Cold Spell Discussion (18/12/09) (Cold, Ice and Snow now arriving)

munsterlegend

WolfeIRE wrote: »

Met Eireann latest from met.ie. (for you Cork peeps) they have changed West Munster to western coasts of Munster :mad:

18 December 2009 11:20

Today

Wintry showers in east Leinster dying out later today but wintry showers will become more frequent in northern and western parts of Ulster and Connaught, with an increasing risk of snowfall. Elsewhere will be dry and mostly sunny. Remaining very cold, with frost persisting in some areas; highest temperatures 1 to 4 degrees Celsius. Fresh, northerly winds in the east and south, light breezes elsewhere.
Tonight

Further wintry showers in Connaught, Ulster and western coasts of Munster, with some snowfall locally; elsewhere mainly dry with variable cloud. Light to moderate, north to northwest winds will develop and it will be very cold. Lowest temperatures 0 to -4 degrees Celsius, with widespread sharp or severe ground frost and icy patches.


Tomorrow

Saturday will begin mainly dry with sunny spells and frost will clear from most places. However, wintry showers affecting northern and northwestern coasts will become more widespread later. Many parts of Ulster and Connaught will have snowfall, with accumulations of 3 to 6cm. Northwest to north winds will freshen generally and it will remain very cold; highest temperatures 2 to 6 degrees Cels

Yes but Munster forecast looks good for tomorrow! i think sunday will be good too with north westerly winds feeding in showers!

Munster
18 December 2009- updated at 13:00
Today

Dry and bright but very cold with highest temepratures ranging zero to 3 degrees in a moderate northeast wind.

Tonight

Tonight will stay cold as temperatures fall to between 2 and minus 4 degrees.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow will begin dry but it will stay very cold. Wintry showers will approach the area late in the afternoon leading to sleet and and falls of snow in many areas. Highest temperatures will reach 2 to 6 degrees.

Deep Easterly

Has clouded up here but frost remains. Feels even colder than this morning.

BoardsRanger

Took a spin up the Sally Gap this morning. I was suprised there was not much more snow- i thought there would be a few inches.



Now- just abit of advice. With the weekend coming- you can be sure that drones of people will flock to the hills and learn first hand how to drive on ice. One major problem (evidenced by the picture below- all these cars had to reverse down because one car stopped) is that people start driving up a hill with snow/ice, then stop half way up to admire the view and then realise that they cant go forward from a standstill.
If you have to go up (because your a big child like me), then make sure you have good tyres and preferrably 4 wheel drive.

Pangea

Heres todays lunchtime forecast if any of you guys wana watch it or download it

Snow.mpg - 47.14MB


This is nice to read

To add to this tempestuous weather, thundersnows are expected to erupt again on Sunday, with up to 20cm (8in) snow in northern counties of Northern Ireland and up to 15cm (6in) in Scotland, Northwest England and North Wales.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/weather/article6961657.ece

Thundersnow eh?

Could someone point me in the right direction to a Dublin/Kildare border snow forecast ? or even just a leinster one.
Thanks all.

darkman2

It should dry up in any remaining areas of the East where showers are still occuring in the next hour or two. Elsewhere the rest of the day looks to be dry and cold away from the North and Northwest. These showers are likely to become sleety instead of snowy as slightly milder air comes through overnight and tomorrow. The showers tomorrow afternoon will start as rain or sleet but readily turn to snow during the evening as even colder air tucks in behind. The nature of the precipitation tomorrow night looks like it will be that of showery outbreaks of snow rather then anything particularly prolonged. Id say maybe 2 or possibly 3 hours window tomorrow night for snow with the precipitation south of Connaught, Ulster and North Leinster. So don't be expecting a whiteout or anything like that. Some places will get settling snow even at low levels but mostly you will probrably need a bit of altitude. Remember very very cold at night over the weekend. -8 or -9 is not out of the question inland and with that frost and Ice. Into next week it's still looking uncertain but the cold weather should hold on till Wednesday at least. How much snow might occur and where exactly remains to be seen. Daytime temps in low single figures from now on.

As for Christmas - too early to tell.

