
I can only imagine what the carnage that's going on in Edinburgh/Fife - constant lightning, heavy rain, a little bit of hail, gusty winds and lloud thunder. The only thing missing is a tornado! I wonder what's contributed to such an impressive that seems to have intensified after dark. Here it's a warm night but the breeze has picked up a little with clouds moving quickly to the west. There's been constant flashes to the east for much of the last two hours with occasional brighter flashes.
-
3
-
-
Seems to be lightning flashes to the east every few seconds. I can't tell there's cloud or haze overhead and whether that's reflecting the the Lightning from the storm over Edinburgh. Quite remarkable that the flashes can be seen from Ayr - it must be some storm over Edinburgh.
-
1
-
-
Heavy rain and just saw a flash of lightning
-
1
-
-
Given how close Prestwick is to the sea 30c is quite remarkable - and it's not the first time it's happened. I wonder if there's a micro climate there that contributes to higher temperatures or perhaps it's just down to a favourable wind direction.
-
3
-
-
6 minutes ago, Ross B said:
Some showers breaking out soon maybe? Lots of lightning going to waste out at sea currently!
Quite a lot of clouds bubbling up now and I wouldn't be surprised if some develop into showers.
-
2
-
-
Lovely night tonight and it looks like we could be in for an interesting couple of days. Last year Glasgow reached 29Cand the year before it exceeded 31C and with 29C forecast for tomorrow it seems summer 2020 might join the list of very high temperatures in Glasgow. Like last summer it hasn't been anything special in terms of temperatures and sunshine so far but when we do get a spell of hot weather it tends to be very hot.
I've just read the convective weather forecast which is interesting to say the least. Last year was very active in terms of convection and 2018 had a couple of decent storms but the last proper storm I can remember was 2006. I don't think I've experienced a supercell or a severe thunderstorm with large hail and gusty winds although I might have seen a funnel cloud once. I doubt there'll be widespread thunderstorm activity tomorrow but where they do occur they could be intense.
-
5
-
-
A brief wintry shower has just passed through - just 24hrs after a maximum of 20C. I think it snowed exactly 10 years ago today.
-
5
-
-
Longest Cold Spells: 14 days or more with mean 2.0C or lower
20 Jan-12 Mar 1947 - 52
15 Jan-23 Feb 1855 - 40
7 Dec 1890-13 Jan 1891 - 38
27 Dec 1813-1 Feb 1814 - 37
23 Dec 1962-27 Jan 1963 - 36
13 Jan-16 Feb 1917 - 35
24 Dec 1794-26 Jan 1795 - 34
29 Jan-3 Mar 1963 - 34
8 Jan-6 Feb 1830 - 30
24 Jan-22 Feb 1895 - 30
7 Dec 1784-4 Jan 1785 - 29
3 Feb-3 Mar 1986 - 29
7 Jan-2 Feb 1776 - 27
9 Jan-4 Feb 1940 - 27
24 Dec 1819-18 Jan 1820 - 26
2-25 Feb 1827 - 24
16 Jan-7 Feb 1772 - 23
23 Feb-17 Mar 1886 - 23
12 Feb-5 Mar 1888 - 23
29 Jan-20 Feb 1902 - 23
6-27 Dec 1878 - 22
25 Jan-15 Feb 1991 - 22
18 Jan-7 Feb 1780 - 21
26 Dec 1788-15 Jan 1789 - 21
13 Dec 1799-2 Jan 1800 - 21
5-25 Jan 1829 - 21
12 Dec 1874-1 Jan 1875 - 21
9-29 Jan 1880 - 21
7-27 Jan 1881 - 21
11 Feb-3 Mar 1955 - 21
8-28 Dec 1981 - 21
31 Jan-19 Feb 1782 - 20
16 Jan-4 Feb 1784 - 20
8-27 Jan 1823 - 20
16 Jan-4 Feb 1879 - 20
10-29 Jan 1933 - 20
27 Dec 1777-14 Jan 1778 - 19
19 Dec 1829-6 Jan 1830 - 19
15 Jan-2 Feb 1897 - 19
27 Jan-14 Feb 1919 - 19
5-23 Jan 1942 - 19
17 Dec 1961-4 Jan 1962 - 19
23 Dec 1996-10 Jan 1997 - 19
25 Dec 1776-11 Jan 1777 - 18
30 Dec 1801-16 Jan 1802 - 18
