[South East, London and East Anglia regional discussion - 8th February onwards]

2 hours ago, Angus Mcoatup said:

Morning Tom,

well on my wedding day it snowed as well, only difference was it was the 22nd April .

My parents were married on 29 March 1952 in Harrow, NW London, during a noteworthy snow event.  Deep lying snow in London.

[South East, London and East Anglia regional discussion - 8th February onwards]

If you want to see an example of extreme swings of temperature in a continental setting, look at Amarillo, Texas; -26C tomorrow morning going to +22C next week!

 

[South East, London and East Anglia regional discussion - 8th February onwards]

42 minutes ago, East_England_Stormchaser91 said:

Are our summers really getting hotter though? I beg to differ. A run of a few warmer than average years doesn’t mean they are getting hotter.

2003 when we saw 38c, people thought that would be the new normal, only to then not see it bettered for nearly 20 years. If anything our August’s have become cooler according to my local bookkeeping over the many years. 1976 has not been repeated since either. Summers of 2018 or 2006 are the only ones to have come close. July in particular. 

As for cold. December 2010, March 2013 and the 2018 BFTE has proven we can still achieve severe cold. It’s only a matter of time until we see a repeat of 62-63 or 1947. Maybe not this decade, but in the next 50 years we could see a year comparable to it. Climate has not changed as much as we are being told by the mainstream media. 

I think over the SE as a whole they are getting hotter in general, obviously with some blips.  It's now not noteworthy to have temperatures above 30c, whereas it previously was.  The absolute maximum reached is less important by far than averages, and on that measure our summers have become warmer steadily, along with Europe.  We can still have cold, yes, but it's not unusual to see a whole winter go by without lying snow now.  SSTs are rising slowly but surely and don't really respond to occasional cold spells. 

I don't take my climate information from the mainstream media.  I imagine occasional very cold spells will still occur - they will just become rarer.

[South East, London and East Anglia regional discussion - 8th February onwards]

37 minutes ago, NewEra21 said:

While I can't complain as I've been fairly lucky this past week snow wise. But just touching on what you were saying, this winter overall does feel like a complete waste in the grand scheme of things.

We've had no raging PV all winter long basically, yet we've just struggled to get deep cold to our shores all winter bar the past week. Even during the coldish spells over Christmas/New year when the north did see snow, it was never actually that cold.

So many years we'd be absolutely delighted with no raging PV and a SSW to boot, but the puzzle pieces have never quite fallen into place. It's a shame really as this winter really did have all the ingredients to be very special!

 

We had a number of occasions earlier this winter where the NE wind brought rain at 2/3C, so with a normal SST we could have seen very different results.  With our summers getting hotter (and winters milder, come to that), the SSTs can only rise slowly but surely.  This makes marginal situations veer towards rain and the arrival of freezing air less common.  

[South East, London and East Anglia regional discussion - 8th February onwards]

35 minutes ago, mulzy said:

The “breakdown” sums up this cold spell for many - very underwhelming.  

With the AO being so negative through most of the winter as well as a SSW, to max out at 1.5cm snow depth is disappointing. 

One year, it will happen for us.

Less likely every year, sadly, with the SSTs increasing as they are.

[South East, London and East Anglia regional discussion - 8th February onwards]

30 minutes ago, alexisj9 said:

This front isn't the break down though, it's still very cold tomorrow, the break down is on Sunday evening. But looks to be a snowless one.

Yes, just the wind swinging to the S and gradually warming.

[South East, London and East Anglia regional discussion - 8th February onwards]

All seems to be breaking up and not reaching the ground anyway.  This is a step backwards - at least the last lot made it to the surface!

[South East, London and East Anglia regional discussion - 8th February onwards]

5 minutes ago, Surrey said:

From reports further west not much is actually falling out of the sky. I assume its evaporating before it hits the floor. DP of -9 here at the moment suggests very dry air still 

Makes sense (except for why it's falling at all so far ahead of the front) - fascinating conditions today.

[South East, London and East Anglia regional discussion - 8th February onwards]

From what I can make out from the very patchy radar coverage at the moment there appears to be a swathe of moderate snow advancing eastwards over Central S England.  This is a very long way ahead of the supposed position of the occlusion.

[South East, London and East Anglia regional discussion - 8th February onwards]

The radar is doing horrible things to the west - only showing a cake slice of echoes over Oxforshire, Wiltshire, etc.

[South East, London and East Anglia regional discussion - 8th February onwards]

3 minutes ago, Polaris said:

Friend in Kidlington, Oxford has just messaged me it’s snowing lightly.

That ppn out west sure does have an aggressive movement east considering the blocking cold. 

Yes, and the high over Norway is at 1052mb!

