Cold Spell Discussion (20/12/09) (Heavy snow showers spreading south)

ch750536

I find it odd that everyone is talking about the possibility of snow moving south when I have loads just outside my door.

Gonzo

i dont understand it eithers, when its not cold we can have showers on a northwesterly and they always make it across the country no problem yet when it comes to winter and its cold enough to snow the showers only make it to the coastal counties in the north and west and magically die into thin air before arriving in the east! Why cant that happen in the summer...

munsterlegend

billy the squid wrote: »

snow in Limerick City beginning to accumulate.

can see it on the radar looks like the end of it then for a while. doesn't seem to be too much shower activity behind it.

munsterlegend

ch750536 wrote: »

I find it odd that everyone is talking about the possibility of snow moving south when I have loads just outside my door.

you are in as western costal area - the showers are dying as they come further inland! lucky you!

Danno

Deep Easterly wrote: »

Did anyone notice on the 6-1 news when Gerry Murphy was being interviewed about the conditions that he was sitting beside a moniter that showed the Met Eireann radar, but it had a much better coverage than the one on the website. It showed nicely the heavy showers over the north whereas the one one the web did not?

Our radars do not reflect snow as well as it does reflect rain.

WolfeIRE

nacho libre wrote: »

doesn't what's happening tonight demonstrate just how tricky it is to forecast even 3-4 days ahead in an entrenched very cold setup. we could have a snow fest christmas eve or we could be under mucky mild weather. i suppose that the beauty in following what's going on.

I am a weather freak Nacho (mean that in a healthy way). I never realised until the past 10 days or so how things can change so rapidly. I think there are probably many reasons why things have been up in the air (excuse pun) so much in recent days is because weather forecasters put out their predictions based on the usual methods, but also basing them on past experiences. Ireland has not been in the grip of a lengthy cold spell of this nature for a long time.

Boards.ie has been brilliant as have those who have shared their expertise so thanks for that. It's my first time on boards.ie and this thread has been amazing. I hope our perseverance pays off and we all get a dumping of snow.

patneve

ch750536 wrote: »

I find it odd that everyone is talking about the possibility of snow moving south when I have loads just outside my door.

That's because you're near the atlantic - more sea=more showers

Deep Easterly

Snow a lot heavier now, but still no blizzard. Absolutely no wind at all. Very Christmassy type stuff!!! :):)

irish1967

Harps wrote: »

The whole northern half of the country seems to be getting snow at the moment and we're getting nothing but rain here in Lertterkenny all night

Any of you pro's know if theres much chance of any for Donegal tonight??

+1

ch750536

WolfeIRE wrote: »

I am a weather freak Nacho (mean that in a healthy way). I never realised until the past 10 days or so how things can change so rapidly. I am many reasons why things have been up in the air (excuse pun) so much in recent days is because weather forecasters put out their predictions based on the usual methods, but also basing them on past experiences. Ireland has not been in the grip of a lengthy cold spell of this nature for a long time.

Boards.ie has been brilliant as have those who have shared their expertise so thanks for that. It's my first time on boards.ie and this thread has been amazing. I hope our perseverance pays off and we all get a dumping of snow.

Normally ends in tears but I have a feeling this time.

ch750536

patneve wrote: »

That's because you're near the atlantic - more sea=more showers

Normally the opposite is true, too warm here, gets inland and cools, snow for Tipp! boo.

jaffa20

ch750536 wrote: »

I find it odd that everyone is talking about the possibility of snow moving south when I have loads just outside my door.

South-east;)

Deep Easterly

Danno wrote: »

Our radars do not reflect snow as well as it does reflect rain.

Thanks Dan, my point was that the radar map he was sitting beside was showing the precipation up the north better than the one on the web. Like it was using the Belfast radar.

I think there could be some issues there, maybe our met are not allowed to use the Belfast radar publically or something. Just an idea

Trogdor

Latest sat pic from Mayo Exile's link, the dundee satellite receiving station http://www.sat.dundee.ac.uk
21:40

Scubadevils

trogdor wrote: »

Latest sat pic from Mayo Exile's link, the dundee satellite receiving station http://www.sat.dundee.ac.uk

Looks to my untrained eye to be staying pretty intact as it moves down the country?

Timistry

ch750536 wrote: »

I find it odd that everyone is talking about the possibility of snow moving south when I have loads just outside my door.

I live in Kenmare and we have seen a flake of snow all week. Last snowfall was in 2000....:(

pauldry

rain here in sligo or should i say rain n sleet. me dp has risen to 1c after being at minus 2 last night. is this the end of our snow?

think theres a SE wind promised 4 xmas though n it may bring some snow to inland parts of the East and South. All very uncertain when theres snow being forecast. If it was Summer we could say with higher confidence that it is going to rain on Christmas day but the precipitation type is very hard to predict now.

