What do you do when the weather looks dull?

[Barry12]

When the Zonal train goes choo choo, the bartlett high comes knocking, and the North and East say, I don't want a holiday..

What do you do to pass the time/cheer yourself up?

[Snowy Easterlies]

it actually causes less stress to me in a way, because i don't view the models all the time when its zonal, right now i am on here viewing the charts all the time and i am already tired of chasing 2 failed cold, snowy spells, so a break from the charts will do me good

it might only be the weather but i still get miserable, people say to me do other things, but you can do other things at any time of the year, eg go out with family, friends, go to the pub etc, snow comes around very occasionally and we need to take our chances with it, so when its missed i get down, but i get over it

Edited December 8, 2012 by Snowy Easterlies

[Thundery wintry showers]

If there's not much of interest going on with the weather, my interest in the weather generally wanes, both re. interest in the current day-to-day weather and the model output projections. However, it rarely depresses me unless it also happens to be persistently cloudy, in which case the combination of boredom and lack of sunlight starts to drag me down.

I get despondent for a short while when the forecast models show one of my favourite types of weather for a while, only to ditch it at short notice, but that generally comes and goes within 12-24 hours.

I don't find all zonal/mild weather uninteresting, but as a general rule if pressure is persistently high to the S and SE then the first paragraph does apply.

Edited December 8, 2012 by Thundery wintry showers

[mike Meehan]

I love blue skies and tend to get a little depressed if we go too long without sunshine - fair weather cu are ok and very nice to look at and the occasional storm adds interest.

We had a Bartlett high when I did my gliding course during the early part of 1959 - it was generally cold and I could have sworn that there were slivers of ice on the wing of one glider which had just landed - launches generally gained just short of 1000 feet and that day you could just skirt with the bottom of the cloud base - towards the end of the course it cleared up a bit and my instructor managed to find a thermal.

[Aaron]

it actually causes less stress to me in a way, because i don't view the models all the time when its zonal, right now i am on here viewing the charts all the time and i am already tired of chasing 2 failed cold, snowy spells, so a break from the charts will do me good

it might only be the weather but i still get miserable, people say to me do other things, but you can do other things at any time of the year, eg go out with family, friends, go to the pub etc, snow comes around very occasionally and we need to take our chances with it, so when its missed i get down, but i get over it

So by your very own definition on the other thread, you're not a weather enthusiast!

[Barry12]

I'm more of a extreme weather enthusiastic, in summer I'll be hoping it can get record breakingly hot, and in Winter I'll be hoping for extremely heavy snow, thundersnow etc. Average weather doesn't really interest me

I don't why, but I wouldn't mind a raging bartlett, it would have to be an extremely raging bartlett to get me interested though, just not average tempeartures!

[Snowy Easterlies]

So by your very own definition on the other thread, you're not a weather enthusiast!

i do like thunderstorms, torrential downpours, heatwaves and snow of course, but zonal does nothing for me, its far too common and i get bored of it, i may not always get gales or severe gales here but they don't interest me at all, so if i see a big depression, deep low in the models i won't exactly be getting excited

Edited December 9, 2012 by Snowy Easterlies

[Aaron]

Uh.. this is the post I am referring to.

the real passionate weather fanatics get down when good synoptics go wrong, people like you probably aren't into the weather that much so you just accept it and say "ah well never mind" when things downgrade and blindly believe that something good is going to happen further down the line without seeing any evidence bar comments on the strat thread

[Coast]

Crawl under a duvet....

[Aaron]

Oh, and if I find the weather uninteresting, then I'll stop posting on weather forums and I'll enjoy my other hobbies instead. The weather is not the be all and end all. I may end up arguing with people about politics, even if they don't want to.

Edited December 9, 2012 by Aaron

[Terminal Moraine]

I find all weather interesting to some degree- I wouldn't have been able to maintain over 50 years of detailed daily records if I didn't- but admittedly some types of weather are a lot more interesting than others.

If we get into a run of weather where not much is happening I look at how it fits into the bigger picture of the month, the season or the year and remind myself that all spells of tedious weather end at some point.

