Weather in the general media (Newspaper features etc)

[summer blizzard]

Why do I not trust this 165 mph wind report?

It was recorded on the summit of Ben Nevis i believe (not too unusual).

I suspect that for most the January 2005 was actually worse.

Anyhow..

I was not sure if we had a proper Met Office thread but i just wanted to say that i am impressed and that in the link below is probably one of the most detailed forecasts they have ever given.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/16165125

[Phelpsy]

3 seperate accidents last night here in Gloucestershire, a lorry driver was killed, not sure about the other 2. They think it was due to the severe weather as we had hail and thunder with lightning here around the time it happened. Didnt know where else to post so put in here. See news for updates on this story.

[cyclonic happiness]

3 seperate accidents last night here in Gloucestershire, a lorry driver was killed, not sure about the other 2. They think it was due to the severe weather as we had hail and thunder with lightning here around the time it happened. Didnt know where else to post so put in here. See news for updates on this story.

In the daily mail it says that heavy snow was the cause.

I suppose it reminds us just how dangerous that white stuff can be for all our wishing for it, I feel truely sorry for the families that will have to cope with their losses so near to Christmas

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2073895/Driver-killed-snow-causes-M5-pile-lorries-cars.html

[Phelpsy]

no mention of snow here or on news, just hail, police said when they arrived it was ice rink conditions. Their was heavy hail storm, maybe that was the case. Parts of the m5 still closed so if anyone travelling along that route check for updates. Its very sad, R.I.P. to the man that died. Very sad x

[Coast]

Britain's big freeze set to last into next week as Met Office issues warnings

The UK is to suffer a big freeze running into next week, with snow and icy conditions set to add to the misery today and tomorrow, the Met Office has warned.

Severe weather warnings have been issued for icy conditions across most of Britain this morning, with a new storm to hit the south coast of England this evening. The storm could bring winds of 70mph overnight - but may move further north, affecting more of the south of England. Snow could start falling in the Midlands and Wales from early tomorrow morning, with the possibility of it settling on lower levels. The Met Office said the big freeze would continue through the weekend with colder-than-average temperatures. England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales have been battered by weather for a week. Monday saw high winds and heavy rain hit England and Wales, leading to rush hour hold-ups.

One Winchester man had a lucky escape when a tree smashed into his bedroom while he was sleeping. Richard Wilkinson's home in Winchester, Hampshire, after a beech tree crashed through the roof of his bedroom

Met office forecaster Anthony Astbury said: 'The unsettled weather over the next few days could bring a range of hazards across the country, from snow and ice to heavy rain and strong winds. 'We're working closely with Government agencies and the resilience community to keep them up to date with the latest information. 'We'd advise the public to regularly check our latest forecasts and warnings to stay up-to-date with the situation

http://www.metro.co....s#ixzz1gb7ZU9Ui

[Coast]

Snow and high winds to hit Britain

Britain will continue to shiver in icy conditions with high winds and more snow forecast for parts of the country, forecasters said. Winds of up to 60 miles per hour are due to hit the south coast with snow set to move in the early hours of Friday over Wales, the Midlands and possibly south-east England.

Up to eight centimetres of snow could fall over high ground in Shropshire, mid Wales and parts of the West Midlands as heavy rain brought by a low pressure system turns to snow in the early hours of Friday. Up to a centimetre of snow could fall by dawn over parts of south-east England. Paul Mott, forecaster with MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: "We have got a deep low pressure system moving in from the west that is expected to track eastwards across the English Channel. "The good news is that the strongest winds associated with this low pressure system will probably be over the English Channel and over France. There will be some gale force winds over France probably overnight.

"There will also be winds over the south coast of maybe up to 60 miles per hour. I think locally we could see up to eight centimetres of snow over some of the hills of Shropshire, across mid Wales and the far west of the Midlands." Temperatures are set to remain cold over the weekend with a range of between 3C and 6C during the day (between 37F and 43F) and at night there will be widespread frosts with temperatures plunging to between -1C and -4C (25F to 30F), forecasters said.

The Met Office also forecast colder-than-average temperatures through Friday and the weekend. It has issued warnings of icy weather for the whole of the country for Saturday and Sunday, and conditions are only predicted to improve on Monday. Chief forecaster Anthony Astbury said: "The unsettled weather over the next few days could bring a range of hazards across the country, from snow and ice to heavy rain and strong winds. We'd advise the public to regularly check our latest forecasts and warnings to stay up-to-date with the situation

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5jnQAnoQS6tM5VwvD7Q7tpk1RKWUA?docId=N0461411323923659039A

[Summer Sun]

Snow in Sheffield 'caught out' city council

Overnight falls of snow led to rush-hour delays and slippery roads because Sheffield City Council was not prepared for it, the authority has admitted. Poor driving conditions were reported on roads in several areas, including Gleadless and Manor Top. Penistone Road and the A57 at Aston were closed. Wayne Southall, in charge of gritting in Sheffield, said the council expected frost and had gritted accordingly. Weather forecasts had predicted black ice for South Yorkshire, but not snow.

