UK Weather - Spring 2013

[Simon Culling]

My apologies for a late start to this topic, but I have been in Canada for a couple of weeks and also rather busy at work on my return. Also, Spring has not started here in the UK and it has been very cold and snowy at times throughout March. There were a couple of pleasant sunny days early in the month (while I was abroad!), but we have endured a couple of particularly cold spells with considerable snowfall in the north and west of the UK. It has not been too bad here in MK as we have missed the worst of the snow, but some parts have had very severe weather with consequent losses for the farmers....it is now lambing time.

[Simon Culling]

The current CET for March is 3.3*C (-2.1*C) up to the 24th and it will fall further as the rest of the month will see this current spell of easterly winds continue. It will likely end up colder than all of the winter months. EWR up to the 23rd is 74mm, which is dead on the monthly average.

Snow fell over much of the UK from last Friday (22nd March) with particularly heavy snow falling in North Wales, NW England, SW Scotland and N Ireland....some places have had up to 50-60cm with drifts to more than 5m due to the strong winds associated with the snow and the low temperatures making the snow dry and powdery. It has not surprisingly caused much disruption. A couple of links for details:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-21922510

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21933135

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ather.html

There is a large collection of fantastic pictures in the Daily Mail article. It is worth waiting for it to load!

[Simon Culling]

Yesterday (Sunday 24th March) was a particularly cold day over England and Wales as a cold pool moved west from the continent, There was an ice day at many inland stations which is a fairly rare occurrence for March, never alone towards the end of the month. Max temps were:

-3.3*C at Lake Vrynmy (360m amsl in Mid wales)
-2.8*C at Pennerley (at approx. 350m in Shropshire,,,,England/Wales border)
-2.3*C at Sennybridge (307m in S wales)
-1.9*C at Liscombe (304m in Somerset)
-1.7*C at Little Rissington (210m in Gloucestershire)
-0.9*C at High Wycombe (204m in Buckinghamshire)
-0.8*C at Moulton Park, Northampton (at 110m amsl)
-0.4*C at Bedford (89m amsl)

Even London struggled to just 1*C (e.g. 1.1*C at RAF Northolt)

Here in Milton Keynes we missed the worst of the snow but did get a covering of 4cm over the weekend. It was very cold in the gusty ENE wind with max temps of around 0*C on both days. These sorts of temperatures are very low for this late in the Winter...do not forget the Spring officially started on the 21st March!

[Orion]

Sad that someone lost their life in the snow.
From the DM reports, it sounds like some narrow escapes elsewhere.
Hope for a more clement lambing season from henceforth.

[Storm Struck]

It seems as though we have the oppisite here with March being Autumn for us it should be cooling down but its not really, we do still get warm days for early Autumn but its the on average temperatures of 20-28C during the day thats making this year that much different.
Still a very mild/warm flow ahead in the coming weeks too although some higher peaks further south might see some snow with these NW systems, although i do suspect the cold snaps will be with us come late April and should be an interesting winter.

Is is normal to have snowfalls so late to lower levels for the parts which have had the snow Simon?

[Simon Culling]

Hello Jason, snowfall is not unusual for the UK in March, but the quantity and expanse was greater on this occasion than the norm. Many parts of the UK only had an inch or two, but the main energy of the system was over the NW of the UK and these areas got the equivalent of 1" plus of rain and more over the higher ground. The strong wind also had a significant impact because it piled the snow up in drifts and many of the smaller roads in the UK are either sunken or bounded by hedges and they essentially filled-up with snow making them impassable. The wind scoured the snow of the fields and dumped it on the roads.....often after the snowploughs had just cleared them.

It will remain cold and dry into April with the temperatures 5*C+ below average and frost overnight. Spring is taking her time to arrive this year!