23 Dec 1892-9 Jan 1893 - 18
3-20 Jan 1985 - 18
23 Jan 1996-9 Feb 1996 - 18
26 Feb-14 Mar 1785 - 17
22 Feb 1786-10 Mar 1786 - 17
4-20 Mar 1814 - 17
5-21 Jan 1838 - 17
18 Feb-6 Mar 1858 - 17
14-30 Dec 1860 - 17
8-24 Feb 1983 - 17
29 Dec 1773-13 Jan 1774 - 16
17 Dec 1804-1 Jan 1805 - 16
26 Dec 1867-10 Jan 1868 - 16
21 Dec 1870-5 Jan 1871 - 16
28 Nov-13 Dec 1879 - 16
14 Feb-1 Mar 1942 - 16
6-21 Feb 1979 - 16
24 Nov-9 Dec 2010 - 16
6-20 Feb 1784 - 15
1-15 Jan 1842 - 15
18 Jan-1 Feb 1871 - 15
30 Dec 1894-13 Jan 1895 - 15
1-15 Feb 1900 - 15
24 Jan-7 Feb 1954 - 15
17-31 Jan 1979 - 15
31 Jan-13 Feb 1773 - 14
10-23 Dec 1788 - 14
28 Jan-10 Feb 1879 - 14
21 Jan-3 Feb 1805 - 14
28 Dec 1810-10 Jan 1811 - 14
15-28 Jan 1815 - 14
10-23 Feb 1838 - 14
9-22 Jan 1847 - 14
5-18 Jan 1850 - 14
24 Dec 1853-6 Jan 1854 - 14
24 Jan-6 Feb 1873 - 14
21 Dec 1950-3 Jan 1951 - 14
4-17 Jan 1959 - 14
9-22 Jan 1966 - 14
8-21 Feb 1978 - 14
7-20 Jan 1987 - 14
1-14 Jan 2010 - 14
Earliest and and latest spells of consecutive days with mean below 2.0C.
16 Oct 1843 - 1 day
23-24 Oct 1859 - 2 days
26-29 Oct 1895 - 4 days
8-13 Nov 1921 - 6 days
17-24 Nov 1858 - 8 days
22-30 Nov 1923 - 9 days
24 Nov-9 Dec 2010 - 16 days
6-27 Dec 1878 - 22 days
7 Dec 1890-13 Jan 1891 - 38 days
15 Jan-23 Feb 1855 - 40 days
20 Jan-12 Mar 1947 - 52 days
23 Feb-17 Mar 1886 - 23 days
4-20 Mar 1814 - 17 days
23 Mar-1 Apr 2013 - 10 days
30 Mar-4 Apr 1879 - 6 days
3-7 Apr 1839 - 5 days
14-16 Apr 1892 - 3 days
24-25 Apr 1908 - 2 days
29 Apr 1856 - 1 day
-
2
-
-
The 2010s had no shortage of significant weather events in the United Kingdom. The decade began with some of the most notable winter weather in decades including the historic cold of Devember 2010. And the decade ended with new monthly maximum temperatures being set in 3 months, including 20C being reached for the first time in February and the all time UK maximum temperature of 38.7C in July. The decade droughts, at the beginning of the decade and in the summer of 2018, record rainfall and significant flooding - most notably in 2013-14 and December 2015. There were some remarkable periods of weather including the unseasonable warmth of April 2011, December 2015 and February 2019, and cold of March 2013 and the very stormy and wet winter of 2013-14. The decade also saw some significant storms including ex-Hurricane Ophelia and the gales of 2011-12. And there was an abundance of notable warm weather events and records. After a decade of a variety of extremes and records it's difficult to choose which event stands out the most.
Personally, breaking the winter record maximum temperature record so emphatically was particularly exceptional, possibly more so than breaking the all time UK maximum in July. The historic cold of late Nov-December 2010 personally stands out the most and will probably stand out even more in the future in the context of climate change. Honourable mentions go to the cold and snow of March 2013, the relentless wind and rain of 2013-14, the exceptionally mild and wet Dec 2015, The Beast from the East and summer of 2018.
The most memorable weather events depend on your location and interest. Localised events such as snowfalls, thunderstorms and gales vary from to place so some people would regard the snowfall of Jan 2019 as locally more notable than 2010, 2013, 2018. Depending on taste some prefer more benign anti-cyclonic periods and consider a quiet and pleasant period of settled and sunny conditions as more memorable than more dramatic events.