[South East, London and East Anglia regional discussion - 8th February onwards]

7 minutes ago, alexisj9 said:

Splash icicles probably, would have been puddles as the snow melted, 

More likely a burst pipe or broken drain - the amount of ice there couldn't have come simply from melted snow with a large puddle still remaining.  We have a similar thing close to me on a road that leads up to the downs - the drains can't cope with winter groundwater and the road is a river to varying degrees most of the time.

 

[South East, London and East Anglia regional discussion - 8th February onwards]

The Met Office's predictions of a return to cold weather after a very mild week ahead are rapidly being watered-down, with it now being deemed unlikely. 

[South East, London and East Anglia regional discussion - 8th February onwards]

13 minutes ago, UKSupercell said:

Always the way of things in storm season! I mean I only moved to these parts a year ago. Lived in chilterns my whole life, and seen many a thunderstorm drift past the house to only have to go in the car and chase. Although last summer was incredible, sure, the midlanders and northerners seem to get the best homegrown storms now and have done for years, but there was one day last mid august which was unbelievable for lightning and rain and I got it all recorded! 

I wouldn't rule out some light snow today but of course anything now will be short-lived on the ground with impending warmer air.  The risk of glaze is there, though, with the ground now frozen (at last).

[South East, London and East Anglia regional discussion - 8th February onwards]

10 minutes ago, Paul Sherman said:

14z Obs 

Temp -1c

Dewp -11c

Now that is impressive, I know loads are dissing this cold spell but it takes something to get those sort of temp/dp spreads in this country.

 

Absolutely.  I have 60% humidity outside now - very low for a February day with light cloud.

[South East, London and East Anglia regional discussion - 8th February onwards]

1 hour ago, slaphead said:

This does sound wrong .... I walked between Kingston and Kew regularly along the Thames in winters 09/10 and Dec 10 and can confirm huge areas were frozen over  with great ice sheets floating downstream. My friends in Shepperton further upstream talked about breaking the ice to go kayaking near the weir.

I heard that the Thames was frozen in patches at Teddington this morning.

[South East, London and East Anglia regional discussion - 8th February onwards]

10 minutes ago, Mizzle said:

Anyone in Winchester seeing snow? Just checked my forecast for NE Hants and I have a 50% chance of snow in tje next couole of hours. Checked the radar and the pink appears to be mov8ng East!

It is expected to move east erratically and fade a little, and it could possibly be glaze rather than snow.

[South East, London and East Anglia regional discussion - 8th February onwards]

2 minutes ago, North Downs Snowboarder said:

If you want to widen it out to British Overseas Territories I'm happy to take funding to go on a lengthy fact-finding climate trip to the British Virgin Island and the Cayman Islands.

I knew that would spark something!  All in the cause of science of course.

[South East, London and East Anglia regional discussion - 8th February onwards]

Fascinating correlation between land and snowfall at the moment - the snow almost completely matches the land outline, with sleet/rain over water.

 

[South East, London and East Anglia regional discussion - 8th February onwards]

1 hour ago, North Downs Snowboarder said:

V interesting question, I'd put my money on the Scilly Isles, I believe there's a weather station on the main island that's rarely recorded a sub zero temperature.

 

Scilly climate: average weather, temperature, precipitation, best time

WWW.CLIMATESTOTRAVEL.COM

---

Climate information for Scilly (England) - weather averages, seasons. With some advice on the best time to visit.

 

I'd go for Gibraltar .

[South East, London and East Anglia regional discussion - 8th February onwards]

12 hours ago, Daniel* said:

This is fascinating there does appear to be a correlation in our region with colder winters and near solar minimum conditions, and milder and wetter winters concentrating near solar maximum.

 

The question then is; does the solar cycle have an influence on the occurence of Sudden Stratospheric Warming?  The latter is what has caused this cold spell.

[South East, London and East Anglia regional discussion - 8th February onwards]

41 minutes ago, lassie23 said:

i feel your pain, there is something very cool about ice days

VERY cool.

[South East, London and East Anglia regional discussion - 8th February onwards]

4 hours ago, Daniel* said:

Crazy stuff for here close to central the cold has impressed me not minima, tonight set to be coldest night of spell widely getting down to -6 C isolated place in east with snow cover  -10C?

 

 

That must be a weather satellite (dish).

[South East, London and East Anglia regional discussion - 8th February onwards]

Leith Hill today - a biting wind at -3.5C, but gorgeous sunshine with about 5cm on the ground.

 

[South East, London and East Anglia regional discussion - 8th February onwards]

8 minutes ago, minus10 said:

Air getting colder, the very low dew points and snow appearing in many eastern parts moving in from the coast. The area in suffolk was a surprise. Also a little precipitation making its way westwards from colchester. Is there going to be a last minute surprise.?

I think it's a little more E than SE than expected hence a little moisture collection on the longer sea track.  Nothing major at these pressures (1030mb).