Nordic Snowman

Hi all. No... I never get fed up. It can snow heavily day after day and month after month and it will be just fine by me :o Snow was 99% of the reason why I uprooted and came here. Now that shows how obsessive I am with snow and cold

Evening all. Yes, some whiteout conditions at the moment and the heaviest is due later tonight I think.[ ] The stream is off again now; I wanted to upload a few snaps and to ease the load of my CPU etc. I will put it on again later tonight after I have surfed the models etc. I will report the snow amounts later after I take my next observation. My path is blocked and I can't get to my poles etc atm. From this afternoon:- I had my boy today and so I spent time with him skiing etc. But I will take more tomorrow and the best will be later through the week after skies and visibility clear. But more snow is also likely...

The snow is now underway...

Okay John - will post photos in due course. The snow has started within the last hour...

I certainly intend to Paul. It should be a great couple of days.... unless it all goes Pete Tong :lol:

The winter snowfall varies from year to year depending if it is high pressure dominated or if it is unsettled with a W'ly type pattern. Generally, the winter snowfall amount (October to late April) is between 800cm and 1500cm. Anyway, some very severe weather is heading my way with blizzards and substantial accumulations likely in the next 2 days with further but lighter snowfalls expected later through the coming week. Temperatures varying between -10c and -3c by day. Updates can be viewed from my site and photos will be posted there in the slideshow 'Winter So far'. Had over 130cm of snowfall this month and another 100+cm is possible in the next 48hrs.

Substantial snowfalls over my way in the last 2 days. A thread on TWO: http://theweatheroutlook.com/twocommunity/...ms/t/13550.aspx Hope it's okay to post the link. I have been very busy (mostly digging!) and haven't the time to duplicate threads.

It depends to a degree on whether it was cloudy or clear. If cloudy: dusky - on the verge of nightfall at 2.30pm. Dark until nearly 10am. If clear: half an hour later/earlier respectively. But the sun is not actually seen in the sky in Lesjaskog owing to the sun being too low and not being able to rise above the mountains surrounding the village. So even in clear skies, the sky may be blue but there isn't any sunshine shinning on the village. Lovely!! You can however see about half an hour of sunlight on the tops. So when skiing at Bjorli for example and it is really cold, you can at least get into the sunshine once you are about 3/4 up on the slopes. But you won't feel it; most of my xmas skiing is done is -30c ... in the afternoon. But.... it can be variable. Some years will see mild weather and it may be a tropical 0c for example (but seldom).

Speaking on behalf of Norway (having lived here since 1999), is taht many people have misconceptions about certain 'well known' spots. Hemsedal is quite snowy but it can be variable. Voss is another. Voss has in fact had a lack of snow in recent years and the climate is almost changing for them I feel. West in basically best for the snow. Milder in the W? Only on low ground. I live in Lesjaskog/Bjorli which is 620m asl. We get over 1000-1500cm of winter snowfall and it lies on the ground from Octover to May. My persoanl highest depth (level) is 300cm. Powder. Magic. And... at village level. Lapland is of course very cold but is often dry. The snow depth is far less up there than it is where I am. And little known Bjorli gets more snow than Geilo, Hemsedal and Lillehammer - by far. We are virtually always the 1st ski centre to open in Norway each year. And the beauty is that because we are small (a blessing in my book :lol: ) we have little queues. The downside is we lack things to do other than skiing but this issue is being resolved with a ice hotel planned from this year onwards as well as summer tennis courts, curling and ice skating. In summary... if you want atmosphere, go to the well known areas. If you want reliable snow (and soemtimes temperatures down to -40c; Lesjaskog's lowest on record is -45c but unofficial records state -52c) with fewer slopes and a generally smaller centre in what is essentially a very small village, then up way way is best.

Snowing here this morning after some light snow yesterday too. However, it will turn to light rain later as some milder air briefly invades from the SW. But colder tomorrow with some scattered snow showers and temperatures close to freexing during Tuesday. Current scene:-

No, my wife is English as well. We have to remember that Lesjaskog as is much of Norway, especially the interior and the mountain areas, are prepared for the snow. Everything is designed and planned around it e.g trenches/ditches alongside the roads, cats-eyes on 'snow-poles' by the edge of the road. Constructions/building work can't start during the winter for example (frozen ground/foundations). Winter tyres. Engine warmers. And so on. The UK (with respect) would grind to a complete halt with the snowfalls that much of Norway gets. But with good reason in that the UK doesn't need to plan or prepare 8P Only kidding.... Milder here again now but that is good news tbh. It was too early for 'winter' and in my experience, the winter is always better when things start as average. I can get some of my remaining outdoor chores done before it all kicks off...

I can't help it - I get excited with the 1st snow Very wet snow (splodges falling from the trees onto my van) Cheers John May the snow be with you this winter

Latest scene:-

Morning John, It isn't a problem as I continually clear the area by maintaining a pathway. Similar to below:- The garden will otherwise be out of bounds as it builds up:- And then the 'pathways' become like tunnels:- And the house becomes swamped with snow:- Love it John. The joys of winter