Winter 2019/20 | Moans, Ramps & Chat

[BLAST FROM THE PAST]

2 hours ago, Don said:

Winter 08/09 was cold for the UK.  Only after mid-February was it mild.

.  There were very mild blasts approaching and through Xmas and in chunks of Jan with +5c to +10c 850s.  Seems odd looking at the CET and the chart archive and 850s....look through the chart archive....it doesn’t look like a cold winter to me...just cold incursions with very mild air at times with a lot of Atlantic air.

 

BFTP

[The PIT]

Well we can write December off as a dead loss. Hopefully Jan and Feb will bring something to the the table. The lawn needs cutting will I cut it again in Jan like I did this year.

[Kentish Man]

Oh whoopee a Bartlett high nicely ensconced at 7 -10 days on ECM. In the south the Christmas/New Year period has consistently disappointed right back to 1978/79 when we had a dramatic Boxing Day snowstorm. Even in 1981 and 2010 the cold was running out of steam by late Dec. With people off work it's a better time for snow and cold than later in the winter when we need to get to work/school etc .     

Edited December 24, 2019 by Kentish Man

[carinthian]

2 hours ago, The PIT said:

Well we can write December off as a dead loss. Hopefully Jan and Feb will bring something to the the table. The lawn needs cutting will I cut it again in Jan like I did this year.

My friend says the birds were singing this morning in Horsham Park, just like a mild spring morning.

C

[Sunny76]

8 minutes ago, Kentish Man said:

Oh whoopee a Bartlett high nicely ensconced at 7 -10 days on ECM. In the south the Christmas/New Year period has consistently disappointed right back to 1978/79 when we had a dramatic Boxing Day snowstorm. Even in 1981 and 2010 the cold was running out of steam by late Dec. With people off work it's a better time for snow and cold than later in the winter when we need to get to work/school etc .     

I have a feeling we will end of dealing with a nasty spell of cold snowy weather in mid to late January, when nobody wants it. 

[Bristawl Si]

January 79 is the only January i can remember as memorable in terms of cold and snow; 1st 10 days of Jan 2010 were decent; that's about it for these parts and i'm 58!

Decembers 2009 and 2010, plus December 81 were only Decembers i can remember as memorable.

Very late Jan and into Feb i think deliver 'most' here, although it is worth remembering, Southern UK snowstorms are actually, comparatively rare in the great scheme of things.

Clusters of decent Winters comes foremost to my mind when talking about decent cold, snowy Winters for here. 78-87 had best winters here, not every one of those years, but there were a few in here. Early to mid-90s had a couple of decent ones. 

Worst run of Winters in my lifetime were 71-78; most years were virtually snowless, bar Feb 78. Next batch of bad ones were v late 90s right up to 2008. 

In more recent years, actually there are a few good 'uns, despite some in here saying to the contrary. Feb 09 was a one-week wonder, 4 snowfalls in one week. 09/10 December into January. End Nov/Dec 2010. End Feb/early March 18, plus couple of other falls during March. 

Worth remembering, global warming or not, the UK Winter (esp Southern UK) is mild, maritime, with occasional cold incursions, and some Winters it just remains mild and wet - the norm.

 

Edited December 24, 2019 by Bristle boy

[Summer Sun]

Spring like at the weekend a bit of rain in the far north west. Elsewhere lots of sunshine with a light breeze from the southwest and temps getting towards the mid teens.

[Bristawl Si]

1 minute ago, Summer Sun said:

Spring like at the weekend a bit of rain in the far north west. Elsewhere lots of sunshine with a light breeze from the southwest and temps getting towards the mid teens.

Nice! If it aint cold and snowy i love Winter dry and mild. Even for these parts the last 8/9 weeks have been depressingly wet (and not particularily mild), bar my 2-week Caribbean cruise earlier this month

[Airedalejoe]

7 minutes ago, Bristle boy said:

January 79 is the only January i can remember as memorable in terms of cold and snow; 1st 10 days of Jan 2010 were decent; that's about it for these parts and i'm 58!

Decembers 2009 and 2010, plus December 81 were only Decembers i can remember as memorable.

