South East, London and East Anglia regional discussion - 8th February onwards

[Eastbourneguy]

In this case, I would guess that the problem isn't that it's pure water not able to freeze, because the ground is a surface that pure water should be able to freeze on at 0C.  (conduction from the ground surface below might also be hindering this). It could be that as this snow has come from Europe, it's fairly polluted and has lowered the freezing point of the water that way. 

Edited February 8, 2021 by Eastbourneguy

[SHM040519]

Is the North Sea coming to life? Or is it just me wishing? Haha

[jayney69]

29 minutes ago, craigore said:

This cant be tight surely.

BBC app giving me heavy snow tnrow for several hrs ??

Same here, from 8am-5pm tomorrow. It would be nice, but is it going to happen?

[Kentspur]

16 minutes ago, mb018538 said:

Ive just got to accept I live in one of the very worst spots for snow in the UK. It just never hits here hard. Always too Far East, north, south or west. Oh well!

Anyone got a link to my area Gravesend/Northfleet it's really hard to tell how much settled as a lot blew down my road into the river Thames last night and this morning I guess that's why its a bit sparse on much of the roads around my way

[Blessed Weather]

53 minutes ago, Biggin said:

What are the chances of something heavier this evening BW ?

Well there will be some terrific streamers setting up, but other than those caused by geographical features such as wind convergence into estuaries such as the Wash and Thames, it's a bit hit and miss to say exactly where. Here's how the Euro4 model sees it from now until 09.00 tomorrow. And I just had to 'screen grab' this image off the BBC graphics for 03.00 Tuesday morning. It's showing the same monster streamer stretching from South Wales, across Norfolk and all the way to the Baltic Sea as Euro4 does, so it very much looks like the Beeb used Euro4 to generate their graphics. (Note also the Thames streamer shown). 

Anyway, good luck.

 

Sources:
Euro4: http://www.meteociel.fr/modeles/euro4.php?ech=8&mode=1&map=10
BBC : https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast-video/21416743

 

[SortitoutsiVP]

14 minutes ago, Brocken Spectre said:

This is the explanation of melting snow in below freezing temperatures:

Even when the air temperature is below freezing snow can melt on the ground due to heat from the ground (ground temperature may be higher that air temperature). Also, snow can disappear due to sublimation. In this case, due to low humidity and/or low air pressure, it turns from a solid state directly to a gas without going through the liquid state.

Basically snow can be a right idiot when it wants to be?

[londonblizzard]

Re ground temperature:

snow also not really settling on tree branches well above ground level

[XLNC]

Temp below 0c, now light snow in the air, can see good size PPN North East of us, let’s see if this will give any accumulation.

[Woodboss]

Light snow here now for the last couple of hours but just a slight uptick in flake size and intensity. Was really only expecting a flurry or two today but sky says otherwise! Was - 1 earlier on but - 2 here now. 

[craigore]

Right guys things are starting to happen. Bottom one was 2.10 Top one just after 5 Simulated.

S.North sea firing up along wt Estuary.

Edited February 8, 2021 by craigore

[Jason M]

18 minutes ago, Angus Mcoatup said:

Hi, for all those who can’t work out why the snow is melting, it’s to do with the ground temperature,which, when I put thermometer in the ground earlier, it read 2c. I guess that might change in due course.

Absolutely. It’s what fergieweather would refer to as ‘depth temps’. That’s why yesterday was a bust for many of us. The skies cleared here for several hours last night and within about 15 mins everything froze solid. It then snowed and settled without any problems and we have had virtually no melt today whatsoever. A couple of hours under clear skies and it’s a different situation.

the mini beast that followed the main event in 2018 was the same. I remember hours of snow falling and it just melting on contact despite the temp not rising above zero for 24 hours before.

[Eastbourneguy]

4 minutes ago, londonblizzard said:

Re ground temperature:

snow also not really settling on tree branches well above ground level

Pollution then but it is really a very strange one!

If the sub-surface levels are really warm, they would be radiating heat out as well, which would impede settling anywhere.

I did think the depth of this cold would be enough, but the weather always is a little git!

Edited February 8, 2021 by Eastbourneguy

[Polaris]

It’s -2c here. Snowing heavily since 11am after the powder snow of this morning 

Steady moderate snow now and yet after hours of heavy snowfall with minus temperatures it’s a slow melt outside. 
 

Easterly and minus temps with snow will always deliver? Absolutely NOT 

[Mark Bayley]

Back to moderate snow again. As per others not really amounting to much! For those of us in NW London I have my eye on the precipitation just south of Norwich. Will no doubt fizzle away albeit you never know! 

Edited February 8, 2021 by Mark Bayley

[Gonzolio Martinez]

Stuck in the dry slot again!
Why does this keep happening? It's the same as yesterday!

Am I cursed or something?

[Methuselah]

27 minutes ago, dubmuffin said:

The patio outside my french doors and conservatory is still a bit wet and the flakes melt on landing. It is weird, surely the ground must be freezing by now I've sent a different temperature sensor out there to check

There are two main reasons for that, dubmuffin:

One: there's heat radiating directly from your conservatory onto the patio, thereby making it slightly warmer than it otherwise would be; two: heat also conducts from from your conservatory floor and out into your patio, also making your patio warmer than it otherwise would be. If it were -20C outside, I doubt it would matter, but being it's nearer to zero, 0.1C can make all the difference.

Hope that makes sense, as linguistics are not really my forte!

[Matty88]

38 minutes ago, DAVE_ALLEN said:

If your snow depths are not as you had hoped for. Next week could well deliver. What temp is that aloft in E Anglia ??

Indeedy - that's a good looking chart for temperatures, but it's a shame that temperatures (regardless of their extremety) will not always translate to snow! It's looking like it's going to be quite a strict South Easterly flow heading into next week, which would mean cold and dry for our region (predominately). Important to stress that. If we were to get more of an easterly or NE flow then that could change things for some (not all) though where they pick up the streamers. 

[Neilsouth]

[craigore]

1 minute ago, Neilsouth said:

It's coming...

[NO LONGER POSTING]

Big flakes seems to be settling better now 

[Mark]

4 minutes ago, craigore said:

Right guys things are starting to happen. Bottom one is now Top one just after 5 Simulated.

S.North sea firing up along wt Estuary.

IMBY, I could really do with this moving to a more ENE direction, or better.

[Matty88]

I hope that convergance line sinks South enough to get me up in East Cambs - I'm not sure though!!! It's going to be touch and go tonight.... could easily get 5-10cm from that line though! Going to make interesting watching later.... 

[mb018538]

4 minutes ago, Polaris said:

It’s -2c here. Snowing heavily since 11am after the powder snow of this morning 

Steady moderate snow now and yet after hours of heavy snowfall with minus temperatures it’s a slow melt outside. 
 

Easterly and minus temps with snow will always deliver? Absolutely NOT 

Yep it’s very underwhelming. 8 hours solid snow here for a slow melt too. 850s of -10, temp and dp below zero. Very disappointing!

[Southender]

Much more substantial shower passing through my end of the Estuary now. Good signs...

[Marie]

Great snow now bigger flakes and heavier laying on pavements , grass and cars