Why Do The Pennines Make Such A Difference?

[greybing]

Manchester Airport is only about 69m asl, wheras Sheffield is on average 140m above sea level so in turn elevation helps. It's also noteworthy about where I live, I live about 14 miles from Manchester Airport and it can be a blizzard here but rain at the airport, sometimes I have the same weather as West Yorks yet I am classed as in Greater Manchester. So with a difference of about 350 feet between here in the Pennines and the airport it can make a huge difference.

My family live between 200-240 feet lower then where I live, just a few towns away and the snow melts quicker than here, about a week earlier. So you have to go about 200 feet higher and the weather can change quite dramatically here in the UK.

very true ,Greater manchester is a large area straddleling the pennines ,as such there is a big varience in temperature and precipitation amount and type.I love cold but live in salford ,unfortunately for me .My family hale from your neck of the woodsStalybridge] though or should I say moors.

Edited February 16, 2011 by greybing

[J10]

I think in the summer you keep the cloud but lose most of the rain.

I wonder if the perception that it works properly only in winter is influenced by the fact that the sun normally shines for a greater percentage of the possible time in summer. So, for instance, if a month dominated by that setup was to yield 33% of the possible total sunshine, you would get approximately 85 hours of sunshine in February (rather above average) or 165 in July (rather below average), giving the impression of summer months being duller with this setup even though in absolute terms they ended up about the same.

July 2010 was certainly an exceptionally dull month in western Britain but it was also an exceptional case.

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/anomacts/

The first two months of Summer 2010 were completely contrasting. June 2010 was a stunner above average with plentiful sunshine. The first week of July 2010 was frustrating in that there was really good weather for SE areas, but western areas was stuck under the cloud. Howver the really bad weather was reserved for Week 2 and 3 of July which was truly dismal and with some extremely wet weather (guess which 2 weeks in the summer I took for Annual Leave).

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2010/Rrea00120100715.gif

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2010/Rrea00120100716.gif

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2010/Rrea00120100717.gif

The fourth week wasn't that bad, as we were sheltered from NW wind to some extent.

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2010/Rrea00120100727.gif

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2010/Rrea00120100728.gif

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2010/Rrea00120100729.gif

[damianslaw]

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/anomacts/

The first two months of Summer 2010 were completely contrasting. June 2010 was a stunner above average with plentiful sunshine. The first week of July 2010 was frustrating in that there was really good weather for SE areas, but western areas was stuck under the cloud. Howver the really bad weather was reserved for Week 2 and 3 of July which was truly dismal and with some extremely wet weather (guess which 2 weeks in the summer I took for Annual Leave).

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2010/Rrea00120100715.gif

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2010/Rrea00120100716.gif

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2010/Rrea00120100717.gif

The fourth week wasn't that bad, as we were sheltered from NW wind to some extent.

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2010/Rrea00120100727.gif

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2010/Rrea00120100728.gif

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2010/Rrea00120100729.gif

That chart for the 15th July 2010 - peak mid summer shows how unfortunate we were, look at how high pressure set up everywhere else, to the NW, NE, SE and SW, the british isles though had a deep low smack over it - a case of sods law..

[The PIT]

I find it interesting that despite it being just to the east of the Pennines, Sheffield actually has higher average annual rainfall than Manchester Airport. Could anyone provide a possible explanation for this? There isn't much in it, however.

No it doesn't. Manchester 1049 mm and we have more than Western park and we only get 826 mm You maybe taking figures from an area in the peak district but within the Sheffield Boundary.

[AderynCoch]

Manchester actually averages about 800mm or so per annum.

[Milhouse]

That chart for the 15th July 2010 - peak mid summer shows how unfortunate we were, look at how high pressure set up everywhere else, to the NW, NE, SE and SW, the british isles though had a deep low smack over it - a case of sods law..

A bit shocked to see how bad the mid point of last July was looking at those charts. Over here in East Yorkshire i cant remember any notable rain at all even though those charts would suggest at least some hefty showers getting over this side of the country. I still reached 23c here on the 15th.

[johnholmes]

Met O figures suggest the following, based on 71-00 period

Manchester=806.6mm

Sheffield=824.7mm