I can picture all of that but Peterhead is generally a poor location from snow. The Blue Toon definitely rather than the White one!

Aberdeen does very well from the now seemingly extinct cold northerly or even a NWly (many past examples are available). It’s the “well you had the Beast from the East” and it “will as always be snowy up there” mentality which is really frustrating as many many places (even in the south) have been snowier than one of the climatically snowiest cities in the U.K. over the last few years.

I would expect it, as you rightly point out, for it to be snowier inland. but to be almost snowless here is not the norm (unless it’s a stupid easterly!)

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I can picture all of that but Peterhead is generally a poor location from snow. The Blue Toon definitely rather than the White one!

Aberdeen does very well from the now seemingly extinct cold northerly or even a NWly (many past examples are available). It’s the “well you had the Beast from the East” and it “will as always be snowy up there” mentality which is really frustrating as many many places (even in the south) have been snowier than one of the climatically snowiest cities in the U.K. over the last few years.

I would expect it, as you rightly point out, for it to be snowier inland. but to be almost snowless here is not the norm (unless it’s a stupid easterly!)

Talking of snowlines as one who lives at sea level on the south coast, this week was a perfect example.  The snowline Wednesday 9.30 am was about 20m asl.  By 4pm it had reached 50m asl. 

We do benefit here at sea level from the 21 mile Strait of Dover allowing imported cold and proximity to the continental land mass from a cyclonic SSEly.Also when we get a NEly or NNEly we are not on the windward coast so specific local factors allow even this canyon bottom location a chance.  But for anything marginal IMBY is hopeless - for that its a 3 minute drive or a 10 minute walk to Dover Castle and Downs behind - there was a world of difference on Wednesday where there was a very respectable 7-8 cms up there. 

Id forgotten how stark the contrast can be.

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Yes, I can imagine the frustration, knowing the geography of Dover and environs. Here’s hoping some of those setups shown currently have everything aligned so it’s so snowy by the coast you can’t even get up the hill to admire the view! 

I was at Dover Castle the summer before last and it was lovely down by the coast but decidedly chilly at the castle....and some rather cool fog. We felt right at home. 

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I can picture all of that but Peterhead is generally a poor location from snow. The Blue Toon definitely rather than the White one!

Aberdeen does very well from the now seemingly extinct cold northerly or even a NWly (many past examples are available). It’s the “well you had the Beast from the East” and it “will as always be snowy up there” mentality which is really frustrating as many many places (even in the south) have been snowier than one of the climatically snowiest cities in the U.K. over the last few years.

I would expect it, as you rightly point out, for it to be snowier inland. but to be almost snowless here is not the norm (unless it’s a stupid easterly!)

Indeed, it was the same with Fraserburgh. There always seemed to be a patch of white out towards Pitsligo while we were pummelled with wet crap. I seem to be doing the same this winter but it’s the topsaround the glens of foudland instead!

Having said that, with proper frigid air, I’ve seen north coasts do better than the usual suspects by being in the firing line of general shower activity and other features that pop up unexpectedly. March 2006 springs to mind.

March 2006 was phenomenal here.

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It's hard to decide what has been most repellent about this total disaster of a winter. The lack of snow, the lack of frost, the mildest Christmas period since 1988, the endless dull dark mornings or the disgusting weekend weather. What's clear is it's got absolutely nothing going for it whatsoever 

Reports of ice on the River Dee during the week https://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/fp/news/local/river-dee-frozen-ice-aberdeen-weather/ 

but by the time I get a chance to see it, it's all gone to be replaced by the vilest, most repulsive and unphotogenic conditions imaginable.

