Weather- January 2010

[johnw]

Has anyone heard what the lowest temperature was at Inverewe in the recent blast of cold?  There are no weather reports to be found for it.  The closest spots which report are Ullapool and Achnasheeen - and their greater metropolitan areas.

johnw

[mark smyth]

we had another thaw today - in my area anyway. More grass than snow now, no snow/ice on cars, paths clearing Ground still rock hard

[cohan]

Don't think that any of these is related to climate change one way or the other, just a natural strong cycle as explained in the link below (Bulgaria is mentioned!). I also read that temperatures in Siberia are also much warmer than average...

http://sites.google.com/site/whythe2009winterissocold/

interesting page, stephen, and a good reminder that normal has a much broader range than some folks seem to remember--when i see people say that a particular season or storm is outside 'normal' of 8 or 10 years (even 20!) i wonder how they can imagine that 10 years is even a relevant time period on the scale of climate? expecting weather to continue in a certain pattern because its been so for a few years is like expecting that there will never be darkness again because the sun has been up for several hours!

[Maggi Young]

Snow is normally quite rare here in the Vienne with usually a light scattering which is gone within a few hours but this winter we have had snowfall on three separate occasions and it has hung about, the last fall is still with us after a week and likely to remain a little longer yet.  The temperature rises in the afternoons bringing a slight thaw but this freezes again in the night when temperatures this year have fallen to our knowledge to -10 Celsius: this makes the local, back roads rather unpleasant to drive upon though the main roads are generally clear. 

The narcissi which were open in the garden seem to have stuck their heads up through the snow but those in the plunge, open on three sides to the weather, are looking very sad and sorry for themselves and I fear for their survival.

 

I'm posting these photos for Jim.....who says:
Meanwhile a couple of pictures for we too have snow.  The cedar is one of a
group of five just across the Green from the house and neighbour to our
lovely old church which is packed to the gunwales every Sunday and Feast
Day.

[maggiepie]

Maggi, what type of cedar is that?

[mark smyth]

A blue with the cold cedar?

[Maggi Young]

Maggi, what type of cedar is that?

author Mark: A blue with the cold cedar?

 Mark, Very likely! Helen, I don't know.... we'll need Jim to tell us..... good shape isn't it?

[annew]

Beautiful cedar. Here's one for Paul T, if he's watching. Sorry about the quality, it was taken on a mobile phone.

[Lesley Cox]

The cedar, especially Cedrus deodara, must be the most beautiful of Christmas trees and covered with snow, even better than usual. Not sure what this one is, but not atlantica or libanotica I think. ( )

[Lesley Cox]

Is that Paul's Kippax Anne? I don't delieve it.

[tonyg]

Thawing here for the last 24hrs despite sleet/snow on and off today.  Rain now.  The bone is coming out of the ground but it'll be a while before the deep freeze is over.  Did manage to get another outing with the sledges though ... wheeeee

[Paul T]

So where is Kippax, Anne?  Kippax here is actually a shopping centre (Kippax Fair) and my post office box is located there, hence my mailing address.  There is no actual suburb of that name here in Canberra.  I have no idea of the origins of the name, so it is interesting to see that it is a town of suburb near you?  And so much cooler than here. 

[Jean-Patrick AGIER]

We had between 30 to 50cm of snow in only 2 days here ( 15 to 20" ). A kind of new record. It"s been years since we had so much snow!!! Fortunately we don't expect any more next week...

[Diane Clement]

Diane when I close my louvres they wind rattles them and they fall out. Yours look fine. What have I done wrong? 

Can't imagine, Mark    Do you mean the glass or the whole fitting falls out?  Mine are held in postion by a sort of spring fitting, there's no way they could fall out.

[james willis]

We have always believed the cedar to be the Lebanese cedar.  In the village there are eight altogether, the group of five opposite the house, two in a neighbouring garden and one standing free but also in the centre of the village.  I will ask of one of my wife's old French ladies when they were planted - I suspect at the end of WW2 when a number of alterations were made to the centre of Blanzay: our "Green", for example, which stands before the church used to be the cemetery.  One of the cedars is very much larger than the others and had its top blown out by strong winds three/four years ago but thanks to the tree surgeons is still a vast and lovely shape.