My most memorable highlights from the 2010s include: the heavy snowfalls at the end of November and early December 2010. Thunder snow on the 26th November followed by a larger snowfall on the 28th. Snow showers driven by an easterly wind interspersed with clear intervals defines that spell. The 6th-8th December was especially memorable with a large snowfall on the 6th causing chaos in central Scotland followed by sunshine and very cold temperatures - a maximum of -8C on the 7th. The week leading up to Christmas - despite lacking in snow - was extremely cold with daytime highs of -3 to -5 and lows of -7 to -14.
The gale on the morning of January 3rd 2012 easily surpassed the much hyped event on December 8th. Maximum mean wind speed of over 58mph and gusts of 89mph were damaging and brought down a number of trees. This was the most notable gale I can remember.
March 2013 was memorable for how unusual it was to have a prolonged cold spell so late in the season. For a period of two weeks daytime temperatures got no higher than 6C and snow fell on almost everyday. Despite snow depths no more than an inch which melted in the sun, the fact this cold spell took place during the second half of March made it all the more impressive and changed perspectives of what is possible for winter weather in Spring.
Jan-Jul 2018 was a very memorable period of weather with some decent polar maritime snow throughout the winter - after mid January inparticular.
The Beast from the East was quite an experience, a phenomenon. The heavy snow commenced on the evening on the 27th February 2018 and continued into the 1st March. A rare red warning for snow was issued on the 28th for large parts of central Scotland. The 28th was quite a remarkable day. Frequent whiteouts of dry powdery snow accompanied by strong, bitterly cold easterlies. The maximum at Glasgow airport was -3C, considering the lowest maximum for the second half of winter in Glasgow in the previous 45 years was -1C, to record such a low temperature on the last day of winter and accompanied by strong winds and heavy snow was seriously impressive. The first of March was the latest date the temperature failed to exceed 0C at Glasgow airport. The maximum snow depth was 26cm, the highest total since I started recording in 2010 and easily one of the largest snowfalls in the previous 30 years.
Cold and wintry weather continued into April and Spring didn't properly get underway until after mid April. Summer arrived in mid May with warm, dry and settled conditions persisting into early June with the exception of the odd thunderstorm - one of which one of the more impressive of the past 10 years. The end of June to mid July was persistently warm and dry with 21C recorded each day from 24 June to 14 July and no rainfall between 21 June and 10 Jul. The highlight was easily the 28th June with temperstures of 31C at Glasgow airport - the highest since I'm at least 43 years - and just under 32C at Glasgow Bishopton.
Other memorable events include the continuation of the Big Freeze in January 2010. The second half of January 2015 was very decent with two decent falls of snow each followed by a week long period of settled and crisp winter conditions. March 2012 was very memorable for a record breaking warm spell with temperatures into the 20s in Scotland. May 2012 had a hearwave which broke records in Scotland, temperatures in the mid-high 20s in Glasgow. February 2018 was had some very pleasant, settled winter conditions. July 2013 had an excellent two week warm spell and July 2014 also had an excellent heatwave.
Here's a selection of notable weather events of the 2010s
Winter 2009-10: Coldest since 1979 with a notable period of prolonged and at times severe cold and snow lasting until mid Jan.
Nov/Dec 2010: Severe cold and snow from late November persisting throughout December. Coldest UK December in over 100 years, 2nd coldest in CET series
April/Spring 2011: Warmest April (11.8 CET) and Spring on record (UK mean 9.15)
Autumn 2011: Warm - second warmest Autumn on record (12.43 CET). All-time October daily maximum temperature with 29.9C on 1st Oct at Gravesend.
Winter 2011-12: 'Hurricane Bawbag' 8 December 2011. 3 Jan 2012 most severe storm in Scotland since 1998.
March 2012: Warm and dry - 5th warmest March on record (8.3 CET) and 5th driest since 1910 (37mm) and temperatures in the low 20s.
2010-12: Drought in England and Wales. One of the driest two-year periods in over 100 years.
April-July 2012: Record rainfall - wettest April (128mm), June (149mm) and second wettest summer (379.2mm) on record.
March 2013: 2nd coldest March (UK mean 2.2) since 1910 with significant snow and very low temperatures in the second half of the month.
July 2013: Heatwave - 4th warmest since 1910 (UK mean 17.0).
Winter 2013-14: Exceptionally wet and stormy - wettest on record (544.9mm) and wettest January (188mm) and 3rd wettest February (169.2mm) with significant flooding and stormiest in 20 years.