WolfeIRE

Pangea wrote: »

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/weather/article6961657.ece

Thundersnow eh?

N1 Pangea. I like this bit. Very interesting about the colder than normal seas. I blame the melting icecaps having an effect on the gulf stream warming effect:D
Why are we getting such an early blast of winter? Much of it can blamed on a seesaw in pressure between Iceland and the sub-tropical Azores Islands, known as the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO).
When the NAO is negative, pressure is high over Iceland and low over the Azores, and Atlantic storms are driven through the Mediterranean, but leaves the UK and northern Europe in the cold.
When the NAO swings positive, then mild, wet weather is delivered to the UK. Currently the NAO is extremely negative, and looks like staying like that for another few days, keeping the UK in the grip of the freezing cold. But there are signs that the NAO will relax its grip and allow milder conditions to return – although when and for how long is much more uncertain.
One reason for the negative NAO, and which has surprised forecasters, is that the surface seas of the North Atlantic are colder than expected. Back in May there were early signs of warmer waters appearing by this time leading to a milder winter. But a lid of cold water on the surface of the Atlantic is holding down that warmer water, keeping the air above cool, and the NAO negative. Quite if, and when, the warmer waters break through is the crucial question.

munsterlegend

Pangea wrote: »

Heres todays lunchtime forecast if any of you guys wana watch it or download it

Snow.mpg - 47.14MB


looks good for you Pangea - hopefully you'll allow some south!

forecast wasn't that great for down in cork but still very early days.

Defcol

Anyone got any predictions for the Navan/Kells area over the coming days?

darkman2

darkman2 wrote: »

It should dry up in any remaining areas of the East where showers are still occuring in the next hour or two. Elsewhere the rest of the day looks to be dry and cold away from the North and Northwest. These showers are likely to become sleety instead of snowy as slightly milder air comes through overnight and tomorrow. The showers tomorrow afternoon will start as rain or sleet but readily turn to snow during the evening as even colder air tucks in behind. The nature of the precipitation tomorrow night looks like it will be that of showery outbreaks of snow rather then anything particularly prolonged. Id say maybe 2 or possibly 3 hours window tomorrow night for snow with the precipitation south of Connaught, Ulster and North Leinster. So don't be expecting a whiteout or anything like that. Some places will get settling snow even at low levels but mostly you will probrably need a bit of altitude. Remember very very cold at night over the weekend. -8 or -9 is not out of the question inland and with that frost and Ice. Into next week it's still looking uncertain but the cold weather should hold on till Wednesday at least. How much snow might occur and where exactly remains to be seen. Daytime temps in low single figures from now on.

As for Christmas - too early to tell.

Thanks for that DM

fozzle

Can anyone tell me which Gurteen the Met Eireann weather station is in? Cos I live beside a Gurteen and we have no heating and I may have to go home early and rescue my pets!

WolfeIRE

fozzle wrote: »

Can anyone tell me which Gurteen the Met Eireann weather station is in? Cos I live beside a Gurteen and we have no heating and I may have to go home early and rescue my pets!

fairly certain it is in East Galway

nacho libre

Wintry showers in east Leinster dying out later today but wintry showers will become more frequent in northern and western parts of Ulster and Connaught, with an increasing risk of snowfall. Elsewhere will be dry and mostly sunny. Remaining very cold, with frost persisting in some areas; highest temperatures 1 to 4 degrees Celsius. Fresh, northerly winds in the east and south, light breezes elsewhere.

Tonight

Further wintry showers in Connaught, Ulster and western coasts of Munster, with some snowfall locally; elsewhere mainly dry with variable cloud. Light to moderate, north to northwest winds will develop and it will be very cold. Lowest temperatures 0 to -4 degrees Celsius, with widespread sharp or severe ground frost and icy patches.

hmm it doesn't say anything about a milder sector there tonight. as for tomorrow, i'd say high ground will be the only place that sees snow all the time. lower ground won't see the snow till the cold air starts tucking in behind as the front begins to clear southwards..

peasant

fozzle wrote: »

Can anyone tell me which Gurteen the Met Eireann weather station is in? Cos I live beside a Gurteen and we have no heating and I may have to go home early and rescue my pets!

looked it up earlier, it's between Nenagh and Birr

SpitfireIV

Well we had another little sprinkling last night here in Carlow town, which seems to be lasting well thus far! Great Christmas weather indeed, hope it lasts until next week . Temp at the moment is only 1.3c and a DP of -1.6c.......wheres the precip when you need it!!

