Number 23

Chelmsford is bloody 'taters, but the cloud overhead is barely moving.

Like your thinking. I'm clearly jaded!

This winter here so far feels like turning up to a BBQ late, and all that's left is some cremated chicken thighs and warm Fosters. Never mind, hope some in our region will be pleased come tomorrow. Onwards and upwards! Can we wring anything out of February?

On the bright side, if we don't get anything decent over the next few weeks, at least we'll be closing in on noticeably lighter evenings (and early spring warmth with any luck). Love that transition period, probably one of my favourite times of the year. Add that to the vaccine rollout and plenty to be positive about, even in the midst of a pretty miserable winter in every sense so far

Doubt we'll see anything more now for a fair while. Unless it's another slush fest. Output looks decidedly wet for the foreseeable I think. Which is splendid news, as I think the garden needs it ?

Output looks pretty minging tbf so might be it for a while. Nice to see TEITS posting on the MOD though, much prefer his analysis to some of the hyperbole we've had to endure lately.

Not the first snowman I had in mind with my eldest, but hey ho he's two and he enjoyed it. Got about 15 minutes of proper snow now sleety and rain

Main band seems to be reaching us in Chelmsford.. Bit sleety so far to be honest.

Could've been a fitted kitchen on the bright side. I take it the boat will come in handy at the moment?

Jim is doing the forecast for our region today.

Snowing in Chelmsford but only settling on cars and fences really. Sleety snow mix. Barely meets the description of a dusting so far. Shame it's not come a little later in the morning, as the nippers have never seen snow!

Must admit, I'm starting to feel like this winter could be notable for all the wrong reasons. From memory the last couple of snowfalls round here have come very late into the season, if not early Spring. Thawing tends to be an issue at that point, so not really fussed on anything much past mid Feb tbh. A decent fall that halves in size over an afternoon then freezes solid overnight is no fun. Like 30 degrees in September, just not the same as the long July days in a heatwave. Not the same for me! Still a good few weeks for something to develop though, so let's get our canoes and waders out and make the best of it.

Now that's what I call a proper cold spell. Nothing marginal about that

Vividly remember walking to school as a five year old in 87 with my mum. My earliest memory of real cold. I couldn't catch my breath. Was exciting but bloody scary at that age!

I called these guys to inject some fresh impetus into the MOD for the upcoming apocalypse, but apparently even they think it's going to be marginal.

If I keep my eyes above ground level I could almost believe we had a snowfall...

Anyone seen the latest MetO update? Obviously JFF at that range, but they seem to be going with a N/S split with cold from Scandi, and significant snow on the boundary - that'd be a final kick in the teeth! Just out of interest, anyone who knows their stuff understand what sort of set-up they are seeing? A Scandi high with lows going under it, but the pattern a touch too far North? I'm a total numpty at this, but an interested one...

I think we really need a decent Easterly to get things going here, which is so difficult to get right. Of course when it does, it's amazing, so a double edged sword. Many other parts of the country don't need all their ducks in a row to the same extent IMHO; they either have elevation on their side, do better out of battleground situations etc. Although to be fair, we often stuff our faces with 30+ during the summer while it's raining and 21 elsewhere.

Well it's still cold but noticeably less windy. Not seen too much in the way of rain, a couple of heavy bursts in Chelmsford over the past couple of days, otherwise just light showers and a persistent irritating drizzle. Imagine we'd have only seen a couple of cms if it were snow up here anyway! Perhaps too much N of E, which is often an issue for us here when it is snowing? Kind of relieved the frenzy has come to an end now, expectations are back to normal, and we can look to the end of Jan for something decent out of winter.

It's the GFS, so I'm going with something along these lines...

Here we sit in a Michelin Star restaurant, but the menu looks like something from a Bush Tucker Trial. Rank. Just rank.

Haha even if it did, it'd not realise its massive and rare achievement. Just keep running derangedly onward like Forrest Gump.

Some rain been about here in Chelmsford. I can confirm it was cold rain. Looks like we'll get a small window early next week then a waiting game again. I expect this afternoon's output to firm up on the mid range tbh, even if the GFS is still chasing rainbows on its own. Not too much cause for disappointment though, since we can't say this has been wholly unexpected? Positives are 1. We might see the models suddenly sniff out a new trend soon as the SSW works it's way down, and 2. At least we haven't had a 'proper' easterly cancelled at a few days notice! That's far, far worse than a crap easterly actually arriving in my book!

I'm only really interested in a jackpot spell, so not really too worried about what happens next week either way. If anything falls then it'll be a nice bonus. But a dusting will feel like the weather equivalent of taking a fiver out of the fruit machine when you already put four quid in

Feb 91 would be my pick for this month if I could. Not so long as to make the current covid situation much worse, loads of convective showers. Marvel at it, then get back to normal. Perfect easterly in my book.