From a personal perspective long spells ( more than 3 days ) of warm and dry weather are the most trying, followed by spells where fronts bring large amounts of rain to north western hills but weaken into fragmented drizzly showers by the time they reach here.

I like rain in large quantities almost as much as I like snow so zonal in winter doesn't bother me half as much as the Azores high in summer.

I never tire of looking at the models no matter what they're showing and, as someone who's introduction to the synoptic charts was my daily fix in the Daily Telegraph starting around 1960, I'm constantly grateful for the amount of information available to us these days.

Overall I've got enough meteorological water under the bridge not to get too elated or despondent at either the model output or boring spells of weather; I try to work on the principle that the longer and more tedious the spell the more extreme the balancing out at the other end. The end of last Winter and the early Spring was a case in point, who would have thought after the relative tedium of February, and particularly March, that April would have come up with the goods as it did?

[Snowy Easterlies]

Uh.. this is the post I am referring to.

Eh, whats good about zonal? which is what the models are showing for next week, its windy with south westerly winds, big wow, and we have lost the good synoptics for this island that were showing a few days ago, i don't care if a scandi high or a greenland high is lurking and there is potential for it to do something, its what happens on this island that ultimately matters

Edited December 9, 2012 by Snowy Easterlies

[AWD]

I think everyone is entitled to enjoy what weather they like without being ridiculed or questioned about it. If you just like snow, or you like a variety of weather or you are interested in meteorology as a whole hoping to learn and become more involved with it then that's all fine.

We are all entitled to like & enjoy whatever weather we want.

I would love some snowfall in winter but I also wouldn't say no to any other types of weather. Next weeks cold & frosty nights interest me, signs of some deep depressions coming in off the Atlantic next weekend & beyond also very much interest me, not only because I find this weather active and fascinating to forecast, but also because of the affects it could have IMBY. I also love learning about meteorology as a whole, what causes certain weather phenomena & the various climatological nuances around our little island.

Some people will probably have a go at me now for liking excessive winds, squall lines, thunderstorms, hail, wintry precipitation, cloud structures, torrential rainfall etc, but I don't care. It is what I enjoy about the Great British weather & I am entitled to do so. It's my life, my hobby, my preferences.

There is no doubting the output currently is poor for snow, and I think could stay that way for a while away from Scotland. So for those of you who just like snow, the output is poor unfortunately, nothing we can do about that but move on and try to see where our next possibilities come from.

However, I am finding the output both quite interesting and potentially quiet worrying for my area especially. Aside from cold & snow, it looks like we are going to get every other weather we can get thrown at us at this time of year. Some intense depressions with no doubt some very active weather associated with them. Certainly keeping me glued to the model output currently.

Anyway, we all have different preferences to which we are all entitled too, it doesn't make us any more or any less of a valued member to Netweather than the next person. Off I go now back to my friendly, predominantly smooth flowing & mature regional thread to see what I have coming for my area in the coming days. Feel free to agree or disagree, I don't care, we all have opinions we are entitled too, lets just keep it friendly and respectful.

To keep it on topic, I rarely get bored of the weather. The only thing I do find tedious is lengthy cloudy, dull uneventful days, that's about it. With the variety we have in the UK, there is much for me to enjoy & learn about.

Enjoy whatever the weather throws at us folks, and stay safe.

Edited December 9, 2012 by AWD

[ARTDEMOLE]

When it is warm I can go for an amble round the lanes canals and countryside.Also spend some time in the shed on the scroll saw.In the clear evenings can take my spotting scope or telescope out on patio to gaze at the night skies.Spotting scope is also used at places like Chew Valley lake. When the rains come or very off putting weather then some practise on the clarinet or tin whistle can be done...Then there is the lurking on forums at other times....

[Thundery wintry showers]

One example of a mild zonal winter that I would hesitate to describe as "boring" was the windswept 1994/95 winter. There were numerous deep lows, active squally rain belts and some fairly lengthy polar maritime incursions characterised by sunny spells and squally blustery showers- for instance take the following chart from the 18th January:

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/1995/Rrea00119950118.gif

However, it really depends on how wide-ranging your interest in the weather is. I'm more like Terminal Moraine in that I find most types of weather interesting, but some rather more interesting than others, and a minority rather tedious. There are many others who have a narrower interest and there's nothing wrong with that either- many people develop a passing interest in the weather rather than the very intense interest that I share with the likes of Terminal Moraine.

