Have been looking at some MetO Daily Weather Reports from the 1960s and its amazing how many times Aberdeen was swept by blizzards in a strong northerly, on one day in February 1969 Aberdeen had a midday temperature of -6c combined with Force 6 wind and heavy drifting snow.

That's a Northerly!

Andy

If we get occasional snow events like Jan 2003 and 2004 from a northerly  that give both 5cm in Epsom few times a month follow by deep cold night temps, this will be very interesting climate and defo have top of the range weather station to record it.  Now is dry flow or wet one then 1 to 2 days sunny under isobar flow then dreaded dirty HP moving in that can last long time.  Miss those heavy drifting snow wording that I used to see in the past forecasts.

Have been looking at some MetO Daily Weather Reports from the 1960s and its amazing how many times Aberdeen was swept by blizzards in a strong northerly, on one day in February 1969 Aberdeen had a midday temperature of -6c combined with Force 6 wind and heavy drifting snow.

That's a Northerly!

Andy

In February 1969, the local paper had a headline 'Almost Zero at Dyce this morning' and it was obviously zero degrees Fahrenheit whereas in the embarassment of a cold spell last week, which was beyond dire,  some mornings you couldn't even say that was the case in degrees Celsius 🙄

The 60s were an unusually cold and snowy decade but arctic northerlies were a common feature of winter right up to 2010. All we have seen for much of the past decade is nonsense cold westerlies which tend to only affect the West Highlands, although Edinburgh seems to manage to do well out of them on occasions, but a complete disaster for NE Scotland. Never remember anything like it pre-2011 when the NE missed out on a snowfall but happens all the time now 🤢

This is what we got a lot of during the 2000s decade (from December 2003):




This is what we got last week:


An ugly, unpleasant, icy mess 👎

It's just beyond a joke what a coma-inducing insult January has turned into. I saw more snow here on 16th October 1993 and on the evening of 26th April 2015 than I have done in almost every single January since 2005.

This January has been one of the absolute worst. Up there with my most despised months of all time. Wouldn't have even thought it was possible for this month to be such a disastrous write-off that the heat island of Heathrow recorded a lower temperature than Aboyne. Can't imagine there has ever been a month in which this sort of nonsense has ever happened before 🤮

Wish I could have hibernated through the past 6 weeks. Wouldn't have missed a thing. The worst core winter period since 2013/14. Relentless unsettled conditions, relentless Force 4 wind. Wouldn't have known there was an anticyclonic conditions this week. Just more of the same crud there has been continuously since 19th December. Windy and not seen more than two successive dry days since before Christmas.

It's become almost impossible to even get a frost. Supposed to be sunny today but more breathtakingly awful ugly cloudy skies with zero sunshine. Nothing approaching a frost overnight when it was up to 5 degrees. Now it's colder and the wind is picking up to reach it's usual force 4. Just unrelenting dross.

An utterly diabolical winter yet again 🤬

 

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Terrible start to 2023 with losing my cousin to cancer - she was only 41. although was expected!

Anyway, weather wise it's pretty grim and boring - we never had an SSW and I think the bulk of winter was in December - pity snow never really came with it for many parts. I am looking at models and there as nothing to get excited about from a meteorological perspective, a borefest TBH!

Parts of Eastern Europe have seen their first snowfall of the winter so far....

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Terrible start to 2023 with losing my cousin to cancer - she was only 41. although was expected!

Anyway, weather wise it's pretty grim and boring - we never had an SSW and I think the bulk of winter was in December - pity snow never really came with it for many parts. I am looking at models and there as nothing to get excited about from a meteorological perspective, a borefest TBH!

Parts of Eastern Europe have seen their first snowfall of the winter so far....

Extreme borefest cloudy HP for every one apart from DEW think his area weather is same as everywhere which is wrong as some posters in NW site who live in south coast did not see the sun for 4 days while Midlands yesterday here sun came out for 1 hour before brownish creamy pollution return.  The polar vortex act like a motor and nasty cloudy HP cells in south as a conveyor belt direct LP toward UK and precision make sure the flow have to be SW flow over UK and a diverter HP to the east prevent LP dive to Europe to give us snowy N, NE and E winds every time so LP  goes back to square one to the Altantic to repeat again with SW winds.  

Extreme borefest cloudy HP for every one apart from DEW think his area weather is same as everywhere which is wrong as some posters in NW site who live in south coast did not see the sun for 4 days while Midlands yesterday here sun came out for 1 hour before brownish creamy pollution return.  The polar vortex act like a motor and nasty cloudy HP cells in south as a conveyor belt direct LP toward UK and precision make sure the flow have to be SW flow over UK and a diverter HP to the east prevent LP dive to Europe to give us snowy N, NE and E winds every time so LP  goes back to square one to the Altantic to repeat again with SW winds.  

