Scotland - Weather Chat - Spring 2016 Onwards

[Hawesy]

Two gorgeous days in NE Fife, we managed 13 hours of sun and 14c yesterday and today has been more of the same.

[Northernlights]

As above great day .Finished sowing spring barley in clouds of dust.Cows getting out on a daily basis to a grass field with a few turnips scattered about. Having eaten them today they just lay in the sun for a couple of hours.Tempting to put calves out with them but given the forecasts for next week will put them in and out for another 10 days or so just acclimatise them  Countryside starting to green up in the last two days but grass has purple tips due to the cold nights was 3 c at 6.00am this morning and 1c the day before. Not enough grass yet to put cattle onto full time.

Edited April 21, 2016 by Northernlights

[Ravelin]

Started off sunny this morning but it's clouded over a bit as the morning progressed. Still trying at times to let the sun through. As a consequence the temp is 3 or 4 degrees down on the same time yesterday and it's not helped by there being quite a stiff breeze. Still, at 10/11C it's about twice what we can expect as a high in a day or two's time.

[A Winter's Tale]

Another fantastic day and the warmest of the year so far with 18c recorded in Glasgow - it finally looks and feels like we're nearer to summer.

[Cheggers]

Taps aff!!

Edited April 21, 2016 by Cheggers

[Northernlights]

Not so warm yesterday up here with a drizzly morning replaced with a sunny afternoon and a maximum of 10c although quite warm behind glass. The moderate to fresh N wind kept it cool.Still some drifts left on the Cawdor hills below 1500 feet putting this spring into the cool category. Will try to get a photo today .

 

Also  25%of daffodils behind north facing dykes still to come into flower and most trees still very bare with even the old horse chestnut in the garden only at bud burst . Fruit trees only at bud stage. Currently bright at 2c

[Cheggers]

2 hours ago, Northernlights said:

Not so warm yesterday up here with a drizzly morning replaced with a sunny afternoon and a maximum of 10c although quite warm behind glass. The moderate to fresh N wind kept it cool.Still some drifts left on the Cawdor hills below 1500 feet putting this spring into the cool category. Will try to get a photo today .

 

Also  25%of daffodils behind north facing dykes still to come into flower and most trees still very bare with even the old horse chestnut in the garden only at bud burst . Fruit trees only at bud stage. Currently bright at 2c

Same here really, Daffs just hitting full bloom, but not green on the trees in back garden as yet. Wind yesterday took the edge of the warmth, and not looks to be a chilly weekend approaching. Roll on Summer hols.

Edited April 22, 2016 by Cheggers

[Northernlights]

Interesting watching this cold air take hold.    Haven"t seen a proper front or dividing line  just a change from blue skies to patchy cloud yesterday and drizzle and blue skies and  small wintry looking showers to the north this morning .

[SW Saltire]

5 hours ago, Northernlights said:

Not so warm yesterday up here with a drizzly morning replaced with a sunny afternoon and a maximum of 10c although quite warm behind glass. The moderate to fresh N wind kept it cool.Still some drifts left on the Cawdor hills below 1500 feet putting this spring into the cool category. Will try to get a photo today .

 

Also  25%of daffodils behind north facing dykes still to come into flower and most trees still very bare with even the old horse chestnut in the garden only at bud burst . Fruit trees only at bud stage. Currently bright at 2c

I'm surprised about the daffodils... 

3 hours ago, Cheggers said:

Same here really, Daffs just hitting full bloom, but not green on the trees in back garden as yet. Wind yesterday took the edge of the warmth, and not looks to be a chilly weekend approaching. Roll on Summer hols.

You live in Central Scotland, so even more surprising!

A few Daffodils in south facing areas have wilted.

All the rest are in full bloom/starting to turn.

Buttercups and dandelions have taken off in the last week.

Same with grass growth, i now have had to start taking my hayfever tablets....

Last few days have been great! 

Wednesday was 16c, Yesterday 17.2c. 

Today much better than forecast. 

When the breeze picks up and cloud rolls in, it feels chilly. 

However, when it drops and is sunny feels as warm as recent days

Currently 13.4c with intermittent sunshine and breeze

[Northernlights]

12 minutes ago, SW Saltire said:

I'm surprised about the daffodils... 

You live in Central Scotland, so even more surprising!

A few Daffodils in south facing areas have wilted.

All the rest are in full bloom/starting to turn.

Buttercups and dandelions have taken off in the last week.

Same with grass growth, i now have had to start taking my hayfever tablets....

Last few days have been great! 

Wednesday was 16c, Yesterday 17.2c. 

Today much better than forecast. 

When the breeze picks up and cloud rolls in, it feels chilly. 

However, when it drops and is sunny feels as warm as recent days

Currently 13.4c with intermittent sunshine and breeze

Thats why the main concentration of dary cows is in SW Scotland where grass growth starts much earlier than with us.We budget for  a 7 month winter feeding period for the cattle and will probably not get cattle to grass until May this year.  We used to average a 20th of April turnout date when the first 16c was recorded usually. This has got much later into May these past few years. Anything to do with  the cold Atlantic?