"We put down salt for hoarfrost, not the amount of salt we would put down for snow," Mr Southall said. "We had bad snow this morning after four o'clock which was a bit late to deal with."

'Work quickly' Mr Southall said the city centre, the north of the city and Hillsborough had remained generally unaffected by the poor weather conditions.

The south west areas of the city and those on high ground had been hit hard, he admitted. Mr Southall said the weather was due to improve later, but meanwhile gritters would continue treating roads around the city.

"We're going to stay out there and work as quickly as we can to deal with the problems for now," he said. "The anticipation is that the weather will help us out." He said the gritting operation would concentrate on treating main roads in Sheffield, with other roads treated when possible.

http://www.bbc.co.uk...kshire-16193156

[The PIT]

Yes Sheffield Council did get caught out. However drivers have forgotten to drive in snow again. After last year they had a bit of practise and i hoped the lessons learned would have stuck. Nope sadly not.

Anyway newsw channel this afternoon was funny. Blizzards in beacon beacons. Strange that visibility was good the snow light when they did an interview. As for wind that didn't seem much of a factor either. So at the time of the interview it wasn't a blizzard.

Edited December 16, 2011 by The PIT

[Team Jo]

Ah the Daily Mail....

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2074433/UK-weather-forecast-Snow-heavy-rain-hit-large-parts-Britain.html

AND even better, the Express....

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/290470/It-s-a-white-Christmas-

What made me giggle was even the. BBC news reader couldn't contain his mirth when he read out their headlines today. 'ooh, well they seem confident!' - Sarcasm much?!

I think their Headline on the early edition is 'White Christmas' followed by talk of 'killer ice' and other strongly worded, semi unfounded exclamations.

Genius.

Edited December 17, 2011 by Teamjollie

[liam300]

Isn't it suppose to warm up next week?

Can see that changing by the end of next week can you?

[Weather-history]

Why do bookies slash the odds for a white Christmas because it is snowing two weeks before the day? Someone should look at the models, a white Christmas looks a low probability now.

[Summer Sun]

Why do bookies slash the odds for a white Christmas because it is snowing two weeks before the day? Someone should look at the models, a white Christmas looks a low probability now.

Its so they can make a fortune from people wasting there money.

[Summer Sun]

Ah the Daily Mail....

http://www.dailymail...ts-Britain.html

AND even better, the Express....

http://www.express.c...hite-Christmas-

What made me giggle was even the. BBC news reader couldn't contain his mirth when he read out their headlines today. 'ooh, well they seem confident!' - Sarcasm much?!

I think their Headline on the early edition is 'White Christmas' followed by talk of 'killer ice' and other strongly worded, semi unfounded exclamations.

Genius.

3 days of seasonal weather and guess what where going to get a white christmas.

Rubbish.

:rolleyes:

[Michael Fishermans Friend]

There was an article a week or so ago by the Express saying how a white christmas was a 'sure bet' - based on the weather at that time - again Pm incursions bringing wintryness mainly to the north and that a white xmas for places like Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Newcastle was almost guaranteed. Journalists at that paper must believe that the weather you experience then continues for weeks unabated, they obviously have very limited knowledge on the subject although they regularly have the weather as headline material.

The guff they are producing on this supposed 'big freeze' is laughable, probably down to the headlines they were continually putting on their front covers a couple of months back about a freezing November and December, no doubt there have been areas of England and Scotland effected by snow and Ice but nothing unusual for the time of year and certainly nothing in comparison to the last couple of Decembers.

Oh by the way watch out for the killer ice! and if you fancy getting rid of your hard earned cash this xmas put a bet on a white one, I'd rather get rid of it on football.

[Methuselah]

There has been no 'big freeze'! The gutter press has consistently predicted 'big freezes' since late September. What are they on?

[Les Penniston]

Why do bookies slash the odds for a white Christmas because it is snowing two weeks before the day? Someone should look at the models, a white Christmas looks a low probability now.

It just goes to show how they make it a big deal of it as the topic of the weather is the main talking point everyday, and then they say theres more to come always makes me laugh, i would say next week will be similar to this but with a milder few days.

With regards to a big freeze there needs to be a drastic change but my gut feeling we will have a January and February similar to last year.

Regards

Les

[Summer Sun]

It just goes to show how they make it a big deal of it as the topic of the weather is the main talking point everyday, and then they say theres more to come always makes me laugh, i would say next week will be similar to this but with a milder few days.

With regards to a big freeze there needs to be a drastic change but my gut feeling we will have a January and February similar to last year.