[Simon Culling]

It has remained cold and breezy with the two weekend days of Easter only reaching 4*C and 5*C here in Milton Keynes with a clutch of snow and snow pellet showers yesterday (Saturday). There was a sharp frost this morning here as well, win a minimum of -4*C. Much colder at favoured sites this Sunday (31st) morning with a new date UK record, beating the old one set in 1897. Lows were:

-12.5*C at Braemar (Highlands)
-10.0*C at Altnaharra
-8.7*C at Shap fell (Cumbria)
-7.8*C at South Newington (Oxfordshire)
-7.0*C at Pershore (Herefordshire)
-7.1*C at Upper Lambourn (Berkshire)
-6.4*C at Woburn (Buckinghamshire)

There are still big drifts of snow in the NW of the UK and these are still hindering travel in remoter parts. The weather will remain cold and dry for the first week of April, although there are hints in the models of a change in the week after next......back to a more Atlantic influence.

[Simon Culling]

Another cold and cloudy day yesterday (Weds 3rd April) and particularly so in SE England where the NE wind was strongest.....even a few snow showers. Low max temps for the time of year included:

1.9*C at Wych Cross (East Sussex)
2.3*C at RAF Kenley (at 170m amsl on the South Downs near Croydon, S London)
3.3*C at Charlwood (Surrey)
4.0*C at Shoeburyness (Essex)

Here in Milton Keynes it was a little better with only scattered Cu and plenty of sunshine with a max of 7*C. The NE wind was rather gusty though, taking the edge off the temperature and we did start with yet another white frost. Remains cold for the next few days.

[Simon Culling]

Thursday (4th April) was even colder in the far SE of England with a biting NE wind and outbreaks of wet snow. The maximum temperatures were some of the lowest ever recorded for April....some reports say the lowest daytime temperatures for 50 years in places. Max temperatures were:

1.2*C at Wych Cross
1.5*C at RAF Kenley
1.8*C at Okehampton (Devon....on Dartmoor)
2.6*C at Charlwood
2.9*C at Shoeburyness (on the Essex coast)
3.3*C at London Heathrow

Here in Milton Keynes it was also cold and windy with a few snow flurries and a max of just 4*C. Latest forecast now suggest a slow warm up next week, but still remaining below average.

[Simon Culling]

CET for April up to the 5th is just 2.9*C (-3.4*C) and the EWR is 0mm....it has been dry so far.

The forecast has changed today although not from the cold theme. A depression is expected to get stuck over the south with quite a bit of rain. In winter this set up would produce a fair amount of snow, but the air is not that cold now, although there could well be some snow on the northern edge of the rain.

An interesting link to a story from the blizzards of two weeks ago (look thru the 4 photos):

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-de ... e-22044883

CET for March ended up at 2.7*C (-3.0) making it colder than all three of the winter months...this does not happen that often. EWR was 75mm, just 1mm above average.

[Simon Culling]

The CET for April up to the 9th is running at 3.7*C (-2.8*C) and the EWR up to the 8th is just 2mm, compared to the average of 62mm.

The forecast heavy rain has been delayed and downgraded, but we are now going to see a long overdue change in the weather away from the long period of high pressure dominated (and cold) weather to something warmer and more unsettled. There is much talk in the media of summer arriving on Sunday, but this is a bit premature as even though it may nudge 20*C in the east, it will then cool down again.

[Simon Culling]

I was wrong to be sceptical....it was indeed warm and sunny in the east of the UK on Sunday (14th), although it was a very windy day. Places in the lee of high ground to their south had gusts in excess of 50mph and up to 76mph at Loftus on the Northumberland coast. I was on the golf course and the gusts (to about 40mph) were certainly taking the ball to where I did not want it to go! Max temps on Sunday were:

22.0C at Gravesend + Manston (both in Kent)
21.9*C at Santon Downham (Suffolk)
21.3*C at Weybourne (north Norfolk coast)
20.9*C at RAF Wattisham + RAF Marham

It was also warm and windy today (Weds 17th) with a near gale southerly blowing this afternoon and 18*C and just some Ac and cirrus to make the sunshine hazy. The first signs of leaves on the trees have appeared and my grass has started to grow again!