Except it wasn't cloudy for everyone. There was plenty of sun in much of Scotland, Parts of Yorkshire and into Derbyshire and also a sliver of sunny weather in the south too.

https://worldview.earthdata.nasa.gov/?v=-10.632298519736839,50.322779605263165,3.3413856907894646,56.545435855263165&t=2023-01-28-T08%3A42%3A53Z 

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Extreme borefest cloudy HP for every one apart from DEW think his area weather is same as everywhere which is wrong as some posters in NW site who live in south coast did not see the sun for 4 days while Midlands yesterday here sun came out for 1 hour before brownish creamy pollution return.  The polar vortex act like a motor and nasty cloudy HP cells in south as a conveyor belt direct LP toward UK and precision make sure the flow have to be SW flow over UK and a diverter HP to the east prevent LP dive to Europe to give us snowy N, NE and E winds every time so LP  goes back to square one to the Altantic to repeat again with SW winds.  

Not at all - I was just pointing out that if you want to see the sun rather than 'brownish creamy pollution' you should move away from the Midlands and down to the south coast.

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West Is Best so they say. Not best for snow this winter. 

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Not at all - I was just pointing out that if you want to see the sun rather than 'brownish creamy pollution' you should move away from the Midlands and down to the south coast.

Same weather anywhere with cloudy weather and why not tell Richard A to move down to south coast as well?  Sun came out 1 hour yesterday and today 3-4 hours which warm up indoors to 17-18C before clouding over so it random or pot luck where the sun come out in any area.  One south coast in Sussex poster in NW site complained of not seeing sun for 4 day solid unlike here was only solid 2 days then came out yesterday and today.  You must be lucky to avoid the 4 days sunless day over Sussex coast location where the poster lives.

Temps had gone up to 10C and felt a bit spring like sun warmth.  

Except it wasn't cloudy for everyone. There was plenty of sun in much of Scotland, Parts of Yorkshire and into Derbyshire and also a sliver of sunny weather in the south too.

https://worldview.earthdata.nasa.gov/?v=-10.632298519736839,50.322779605263165,3.3413856907894646,56.545435855263165&t=2023-01-28-T08%3A42%3A53Z 

That is actually correct and indeed, this month has been sunnier than average overall at Edinburgh Gogarbank. This month has also been slightly milder than average which is generally what we don't want to be seeing in a winter month but even with that, the number of air frosts during this month has still come out at around the 1991-2020 January average and with December being a colder and frostier month overall, we're actually doing quite well for frosts during this winter despite that recent period when we were mild up here with the south of England getting all of the cold and frosty weather.

There has been very little snow during this month but even in that department, I have seen far worse months and winters in recent times in particular, than what we are witnessing just now. Of course, you need to be getting some precipitation in the first place in order for any of that to be falling as snow. In comparison with the rest of the rest of the UK though, we have actually had very little in the way of recent rainfall to the point where I'm actually starting to forget what rain actually looks like, so it's no wonder that we've also had very little in the way of snowfall as well.

Indeed, my main gripe has been the lack of actual weather in the form of any precipitation, even in that period when it was pouring down with rain elsewhere in the UK. That to me, could well lead to some major issues here in SE Scotland as regards to water shortages during the spring and summer if we don't start to get more in the way of rainfall here before too long.
 

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Extreme borefest cloudy HP for every one apart from DEW think his area weather is same as everywhere which is wrong as some posters in NW site who live in south coast did not see the sun for 4 days while Midlands yesterday here sun came out for 1 hour before brownish creamy pollution return.  The polar vortex act like a motor and nasty cloudy HP cells in south as a conveyor belt direct LP toward UK and precision make sure the flow have to be SW flow over UK and a diverter HP to the east prevent LP dive to Europe to give us snowy N, NE and E winds every time so LP  goes back to square one to the Altantic to repeat again with SW winds.  

One for you Jiries - Look at the extremes just on the other side of the Atlantic - Halifax NS, Canada:

From above +7c down to 0c to -10c to max of -2c down to -15c high of -13c then plummet to -19c back up to +2c  with rain etc. - That's what I call interesting and changeable weather! 

https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/canada/halifax/ext 

PS - Should have posted it in the Unusual weather reports thread but these extremes are normal for eastern Canada.

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One for you Jiries - Look at the extremes just on the other side of the Atlantic - Halifax NS, Canada:

From above +7c down to 0c to -10c to max of -2c down to -15c high of -13c then plummet to -19c back up to +2c  with rain etc. - That's what I call interesting and changeable weather! 

https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/canada/halifax/ext 

PS - Should have posted it in the Unusual weather reports thread but these extremes are normal for eastern Canada.

Changeable was often used in forecasts here but go outside is the same thing so more like repeating ones.  Also when they use forecast wintry showers, I only see is rain or snow, bright weather I only see is either full on cloudy or sunny spells to sunny weather.  Sleet I still don't see any of it just rain or snow. 
Like you said in Halifax get mild at times when they get SW flow but LP always move east clearly so that how they get cold air from the west unlike here LP just rebound back to square one to keep us in SW flow non-stop.

