Scottish Cold Spell Discussion 8

[Polar Gael]

PMSL! Got binned..

Model thread should be tagged with a caution "Do not enter unless suitably thick-skinned or generally rude.....or inbred"

You're a brave fellow venturing in there. They've lost it big time. We'll need to be handing out the chill pills by the bagful to those who miss out on the next cold reload.

Maybe we should send the poor wee lambs a snowball or two.

[Mondy]

You're a brave fellow venturing in there. They've lost it big time. We'll need to be handing out the chill pills by the bagful to those who miss out on the next cold reload.

Maybe we should send the poor wee lambs a snowball or two.

So right you are!

It's actually been fun to participate in ALL of the Scottish disco threads of recent - not one thing has been said out of turn or any offence caused. Genuine weather watchers in a cracking cold spell which most of the UK don't even know we're having...

[LomondSnowstorm]

Temperature -0.6C, weather - heavy snow!!!!! over a cm accumulated so far on all surfaces, with not even the slightest hint of marginality about it!!! Absolutely brilliant!! It's all upwards from here on as well - hard to believe with over 4 inches of snow in the garden and heavy snow falling!! Magical stuff.

LS

[Guest]

Aye, it likely was as I'm obsessed with the Holy Grail of another outdoor Grand Match ever happening again in my lifetime (30+ years since the last one!). Every year I wait and every year nae dice (or stanes on the ice) so far...

Do tell all - are there any rumours that we may have a sniff of it this year? Must be in with a wee bit of a shout if we can get over this less cold blip and get a reload of the very cold stuff.

I can only comment on the chances for the lowland outdoor curlers

Well, I was at my parent's house today and walked quite a bit round their "pond" and can confirm that the ice is thick enough to take the weight of a just under 14st 5ft10 lowland Scot (me :lol:), a 12st 6ft Portugeezer (my brother in law) and a 2st 11lb skinny wee lowland Scot boy (my eldest).

I can also confirm that the ice on the pond (which can take 2 outdoor rinks when conditions are right) was covered in 3 inches of frozen slush and snow at 3pm today. We have now had a further inch or more of snow tonight. And is still snowing.

So, to summarise. The rink can bear the weight. But have you ever tried to curl in snow?? I tried once in less than an inch of snow. It doesn't work.

It's actually been fun to participate in ALL of the Scottish disco threads of recent - not one thing has been said out of turn or any offence caused. Genuine weather watchers in a cracking cold spell which most of the UK don't even know we're having...

I do remember one argument. Someone said my snowflake is bigger than your snowflake and all hell followed.

[Mondy]

:lol: CMD!

Just popped outside - chucking it down still, really is - magic

[Hiya]

Temperature -0.6C, weather - heavy snow!!!!! over a cm accumulated so far on all surfaces, with not even the slightest hint of marginality about it!!! Absolutely brilliant!! It's all upwards from here on as well - hard to believe with over 4 inches of snow in the garden and heavy snow falling!! Magical stuff.

LS

Only rain in Cupar

I'm going to bed, it is breaking my heart.

[Polar Gael]

I can only comment on the chances for the lowland outdoor curlers

So, to summarise. The rink can bear the weight. But have you ever tried to curl in snow?? I tried once in less than an inch of snow. It doesn't work.

Sounds like a good start, but you're right, you cannae curl on the snaw. We'll just have to keep waiting for some serious, unbroken cold. It's looking more promising this winter than it has for a long time. They managed some outdoor stuff up north last winter in the cold spells we had then, but obviously to get a major loch (or lake) sufficiently frozen for 2500 curlers (and no doubt to satisfy the health and safety crew), we're talking prolonged cold.

Will just have to keep the faith! :lol:

[Sunny Leith]

Nothing marginal here in Edinburgh either, outright steady rain up here at Liberton and this is 400 feet ASL and one of the higher parts of the city. Dissapointing to say the least. I don't pretend to know all the factors that seem to work against Edinburgh in these situations but its certainly happening tonight.

Wind is reported as being ENE at the airport so at the surface we may have dragged in some estuary air, if the wind was sitting SE or ESE we might at least have pretended to be more inland rather than patently onshore. Hard to know how much of the snow will still be kicking about tomorrow, at best I'd think patchy and claggy.