[Simon Culling]

The windy weather has continued, although it is still rather mild. East Malling in Kent reached 19.4*C yesterday (Weds 17th). The steady winds of around 30-35mph (with gusts to 55mph) across much of E Anglia (Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk + Cambridgeshire) produced an example of what is known as a 'Fen Blow'. This is where the winds strip dry topsoil from farming land and produce a type of sandstorm where the fine soil is suspended in the air and blows in clouds across the landscape. Despite the wet weather of 2012, Feb and March of this year have been drier than average especially over south and east England, so the soil surface is quite dry at the moment. Severe cases of the Fen Blow (thankfully rare) can be very problematical for the farmers of this area. See link from BBC for details of todays events:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-22201168

CET for April up to the 17th is 6.5*C (-0.7*C) and the EWR up to the 16th is 21mm.

[Simon Culling]

It has been mostly dry and cool in the last week, although we did have a nice warm day on Thursday 25th April with plenty of sunshine and a max of 20*C here in Milton Keynes. It was even warmer up the east side of the UK (southerly winds ahead of an approaching front) with max temperatures of:

23.0*C at St James Park, London......warmest day of the year so far!
22.9*C at Gravesend (Kent) + Writtle (Essex)
22.8*C at London Heathrow
22.4*C at RAF Northolt, Holbeach (Lincs) + (Weybourne (Norfolk)

The cold front passed over us on the Friday morning with a little rain and a max of just 12*C. A shower on Saturday lunchtime (27th) turned to heavy sleet with a car temp of just 2.5*C!!! Quite a change. There was a frost overnight into the Sunday morning, with minimums for the 28th of:

-3.8*C at Santon Downham (Suffolk)
-3.0*C at RAF Benson
-2.8*C at Odiham (Hampshire)
-2.7*C at Bournemouth Hurn Airport

There was a white frost on the grass here in MK with the local station at Woburn dropping to -2*C.

[Simon Culling]

The first two days of May have been gloriously sunny here in Milton Keynes with max temps of 15*C and 17*C respectively, although there has been a nip of frost overnight. The 1st of May dawned cold over much of England and Wales with a frost in most places. Lows were:

-3.7*C at South Newington (Oxon) + Santon Downham (Suffolk)
-2.8*C at Sennybridge (Brecon, Wales)
-2.2*C at Church Lawford (Warwicks) + Houghton Hall (Norfolk)

The air has been very dry over southern England on both days and exceptionally so today (Thurs 2nd May) with the hourly observation from Odiham (Hampshire) at 17:00 giving a temperature of 16.7*C and a dew point of -12.8*C which equates to a RH of just 12%

[Simon Culling]

CET for April ended up at 7.5*C (-0.4*C) making it the fourth month in a row with below average temperatures. For some reason the Met Office uses 1961-1990 averages which of course will make colder months look less so and warmer ones even warmer......bit of an AGW bias? EWR was just 33mm, only 54% of the average.

Current CET for May is 10.0*C (+0.3*C) up to the 4th and the EWR is just 1mm up to the 3rd. It should be a warm and sunny Bank Holiday Monday tomorrow (max 22*C), but it looks downhill after that with much cooler and wetter weather on the way.

The Met Office has produced an excellent possible set of explanations for the very cold March experienced in much of western Europe. It is well worth a read:

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/ne ... pring-2013

Edit: The max temperature on April 25th was 23.1*C at Faversham (Kent), just piping St James Park for the highest temp so far this year. Today (6th May) it reached 22*C in eastern England and we may well beat the April high tomorrow. Incidentally, Faversham was the site of the highest ever UK temperature of 38.5*C on 10th August 2003. Not everyone accepts this figure, and places more reliance on the 38.1*C recorded at Kew Gardens, London on the same day.

