Spring moans, ramps, chat and banter

[Nick L]

In terms of rainfall it might be fairly dry, but it's just so damp.

[interested & confused]

Grey, damp and miserable..........................I'm in desperate need of some sunlight.

S A D setting in fast

 

[I remember Atlantic 252]

6 minutes ago, Nick L said:

In terms of rainfall it might be fairly dry, but it's just so damp.

Assume you mean in the CET zone? don't think ppl in NW England would agree with that! but yes not bad here, just 10th completely washed out

[Nick L]

Just now, I remember Atlantic 252 said:

Assume you mean in the CET zone? don't think ppl in NW England would agree with that! but yes not bad here, just 10th completely washed out

I was talking about my local area.

[Woollymummy]

Very unusual walk to the village shop just now, feels very pleasant outdoors, more so than it did earlier, my phone weather app says it will be 14 deg by midnight, warmer than now, and on the local forecast the "feels like" temp is always lower than the actual temp, funny! My daffs are up out of their container but not actually blooming yet, maybe they will be by Christmas Eve

[I remember Atlantic 252]

Quite cool here now. 9.9C

[Mair Snaw]

You couldnt make it up on the Model output thread..... the last 8 weeks the Anomaly charts have been pushed as the way forward the best way to view output... as soon as they start showing possible signs of a change to more cold favourable stance they all of a sudden become misleading.....

[tinybill]

just  been looking at the   models  if they carry on they look pretty grim  for the top half  of the uk  their looks  like  their a lot of rain heading our way over  the xmas  break  not good news  for some people

[Terminal Moraine]

Today was the 10th day this month here with a maximum temp' of 10.0c or more. This breaks the previous record for any winter month, which was 9 in February 1998.

The way this month is going there could be more 10c + days than in any entire winter; the current record for winter is 15 days in 1997/98.

The 30 year average maximum in December here is 5.2c and there have been 7 Decembers in the last 40 years when 10c wasn't reached at all.

[legritter]

Well for some reason my Daffs are still under apart from some here and there , took a bit of rest time today up the wood shed [yes we have one ] also the potting shed .

Well plenty of insect life running around owing to this mucky mild mush ,sat in the doorway and observed plenty of bumble bees  having a feed on my nasturtiums which have come from seed laid down naturally back in september .

What was amazing was a hummingbird hawk moth turned up for a feast on my late flowering Larks spur , December!!! more like a late september day .Well i do like the look of the last frame of tonights ECM ,if that crosses us it could be fun but at ten days away still many options could be the outcome ,lets hope its picking up on signals of some very cold air coming our way ,so if we can get a very deep low too our east  we could be in business , i,m going to crack open a STella ,cheers gang .

[I remember Atlantic 252]

16 minutes ago, bigsnow said:

You couldnt make it up on the Model output thread..... the last 8 weeks the Anomaly charts have been pushed as the way forward the best way to view output... as soon as they start showing possible signs of a change to more cold favourable stance they all of a sudden become misleading.....

 

To me it's all about a black hole, no doubt Knocker's thoughts will come off, westerlies all the way

[Peter H]

Who's up for a colder Atlantic returning in June ?

[Evening thunder]

57 minutes ago, I remember Atlantic 252 said:

Scott, just seen deep FI on the GFS, surely that would suit all! but of course FI and I don't expect it to come off

Not for me really, that would probably just be further dull cloudy tedium without any interesting weather as a 'reward' for enduring it. Though we've probably had a decades worth of such conditions already..

This weather is only interesting for me statistic wise, it's not really pleasant or interesting to experience in itself, indeed quite the opposite sometimes. It's just temperatures we get all the time at other times of year, in our already low seasonal range. 

It's not really dry here either, lots of drizzle and dampness, I could hear the windows dripping with drizzle earlier. In fact the duration of some kind of precipitation may be similar to a more traditional unsettled westerly spell.

I'd also prefer the 2nd chart you posted afterwards that you said was no use to anybody, as I'd actually see some sunshine (and weather) so would feel more upbeat, and it would feel just slightly more seasonal.

38 minutes ago, March Blizzard said:

I kind of agree with this, unbelievably. In a way I want the December CET record to be completely obliterated.

Same here, since it's not much use for anything else (apart for heating bills or those that hate cold) we may as well go for that.

[Costa Del Fal]

My is it warm! 13c currently outside. Had the windows down on the car a bit earlier. Also had a fly in the kitchen earlier. Seeing more plants beginning to flower too. Staggering persistence to this spell. Shame it's impossible in the summer. We would be enduring a massive heatwave but watch the opposite occur as usual and hence why our seasons are now so boring.

Edited December 16, 2015 by Costa Del Fal

[Spikecollie]

Yep, can't believe there are so many flies around. I've never needed citronella in December before. The birds are delightful too, singing morning and evening as if it's spring. We had the door open in class this evening, it was 15c at 2000 where I teach just outside Limoges. We finished our last session of the year, which was Christmas themed, by singing Christmas songs and carols. It was lovely, but very unseasonal outside! 17c for tomorrow here - despite the gusty winds I'm off for a cycle ride!!!

[AderynCoch]

 I made this at the end of Winter Second Autumn 2013/14 (any excuse):

 

If this keeps up I might have to find the part where he blows his brains out...

[Liam J]

Put my winter coat back on it's hanger in the wardrobe, my winter duvet is too heavy and the heating is off! Currently 12.7c... Late night dog walk and I only needed a T shirt and a light zipped hoodie on, what I'd usually wear in summer!  