2014: Warmth - Warmest year on record (9.91). 6th warmest winter (5.22), 3rd warmest Spring (9.05) and 3rd warmest Autumn (10.87).
1st July 2015: Record heat - 36.7C at Heathrow sets new July record.
November 2015: Record warmth - A maximum of the 22.4C at Trawsgoed, Ceredigion the warmest November temperature on record.
December 2015 and Winter 15/16: Exceptionally mild and wet - December 2015 mildest (9.7 CET) and wettest (218.8mm) on record. Significant flooding, 341.4mm at Honister Pass, Cumbria sets new 24hr record on 5th December. Second mildest winter (6.67 CET) on record and second wettest on record (509.1mm).
September 2016: Heatwave - seconds warmest since 1910 (14.6), 34.4C at Gravesend on the 13th the warmest September temperature since 1911.
2017: Warmth - Joint warmest Spring (9.15) since 1910 followed by warmest June temperature since 1976 -34.5C at Heathrow on the 21st June.
16 October 2017 - Ex-hurricane Ophelia - potent post-tropical Hurricane making making landfall in Ireland.
Feb-Mar 2018 - The Beast from the East - a very notable spell of significant snow and very low temperatures. -4.7C at Tredegar, Blaenue Gwenton set the record for the coldest March maximum temperature on the 1st.
April 2018: Exceptional warmth - 29.1C on the 19th at St James Park the highest April temperature since 1949. 15.9C at Kenley Airfield the highest April minimum temperature on record.
Summer 2018: Heatwave - The joint second warmest May since 1910 (12.1) followed by an exceptionally long period of warm, dry and sunny weather in June and July. The warmest summer since 1910 (UK mean 15.8). June was the 3rd warmest (14.8) and July the 2nd (17.3).
February 2019: Exceptional warmth - the 2nd warmest February since 1910 (6.0). 20C recorded in winter for the first time - a maximum of 21.2C on the 26th February the warmest winter temperature on record. A minimum of 13.9C on the 23rd at Achnagart, Highland the warmest February minimum temperature on record.
25th July 2019: Historic heat - A maximum of 38.7C at Cambridge Botanic Gardens on the 25th the warmest temperature ever recorded in the UK.
Jun-Dec 2019: Rainfall - Heavy rainfall causing floods in Lincolnshire in June, flash flooding from thunderstorms in Yorkshire in late July, and severe floods in South Yorkshire in November.
December 2019: Warmth - A maximum of 18.7C at Achfary, Highland on the 28th provisionally the warmest December temperature on record
-
4
-
-
A view of what appears to be a multi-cell system to the south of Glasgow.
-
5
-
-
I'm pretty sure I saw a bolt of lightning around 10mins ago looking to the SE.
-
2
-
-
4 minutes ago, Ross B said:
What a storm when it was so unlikely today. Still ramping up as it moves away with some loud thunder. Absolute deluge as well.
The sky looks very dark to the south though I haven't heard any thunder yet.
-
3
-
-
4 hours ago, Kirkcaldy Weather said:
That looks very close to being a tornado. I believe if a funnel cloud is halfway between the cloud base and the surface then it's most likely tornadic wind is being experienced on the ground.
-
2
-
-
The storm to the south of Glasgow looked impressive yesterday - I only saw one flash of lightning but the sky looked very dark and menacing accompanied with some rumbles of thunder. Later in the evening there was another storm just to the north which wasn't particularly intense but brought some rain and produced a couple of flashes of lightning. It seems topography is important in developing thunderstorms with the higher terrain to the south of Glasgow seemingly enhancing the storms aswell as the Campsie Fells. The hills around Loch Lomond and the Cowal Peninsula seems to be a hotspot for storms - presumably the Arrochar Alps and the Lochs create a suitable environment for convection.
-
3
-
-
5 minutes ago, Ross B said:
Nice view looking towards east Kilbride
I've got a similar view. Possibly the largest anvil I've ever seen and I think I can see what appears to be mamautus clouds. No lightning or thunder.