There's no doubt though that if every winter month in the UK was like January 1989 then I would not have developed the same level of interest in weather.

[Lettucing Gutted]

I play my Half-Life 2 and Synergy games on Steam when the weather looks dull.

Edited December 9, 2012 by Craig Evans

[Aaron]

Eh, whats good about zonal? which is what the models are showing for next week, its windy with south westerly winds, big wow, and we have lost the good synoptics for this island that were showing a few days ago, i don't care if a scandi high or a greenland high is lurking and there is potential for it to do something, its what happens on this island that ultimately matters

I don't think you get the point I am making.. nevermind.

[Evening thunder]

I think the first post in this thread by TWS also describes me remarkably well. My interest tends to wane a bit when not much is going on or forecast.

I think everyone is entitled to enjoy what weather they like without being ridiculed or questioned about it. If you just like snow, or you like a variety of weather or you are interested in meteorology as a whole hoping to learn and become more involved with it then that's all fine.

We are all entitled to like & enjoy whatever weather we want.

I would love some snowfall in winter but I also wouldn't say no to any other types of weather. Next weeks cold & frosty nights interest me, signs of some deep depressions coming in off the Atlantic next weekend & beyond also very much interest me, not only because I find this weather active and fascinating to forecast, but also because of the affects it could have IMBY. I also love learning about meteorology as a whole, what causes certain weather phenomena & the various climatological nuances around our little island.

Some people will probably have a go at me now for liking excessive winds, squall lines, thunderstorms, hail, wintry precipitation, cloud structures, torrential rainfall etc, but I don't care. It is what I enjoy about the Great British weather & I am entitled to do so. It's my life, my hobby, my preferences.

Agree entirely with all your post, and this first half especially relates to me. Some have recently questioned/had a go at me for actually liking or finding interest in other types of weather than snow in winter, but as you say everyone can like whatever they want.

I feel on this forum there used to be more free/interesting discussion about all sorts of weather including severe weather/Atlantic storms, but now it seems more like some kind of taboo with some a bit like in the general public/media due to disruption it can cause (except with snow of course on here), where I often hear of us 'having to endure an awful/dreadful week next week etc' in threads like the MOD and others, where I actually find it quite interesting.. but maybe that's just my perception.

I like active zonal weather for the exact reasons you describe, the bigger weather events are what got me interested, keep me interested and always will for as long as i remain interested, be it snow, rain, wind, heatwaves, freezes etc etc. Now the disappointment of the easterly not coming off is fading as it's after the first 12-24 hours, I'm actually beginning to look forward to this weekend and next week (especially as I will be going home) as it looks like the 'interesting' type of Atlantic dominated weather to me rather than the 'boring' type with an Azores/Bartlett high close to the south and mainly mild/cloudy weather.

Admittedly it is not what some areas need right now and would be good for them to dry out, but Atlantic weather like forecast shouldn't be unexpected at this time of year. Some nice frosts to look forward to this week too.

If I only liked snow, living in the SW (or most places in the UK) I'd have a tough job not being bored of weather >95% of the time and maintaining my interest.

I think my ideal winter from weather interest point of view would be one like possibly we could get this year, spells of active/interesting Atlantic weather interspersed with easterlies fighting back giving big snow events/blizzards, and cold periods with very sharp frosts especially over snow cover. Also above average sunshine during the winter would be good. I'm not completely sure what exact combination I'd like the most, I may find myself not wanting snow to melt once it's here, or be happy enough with crisp cold frosty sunny weather.

Edited December 10, 2012 by Stormmad26

[Aaron]

My interest stretches well beyond snow, indeed, snow is not what got me interested in meteorology (hence my presence on here year-round, especially in the convection forums), and I adore gales and driving rain, and if I were to wake up tomorrow morning and one of the models was showing a dart board low with my name on it, I'd be excited, but in winter, my interest is mostly fixated on snow - in my opinion, winter should be snowy, and nothing else. That is the entire point of winter in my opinion, and places that lack extensive snow cover do not even qualify as true winter in my eyes.