Very late Jan and into Feb i think deliver 'most' here, although it is worth remembering, Southern UK snowstorms are actually, comparatively rare in the great scheme of things.

Clusters of decent Winters comes foremost to my mind when talking about decent cold, snowy Winters for here. 78-87 had best winters here, not every one of those years, but there were a few in here. Early to mid-90s had a couple of decent ones. 

Worst run of Winters in my lifetime were 71-78; most years were virtually snowless, bar Feb 78. Next batch of bad ones were v late 90s right up to 2008. 

In more recent years, actually there are a few good 'uns, despite some in here saying to the contrary. Feb 09 was a one-week wonder, 4 snowfalls in one week. 09/10 December into January. End Nov/Dec 2010. End Feb/early March 18, plus couple of other falls during March. 

Worth remembering, global warming or not, the UK Winter (esp Southern UK) is mild, maritime, with occasional cold incursions, and some Winters it just remains mild and wet - the norm.

 

At last, the truth! Reading some of the comments in here and in the mad thread it's clear some people think we have a climate like NE states or continental Europe!

The autumn and first few weeks of winter here have seen plenty of frost/ice and cold days. No snow as such except on higher ground. Far too much rain and grey gloomy days but mild days have been in short supply.

I've known many a whole winter with less cold/frosty days than this one and we're only a few weeks in. A reality check never goes amiss!

[Kentish Man]

25 minutes ago, Bristle boy said:

January 79 is the only January i can remember as memorable in terms of cold and snow; 1st 10 days of Jan 2010 were decent; that's about it for these parts and i'm 58!

Decembers 2009 and 2010, plus December 81 were only Decembers i can remember as memorable.

Very late Jan and into Feb i think deliver 'most' here, although it is worth remembering, Southern UK snowstorms are actually, comparatively rare in the great scheme of things.

Clusters of decent Winters comes foremost to my mind when talking about decent cold, snowy Winters for here. 78-87 had best winters here, not every one of those years, but there were a few in here. Early to mid-90s had a couple of decent ones. 

Worst run of Winters in my lifetime were 71-78; most years were virtually snowless, bar Feb 78. Next batch of bad ones were v late 90s right up to 2008. 

In more recent years, actually there are a few good 'uns, despite some in here saying to the contrary. Feb 09 was a one-week wonder, 4 snowfalls in one week. 09/10 December into January. End Nov/Dec 2010. End Feb/early March 18, plus couple of other falls during March. 

Worth remembering, global warming or not, the UK Winter (esp Southern UK) is mild, maritime, with occasional cold incursions, and some Winters it just remains mild and wet - the norm.

 

All fair points but nevertheless I'd argue we've been unlucky in not having more cold incursions in the Christmas/New Year period when more people are at home to enjoy them. 78/79 is the only outstanding example I can think of since the 1970(?) Xmas snowfall.. You could be right about 2009/10 as well but statistically you'd expect more than 2 in 49 years!

[Bristawl Si]

4 minutes ago, Kentish Man said:

All fair points but nevertheless I'd argue we've been unlucky in not having more cold incursions in the Christmas/New Year period when more people are at home to enjoy them. 78/79 is the only outstanding example I can think of since the 1970(?) Xmas snowfall.. You could be right about 2009/10 as well but statistically you'd expect more than 2 in 49 years!

"Statistically"?! IMBY - if the last 58 years have seen v few White end Decembers then i guess that is the stats. I do remember cold and snow for a couple of days between Xmas and NYE one year back in early noughties, cant remember exact year, but it stayed around for about 3 days i think. Boxing day 1970 saw a good fall, before the virtually snowless 70s (imby) got going.

[Don]

1 hour ago, Summer Sun said:

Spring like at the weekend a bit of rain in the far north west. Elsewhere lots of sunshine with a light breeze from the southwest and temps getting towards the mid teens.

It’s like going back in time 31 years, except this time things are possibly slightly worse!

[knocker]

I was on a ship anchored at the Tail of the Bank in the Clyde in January 1968 when the Great Storm struck. We were lucky as we dragged our anchor and nearly ran ashore at Gourock but others were not and several ships sank. There was severe damage in Glasgow, where many of the old houses collapsed or were severely damaged, and nine people were killed. Altogether 20 people died

These things happen and there is little we do about them but to actively ‘want’ storms such as this to occur, as some on here gleefully do, is both crass and utterly stupid.

