Can the recent weather in USA arrive in UK

[Jan]

Before I discovered weather forecasting and charts, I was always told that any weather in the USA arrived here a week or so later. With the recent snow event in the U.S., alot of un-weather people are spreading the word that we are next in line? Having read the model and strat threads and noticing there maybe changes afoot I am wondering if there is any truth in this 'myth'. (sorry if I've posted this in the wrong thread)

[Terminal Moraine]

It is possible for an area of low pressure to move up the eastern seaboard of the USA, turn east across the Atlantic and eventually affect our shores but by the time it reached here the charactersitics of its' air mass would be completely modified by 3000 miles of ocean.

If we do happen to get snow a week or so after New York or the adjacent areas it's often the result of a sinuous jet stream which plunges south over the eastern coast of the U.S, wanders north in mid-Atlantic and then moves south again by the time it reaches western Europe.

In this situation an area of low pressure inter-acting with the cold air to the north of the jet will give snow over the eastern U.S and then may also give snow in our part of the world as it comes up against the cold air to the north of the jet over us, having taken almost a week to travel the Atlantic. It won't, however, be the 'same snow' as they had in the U.S.

Edited December 30, 2012 by Terminal Moraine

[Weather-history]

Before I discovered weather forecasting and charts, I was always told that any weather in the USA arrived here a week or so later. With the recent snow event in the U.S., alot of un-weather people are spreading the word that we are next in line? Having read the model and strat threads and noticing there maybe changes afoot I am wondering if there is any truth in this 'myth'. (sorry if I've posted this in the wrong thread)

The key words there are un-weather people. It's a myth.

[Jan]

I realise the Atlantic would have an effect on a weather system travelling over it, and yes maybe it is a myth but we can live in hope..... just wondered

[mike Meehan]

The key words there are un-weather people. It's a myth.

Like saying it is too cold to snow, though for us to get a good fall it is necessary for some wetter milder air to be mixed in with cold air but it is never really too cold to snow as evidenced by the snow cover in Siberia in the winter.

[frogesque]

I belive it's posible for the UK to catch the tail end of a US hurricane or tropical storm but aren't we more generally afected by the position and strength of the Jet Stream?

But what do I know . . . lately it's been a case of look out the window and it's either just rained, is raining or it's about to rain!

[syed2878]

when i was at school i uce to heare that too what ever weather the u.s getting at the time we get it week or 2 later.

[Jan]

I belive it's posible for the UK to catch the tail end of a US hurricane or tropical storm but aren't we more generally afected by the position and strength of the Jet Stream?

But what do I know . . . lately it's been a case of look out the window and it's either just rained, is raining or it's about to rain!

We do get the remananats of hurricanes from the USA here, so there must be something in it, even if the Atlantic does weaken the system or whatever.