Where has winter gone??

My first blog since boxing day, you may well ask why? well it's simple. The weather has been dull, zonal dross, one of the poorest January's I can remember and in stark contrast to the historic, phenomenal late November / December snowfest.
January's mean temperature was a whopping 4.5 degrees warmer than December with 8 days of  + 10 daytime highs.
As I write this on February 7th the current mean temperature for Feb is a tropical 8.1 degrees with sustained high wind speeds of +20mph over the last 4 days, clearly a typical La Nina winter then?

So what are the prospects of a return to cold, snowy winter weather?  well it would be foolish to rule winter being over at this point but with the days lengthening and the sun becoming increasingly stronger the chances must diminish accordingly, but the truth is...who knows?

Daffodils breaking cover, spring around the corner it seems..

Bitterly cold Christmas.. but will December be a record breaker?

Christmas day dawned overcast and cold with a temperature of -4.7 achieved in the small hours. A white Christmas of sorts as the low overnight minima has helped preserve the slowly thawing snow cover, picture post-card? no but better than mild and wet.
So on to Boxing day and yet again a hard overnight frost of -7.4 has left a thin cover of ice over the fish pond, the first time its ever frozen over but this is due to the pump being turned off as the filters are still frozen from the -13.1 last week!
The mean temp for Hawley for December is currently -0.4, a sub zero month would be a record but with milder winds set to extend east across the UK this is under threat, unfortunately.

Pond after a -13.1 night!

So a potentially messy breakdown is on the cards, into January and its difficult to predict what will happen with the weather, this winter so far has been exceptionally cold and has generally fought off any mild incursions from the West, this can't last of course but with three potentially very cold months before the spring anything is possible.
I mentioned some weeks ago that 'the beast from the east' wants to come and party at new year, well he may be a week late but I'm confident that another cold spell is going to hit us by the second week of Jan.

Boxing day Ice cover

Keep those snow shovels handy...

Sat 18th snow update

As I was writing my previous blog snow began to fall heavy and lasted for about an hour and gave an inch of snow.
Struggling to get into work now due to the absolute chaos on the roads, you might ask why? As it's only an inch! ( you can do much with an inch..)
Here's the answer: last night was bitterly cold with temperatures well below freezing, the snow that has fallen has fallen onto frozen roads turning instantly to ice not slush as cars run over the snow.
who's to blame for this carnage?
The council failing to grit of course but it's not quite that simple as grit/salt loses it's effectiveness the colder it gets.
Good job Santa uses reindeers and a sleigh eh!!


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Christmas Shopping Chaos

Snow again returned to the UK yesterday with large parts of the country having significant accumulations.

As for us here in Hawley, just a dusting in the afternoon but coupled with plummeting temperatures (-9.1) as the sky cleared made for awful walking and driving conditions.

yesterdays covering with more forecast today.

This weekend is the last and biggest weekend for Christmas shopping and the weather gods are clearly with the coalition and is forcing all shoppers to tighten their belts! Its not a day to be out shopping as much more snow is falling today across southern/central Britain causing associated travel chaos.

So as we head in to Christmas week things continue to be cold with more sleet/snow possible almost anywhere but as we head towards the big day mild air will prevent a 'white' Christmas.. but watch out at new year, the 'Beast from the East' wants to come and party..

More disruption this week as snow returns

After spending 3 days in a bitterly cold Berlin I flew back last night to a much 'greener' UK with most of the snow melting in the above zero temperatures of the last week with just some dirty slushy mounds still holding on for grim melt.

But its about to get colder again, much colder.

Its fairly certain that we are locked into a blocking pattern of weather that is keeping the door shut on the Atlantic and the UK cold as Arctic air is pulled from the north, but there will be incursions of milder, wetter weather  from the west but they will be short lived, however when Atlantic lows do move in a battleground develops where the milder air meets the cold air already here.

The fun starts on Thursday when a band of rain heading south but behind it, driving this front forward, is extremely bitter Arctic air, so what initially starts as rain will turn to snow and  many places will get disruptive accumulations.  Into the weekend and early next week an Atlantic low will run into colder air over the southern half of the UK and this kind of mild meets cold scenario can deliver epic snow for the lucky (or unlucky depending on your viewpoint) and this type of meteorological frolicking looks sets to continue as we head towards Christmas day.

So travel Chaos in the run-up to Christmas is a distinct possibility for many parts of the country, I wouldn't trust ordering presents online! but are we in for a white Christmas? well we have our best chance for years but as I have mentioned in previous blogs my view is that mild air will wreck that particular dream.

Winter victims

it had survived 11 winters, but not this one

After removing my pond netting today this is what I discovered.

this poor bird got under the netting for a drink from
running water and drowned getting out...
Bird Brain

Winter set to tighten its grip-next week

A week on from the first snow of the three day snow event in Kent and the country is still in the grip of this historic early winter blast.
More heavy snow has wreaked havoc in Scotland with hundreds of motorists trapped in their cars on motorways for 15 hours!

country tracks..

Here in Hawley I recorded another ice day yesterday with another possible today. Minor roads are still covered in thick ice and the fields deep with lying snow.
So as we head toward the weekend we should see a gradual lift in temperatures during the day unless freezing fog lingers, with the warmest day probably Saturday.
Sunday heralds a new week and a renewed blast of Arctic air especially for the North and East, so is more snow on the horizon? well that depends on what direction the air is coming from if its from the North then it should be dry, from the East or North-East then it is definitely possible.
So December is shaping up to be an historic month temperature wise with deep cold possible right up to and including Christmas and new year, quite  unprecedented!

icy tracks

Bitterly cold week ahead

As the country struggles through the dirty, tarnished slush and gets back to some sort of normality, the brief mild spell of the last few days is set to be replaced by low daytime temperatures and biting night time severe frosts, although the week ahead will be dry, so no more snow!
As we head into next weekend temperatures shall again rise and should melt any lying snow but this brief warm up will be short lived as plunging temperatures and the risk of more snow especially in the east, sets the scene for what could be a snowy run -up to Christmas.
So a record breaking December is on the cards but will this lead to a milder than average January?




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