[Simon Culling]

The highest temperature so far this year was beaten on Tuesday 7th May in the NW of the UK, well away from the normal place one might expect to find it, i.e. the London area. This was because the general flow was from the SE, so it had crossed a large warming (by plenty of sunshine) land area away from the cold English Channel. It was also warm over most of England + Wales. Highest recorded temperatures were:

23.7*C at Crosby (on the coast near Liverpool)
23.3*C at Charlwood (Surrey)
23.0*C at Blackpool Airport (Lancashire) + Carlisle Airport (Cumbria)
22.6*C at London Heathrow Airport

The CET for May up to the 9th was 11.3*C (+1.2*C) and the EWR up to the 8th was just 4mm (average 65mm). However as it has become colder and wetter in the last couple of days and is forecast to stay this way for a while, the average temp should fall and the rainfall total will move up quickly.

[Simon Culling]

Heard the first thunder this year earlier today, although only a couple of rumbles around tea-time. If my memory serves me correctly, this is the first thunder here since late autumn last year. Lets hope the summer is a bit more fruitful.

Tomorrow (Tues 14th May) a depression is due to move across the south of the UK bringing 30-50mm of rain to a wide area....the first really widespread significant rainfall for months. It was 1005mb and 750nm west of Eire at 1800GMT today, but by tomorrow at the same time it is forecast to be over SW England having deepened to 986mb. Could be some strong winds on the south coast on the SE flank of this system.

CET up to the 12th was 10.9*C (+0.5*C) and the EWR was 13mm up to the 11th. The latter will rise considerably over the next few days.

[03Stormchaser]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-16302606

Neat photos of lenticular clouds over West Yorkshire

[Orion]

Wonderful formations!

[Simon Culling]

Thanks for posting the lenticular photos Stormchaser. They are not often seen in the UK, but are sometimes seen in the lee of the Scottish and Welsh mountains and also the Pennine chain of hills that runs north-south down the middle of northern England.

It has remained rather cold and dull here in the UK for the last week or so with the CET up to the 24th being 10.4*C (-0.5*C) and the EWR up to the 23rd on 49mm, which is on the curve for the month.

A small low moved south across eastern England yesterday (Fri 24th) giving the south and east of England a cold and windy day with periods of rain. It was just about as cold as it can get in late May, which max temps of:

6.7*C at High Wycombe (Bucks)
7.5*C at Kenley (South London)
7.9*C at Stowe and Bletchley (both Bucks)
8.6*C at Herstmonceux (E Sussex on the south coast of England)

Even Heathrow only reached 9.9*C and it felt cold in the wind and showery rain yesterday afternoon as I made my way across the capital to Foyle's, the leading book store in London.

The cold air has persisted with a nip of frost this morning in Scotland, N England and Wales with the mercury falling to -2.3*C at Spadeadam (Cumbria) and -1.5*C at Trawscoed (Ceredigion, Wales).

[Simon Culling]

A much better day today (Sunday 26th) with plenty of sunshine after the cirrus thinned late morning and quite warm in the sun, with a max temp of 19*C. It should be dry and sunny tomorrow for the Bank Holiday, although increasing high cloud will make the sunshine hazy....then its cooler and unsettled for the rest of the week. A couple of photos from out of town to prove the sun does occasionally shine in the UK!

[Simon Culling]

CET for May up to the 30th is 10.5*C (-0.5*C) and the EWR (also up to the 30th) is 71mm, which is 109% of the average for the month.

Yesterday (Fri 31st May) was a big improvement on the past week with plenty of afternoon sunshine and a max of 21*C here in Milton Keynes. The years high was also matched in London, with max temps:

23.7*C at St James Park
23.0*C at Solent MRSC
22.8*C at Durham (in NE England)
22.3*C at Cardiff Bute Park (S Wales) + Leeming (N Yorks)

The Met Office have announced that spring as a whole (March, April + May) have been the coldest for over 50 years and one of the coldest in a century. This was mainly due to the exceptionally cold March, although all 3 months had below average temperatures.

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/news/releas ... old-spring

[Simon Culling]

Final CET for May was 10.4*C which equates to -0.8*C from the average. EWR remained at 71mm, or 109% of the average. May was the fifth colder than average month in a row, with 9 out of the last 12 months being below the average mark. Global warming is certainly having a rest in these parts!