[SLEETY]

We do get decent winter sypnotics,just not in the winter months anymore.

That's why it's so frustrating ,if global warming is the cause of high pressure belts increasing from the South in the winter,then why do they mostly disappear for weeks in the other 3 seasons then!

Edited December 25, 2019 by SLEETY

[snowblizzard]

Gorgeous Christmas day morning!  

Edited December 25, 2019 by snowblizzard

[Methuselah]

11 hours ago, ArHu3 said:

If you look at averages alone you miss possible cold spells followed by warm spells, it's better to look at the Hellmann cold number 

If it's going to cut the mustard, it'd better be Hellmanns...or, is that mayonnaise!

[Don]

21 hours ago, sundog said:

Well I'd definitely sacrifice this winter if the next 6 were cold lol

Too right!

[feb1991blizzard]

Hmm - not as confident now but really not had as much time as i would have liked today - lost bank card - will try to refine these into QBO and ENSO's that are similar to what we have now but not as good as i thought, QBO easterly with ENSO neutral - weak blocking and the baulk of the troughing to the West of the UK.

The signal i am getting here  is an Easterly possible but likely to be short lived.

Edited December 25, 2019 by feb1991blizzard

[Carl46Wrexham]

 

22 hours ago, Summer Sun said:

Spring like at the weekend a bit of rain in the far north west. Elsewhere lots of sunshine with a light breeze from the southwest and temps getting towards the mid teens.

The one positive to come from that is that it will help us dry out.

Edited December 25, 2019 by Carl46Wrexham

[Frost HoIIow]

The latter stages of the ECM in particular are just vile. That sort of set up doesn't get much worse. The only places in Europe to benefit from such a setup is the far north of Scandinavia. Which would get real dumping from the lows zipping across from the Atlantic & Norwegian Sea.

[northwestsnow]

2 hours ago, Frost HoIIow said:

The latter stages of the ECM in particular are just vile. That sort of set up doesn't get much worse. The only places in Europe to benefit from such a setup is the far north of Scandinavia. Which would get real dumping from the lows zipping across from the Atlantic & Norwegian Sea.

Yeah, the ONLY positive for the next week or so is HP will control the weather- im already resigned to there being no snow until Mid Jan at the earliest, so anything that doesn;t involve rain gets the thumbs up.

Once these +NAO setups take hold, in my experience, they just don't let up, until its too late most of the time.

 

 

[mathematician]

On 24/12/2019 at 10:46, northwestsnow said:

There isn't going to be a winter for the UK IMO..

Might sound dramatic, but all things considered, i'm calling it,as ever i would love to be proved wrong.

Watch blocking take hold over Greenland by the time we hit March/April.

Its so predictable and utterly depressing.

Seems more and more likely every day to be honest

[Don]

1 hour ago, northwestsnow said:

Yeah, the ONLY positive for the next week or so is HP will control the weather- im already resigned to there being no snow until Mid Jan at the earliest, so anything that doesn;t involve rain gets the thumbs up.

Once these +NAO setups take hold, in my experience, they just don't let up, until its too late most of the time.

 

 

Mid January 2021?! 

[cheese]

On 24/12/2019 at 20:18, Bristle boy said:

"Statistically"?! IMBY - if the last 58 years have seen v few White end Decembers then i guess that is the stats. I do remember cold and snow for a couple of days between Xmas and NYE one year back in early noughties, cant remember exact year, but it stayed around for about 3 days i think. Boxing day 1970 saw a good fall, before the virtually snowless 70s (imby) got going.

2004?

[reef]

21 minutes ago, cheese said:

2004?

It was a short-lived easterly in December 2005. Actually quite decent in these parts giving a few cm of snow and an ice day.

As for the models at the moment, totally atrocious. We havent had more than 1cm of snow since January 2013 here now and it doesnt look like changing any time soon. We're not a 'snowy' climate but that's an unusual length of time without anything significant.