Not had a proper Scandinavian high type winter for some years. The type where the main cold spells come via an easterly. Recent ones have either been mediocre (Jan 2010), short lived (Feb 09) or came at the start (late Nov 2010) or end (late Feb 05) of the season. Last decent one in the heart of winter was late January 1996.
Jan through to late march 2013produced the best Scandi high winter in a long time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Xmt1qgIQ24 was one such event, which if i recall correctly landed in the uk every Friday for about 6-7 weeks.
LPS were forced up and over, with slider break off lows interacting with the Scandi high and darting off to the Med. Wales had 50cm of snowfall from one such event around the 21st March.
At one point I remember snowfalling every day for about 8 days on the wirral. something which i dont recall happening before.
Yes but what I meaning is this type. Not had a decent one in the heart of winter for some time.
Having been lurking and occasionally posting on this forum for some years, I have noticed a tendency for forum members to see the Scandi High type cold spell as being 'the bees knees'. Not being an expert in weather science, I have always wondered why. How is an easterly better than a northerly (Greenland/iceland high) ? Greater chance of really low temps, snowfall?
Scandi highs tend to bring us easterly or north easterly winds - in some unlucky periods they can stretch out to central eurpe and suck in milder southerly winds.
They also have less chance of Modiffication from the sea. Northerly's also tend to be shortlived. Addtionaly Northly showers tend to only effect a very fine strip of land of eastern UK. and the north wales coast. In an easterly More or less all of the UK can get snow, though west of the pennines tend to get less.
Plus - in early winter when the North sea is "warmer" it can often tend to improve shower formation similar to lake effect snow. So anyone on the eastern side of britain buzzes of this for a period of November through to early Jan before the sea chills down, leading to a smaller temp differeence and so the effect is less powerful. Still - Cold air from the east will always boss all of the other cold sources IMO. Often we tend to get LP over Central and southern europe which allows fronts to move in laden with Med moist air.
Scandi Highs tend to act as a blocking high aswell, and can be quite stubborn to move. In some cases the cold gets washed away before the high re-asserts itself and we get the cold back. Reloading the cold so to speak.
Edited by user
24 August 2014 10:32:54
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