The last sunny Saturday was way back on 10th November since then I've had to endure 11 consecutive Saturdays waking up to grim, grey rubbish. A few have seen the sun break through later on, but the most sunshine there's been was a woeful 3.4 hours on 29th December. Of course the sick joke there is that is the only week when I hadn't been at work so didn't matter 

Today is just the worst of the lot was thick murk, drizzle and unhealthy easterly air. Not a single day I've managed to get out on a long walk this month. The past two and a half months have been one of the most depressing and horrifying periods of weather I've ever had to endure   

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I recently stated in the model output thread that the NWP (for this part of the world at least) has not improved a jot in the past 20 years and indeed has gone completely into reverse gear this winter, which has had "potential" since early December, yet has delivered a few frosts and no snow in Worcestershire at least.

I was wrong!

It is even worse than that!

The week ahead CountryFile forecasts in the 1980s were more reliable than the model output we see on a daily basis these days.

The NWP is utter rubbish this winter, crapper than ever, stupid, making fools of us and wasting our precious time!

At this rate, we will be waiting until February 2035 for winter to deliver something in lowland England and even then it will turn up out of the blue and contrary to the crud being predicted by the completely useless NWP models.

I reckon that this winter, the computer boffins gave the synoptic crayons to a four year old and went on an extended holiday to the South Pacific!

Lol, I tend to agree. 

Watching those old  Countryfile/Farming weather forecasts back in the day sure did feel far more accurate than today’s pale  imitation. 

 

I lived just outside Peterhead for four years and as soon as you drove a few miles inland you would reach the snow. We used to call Mintlaw the snow line. On my frequent visits to the Granite City we would come into snow at Ellon for it to be gone again in Aberdeen.

I used to drive the 118 miles from Peterhead to Aviemore to get my snow fix during the winter...

As for missing out on the snow I remember that Beast from the East in January 87 Peterhead had 2 inches for a couple of days whilst England got buried!!

Aberdeen had 24cm in January 1987. Both Peterhead and Fraserburgh are much less snowy as they stick out in to the sea so get coastal modification even from a northerly.

This current snow drought here is without parallel in at least the past 100 years 

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The rhubarb in my garden thinks spring is here - it's going great guns  !

To be honest I'd trust a load of old rhubarb to know what's going to happen  rather than various models.  I reckon it has more idea  !

Looking forward to my first crumble in about mid Feb the way things are looking

 

Mmmm... cooked with grated orange peel or a little ginger... yum yum.

Can I suggest splitting the model output thread into two? One part for the next 5 (or maybe 7) days, the other for everything beyond that?

I'm fed up with reading through selected stellar eye candy which never verifies.

 Agree 100%. Edge of reliable is t+72, FI is t+120 and complete bollox comes at t+144. Beyond that, it is teenage scribble.

LOL, absolutely agree, too. Mind you, this winter does seem to have been a period of model watching where the limit of reasonable prediction is much nearer to T+0 than usual.

 

I was in Kent today, 13c and sunshine. Beautiful.
The only moan I have is that I had to drive north and leave it behind.

And my moan is.... this mild weather is really nice, but it looks as though it's going to get cold again...

 

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If you want cold and snow head south. We are on the western edge of the Massif Central in Central France and we have had lying snow for about a week now. Got a thaw going on now though as the wind is coming from the south west, it's about 2 degrees outside. More snow forecast for next week. We are quite low down at only 478 metres above sea level, but we got about 10cms of snow, higher up they had about 40cm. Be nice to have an early spring now!

 

If you want cold and snow head south. We are on the western edge of the Massif Central in Central France and we have had lying snow for about a week now. Got a thaw going on now though as the wind is coming from the south west, it's about 2 degrees outside. More snow forecast for next week. We are quite low down at only 478 metres above sea level, but we got about 10cms of snow, higher up they had about 40cm. Be nice to have an early spring now!

 

Salut! :)

Sorry are you moaning because of the snow or to inform us you have more snow than us?

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And to jolly us up even more the alleged 'connection' between low solar and north atlantic blocking is a 'mirage'

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-018-0293-3

so we can no longer look to that to shut down our zonal feed and release the cold!

