firefly

Keen observers on here will have noticed how little snow fell over the winter months on the hills of the UK. Though there remains a reasonable level of cover on hills above 3000 ft (914m), the general consensus is that there's far less than usual. The probability level that all snow will vanish in the Highlands this autumn (summer?) is higher than it's been for quite a few years. Polar Maritime is doing a fine job in keeping everyone updated!

I was on the One Show last night talking about long-lying snow on the Cairngorms. You can find it here (if you're interested): http://bbc.in/2aOzBjV

I agree with some of what the last two posters have written. Warm conditions in the latter half of the year do play a large part in determining how many patches of snow will persist, but this is not the only - or main - reason. In that regard I disagree with iapennel that 2003 and 2006's summers 'led to' the disappearance of all snow. The biggest factor, in my view, is how much snow falls in winter. For example, 2014's summer was warm and long, with frequent long spells of sunny weather. And, yet, 2014 saw an unusual amount of patches surviving (twenty one). This was because the volume of snow that fell during the previous winter was huge. It stands to reason that the more snow you have, the longer it takes to melt. In the years 2003 and 2006, which iapennel rightly states as having unusually mild summers, far less snow fell in winter than in a normal year. This led to the heat of summer depleting the snow very quickly. I am not a meteorologist, so cannot comment on what is likely to happen with the weather. However, as it stands at present I can say with some certainty that 2016 is not going to be a vintage year for snow patches! As for the amount of patches that will persist, that - again - is very hard to call. It's much too early to say. I'd be very surprised if at least a few didn't make it, but with the Scottish climate anything can (and does) happen.

It looks to be reasonably average, with perhaps a bit more than 'usual' on some aspects. If we have a typical summer then I'd expect patches of snow to survive once again, but there's obviously still a long way to go. I'd be astonished if we eclipsed 2015!

It is my view that the current level of snow being held on the hills of the Highlands is slightly better than average, though not massively. The very cool April has meant that many places (Cairngorms etc) are seeing their deepest snow accumulations of the winter. I have read comments that 30m+ drifts are to be found on Ben Nevis, but there is no evidence of this. I'm reasonably confident that Observatory Gully of Ben Nevis holds the deepest snow in the UK at present, though I'd be surprised if this exceeded 20 metres.

Thanks to everyone for their continued interest! It's been a very busy few weeks. Keep your eyes peeled tomorrow in the press. Apparently there could be a few stories and pictures regarding the snow survey last weekend. Cheers

I'm not sure there'll be 50 survivors, but there'll certainly be a sair few. Almost certainly more thank last year, assuming g the rest of the year is 'normal.

Not quite. The longest spells that snow has never been known to fall is seven days: both of which in August (7-13th and 21-27th). August is the least snowy month in the UK. The total number of days (since 1943) in August where we have not seen snow in any year is 19.

The quality of the video - which was taken on a mobile phone - is not wonderful. However, the observer is and has stated that wet snow was definitely falling. Admittedly it's not a lot, but remarkable for late July.

Good evening one and all! It's been too long since I posted on here, but I can see that there are some stalwarts manning the battlements to keep you appraised of goings-on. It's been quite a year for snow in Scotland. At least, on the mountains it has. Winter brought a lot of snow to the hills generally, but not an exceptional amount. It largely blew in from the south-west, which is always good news. What has marked 2015 out, though (and this hardly needs to be said) is the fact that it's been extraordinarily cool on the hills since April. May was remarkably cold, with Lochaber and Glen Coe fully 3 degrees below the mean maximum temperature. June was little better. In fact, we saw an unusual amount of days of snow falling in June. (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 8th, 13th and 14th June). Obviously the cool temperatures preserve the existing snow. Remarkably, snow fell yesterday on the summit of Ben Nevis! Astonishing, given the time of year. As we approach August, masses of snow still remain on the hills all over the Highlands. From as far south as Beinn Ime (beside Loch Lomond) we are seeing snow persist in places where it doesn't normally. Admittedly much of this will disappear in the next couple of months, but I believe we're on track to see survivals not seen since 2000 and 1994. To demonstrate, the photograph immediately below is from the 2nd July this year. Compare it to what we thought was a snowy year, 2008. P Aonach Beag July Snow by Free.heel, on Flickr (2nd July 2015) 700ft Vertical Descent - Aonach Beag by Iain Cameron, on Flickr (4th July 2008) I'm organising a snow survey on the 21st and 22nd (see here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2lo28j3av310cwr/august%20snow%20survey%20poster.docx?dl=0). If anyone fancies visiting a hill (Beinn Mhanach near Bridge of Orchy, especially) then please make yourself known! Also, there's a group on FB if you'd like to join: https://www.facebook.com/groups/snowpatchesscotland/

The first snow of the new season has fallen on the summit of Ben Nevis! https://twitter.com/theiaincameron/status/501712048217419776

Greetings, folks. You'll need to forgive the lack of input on this thread by me this year. I've been busy with plenty of stuff, and I've neglected some of the things I'd rather not have. This being one! As has been mentioned, there's a snow survey happening on 22-23 August. We're going to try and cover every hill in Scotland still likely to be holding snow. Of course, it's going to be difficult this year by dint of the fact that there's still a huge amount of it in places that don't normally hold any at this time of the year. For example, Carn na Caim, a modest-sized hill easily visible from the A9 at Dalwhinnie, still has a very deep patch on a NW aspect (see attached image). Video of Carn na Caim from my new toy... The Ben Nevis range of hills is still holding a massive amount of snow (see attached image). I fully expect there to be multiple survivals there this year, but as always it's a case of keeping an eye out. I'll update the forum when the August survey is done, complete with a bit more flesh on the bones than I've put here.

Want to know why there was so much snow in the hills of Scotland this year? Here you go! http://theiaincameron.tumblr.com/post/89751251676/3-winter-2013-2014-lots-of-snow-and-no-snow-why Follow me on Twitter @theiaincameron

I've employed the services of a quad-copter to assist me in my endeavours over summer... From this trip report! http://theiaincameron.tumblr.com/post/87697441896/1-glen-almond-perthsire-30th-31st-may-2014

A trip report to Ben Nevis and the Carn Mor Dearg Arete. http://theiaincameron.tumblr.com/post/88267509516/2-ben-nevis-carn-mor-dearg-arete-7th-june-2014 Follow me for snow updates on Twitter at @theiaincameron