 

A pair of swallows arrived two days ago bang on their normal date of 20th April and will probably spend all next week holed up  in their nest in the garage

[SW Saltire]

24 minutes ago, Northernlights said:

Thats why the main concentration of dary cows is in SW Scotland where grass growth starts much earlier than with us.We budget for  a 7 month winter feeding period for the cattle and will probably not get cattle to grass until May this year.  We used to average a 20th of April turnout date when the first 16c was recorded usually. This has got much later into May these past few years. Anything to do with  the cold Atlantic?

 

A pair of swallows arrived two days ago bang on their normal date of 20th April and will probably spend all next week holed up  in their nest in the garage

I see.... Fair enough. Spring usually has a lot more Northerly and Easterly winds than in say October/November time. My location is sheltered from both...

May seems late to me but i get what you mean...

Ground has dried up a lot here in the past week. Horses have their summer fly sheets on during the day but we chuck their heavier rugs back on at night as it's still very chilly.

[SW Saltire]

In my post above, i said dandelions but that's not them. I'm talking about the short white flowers (buttercup height) that grow in fields that are poor basically. Those have covered some fields nearby.

Since we got ours sprayed and stuff they went but horses are bad grazers so they'll come back at some point.

Just wondered what they are called... I'm sure i'll know instantly when someone says

[Northernlights]

2 hours ago, SW Saltire said:

I see.... Fair enough. Spring usually has a lot more Northerly and Easterly winds than in say October/November time. My location is sheltered from both...

May seems late to me but i get what you mean...

Ground has dried up a lot here in the past week. Horses have their summer fly sheets on during the day but we chuck their heavier rugs back on at night as it's still very chilly.

Yes thats our big problem night temperatures for the last number of weeks  and for the forseeable have been well below 6c(Plants start to grow at this temperature  and above) which means that the plants cannot rid themselves of the waste products of photosynthesiss from during the day when temperatures have been above 6c. When I was at college in Aberdeen many decades ago  spring was even later  there with May turnout a regular occurance  through there.

Edited April 22, 2016 by Northernlights

[SW Saltire]

34 minutes ago, Northernlights said:

Yes thats our big problem night temperatures for the last number of weeks  and for the forseeable have been well below 6c(Plants start to grow at this temperature  and above) which means that the plants cannot rid themselves of the waste products of photosynthesiss from during the day when temperatures have been above 6c. When I was at college in Aberdeen many decades ago  spring was even later  there with May turnout a regular occurance  through there.

I see... Interesting. Well recently nights have been that low but you do seem to record quite chilly readings...

Like by 8am it's usually 8c or so. Mid teens in the afternoon. We shall see what next week brings as ot could well be unseasonably cold... Which isn't welcome really (unless i get snow which is v unlikely)

[Northernlights]

A very frosty sunset tonight and the temperature fell sharply after 6.00pm and was 2c at 7.30 pm.

Beginning to have a bad feeling about a cold spring as about the same time  it reached 2c a flock of geese landed on a newly sown field of barley and proceeded to dig up the newly sown grain.Never seen this before here but a late sowing and late migration in face of northerly winds maybe a reason. Safe to say they  were chased off with tractor horns blaring.

 

[101_North]

Just for fun but Euro4 showing upland snow overnight into tomorrow 

Backed up by some extent by NMM.

I'll not be waiting up LOL

[Ravelin]

It's a lovely sunny morning here, wait a sec....now it's snowing heavily and everything is turning white....no, sun is out again and everything looks green and springlike. 

[SW Saltire]

Sun is out again. Chilly at 8c but no wind really (admittedly i'm very sheltered) so feels pleasant in the strong sun

[Northernlights]

2c here this morning with a snow/hail shower coming in off the Firth

 

 

 

A photo from yesterday of the Cawdor hills with the last drifts a lot for the  end of April under 1500 feet

[Nouska]

1 hour ago, Ravelin said:

It's a lovely sunny morning here, wait a sec....now it's snowing heavily and everything is turning white....no, sun is out again and everything looks green and springlike. 

Wondering what it will be like on the golf course tomorrow and Monday.

Daughters-in-law clubbed together for a special Gleneagles golfing trip for my twin sons' fortieth - hubby was invited to fly over but declined as weather would likely be keech (how prescient) and with the old school pals there, they would be too hungover to do justice to such a fine piece of turf.

 

[NUT]

Bit breezy and clouded in a bit after a really quite frosty start. Not bad for this late in April

[ciel]

I'm watching a snow storm sweeping down the eastern Angus glens. It's falling as sleet in my location.

[101_North]

A very pleasant day so far. Plenty of sunshine, light winds and feeling warm in the sun. Hard to take the heavy snow symbol in tonights local forecast all that seriously 

[Ravelin]

Sunny start to the day again, with virtually no cloud. Temp was 3.8C around an hour ago but now up to 5.2C. Quite a cold feeling breeze though. 

Yesterday was just nuts for the end of April. Frequent heavy showers of sleet and graupel right through the day, but nothing really managed to settle for more than a few minutes, even on the local hills. 

[JoeShmoe]

Another lovely day today, in the shelter of my back garden with a strong sun it feels warm  - may have to crack open a cold beer after doing the grass !

Edited April 24, 2016 by JoeShmoe