Theres a wind blowing out there that'd freeze the tail off a brass monkey!

GoldenGreen

some small specs (very small) of snow fallling in Letterkenny, Donegal now. Heard reports the Milford in Donegal have a white covering now :-)

leahyl

munsterlegend wrote: »

Just for Leahyl! its on the way...we hope!

Munster
18 December 2009- updated at 13:00
Today

Dry and bright but very cold with highest temepratures ranging zero to 3 degrees in a moderate northeast wind.

Tonight

Tonight will stay cold as temperatures fall to between 2 and minus 4 degrees.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow will begin dry but it will stay very cold. Wintry showers will approach the area late in the afternoon leading to sleet and and falls of snow in many areas. Highest temperatures will reach 2 to 6 degrees.

WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11:D:P:D

WolfeIRE

peasant wrote: »

looked it up earlier, it's between Nenagh and Birr

yep you are right. http://www.met.ie/about/weatherobservingstations/gurteen.asp

nacho libre

fozzle wrote: »

Can anyone tell me which Gurteen the Met Eireann weather station is in? Cos I live beside a Gurteen and we have no heating and I may have to go home early and rescue my pets!

do you have the misfortune to live in gurteen in co sligo?? i know a few miscreants from that wretched place:p

fozzle

Ah sound, thanks guys - that's not me than ^_^

2 degrees in Sligo town at the moment. Brrrrr!

munsterlegend

leahyl wrote: »

WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11:D:P:D

i'm playing to the gallery! still wouldn't get too excited until tomorrow and it materialises. very hard to predict as we well know!

Deep Easterly

Sun is out again, feels a little warmer.

fozzle

nacho libre wrote: »

do you have the misfortune to live in gurteen in co sligo?? i know a few miscreants from that wretched place:p

I do indeed - well near it anyway. But I'm only a foreigner from Waterford, I don't associate with those Sligo types

Deep Easterly

nacho libre wrote: »

hmm it doesn't say anything about a milder sector there tonight. as for tomorrow, i'd say high ground will be the only place that sees snow all the time. lower ground won't see the snow till the cold air starts tucking in behind as the front begins to clear southwards..

I notice on the latest charts that the milder sector is smaller and moves through quicker, might not last long enough to cause a significant rise in temps. All to play for at this stage. Not expecting much snow down here but who knows...

joes girls

Nice shower of snow here again now, it's got alot darker so hopes it's going to get heavy.
It's so lovely now, sitting here with christmas deco's up and looking out the window at the snow.:)

nacho libre

Deep Easterly wrote: »

I notice on the latest charts that the milder sector is smaller and moves through quicker, might not last long enough to cause a significant rise in temps. All to play for at this stage. Not expecting much snow down here but who knows...

pray for strong winds up at the right level in the atmosphere paddy1:D

munsterlegend

Deep Easterly wrote: »

I notice on the latest charts that the milder sector is smaller and moves through quicker, might not last long enough to cause a significant rise in temps. All to play for at this stage. Not expecting much snow down here but who knows...

met eireann thinks connacht should do well but will have a better idea sooner the time. wonders will there be much shower activity on sunday in those north westerly breezes?!

I should imagine the snow fun is over here in co wicklow for now as the wind is veering north.
Still bitter cold though.

Air temp is 1.8c and the dewpoint is a healthy -3.3c

Max temp today was only 2.9c at 1230

nacho libre

joes girls wrote: »

Nice shower of snow here again now, it's got alot darker so hopes it's going to get heavy.
It's so lovely now, sitting here with christmas deco's up and looking out the window at the snow.:)

if you don't mind me asking, where are you located?

smashey

Just started snowing here in Strabane.