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No point in tip-toeing through the output anymore. It’s not going to happen and that was clear from early Jan. We’ll pick up dregs from cool NWlys but the proper Easterly remains elusive.
Now prove me wrong 😉

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No point in tip-toeing through the output anymore. It’s not going to happen and that was clear from early Jan. We’ll pick up dregs from cool NWlys but the proper Easterly remains elusive.
Now prove me wrong 😉

Good...... I hate Easterlies, but seen as this is the moaning thread I’m completely with you on picking up the dregs from our much overegged SSW event.😜

Where the hell is the colder air that was supposed to be arriving overnight? It didn't even drop to 2C 

This is just a sick joke. The only thing coming down from the north at this time of year should be snow not the vile and disgusting conditions being spewed out once again.

Shades of 2013/14 now with this weekend by far the worst of all the Grade A crap this winter has vomited out. It's appalling beyond words. Wet, sunless, windy. Just absolutely horrible and the 3rd Sunday this month when the conditions are too vile to even leave the house.

Being able to exercise in fresh air should be a basic human right and it's not possible in this utter toilet. ZERO quality of life in this miserable, depressing hellhole.  

It has been obvious since early January that this winter was never going to deliver and all it's doing is getting more and more depressing and intolerable. A catastrophic horror show like so many of the nasty and unpleasant rot we have suffered over the past 10 years or so.

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Where the hell is the colder air that was supposed to be arriving overnight? It didn't even drop to 2C 

This is just a sick joke. The only thing coming down from the north at this time of year should be snow not the vile and disgusting conditions being spewed out once again.

Shades of 2013/14 now with this weekend by far the worst of all the Grade A crap this winter has vomited out. It's appalling beyond words. Wet, sunless, windy. Just absolutely horrible and the 3rd Sunday this month when the conditions are too vile to even leave the house.

Being able to exercise in fresh air should be a basic human right and it's not possible in this utter toilet. ZERO quality of life in this miserable, depressing hellhole.  

It has been obvious since early January that this winter was never going to deliver and all it's doing is getting more and more depressing and intolerable. A catastrophic horror show like so many of the nasty and unpleasant rot we have suffered over the past 10 years or so.

Oh yeah? At least you've got a house in which to escape the weather. Try being homeless in winter. That might give you something to really moan about.

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Where the hell is the colder air that was supposed to be arriving overnight? It didn't even drop to 2C 

This is just a sick joke. The only thing coming down from the north at this time of year should be snow not the vile and disgusting conditions being spewed out once again.

Shades of 2013/14 now with this weekend by far the worst of all the Grade A crap this winter has vomited out. It's appalling beyond words. Wet, sunless, windy. Just absolutely horrible and the 3rd Sunday this month when the conditions are too vile to even leave the house.

Being able to exercise in fresh air should be a basic human right and it's not possible in this utter toilet. ZERO quality of life in this miserable, depressing hellhole.  

It has been obvious since early January that this winter was never going to deliver and all it's doing is getting more and more depressing and intolerable. A catastrophic horror show like so many of the nasty and unpleasant rot we have suffered over the past 10 years or so.

At least the sun would have lifted your spirits a little Rich?

Looks a lovely sunny day in Aberdeen with a light covering of snow on the beach in Aberdeen but can't make out the depth - but is it more than the 7cms? - I know that's what you;re looking to beat?

 

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TWO much sunshine today. 

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Lovely TO see the sun today in EXETER and in Aberdeen there too Rich?!! But yet again last night we failed to drop to freezing with a low of 3c! Pathetic and looks like cloud cover will increase tonight so thus preventing a frost or from temps falling! Looks like this could turn out to be one of the most frost free January's since January 2007 and we could be on par with Jan 2016. I'll need to look back at winter stats. The lowest temp so far this January has been -1.5c. It hasn't been a wash out but this issue has always been persistent cloud during the nighttime. Been such a borefest really! But won't go on as I have already mentioned this!

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After a very cold day showers have arrived, its 0.4c and...........its raining!

God I hate this Country.

Andy

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