su rui ke

There's a chance of the all-time UK July record being broken today so I don't think it's unreasonable - this time - that the media are focussing on it. It's also been dry and very warm generally across Scotland - your own forecast shows 27C for today, which counts as heatwave conditions!

Where exactly? We also have a tendency to believe that 'everyone else' always copes better than us. I doubt that there are many well-populated areas of the world where it's over 40C 'for months'. Where that does occur, you can be pretty sure that anyone who can afford it will have air-conditioning, which makes a huge difference. People die from the heat in India and Pakistan every year and this week this has also been happening in Japan, for example. In China, where I spend most of the time, 'high-temperature' warnings are issued when the temperature is forecast to exceed 35C. And, yes, people complain about the heat all the time in summer!

Yep, still bits and pieces of snow in the forecasts (as well as rain) and probably a least a couple of frosty nights in most places this week. I don't think those drifts are going anywhere fast!

I remember that happened a lot in 2010 as well, 101. Should be illegal! (Or maybe it already is?)

Lots of snow still falling in Aberdeenshire and the northern Highlands by the look of things?

Yep, convection looks like it's picking up again over the North Sea. It's not quite over yet!

I think this happened in 1947 in parts of the West Highlands as well. The winter was so easterly-dominated that parts of the country that are usually among the wettest ended up bone dry by the spring!

Activity moving north slightly? NE Fife was looking very 'red' a bit earlier but there seems to be more going on over Angus now.

Looks like there's some more intense stuff building off the coast between Aberdeen and Dundee just now. Are you ready, Hawesy?

Mm, I always thought -10 was 'safe', even right on the coast. Maybe not in late Feb/early March in an easterly breeze?

Any bets on who will be the first to report falling snow? Am I right that eastern coastal areas may not be quite cold enough for snow initially? (It certainly won't be me - Beijing hasn't had any precipitation at all since late October!)

Thanks, Norrance - that was it! Of course, 1978 and 1979 were also great and the snow lasted much longer. So, next week is it to be the BBC's 'light snow showers and breezy' or a three-day blizzard enveloping most of the east coast?

I think a short-lived and almost-forgotten easterly some time in late January/early February 1980 also brought more than a foot of snow to Dundee in a couple of days. I remember walking to school on the Monday and there being virtually no traffic!

If you want to see as much snow piling up as possible then it may be a worry - however, it could be very cloudy along the east coast, at least, anyway! If I were over there at the moment, I'd just be happy to have the chance to experience conditions that look like being very unusual for the UK.

Chinese TV is saying Beijing's coldest week in 30 years is about to start - all a bit strange but must be related?