Gord

Light rain and drizzle here now. Ah well, was a decent couple of hours. As you were then...

Main precipitation clearing now and it looks like we're just going to hang on. Not too shabby really. However, I very much doubt we'll get as lucky with those heavy showers coming in behind. As I say that, turning a bit more sleety as the precipitation gets lighter.

Still snow up here in Dudley, but I think we're hanging on by the slenderness of margins now. Have to say, it's hung on for a lot longer than though. I reckon by rush hour we'll be back to the more familiar damp and gloom that's dominated this winter. But another sweet little interlude this week.

Still staying as all snow here. It is settling but not as much as I would have thought with the ground so cold and the heaviness of the snow.

Snowing here now. Like others have said, shame it’s due to turn to rain at some point soon. I’ve seen plenty of forecasted rain to snow events that went wrong and never turned. Wouldn’t it be nice if, just once, it happened the other way around?

Good snow shower here right now putting down another fresh layer. No great amounts up here but a good covering. Best described as a heavy dusting maybe?!

Nice dusting of snow here too. Missed it falling as was at work. Many poor winters in the past have had these mini interludes just to cheer us up a little. Fingers crossed we’ll have forgotten about this by April as much greater things have happened by then. Nice little bonus this evening nonetheless.

Currently out with the dog. Feels very mild. It’s very very muddy. There’s actually swarms of gnats around. But The cloud is a lot thinner today and there was even a glimpse of blue skies.

Going to pick a little optimism out of the gloom. A lot of people are comparing what's happened this week to December 2012. And I can see the links. December 2012 was also a rubbish month and lots of promise cruelly snatched away from us at the end. Now I'm not a big one for comparing one winter with another when it comes to weather...but I do remember the despair on here when it all flipped to mild. And that emotional response is very similar on here this week. (Although I think it's been heightened by other events going on with us all) Anyway... January 2013 started off pretty rubbish and mild. The forums went quiet, my favourite walks continued to get muddier and muddier (much like they're doing now). And then we got to mid Jan... ...and then there was that March 2013. Feel free to join the dots.

I don’t know what you’re all experiencing in your locations, but the constant gloom here is getting to me more than the loss of any potential cold spell. It’s not even broken cloud…just a thick constant layer all week keeping it fairly grim. And the potential upcoming mild spell doesn’t look like improving it much. (Please note the careful use of the word ‘potential’. Don’t want to get dragged along with any misconceptions! Be it cold or mild ones!) Can’t remember the last time I could see the Shropshire hills way out to the west from my location!

So now there’s absolutely no chance of snow…does anyone know when the sun might return to our patch? This really is the worst kind of winter weather for me this week. Wish I’d gone up a mountain while we had that inversion last weekend now!

I also think emotions are particularly high this year with everything else going on in the World. So much uncertainty...and not just in the weather.

It's been a really strange build up to Christmas this year. Initially, there was a chance of a cold and frosty high. Nope...you can have a gloomy nothing one instead. But it might be replaced with some cold, wintry unsettled weather. Nope...you can have rain and horribly raw and chilly instead. But that might just transfer to cold air spilling from the north after Christmas. Nope...you can have mild air from the south instead. We've seen lots of teases from the models in the past. But this one feels particularly mean because it feels like a few of them in a row...and it also felt like yesterday that the professional forecasts were just about to turn in favour of something exciting. But the Met Office forecasts I've seen and read never really got on board with what we might have been hoping for. Just a few hints. So to top it all off...I don't even feel like I'm justified to feel grumpy about it! Ah well...just keep remembering we had that really decent late November snow.

Well I'm already in a bit of a grump weather wise that this winter high turned out to be a gloomy and chilly one and not a frosty and crisp one. The white Christmas chances for the weekend I wasn't really buying anyway. I hadn't seen one forecast that's aimed at plebs like me go for it anyway. I think I just need a bit of sunshine...that'll do for now! Just finding the current weather a bit grim and really don't want it to carry on being grim with gloomy and wet conditions from a low pressure replacing the current quiet gloom. It's a really good job we had that snowfall at the end of November...although it takes away my right to be grumpy!

Bit of a rubbish winter high this one. Foggy, chilly, the ground has gone muddy again after it started to dry out a little after last week's mild spell. I'm no expert on model reading so I always go by what the actual professionals say...with the caveat that they can find forecasts difficult too. Met Office appear to being going with the milder option for Christmas after this week's colder temperatures. So as far as I'm concerned...that's what I'll be expecting at this point in time. As a keen dog walker, it's not so much the decrease in chances of snow that upsets me, it's the potential increase of mud! Would love a good frozen ground to walk on!

Squall moving through here now. Not as squally as I was expecting but it does have hail mixed in.

Turned to sleet as a heavier burst moved through. Some large wet snowflakes mixed in very briefly. A vile morning overall though.

Thick fog here this morning. So technically, the snow is still there. It’s just a few feet above the ground rather than on it!

Took one last look out before bed. We have a good covering and it’s still coming down nicely. All good stuff I suppose for the start of winter. At least we know what’s going to happen, eliminates any disappointment. Plenty of times in the past I’ve gone to bed with snow falling this well and have been gutted to wake up to it being gloomy and wet. But it’s all expected this time so won’t feel let down. Ah well…a cracking start to winter nevertheless by our standards.

Snowing here too. But like others have said, doesn’t seem worth staying up for. Really nice to be sitting on the laurels of what happened last weekend. In previous years, what’s happening now would be worth staying up for… …but tonight, I will sleep.

Ooops. Look like we got unlucky this time. Just a clear frosty morning. But after last weekend, I don't mind. Good to see a few surprise dustings around this morning.

Just catching up now after a busy weekend. I mean...a good 5cm of snow up here yesterday, topped up by a good dusting this afternoon. It's the last week of November. What is there not to like?

Anyone else hearing this thunder? A few loud cracks just to my east.

Thunder just heard from a heavy shower to my east.

Looks like it could be producing new cells in it's wake over Wolverhampton. Edit: Or maybe not. The main cell has organised itself again though. Fascinating how they pulse stronger then weaker then stronger again.