Changeable was often used in forecasts here but go outside is the same thing so more like repeating ones.  Also when they use forecast wintry showers, I only see is rain or snow, bright weather I only see is either full on cloudy or sunny spells to sunny weather.  Sleet I still don't see any of it just rain or snow. 
Like you said in Halifax get mild at times when they get SW flow but LP always move east clearly so that how they get cold air from the west unlike here LP just rebound back to square one to keep us in SW flow non-stop.

Yes - but love how it changes -2c to -19c to +2c rain!

I bet with those sorts of temperatures one day they could get snow, next day, heavy cold rain, rain and snow, sunny crisp days and then powdery dry snow followed by freezing rain and glaze etc - Exciting stuff unlike the borefest we get here.

 

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Yes - but love how it changes -2c to -19c to +2c rain!

I bet with those sorts of temperatures one day they could get snow, next day, heavy cold rain, rain and snow, sunny crisp days and then powdery dry snow followed by freezing rain and glaze etc - Exciting stuff unlike the borefest we get here.

 

I would invest a top of the range weather station for that but here no way if this bland same thing all year round since late 00s.  Was more variety in the 80s 90s and up to 2006.  

Been sunny most of the day today so far and keeping in doors up to 18C and 17C upstairs the best strongest Jan solar input, and by next month should nudge 20C.   Midlands doing well from this supposed cloudy HP forecasts, seem the NW winds push them away as it quite windy.

Checking Feb forecast for heating usage if using up to £3 per day both gas and electric for 28 days would reach £84, that would give me £8 back in credits.  Need Feb to be mild with often sun around.  That mean heating in Feb to be up to 2 hours max while this month was 2-3 hours.  Hope further cuts to 1 hour in March to near nothing in April.  My next DD review is in May so hope to put back to £76 from £92 as it was before October 22 rise.

Yes! January is over, so that's the three worst months of the year for me (November, December and January) over and done with. As I've said, it's not the cold in winter for me, it's the darkness that drives me mental. It's nice to know now that those horrid late afternoon sunsets are done with for the next 9 months!

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The wind has been highly irratating the last few days. 

From seemingly benign synoptics we get  near or gale force winds which have blown a few things over. 
48mph gust just recently.  Looking on Weatheronline, it seems we are once again one of the windest places in the country, it is the westerly winds, funnelling through the valleys. 

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The wind has been highly irratating the last few days. 

From seemingly benign synoptics we get  near or gale force winds which have blown a few things over. 
48mph gust just recently.  Looking on Weatheronline, it seems we are once again one of the windest places in the country, it is the westerly winds, funnelling through the valleys. 

Yeah classic west-east flow, orographic rainfall been evident over Scotland for the past few days to. 

Yes! January is over, so that's the three worst months of the year for me (November, December and January) over and done with. As I've said, it's not the cold in winter for me, it's the darkness that drives me mental. It's nice to know now that those horrid late afternoon sunsets are done with for the next 9 months!

I know some people get affected by low daylight, but I really love dark nights in winter - especially when it's cold. Those days when it's cold and the skies are heavy or it's foggy, and never fully gets light... just wonderful.

I also love the long days and very late sunsets in high summer, too.

 

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Winter was over here on the 18th December and what we have had to endure since is as disgusting and horrifying as anything in the past decade of shockingly poor winters.

Yet again the clowns put out a weather warning for Tuesday night and was there any severe weather? Of course not. There never is. All there was, was more vile rattling wind that keeps the temperatures from falling night after mind-numbing night 🙄

Two days into February and horror show doesn't begin to describe the putrid filth that has been vomited all over us once again. Over 20% of the monthly average rainfall already. Into the 6th month of this utter garbage? Is it ever going to end?

No more than 2 consecutive dry days in the past 6 weeks. Absolutely hideous. Even January 2014 had a five day dry spell and that was the most ludicrously revolting and unsettled winter in living memory 🤮

What the hell is happening to winter when we can't even get moderate frosts? In fact now we can't get any frosts at all. Hasn't dropped below 2.5C this week and just one air frost in two weeks. This evening the temperature is flatlining at a ridiculous 10C 🤬

Winter reduced to such a joke that frosts on a par with spring months can't be achieved and we're not even talking about cold spring months but very mild spring months:

Lowest Temperatures:

March 2021: -3.5
April 2021: -3.4
March 2022: -4.1

January 2022: -2.4
February 2022: -2.8
January 2023: -2.7

Two Januaries in a row so dire that they couldn't even reach -3C when there had been only two in 15 years before that and that was 15 years of terrible dross Januaries like nothing in history. 

How much more of this unceasing rotten demoralising rubbish can we be expected to put up with? Absolutely nothing for a weather enthusiast in this most unfulfilling of detestable climates 💩
 

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To make matters worth my 5 year old keeps asking when it will snow as he really wants to go sledging again. He has memories of deep snow in Jan and Feb 21 and also a few falls last winter.  There still hasn't been any measurable snow this season, so far only 2013/14 is on par with that in my lifetime as far as I am aware.  2013/14 was easier to accept as we had been completely spoilt in early 2013 well into Spring. 

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