Ho freekin' hum

Edited December 27, 2009 by by-tor

[Mondy]

Temperature -0.6C, weather - heavy snow!!!!! over a cm accumulated so far on all surfaces, with not even the slightest hint of marginality about it!!! Absolutely brilliant!! It's all upwards from here on as well - hard to believe with over 4 inches of snow in the garden and heavy snow falling!! Magical stuff.

LS

Post that in the model thread

I don't pretend to know all the factors that seem to work against Edinburgh in these situations but its certainly happening tonight.

Shuggee?! :lol:

[Guest]

Sounds like a good start, but you're right, you cannae curl on the snaw. We'll just have to keep waiting for some serious, unbroken cold. It's looking more promising this winter than it has for a long time. They managed some outdoor stuff up north last winter in the cold spells we had then, but obviously to get a major loch (or lake) sufficiently frozen for 2500 curlers (and no doubt to satisfy the health and safety crew), we're talking prolonged cold.

Will just have to keep the faith!

For the lowland outdoor curling we actually now need a week of 12C and heavy rain to melt the snow on top of the ice (but not the 4 inches of ice underneath). Then we need a week of subzero temps without snow and hey presto the 4 inches of water on top of the unmelted ice creates the perfect 8 inches of ice for curling (and a smooth surface). This last happened in 2000/2001 and the pics made the local papers :lol:

[Mondy]

Only rain in Cupar

I'm going to bed, it is breaking my heart.

I would wait if you can.

[Polar Gael]

So right you are!

It's actually been fun to participate in ALL of the Scottish disco threads of recent - not one thing has been said out of turn or any offence caused. Genuine weather watchers in a cracking cold spell which most of the UK don't even know we're having...

Will second that. It's been good fun reading and occasionally popping in a wee post to Nw Scotland. Am staying away from the Les Anglais Model Bearpit until they all have their sense of humour transfusions in the New Year and find the plot they've misplaced.

Snow now appears to be off again and we still have our snowcover. It's gaun naywhere!

[LomondSnowstorm]

So right you are!

It's actually been fun to participate in ALL of the Scottish disco threads of recent - not one thing has been said out of turn or any offence caused. Genuine weather watchers in a cracking cold spell which most of the UK don't even know we're having...

I agree with everything you said in that thread, Mondy. It's become a southeast whinging forum - even those further north in England and those in Wales appear to be talking in downgrades for the southeast. If anything, the last 24 hours has been an upgrade for people on this thread, and even those in northern england, with more precipitation and a stronger easterly further north. Just because southerners outnumber northerners, doesn't mean they can turn the model thread into a regional one. If Scottish members did that, or even protested about southeastern members doing that, as you rightfully did, the posts would be removed. It must be a really hard job to be a moderator on this forum, given the number of off-topic posts on the threads at the moment, but this has been going on for months, with the notable exceptions of a few honest model watchers. It's becoming a no-go area for Scots, so I think I'll stick to the much more enlightening and enjoyable thread here. I feel a bit for those without snow tonight, but I'm sure your day will come, and most likely early next week!!

Now 10 out of 11 days with snow falling and 11 consecutive days with snow on the ground.

LS

[Polar Gael]

For the lowland outdoor curling we actually now need a week of 12C and heavy rain to melt the snow on top of the ice (but not the 4 inches of ice underneath). Then we need a week of subzero temps without snow and hey presto the 4 inches of water on top of the unmelted ice creates the perfect 8 inches of ice for curling (and a smooth surface). This last happened in 2000/2001 and the pics made the local papers :lol:

Man, that's the deil's bargain you're suggesting there: lose the cold and snow for a bit, for a shot at the ice. That's like asking Pa Broon to pick his favourite wean!

Edited December 27, 2009 by Polar Gael

[Guest]

Man, that's the deil's bargain you're suggesting there: lose the cold and snow for a bit, for a shot at the ice. That's like asking Pa Broon to pick his favourite wean!

It's just the way my parent's "pond" works. It's never iced up for curling in one shot. It is always a two or three shot deal. Remember that this is lowland Scotland, just 16 miles from Glasgow City centre.