-
3
-
-
Maximum of 29C which is the warmest in July since 1984 for Glasgow airport. Not a repeat of the 30+ last year but still among the warmest days in my lifetime and I suspect we'll see more 29+ days in the coming decades than we've seen over the past 20 years. Last year was the first since 1995 to reach 29 and one year later it's happened again. It clouded over a buit this afternoon which perhaps limited temperatures. This year has been the opposite of last year which saw a quick changeover from a cold winter to a warm summer. This year has been much more up and down with alternating spells of warm/cold dry/wet. However this year hasn't been without interest with exceptional record warmth in February, a notable warm spell in April - this summer has already produced two exceptional heatwaves in parts of Europe - continuing a trend over the past few years. The extent, regularity and ease of records being broken is disconcerting and are a sign of things to come. To have 20C+ in winter and com close to all time record today should be cause for concern. It seems the climate system is in flux and the volatile nature of the weather in recent years has almost become normal - the contrast between the beast from the east and record warm in February is an example of the extremes and lack of middle ground in our new climate.
The all time UK record stays though the July record has gone and Edinburgh had a record high (a year after Glasgow possibly broke it's own record). Temperatures in the high 20s and low 30s are just about bearable but I wouldn't want much more than 1 day of such temperatures (low-mid 20s are fine). Despite the heatwaves, it's hasn't been a great summer (last year was better in terms of prolonged warm, sunny, dry conditions with little humidity).
The thunderstorm the other night failed to live up to it's potential here (a big standard storm with a few rumbles and one flash of lightning). July 2015 was similar with little activity here - it seems homegrown daytime thunderstorms are more reliable than overnight storms that lose energy moving north. for producing It seems the east has faired better this year fir storms (I wonder if that's to do with steering currents, a more favourable atmosphere for storms, factors such as topography) with the lothians and Fife getting the brunt of the storm. It just goes to show that no two storms are the same and one or two factors can determine how intense and thunderstorm becomes and where they occur. Tuesday night here was more notable for temperatures dropping no lower than 19C.
I expect tonight will be similar with more activity to the east. Given the prospect of severe thunderstorms I'm probably glad it'll miss here but hopefully a good light show here and those who are in the firing line enjoy the storms safely and post pics and videos. I can't recall experiencing supercell thunderstorm (I wonder how this set up compares to past events like May 2006) and I'm not aware of too many supercells in Scotland. I do have a few questions about tonight: how do you identify a supercell to ordinary storms, where in a supercell are tornadoes likely to the form, other than supercells are we looking at short-lived scattered single-cell storms or multi-cellular storms.
Currently it's a pleasant, but humid, evening with largely clear skies other than some patches of speckled clouds (which I presume are signs of instability). I think I. An see the anvil of a cumulonimbus cloud to the SE. Hopefully it'll stay clear enough to see these storms from a distance.
-
5
-
-
Quite remarkable weather. 29C at Glasgow airport only the 3rd time in over 20 years (last June had two days of 29C or more). Might still hit 30 which would be incredible though the all time record is unlikely. Quite astonishing weather in Se England and other parts of Europe with records going. It does make you wonder what it will take to beat the Scottish record. It's much harder to get temperatures above 90f here than jt is further south- it would require an exceptional set up. With the effects of climate change evident in record breaking temperatures it seems it's only a matter of time before a new record is set. I wonder how hot it can possibly get in the right set up - i would imagine we could get close to 35C.
-
2
-
-
It appears we could be in for a lively night. Most of the more memorable storms I've experienced were before I joined netweather - although last month and last year provided some storms but nothing on the scale on events like May 2006 - and as a result my storm knowledge is incredibly limited. I'm more curious about storms than I used to be but I'm not the biggest enthusiast of storms and still a little apprehensive about the threats they pose - though I do like spectacle of watching of lightning (especially from a distance). I have no idea what to expect tonight - I suspect there'll be an hour or two of heavy rain and some rumbles of thunder but nothing too severe. Past experience would suggest storms either pass to the east or west or lose their energy before reaching here. I hope to see some lightning but would rather not have experience anything severe - at least not overhead. Talk of tornado potential is exciting if a little disconcerting and I don't quite understand the nature of this set up and what mechanisms conducive to tornadic activity and other storm phenomena - I'm still grasping what terms like elevated storms or MCS mean. It would be great if some more knowledgeable members can explain what could of set up we're in, how it compares to past events and what conditions to expect.
It's certainly going to be interesting to see how the next few hours pan out.
-
3
-
-
36.8C London area (Heathrow), Thursday
-
3 hours ago, Jo Farrow said:
I wonder if this is the first month to have a high of over 20C and a minimum below -15C. Also Scotland had a record high minimum of nearly 14C - a range of almost 30C in terms of minimum temperatures!
-
20.8C at Porthmadog.
Remarkable.
-
1
-
Scotland/Alba weather discussion - Autumn 2020 onwards
in Regional
Posted
Wintry shower passing through just now.