[knocker]

1 hour ago, Peter H said:

Who's up for a colder Atlantic returning in June ?

I don't think the colder Atlantic makes a significant difference given the boundary layer mixing that goes on but in any case just look at the current SST anomaly and think wind direction.

 

Edited December 16, 2015 by knocker

[Liam J]

Just had a look at the current temperatures and some stations are showing 15c!! The warmth has even made the headlines on the BBC news, possibly going to be the warmest December for a century! 

Edited December 16, 2015 by *Sub*Zero*

[Costa Del Fal]

Pretty remarkable in just 5 years we have one of the coldest ever Decembers to one of the warmest if not the warmest. Pretty much anything really is possible in this world. Amazing stuff.

[Geordiesnow]

1 hour ago, Costa Del Fal said:

My is it warm! 13c currently outside. Had the windows down on the car a bit earlier. Also had a fly in the kitchen earlier. Seeing more plants beginning to flower too. Staggering persistence to this spell. Shame it's impossible in the summer. We would be enduring a massive heatwave but watch the opposite occur as usual and hence why our seasons are now so boring.

How would it be a heatwave if this set up occured in summer? It would be similar type of weather with perhaps slightly higher temps and of course, a humid and muggy feel. 

The persistence in Southern areas of such high temps is remarkable but lets not forget some Northern areas was cold with snow in places just on Saturday so its not been mild for everyone for quite a long time. 

[Mapantz]

I'll put this in here, seeing as the odd one or two charts are being put in the model thread. http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/images/prob_ensemble/20151201/

[carinthian]

Just seen reports of Blood Rain and smog to affect Britain over the next few days. Obviously a mix of Sahara Dust and moisture at elevation, temps 10c above normal. Good God, Western Europe looks like breaking all records for December warmth. No white Christmas for much of Austria this year again. During the period 1961-85, most of lowland Austria chances of a white was 70%, now its half that value. Something has drastically changed during the past 30 years. Poorly Blighty, your chances of a lowland white Christmas now almost zero. More Cesspit weather seems the norm now for you. Crazy, get out!

 C

[I Cumbria Marra I]

1 hour ago, Geordiesnow said:

How would it be a heatwave if this set up occured in summer? It would be similar type of weather with perhaps slightly higher temps and of course, a humid and muggy feel. 

The persistence in Southern areas of such high temps is remarkable but lets not forget some Northern areas was cold with snow in places just on Saturday so its not been mild for everyone for quite a long time. 

 99% of uk has been above average so far, 

[Severe Blizzard]

Good to see some more positive posts on here regarding the 'poor' start to the winter, with regards to the exceptional temperatures. I agree that the warmth is not the issue and it is the lack of sunshine and persistence of the drizzle that makes the conditions unpleasant.

I remember December 1988 and the very mild weather on 23rd / Christmas Eve (>14 deg.C. maxima) in bright sunshine. This is the type of exceptional mild December weather that is pleasant and Wednesday 16th was much closer to this than the last few days, indeed, weeks. If a cold set-up cannot develop, days like this in the S.E. are welcome over hours of drizzly nuisance value rain and horrid gusty winds any day! However, deep snow as in December 1981 and 2010 would still be great. 

I have recorded all max. temps. >10 deg.C. so far this December and reached >14 deg.C on 4 days so far! The max. temp. on Wednesday at my Guildford site was 14.4 deg.C.  

Got to admit I am enjoying the exceptional mildness with DRY and bright conditions like on Wednesday 16th. Working outdoors in a supermarket car park, chose to wear shorts and still felt hot and glasses steamed up when going indoors! It was also amusing hearing Christmas music in the supermarket, working in what I was wearing on the warmest days in the summer. Most recent nights birdsong has continued all night - eerie.  

One must also not forget the spell of mild and dry weather 'enjoyed' in the week leading up to Christmas Eve last year, this also having 12~14 deg.C. maxima. The change to cold zonality after Boxing day when southern areas missed the Boxing Day snow, was most unwelcome.

I am aware I have moaned on here often, but the lack of drizzle today was most welcome (not dry today in the true sense as the atmosphere was very humid as one would expect in this tropical maritime air-mass).  

I am not becoming a true 'Mildie', but I am making the best use of these unusual conditions to their best advantage benefiting from lower heating bills, comfortable working conditions and hope to get a good bike ride and enjoy the countryside in the 'dry' conditions on Friday!   

One historical fact was that autumn 1938 was very mild and December was exceptionally mild up to the 16th. In the south, the S.W. flow changed to easterly with heavy rain on 18th turning to snow and then snow showers everyday through to just after Christmas. 7 inches (19 cm) of snow lay at Redhill, Surrey on Christmas Day. A very mild period in early December 1995 ended with snow on the 5th with a similar change in situation as the high developed to the N.E. and fed in easterly winds in the south U.K. There is still hope for some 'proper winter' .

I just hope it does NOT develop into another nasty cold zonal disappointment with the current set-up moving south with more rain, dull and colder conditions with snow everywhere but the south (1983/84, 1992/93, last winter etc). Prefer this mild dry snowless everywhere current set-up to wet horrible conditions and missing out on the snow or anything else interesting like last winter. Perhaps we will see a very anticyclonic January and February with frost, sunshine and some fog at times resulting in a overall dry winter (for the south) like 1991/92 and similarly, 1975/76. 

Anyway, looking forward to working in shorts again until at least Sunday 20th, an unprecedented record!