Edited December 10, 2012 by Aaron

[Evening thunder]

Yeah I agree, if I could tweak the climate how I wanted, I would have winter mainly cold/snowy, and fit exciting Atlantic interest into the Autumn, more storms in the summer, bigger temp contrasts etc. As this is the UK though I won't complain at an active Atlantic at times in winter, knowing it could be a lot worse IMO (Bartlett high and lows further north).

Forgot to add I don't mind others not liking or not finding interest in any type of the weather of course, and understand why many in the public don't like it. I just don't think I could make my dislike of the disruption/effects extreme weather can have or the inability of us to cope well with snow, actually prevent me finding the weather phenomena itself interesting/exiting (this does apply most strongly with snow)

Having said that I think some especially the media go OTT sometimes, like local reports in the parish magazine from home, about how horrific the flooding was (not near record breaking) and hopefully it doesn't happen for ages and the river is a 'restrained' little river. IMO if you choose to live on a flood plain you should be prepared for flooding from time to time..

[Bottesford]

In winter my interest in weather tends to wane anyway with it only perking up during periods like last week when we thought a mother easterly was coming.

Weather this time of year is of less relevance since most time is spent indoors anyway so if its 2c and cloudy or if its 8c and sunny activities remain similar... Of course its nice to have sparkly sunny days (much like today and quite a few days lately) and certainly look forward to them - even if they are almost entirely spent inside at work with darkness falling long before home time.

In spring/summer weather is of much more importance and interest to me as it will directly affect outdoor activities and my garden. Thing is in summer 'dull' (as in not exciting) is often very usable and pleasant with the term 'dull' being more associated with the constant cloud & rain of recent summers.

[Thundery wintry showers]

I feel on this forum there used to be more free/interesting discussion about all sorts of weather including severe weather/Atlantic storms, but now it seems more like some kind of taboo with some a bit like in the general public/media due to disruption it can cause (except with snow of course on here), where I often hear of us 'having to endure an awful/dreadful week next week etc' in threads like the MOD and others, where I actually find it quite interesting.. but maybe that's just my perception.

I think we sometimes get a hypocritical herd mentality of, "it's wrong to want disruptive weather, except if the majority of contributors also want it", which generates the sort of taboos that you describe. I'm hoping that the recent decision to rename the main model output discussion thread to reflect its cold/snow slant, while offering alternative slower-moving threads, may help to address that problem, but we'll have to see how it pans out.

It's generally in the summer when I find most starkly that one person's boring spell can be another person's exciting spell. A quiet but fairly cloudy spell on the periphery of high pressure can excite a fair number of people because it will enable people to plan outdoor activities without risk of getting wet (particularly significant in the context of recent summers) but meteorologically speaking I find such regimes rather tedious.

Edited December 10, 2012 by Thundery wintry showers

[Aaron]

I enjoy sunny, blue dome days with temperatures in the low 20's, humidity below 50% and dew points in single figures, but such days are unusual unfortunately. This past summer, we had a load of days in the low 20s accompanied with dew points in the high teens, often with a lot of cloud.. bleh.

Conversely, we had virtually 10 days of uninterrupted sunshine in late May with conditions such as the above, accompanied with a distinct breeze.. I actually enjoyed that, it was extremely comfortable.

Edited December 10, 2012 by Aaron

[Bottesford]

Ah yes the late May spell - the best weather we've had the entire year! A few of those at high summer would have been fantastic.

[Snowy Easterlies]

one weather type that is not mentioned on here much and that is Fog, i love Fog, but sadly that is rare here too apart from early mornings before it disappears at about 9am, but before i used to see fog last most of the day, then it would come back late afternoon in winter, i get far too many bland cloudy days and tbh a lot are not even that dull, its just that annoying bright cloudy crap, i like clear blue skies, but not cloudyish brightness, i actually prefer dull days over bright cloudy days with the odd bit of sun

Edited December 10, 2012 by Snowy Easterlies