Scotland /Alba weather discussion 2020

[Kirkcaldy Weather]

Yeah @Mr Frost were some cells which skirted here radar showed some lightning but nothing seen or heard here but moody skies. 

[Mr Frost]

Good stuff @Kirkcaldy Weather - just a wee warm up for the main show during the Summer months! 

@CatchMyDrift That ECM chart is incredible! Hopefully we see that become reality in Winter 2020/21 and the return of @bigsnow 
 

Funny old month is May - remember posting these on the 03/05/2019. (Loch Morlich covered in snow)

 

Then twelve days later we had temperatures reaching 25C!

Sun-drenched Scots sizzle in heat twice the May average

WWW.GOOGLE.CO.UK

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Temperatures reach 25.2C in the Highlands on lovely day of sunshine and blue skies.

@Northernlights I would think May has been a very interesting weather month over the years up on the farm? Arctic blasts to Spanish plumes. 

Edited May 1, 2020 by Mr Frost

[Quinach]

Overcast and cool morning once again but afternoon a much better affair with decent spells of sunshine in a light NW wind.

Even so, max temperature only just managed to scrape 11c.

Some beefy showers this evening, but combined with good breaks in the cloud to allow the sun through,  it was rainbow heaven - bad attempt to show a double rainbow is given below.

Recent rain should be making a difference to the soil moisture deficit, the nearest rain gauge to here shows how dry the last few months have been (https://www2.sepa.org.uk/rainfall)

 

[Northernlights]

@Northernlights I would think May has been a very interesting weather month over the years up on the farm? Arctic blasts to Spanish plumes. 

Edited 49 minutes ago by Mr Frost

 

 Yes I have been frozen sitting on an old draughty tractor at the end of May sowing turnips and have had to abandon sowing them because of oppressive midday  heat at a similar time another year. Southerly winds and warmth can e accentuated as they come down from the Cairngorms to us

The big diurnal ranges of temperatures we have been having recently are also hard on the cattle. For instance tonght we have had to take a cow in who was a bit inactive but was able to manage to eat some molassed concentrate  from a trough so will keep her in for oservation.

Seen numerous frosts in early May and severe thunderstorms at the end of May

[snowidea]

Taken during this evening's walk, rain stayed to the south of us. 

Edited May 1, 2020 by snowidea

[Ravelin]

Not surprised at all with those dry and sunny anomoly charts. After planting some perrenials I'd overwintered in a greenhouse from last year as they were a tad too small to put in the ground, I can finally confirm that the recent rain has soaked in to the soil in the borders. Raining again this morning too. 

[Hawesy]

Sunny start to the day again. I got out for a good walk yesterday afternoon and enjoyed the sunshine. Timed it perfectly as the showers started 10 minutes after I got back! 

Similar conditions to what was reported by @Norrance and @Kirkcaldy Weather

April ended up with 7.8mm of rainfall at Leuchars and 3.6mm at the local SEPA station at St Monans. Interestingly 4.6mm was recorded at the latter from yesterday’s showers so May is already wetter than April just one day in! 
 

Hope I’m wrong but definitely a haary look to next week’s charts! 

Edited May 2, 2020 by Hawesy

[Hairy Celt]

Slow moving dreichness this morning. The soil is nicely damp now thanks (weeds loving it), some warmth would be appreciated rather than h**r, thank you @Hawesy

[Hairy Celt]

1 hour ago, CatchMyDrift said:

It doesn't look at all bad next week for haar, I'm not sure there's enough of a flow off the North Sea for most of the week?

 

We've not had extended and dense haar for the last few years but my recollection is that it tends to be worse when there's a slow feed rather than strong.  It's a bit hard to tell from the charts yet quite how it'll go but looks *possible* for haar by midweek - although more likely for Fife rather than here due to the shape of that high.

[Northernlights]

Some rain overnight and mostly dull but dry this morning. Currently 10c

And on a nature note we are still seeing massive amounts of movement of badgers. We are down to one pair of oyster catchers who laid their first eggs next to a  badger highway and were gone two days later.There are badger scrapes everywhere particularly looking for wild bee nests and only recently we have seen two examples of badgers hunting moles both successfully with the  mole being dug up and presumeably consumed.

 

[Hawesy]

1 hour ago, Hairy Celt said:

We've not had extended and dense haar for the last few years but my recollection is that it tends to be worse when there's a slow feed rather than strong.  It's a bit hard to tell from the charts yet quite how it'll go but looks *possible* for haar by midweek - although more likely for Fife rather than here due to the shape of that high.

