Peter Henderson

Whatever happened to this week's "BIG FREEZE" ?????????????????????????????????????? Quite pleasant here today, tempt. 6 degrees. a slight frost this morning. Futher outlook from the met office is forcasting rain on Sunday. Hardly a "BIG FREEZE"

The BBC are announcing the forthcoming coldspell on their weather forcasts this evening, as are RTE. Weatheronline are confident it's going to get really cold and snowy eventually. The UKMO are still being somewhat cautios and not getting too excited at this stage with a cold or rather cold long range outlook.

Have you noticed their forcast for the week ahead ? They're now aggreeing with the BBC's announcement on Monday that there will be another big freeze next week with the cold weather winning out. The UKMO are still hedging their bets though, and being somewhat cautious.

There seems to be something of a discrepency between the BBC and the met office today. The UKMO's long range forcast for Feb 6th to Feb 15th: http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/ni/ni_forecast_weather.html Contrast the above with the following from the BBC this morning: http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast/10209/ I don't know about everyone else but two completely different long range forcasts. I always thought the Beeb sourced their data from the UKMO ? Which one is correct ? Which one do we believe ? Unusual for the BBC to stick it's neck out like this, or is the UKMO just being overly cautious ?

All the models are now showing milder atlantic air right up until next weekend, though the metoffice are still predicting something colder eventually: http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/ni/ni_forecast_weather.html

Most of the long range forcast models are now predicting the milder Atlantic air will win out this week: http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/cgi-app/reports?MENU=Week-ahead the threat of bitterly cold weather in mid Feb. that The Weather Outlook has been pushing does appear to have fizzled out.

Well, here in Jordanstown we've about an inch of snow on the grass, and around half an inch on the road although main roads are clear. Not much in Belfast itself but plenty visible up over Divis Mountain. Most of it fell yesterday evening in some quite heavy showers. A slight covering around 8.30 p.m. again. This winter's been the best for many years. Already 4 snow events, with the one after Christmas lasting for a week along with really cold temperatures (-8 one evening), and we're only at the end of January. Next weekend and beyond certainly looks interesting if the predicted easterly comes off.

Forget this weekend which looks like nothing more than a topling high situation and somewhat milder weather next week. Take a look at the charts for later next week though: http://www.ukweather.freeserve.co.uk/nwp.htm they look very interesting indeed. The weather outlook would seem to agree: even the Met office is getting in on the act: http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/ni/ni_forecast_weather.html It'll be interesting to see how this one pans out.

Well, I haven't seen any models with an easterly either next weekend or next week. The BBC's digital text have snow for Belfast on Friday, and a max of plus 4. Rob McElwee did say it would be interesting at the end of the week but he's been saying that for several weeks now. Accu weather doesn't agree with the easterly either: http://www.accuweather.com/ukie/forecast3.asp?partner=accuweather&traveler=0&postalcode=BT37 0UL&metric=1 with tepts in the really mild catagory next week. Still, it could change. There's some very cold weather not that far away. I'll wait with baited breath for the BBC's monthly outlook and the Met. Office's long range update tomorrow !

Indeed, BBC didn't hold out much hope for anything in the west. RTE was a bit more optomistic though. However, the weather information site: http://www.ukweather.freeserve.co.uk/nwp.htm Is predicting a topling high with any northerly only lasting a couple of days at the most and a return to westerlies/southwesterlies for the following week with what looks like the dreaded Bartlett high making a comeback. Looks like winter is all but over.

I've noticed the BBC have been forcasting the cold weather to return for a couple of weeks now, but so far nothing has materialized. Looking at the Ceefax forcasts for Europe, there does seem to be some really cold weather not that far away, with eastern europe being particularly cold. It'll be interesting to see what the BBC's forcast for the week ahead say this morning. Anyone know what's happened to ITV teletext weather (both digital and analogue ?). The weather section appears to have vanished (along with most of the rest of the service).

Cloudy in Jordanstown Co. Antrim with a bit of drizzle. Tempt. around plus 4

Kind of feel the same way. I'm going out next Friday evening and I don't fancy driving in either ice or snow after my near miss and 180 degree turn this day two weeks ago. I've had my snow and I'm happy now !

Yep, noticed some freezing rain last night here as well but we're completely ice free today. Ireland as a whole really doesn't do well out of an easterly. The north generally gets snow if Western Scotland gets it, and usually on a North Westerly, sometimes even a Westerly if it's returning maritime polar air. Still, you never know. The northerly could turn unstable and we could get a lot of showers, sez I, optomistically. That's the impression I get.