Edited December 27, 2009 by CatchMyDrift

[Norrance]

Been sent back downstairs for 20 mins as wife and younger daughter watching a scary movie in the bedroom.

Temps risen to -2C and what is best described as a wintry mix falling. Rain, icy particles sleet and the odd snowflake. Definately more rain than there was ten minutes ago. Hope this doesn't hit the snow cover.

Getting worried now. In last few minutes temps up to -1.5C. Very sudden rise of 0.5C

Edited December 27, 2009 by Norrance

[LomondSnowstorm]

Been sent back downstairs for 20 mins as wife and younger daughter watching a scary movie in the bedroom.

Temps risen to -2C and what is best described as a wintry mix falling. Rain, icy particles sleet and the odd snowflake. Definately more rain than there was ten minutes ago. Hope this doesn't hit the snow cover.

At -2C I doubt it! It'll just freeze as it hits the ground.

Night all

LS

[Polar Gael]

It's just the way my parent's "pond" works. It's never iced up for curling in one shot. It is always a two or three shot deal. Remember that this is lowland Scotland, just 16 miles from Glasgow City centre.

Well, fingers crossed. Reckon this winter's far from done in terms of cold and it's still bitter up north tonight. Aviemore's been around -15C most of the evening.

Edited December 27, 2009 by Polar Gael

[Mondy]

Been outside trying to take some pix - snow is way too heavy to do so with a small basic digi-cam, no kidding - so impressive.

[Guest]

Now 10 out of 11 days with snow falling and 11 consecutive days with snow on the ground.

LS

I just quoted this bit to save space LS, but will comment on the whole "toys out the pram" stuff. I have actually lost count now of how long this cold spell has lasted. I can see from my photos that there was snow on the 20th Dec, I think it was cold before then too. The people who live in England are getting more and more angry the further south they live. I can sympathise with them, but save it for the regional threads and not the NW model threads. Fair enough to find uneducated spam posts in the model thread from the likes of me who doesn't really know too much, but save your tantrum for elsewhere. Anyway......

Sorry Ross, Duncan, Achos and the rest of SW Scotland and anyone else not on the mainland or included in this, but for some of the very lucky members on here we have had one of the best December cold spells in decades. Certainly an amazing spell, and this is despite my whinging at missing out on big dumps of snow (last week??). Indeed, just like the residents of southern England, at times I threw my toys out of the pram but I quickly picked them up and dusted them down before getting on with it.

Dec 95 it isn't. I can't remember any better than 95, so for me this is the 2nd best December cold spell in 30 years.

[bazookabob]

Can I come and stay at someone's house please!?! Lol I'm jealous of your snow and I hate Xmas with the family- especially when there's a thaw going on!!

[Snowlover2]

Got some nice heavy snow and its laying giving a nice fresh covering

Edited December 27, 2009 by Snowlover2

[Sunny Leith]

Bizarre. All the trafficscotland cams on the extreme western edges of the city are showing heavy snow falling and lying on road surfaces. Either thats heading east ... or the city is doing its heat-island lothian coastal rivieria impression. Would be agony for it to be chucking it down with snow just outside the western suburbs ... whilst the snow-cover within the Embra city boundaries gets destroyed by rain at 33F !

[LomondSnowstorm]

Dec 95 it isn't. I can't remember any better than 95, so for me this is the 2nd best December cold spell in 30 years.

Ditto for your post! You have been very patient given your obvious lack of luck with regards to snow last week, Catch. I would've been much more frustrated, but you've seen the bigger picture and not lost it like some others would! Next week looks good for all of us, so hopefully you'll get your dumping then. By the way, has anyone seen the new weathergirl on the beeb? She just refered to the area from the Campsie fells to northeast Fife as 'the southern uplands' and said the snow band had moved away east, when it was clearly still sitting in central Scotland! Now she's showing snow falling in the northwest of Scotland and talking about dumpings in 'central areas'!! Did she even do Standard Grade/GCSE Geography???

LS

[Polar Side]

Heavy snow here, although the snow fall is a bit wet but can't complain as that 's now 11 days snowfall on he trot . Not bad for the even larger teapot !