@Hairy Celt @CatchMyDrift Yes HC that was my thinking too it’s the slack set ups that seem to be the worst for haar. Fingers crossed I’m wrong, it’s notoriously tricky to predict anyway. And even here in Fife it can be glorious in St Andrews and thick haar here, or vice versa.

[Hairy Celt]

3 minutes ago, Northernlights said:

Some rain overnight and mostly dull but dry this morning. Currently 10c

And on a nature note we are still seeing massive amounts of movement of badgers. We are down to one pair of oyster catchers who laid their first eggs next to a  badger highway and were gone two days later.There are badger scrapes everywhere particularly looking for wild bee nests and only recently we have seen two examples of badgers hunting moles both successfully with the  mole being dug up and presumeably consumed.

 

Yes and I've seen 2 badgers among the road kill on the A9 just in the last week. Faster cars are definitely resulting in more animal and bird casualties recently. The crows are loving it.

[Benvironment]

3 hours ago, Hairy Celt said:

 although more likely for Fife rather than here due to the shape of that high.

Oh don't say that!!

[Benvironment]

Yesterday was very wet here, btw. 12mm from that stubborn red blob that sat over us for an hour or more. The house sprung a leak as a result!

Just been looking at my data for April, and it's ended up being my 2nd mildest since moving here in 2010. Mean was 7.8C, but nowhere near the 9.6C of 2011. Just one air frost, and no falling or lying snow.

[Norrance]

Got up to 13.9C today but felt milder with light winds. Cloud built up and delivered a couple of showers but with nothing like the intensity of yesterday. Currently sun is shining but dark clouds are around. 11.8C. Pic below is from yesterday.

[Kirkcaldy Weather]

10 minutes ago, Norrance said:

Got up to 13.9C today but felt milder with light winds. Cloud built up and delivered a couple of showers but with nothing like the intensity of yesterday. Currently sun is shining but dark clouds are around. 11.8C. Pic below is from yesterday.

Nice gust front / shelf cloud  

[Hairy Celt]

19 minutes ago, Norrance said:

Got up to 13.9C today but felt milder with light winds. Cloud built up and delivered a couple of showers but with nothing like the intensity of yesterday. Currently sun is shining but dark clouds are around. 11.8C. Pic below is from yesterday.

Good photo!  Not sure on the technicalities but aesthetics are doubleplus good.

Listening to 'Travel is Dangerous' - Mogwai... how appropriate. Should have the lyrics scrolling on the traffic signs, although submarine accidents maybe not that suitable. I'll shut up now.

Edited May 2, 2020 by Hairy Celt
the air runs out

[Hairy Celt]

Another view from the hill, looking west. More yellow.    Lambs too.  Aaaaah. Picture taken with phone so excuse the blotchiness.

[Hairy Celt]

@CatchMyDrift you maybe have a phone with a proper camera then - mine's a toy Motorola jobby.

[chemikal]

The sunset from last night and the sunrise from this morning. 

Went for a walk in the farmland near Clarkston this morning and so glad we can walk to there in 20 minutes. We wouldn’t have walked there in normal times. 

[Quinach]

A very useable day.

Overcast in the morning and once again on the chilly side.

Afternoon a brighter affair and the cloud started to dissolve away enough by mid-afternoon to allow some decent spells of sunshine.  Even so, max temperature today was just 11c.

Lovely evening for a walk, plenty of bird song and as predicted the house martins are back with their unmistakable twittering.  

The recent rain has allowed the nearby meadow to rocket into growth irrespective of the cool temperatures.  Lots of this lovely pink flower in it just now.

[Hairy Celt]

@Quinach - cuckooflower, or lady's smock I think. On a warm day it'll attract lots of insects, especially white butterflies including orange tips.

[SW Saltire]

Bar the blip of last week, the weather has been fabulous. 
Another mainly sunny day and feeling fairly warm already 13c and the sun feels v strong.

 

Lots of glare on that photo as taken through a window but who’s carin.... No me

Edited May 3, 2020 by SW Saltire

[Kirkcaldy Weather]

Some cumulus bubbling up to my west 

April ended up with 5.2mm well below the 42mm average 

Edited May 3, 2020 by Kirkcaldy Weather

[Hairy Celt]

Well it rained this morning then cleared up nicely but still not warm. Then the cloud was building to the west  

 

and we found the meadow saxifrages down behind the dunes  

 

Cloudy and breezy now.