Regards

Les

Do you mean Jan and Feb of 2010? If so that was a snowy and cold period for us at times but the snow didn't last all that long as the sun soon melted it.

[Les Penniston]

Do you mean Jan and Feb of 2010? If so that was a snowy and cold period for us at times but the snow didn't last all that long as the sun soon melted it.

Gavin

Sorry getting my dates mixed up i was looking at Jan and Feb of this year which after the cold start of November and December 2010 we had absolutely nothing and thats why i can see Jan and Feb 2012 being similar.

Les

[Summer Sun]

Gavin

Sorry getting my dates mixed up i was looking at Jan and Feb of this year which after the cold start of November and December 2010 we had absolutely nothing and thats why i can see Jan and Feb 2012 being similar.

Les

Thanks, too early to say for next year I think.

[Jason T]

Gavin

Sorry getting my dates mixed up i was looking at Jan and Feb of this year which after the cold start of November and December 2010 we had absolutely nothing and thats why i can see Jan and Feb 2012 being similar.

Les

I doubt it very much.

[bluearmy]

There has been no 'big freeze'! The gutter press has consistently predicted 'big freezes' since late September. What are they on?

it clearly sells papers. the weather affects us all. if you stick a headline 'big freeze' on the front page, more buyers who makes a spot decision based on headlines is likely to pick it out. we may not like it as it gives forecaster a bad name when it doesn't happen but its just business for the papers Pete.

[Jason T]

ANOTHER UPDATE FROM MR MADDEN....He is not giving up.

Sunday 18th December 2011

White Christmas 2011 and Widespread Snow

After the first significant falls of snow across many parts of the UK this week as forecast (including the south), I am expecting these conditions to become more prominent as we head into next week, and in the run up to and during the festive period.

Over the next 10 days, widespread snowfall will start to become a prominent feature across many parts of the UK including the south. The snow will be particularly heavy at times and lead to lasting accumulations at many lower levels too, especially more so in the regions of Scotland, northern England, and eastern England.

As I stated in my 4^th December update

I am expecting things to significantly change to a more prolonged period of much colder weather with widespread snowfall across many parts of the UK and Ireland, as we head into the latter part of next week and in the run up to and during the festive period. The temperatures in Scotland and many Northern regions are likely to dip below negative double figures at times within this period in the evenings.

A white Christmas is also looking increasingly possible across many parts of the UK, especially more so in the regions of Scotland and Northern England in terms of any possible accumulations on the actual day.

The following MSN article from the 25th Novemberalso stated

What is The Big Question?

Christmas lights have been switched on all over the country; mince pies are now part of a staple diet, so the annual obsession of foraging for clues to predict the weather intensifies as people inevitably want to know will we have a white Christmas? Madden predicts we will, although heavier snowfall and low temperatures will stun the country throughout January and February.

I also made a definition of what a white Christmas officially consists of, as snow showers could literally be possible anywhere within the UK, although I have emphasised that the regions of Scotland and Northern England are the most likely to see any notable accumulations on the actual day.

All of the following statements still stand and were made before any other professional meteorologists or weather organisations, who are still being noncommittal on the outcome at this late stage, and as they will continue to do so, until a few days before.

May I take this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas and thank you all for reading my forecasts and your continued support.

Don't forget to enter our free white Christmas competition to win yourself a free scientific weather station/junior weather station kit.

Edited December 18, 2011 by silver line

[Crepuscular Ray]

Did anywhere in the south have a "significant" snowfall" in the last few days?

Has he not noticed that virtually all models predict that it will get warmer from midweek on for the majority of the UK? Do any of them predict double-figure negs?

[bluearmy]

good - he wont get out of this one. (i'm sure he'll try to though)

[Summer Sun]

It won't be a white christmas after all, this comes 24hrs after the papers said it would be,

No White Xmas as UK turns ‘tropical’

BRITAIN could bask in one of the warmest Christmas Days ever, experts said last night. Forecasters ruled out a White Christmas.

The UK's warmest ever Christmas Day came when 15.6°C (60°F) was recorded in Killerton, Devon, in 1920 and Edinburgh in 1896.

http://www.thesun.co...s-tropical.html

XMAS GOES BALMY

A CHRISTMAS heatwave is set to trigger an £8billion festive shopping frenzy.

http://www.dailystar...mas-goes-balmy/

So much for a white Christmas: Now a tropical breeze is set to take chill off

Breeze from tropics takes the chill off Christmas to double the average maximum temperatures

Just days ago bookmakers dramatically slashed the odds of a white Christmas after flurries up and down the country. But yesterday forecasters said that, far from shivering under a blanket of snow this weekend, we are likely to enjoy one of the mildest festive breaks on record.

A sudden switch in wind direction will cause warmer breezes to blow in from the tropics tomorrow night, the Met Office said.

http://www.dailymail...-Christmas.html

Edited December 19, 2011 by Gavin D