Still no snow in Jordanstown, just spits and spots of rain. This is really patheitic to be honest. Anyone who can remember back to 62/63,or 68/69, 78/79, 81/82 for that matter, will realise that this current cold spell is tame, tame I tell you. 1 brief spell of snow Sunday week back, which was largely gone by Monday. Hardly a classic winter in my books. Really just average. We had better snow events in the early noughties to be honest (2000/01 and 2001/02) and around Christmas time as well.

Getting light rain here in Jordanstown and a tempt of just over plus 4. Can't see any snow over the next 24 hrs here, despite what RTE, UTV, and the BBC are claiming. Our best hope is for snow showers later in the week, when it does seem certain to turn a lot colder. Being near the East coast and in the lee of Knockagh, it's not beyond the bounds of possibilty, although this latest cold blast does look increasingly to be just cold and dry.

Well, the snow's all gone here in Jordanstown Co. Antrim (even over Knockagh). The BBC forcasted snow on Christmas day.....but instead it just kept on raining. Rained again yesterday (not even sleaty rain). Both RTE and BBC are predicting much colder weather again later in the week but I'll believe it when I see it. Weather online are saying it's going to become milder generally by the end of next weekend. Still, Jean Byrne's silver dress on Christmas day was the highlight on the weather front here over Christmas, in my opinion. Very sexy !

Yes, I remember it quite well as I was very ill at the time. Another unusual winter was 72/73. Virtually all of it was very mild with southwesterlies predominating. At the end of January/ beginning of February 1973 we had a very cold plunge of air on Northwesterly winds and a lot of very heavy snow from Monday 29th January until Thursday 1st February. Friday saw the start of the thaw. Strangely, no-one else seems to remember this event

I hope you mean recent winters. From memory, nothing surpasses the winter of 62/63. In fact, most of the winters of the sixties were cold and snowy. 68/69 was another cold snowy one.. The seventies were mainly very mild apart from 78/79 (the coldest/snowiest since 62/63). The early-mid eighties were also very cold/snowy with 81/82 standing out. The late eighties and most of the nineties have been very mild with little or no snow apart from 95/96 and 98/99. The nougties continued this trend (mild snowless, and frost free winters) although we did have some snowfalls around Christmas 2000/2001 and Christmas 2001/2002. Those early noughties snow events were far better than anything we've experienced this winter.

The winter of 2008/2009 has been a fairly average winter here in Jordanstown. December: Cold and frosty in the early/middle part of the month. The cold spell at the end of the month (that most other parts of the UK experienced) was just cloudy here, no frost and a tempt. between plus 3 and 5 degrees for over a week, hardly exeptional and very boring/depressing weather. January: Rather cold and showery. The odd flake of snow on a couple of occasions but it didn't lie. Some frost. February: Cold the first 10 days with some snow in the latter part of the first week although this did not lie for that long. It was very marginal though, with some parts of NI having several inches and others having nothing at all. The rest of Feb. has been mild and frost free (fairly spring like in fact). The one notable event of the Autumn was the cold spell at the end of October along with some snow (although it didn't settle here). Something I haven't witnessed in my lifetime and had it occured in the middle of Jan. it would have been bitterly cold. So, all in all a fairly average winter with really very little snow but quite a lot of frost. Much colder than recent winters though, which have been exeptionally mild. Here's hoping the colder theme will continue (hopefully we'll get a good summer this year) and the seasons become more defined (i.e. dry warm summers and colder winters)

It was the same in the Newtownabbey area. Nearly an inch or so in the area around the Abbey Centre. Currently sunny in Jordanstown now and very pleasant indeed. Apparently there is a possibility of more snow on Sunday/Monday with northerly winds and wintry showers on Tuesday.

Dry here in Jordanstown at the moment and quite mild. Temperature +4.1C so absolutely no chance of snow. They do have an early weather warning for heavy snow tomorrow evening and the BBC have heavy snow for Belfast and a tempt. of +1.0 on Sunday but I'll believe all that when I see it.

Yes, nothing so far here Watcher despite the winter being colder than recent years (quite a lot more frost). The snowfall last year on the 4th January was much better even if it only lasted a day.

Well, no snow at all in the greater Belfast area. It snowed for an hour or so around 9.30 pm yesterday evening but this quickly turned to sleet/rain. Nothing at all here this morning. Even Cave Hill in snowless. Looks like yet another winter with no snow at all ( the UK met office is predicting milder weather next week.)

Can't remember exactly but it is going to be different to the current criteria. This was in response to a viewers question asking them how they defined "normal temperatures" (or the average) and how they arrived at those figures. Apperently these "revised" average temperatures are going to come into force in a few years time so it'll be interesting to see if they change.