One thing for certain is that it rarely snow for long in the NW as the Atlantic always has the final say. As has already been said.

nacho libre

Deep Easterly wrote: »

Snow a lot heavier now, but still no blizzard. Absolutely no wind at all. Very Christmassy type stuff!!! :):)

good to hear paddy1:)

patneve

trogdor wrote: »

Latest sat pic from Mayo Exile's link, the dundee satellite receiving station

I like those blobs of the W Donegal coast, could be thundery!;) Clear here just North of you (Dalkey) temp 0,7 westerly wind...

Wibbler

nacho libre wrote: »

doesn't what's happening tonight demonstrate just how tricky it is to forecast even 3-4 days ahead in an entrenched very cold setup. we could have a snow fest christmas eve or we could be under mucky mild weather. i suppose that the beauty in following what's going on.

It also shows just how selective snow fall can be, with certain setups only favouring certain areas of our smallish country.

I'm starting to understand why certain winters seem to have had memorable snow that I don't ever remember seeing :-)

Perhaps the East and South will see something overnight.

ninebeanrows

There is such a large amount of covection going up there its mad.

The first band is making decent inroads, reckon it will get to WestMeath

Harps

Danno wrote: »

The reason for the rain in Donegal is because of the warm sea just west of there, the breeze is coming in from the west picking up milder air and melting your snow. If the low pressure passes further south... winds will become NE and you will get snow in Donegal.

That makes sense I suppose but why is Lietrim getting plenty of it yet even Donegal Town gets nothing?

TomTom

Just arrived home in Offaly, In Kilcormac to be honest. Worst frost I have seen between here and Dublin, though it had snowed its that white. The car got it hard to get over the footpath into the driveway, traction was impossible.

If any snow falls at all it will be well stuck. Tullamore is not the best roads wise either. I advise anyone takeing the N52 to try a different road or take very very good care on it. It clears up a good bit after the Tullamore bypass.

Elmer Blooker

Felixdhc wrote: »

How come a front such as this can lose intensity and not make it that far south but when fronts move in from the Atlantic in a westerly they happily drop sh*t loads of rain across the whole country for hours on end? - Do fronts from the Atlantic tend to be much more intense generally speaking?

That not really a front moving down from the north at the moment, it more an organized band of showers. These big showers we are seeing on the satellite develop when polar air passes over the warm ocean but as soon as the showers pass over land they quickly lose their intensity and die out.
I'm not expecting any of these showers to make it as far as Dublin but those of you who have snow enjoy yourselves!:)

WolfeIRE

Weathercheck wrote: »

There is such a large amount of covection going up there its mad.

how much of a bearing will this have on the follow up activity (follow up to current band of showers i mean} weathercheck?

ninebeanrows

TomTom wrote: »

Just arrived home in Offaly, In Kilcormac to be honest. Worst frost I have seen between here and Dublin, though it had snowed its that white. The car got it hard to get over the footpath into the driveway, traction was impossible.

If any snow falls at all it will be well stuck. Tullamore is not the best roads wise either. I advise anyone takeing the N52 to try a different road or take very very good care on it. It clears up a good bit after the Tullamore bypass.

The rush hour tomorrow morning is going to treacherous.

Can you imagine if snow hit Dublin and there was a widspread fall of even an inch or 2, utter chaos.

At the moment that isn't out of the question.

But im just thinking if i will be able to stay up for this all night! i reckon i still be clued on this at 4am.

Thought i really like snow that arrives around this time, when nobody else really knows!

Lets hope some can make it to Dublin, we have every chance, we just need abit of luck.

maquiladora

Precip looks nice on the sat loop but the 18Z GFS keeps it confined mostly to the northwest even as the low slowly moves closer to NI.
Could the GFS be underestimating it?

Deep Easterly

nacho libre wrote: »

good to hear paddy1:)

Thanks Nacho.:) Lighter again now but not stopping. It is magical actually, it is falling down really slowly and silently, and with all the Christmas lights out on the street, it just looks like a proper Christmas.

A light covering with temp at back up to 0.0c exactly.

deaglan169

no snow in monaghan as yet although was speaking with friend in Pomeroy Co.Tyrone and snowing very heavily past 30mins

ninebeanrows

maquiladora wrote: »

Precip looks nice on the sat loop but the 18Z GFS keeps it confined mostly to the northwest even as the low slowly moves closer to NI.
Could the GFS be underestimating it?

Bin the GFS its already wrong.

http://www.raintoday.co.uk/

It will make decent inroads, where it make it to Dublin is unknown but to my eye likely.