Winter 2012/13 coldest minima watch

[March Blizzard]

The last two -27.2s were in1995 and 1982. I think that the thermometers would have coped.

Back to this Winter. What are the odds of the lowest being sometime after next weekend?

If A cold high moves in with snow lying it is possible?

Only 12 years ago the coldest temp was in March though early in the month. Was below -20 though.

Considering the low so far this winter is "just" -13.1C i would say there is a half decent chance of it being surpassed sometime 10/11/12th. Of course there would probably need to be lying snow and clear calm conditions at night are a must. Given the general frostiness expected i wouldn't be surprised if somewhere in the Highlands (most likely) snatches a new winter low.

[March Blizzard]

Glen Ogle @ -6.2C at 6pm.

[NorthernRab]

Just woken to our coldest night of the winter here, -9.1'C so I'd imagine somewhere in Scotland might've recorded the UK's coldest night so far this winter.

[Liam J]

-5.5c here atm, colder than all 3 winter months,

[March Blizzard]

Aboyne was -12.9C at 6am. Altnaharra -11.2C at 7am. Perhaps noteworthy is the -5.1C at Baltasound at 2am.

[Polar Maritime]

Dropped to -5.7c here last night..

[Terminal Moraine]

A minimum of -5.6c here with the wind averaging around 23 mph. The coldest March night since 1986 when I recorded -6.2c on the 3rd and also the lowest min' of the whole 'winter'.

Edited March 11, 2013 by Terminal Moraine

[Interitus]

Aboyne was -12.9C at 6am. Altnaharra -11.2C at 7am. Perhaps noteworthy is the -5.1C at Baltasound at 2am.

Kinbrace not far to the east of Altnaharra was -12.8°C at 6am so is another possible contender.

[Interitus]

Surely all thermometers record below -27.2C? It seems like too random a figure to me, my money is on the statistical fluke! I agree about there being places colder than the likes of Breamar and Altnaharra where no weather stations exist, it's more likely than not. Anyway, it's almost certain the actual record is lower than the officially recorded one, the question is by how much?

Altnaharra was only operating for just under 2 years when it equaled the record in 1995 so it might be expected that it might have been close to the record in other cold spells. However this excellent review article of December 95 from the journal Weather in 1997 shows that the temperatures for other stations were very close to previous cold spells so cannot categorically suggest that the record might be lower - http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/j.1477-8696.1997.tb06294.x/pdf

Of course with the sparse recording network lower temperatures have almost certainly occurred but this assertion would apply to any country.

[NorthernRab]

Altnaharra was only operating for just under 2 years when it equaled the record in 1995 so it might be expected that it might have been close to the record in other cold spells. However this excellent review article of December 95 from the journal Weather in 1997 shows that the temperatures for other stations were very close to previous cold spells so cannot categorically suggest that the record might be lower - http://onlinelibrary...7.tb06294.x/pdf

Of course with the sparse recording network lower temperatures have almost certainly occurred but this assertion would apply to any country.

One of the most illuminating parts of that article is that it was -22'C in Dingwall in the 29th of Dec 1995; my mum claims it was -21'C that year in a SW suburb of Inverness and I never really believed her as the weather station out at Dalcross recorded -17'C. Less sceptical now.

[hillbilly]

- 6.5 last night..respect.....not been above -2 all day.snow showers but no snow below 200m

[Snowyowl9]

It must be snowing to sea level today,with the exceptional cold upper air for march.

Coldest night of the winter last night at -3.0c tonight should be colder.

Today was the coldest march day I`ve recorded while its been relatively sunny at 0.2c have to go back to 1987 or march 1986 would be more like it.

[NorthernRab]

Tulloch Bridge already just a touch above -10'C at 10PM.

[LomondSnowstorm]

Tulloch Bridge already just a touch above -10'C at 10PM.

-10.5C now, decent shot at the 'winter' record tonight though cloud cover is forecast to arrive fairly soon which might scupper things there.

-9.2C at Braemar is probably the best shot IMO, and a very respectable -6.9C at Drumalbin. Snow cover in Lanarkshire is perhaps the deepest anywhere in Scotland at the moment, maybe anywhere in the UK, so could easily go sub -10C there too.

[March Blizzard]

Cloud cover did its job last night, unfortunately. Considering we were at -10.5C at 11pm at Tulloch Bridge we were on course for a sub -15C reading there by dawn if conditions stayed the same. Looks like January may keep the record by the skin of it's teeth.

[March Blizzard]

Baltasound actually got as low as -6.6C in the last 24 hours. Just 0.2C off the UK low, not often that happens outside the summer months I'm sure. Must be the lowest temperature there for quite a while.

[TonyH]

My coldest by far this morning -10.2c.

[be cause]

get the thermometers at the ready .. coldest nights could be yet to come ..in March ..

and has done for me -7C .. and for many of you ...

[hillbilly]

has anyone had any cold temps lately or has scotland and wales a chance of taking the coldest temp of the season?

[be cause]

and has done for me -7C .. and for many of you ...

thanks for the observation(s)

[hillbilly]

looks as if the jan temp of -13.5[i think] is safe,would have loved the temp to fall at the end of march,maybe april,what a shock that would be!