Stormy Weather II

[Serial_Apologist]

A lull around midday with little ice on the road. Just snow on the gardens and some pavements. Now it is snowing again - heavily. I thought this wasn't supposed to be happening?

Those pesky convergence zones that materialise outy of nowhere! All it takes is for slipstreams within an otherwise homogeneous airstream to converge, often as result of pressure systems on either side being re-positioned in relation to each other, and it's like lorries converging at a point where three lanes suddenly become two and there's nowhere for the air to go but up! Something very similar happened on Friday, but with warm humid air advancing northwards across Sussex and Surrey coming up against a tightening pressure grade further north bringing in cold east winds from the N Sea ahead of the current cold spell. Introduced cold air at altitude is a major generator of showers, and in that instance at about 5 pm resulted in a nice little thunderstorm, with all of four flashes of lightning in the Tottenham area. It really should have been possible to forecast this particular area of snow - I think something may have been mentioned on the lunchtime forecast, but at that moment a low-flying aircraft came across!

[BBMmk2]

!C here today. Had quite a bit of snow falling but none settled yesterday. We are having a flurry right now.

[Lat-Literal]

Those pesky convergence zones that materialise outy of nowhere! All it takes is for slipstreams within an otherwise homogeneous airstream to converge, often as result of pressure systems on either side being re-positioned in relation to each other, and it's like lorries converging at a point where three lanes suddenly become two and there's nowhere for the air to go but up! Something very similar happened on Friday, but with warm humid air advancing northwards across Sussex and Surrey coming up against a tightening pressure grade further north bringing in cold east winds from the N Sea ahead of the current cold spell. Introduced cold air at altitude is a major generator of showers, and in that instance at about 5 pm resulted in a nice little thunderstorm, with all of four flashes of lightning in the Tottenham area. It really should have been possible to forecast this particular area of snow - I think something may have been mentioned on the lunchtime forecast, but at that moment a low-flying aircraft came across!

Thank you.

Will it all melt by lunchtime?

It doesn't look like it will do.

[DracoM]

Wonderful day oop 'ere - brilliant sun, blustery easterly, cold, but manageable. Could Spring be far behind?

[Serial_Apologist]

Thank you.

Will it all melt by lunchtime?

It doesn't look like it will do.

The strength of the late March sun will quickly melt snow cover on south-facing slopes, but with shade temperatures probably not exceeding + 2 C on northern slops such as this one where I live, I would expect snow to survive in shaded hollows for at least another day. It should all be gone by Thursday here in the SE, but where those deep drifts are in Wales and the SW, that's another matter!

[Serial_Apologist]

Wonderful day oop 'ere - brilliant sun, blustery easterly, cold, but manageable. Could Spring be far behind?

Temps should be back to the seasonal norms everywhere by Thursday - just in good time for a rainy weekend!

[BBMmk2]

How likely is it for another blast from the beast from the East, say around my area? SA?

[Serial_Apologist]

How likely is it for another blast from the beast from the East, say around my area? SA?

Sorry - too soon to say, but not in the forseeable!

[cloughie]

Sorry - too soon to say, but not in the forseeable!

A lovely, wrap up well, sunny day here, 8 degrees!

[Serial_Apologist]

Last of the snow now gone here; wind's dropped following this morning's light rain showers along a weak cold front moving south; but it still feels cold! The latest suggests a possible cold Easter weekend, with sleet, hail, snow and thunder showers brought down on a strong northerly behind a deepish low in the N Sea, this time: comments to the effect of white Easters being more common than ditto Christmases - which is apparently true!

[BBMmk2]

Sorry - too soon to say, but not in the forseeable!

It'll be damn cold though!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

A lovely, wrap up well, sunny day here, 8%!

Ditto this afternoon in this bit of the Pennines - in fact, I "wrapped up" a little too "well" and got a bit too warm for comfort!

[Serial_Apologist]

It'll be damn cold though!

Well, temperatures tend to rapidly yo-yo in that type of weather set-up at this time of year, through to May: Sunny periods between showers can bring temperatures well up in the sunshine, but then they dip when a large shower comes along and emits large amounts of freezing cold air from on high. Customers sat outside pubs and restaurants enjoying the spring sunshine are suddenly taken by surprise! It's one of those seeming paradoxes that ground conditions too cold in January to lead to convection and showers forming can be warm enough to spark off cloud growth resulting in snow showers in spring. This is why in a January northerly the forecasters always predict showers around the coasts, these having formed over the relatively warm seas, while inland will have clear, cloudless sunshine - asnd incidentally some of the best visibilities ever on offer. The air above the cold ground is too cold and therefore lacking in the necessary energy to be able to ascend. On the other hand, I've known a couple of inches of snow falling in the space of half an hour from one of those April snow showers to then completely melt within another hour.

[BBMmk2]

Well, temperatures tend to rapidly yo-yo in that type of weather set-up at this time of year, through to May: Sunny periods between showers can bring temperatures well up in the sunshine, but then they dip when a large shower comes along and emits large amounts of freezing cold air from on high. Customers sat outside pubs and restaurants enjoying the spring sunshine are suddenly taken by surprise! It's one of those seeming paradoxes that ground conditions too cold in January to lead to convection and showers forming can be warm enough to spark off cloud growth resulting in snow showers in spring. This is why in a January northerly the forecasters always predict showers around the coasts, these having formed over the relatively warm seas, while inland will have clear, cloudless sunshine - asnd incidentally some of the best visibilities ever on offer. The air above the cold ground is too cold and therefore lacking in the necessary energy to be able to ascend. On the other hand, I've known a couple of inches of snow falling in the space of half an hour from one of those April snow showers to then completely melt within another hour.

I remember just last year, in April, when temps were around 20C !

Sunny today!

[greenilex]

Southampton Water just perfect this morning when the dog and I took the ferry across to Hythe: sunshine, gentle breeze, friendly fellow passengers and the prospect of a picnic on the Holbury road.

Slightly choppier on the way back, and we were pleasantly worn out.