2013/2014 Winter - Should we be getting ready for 'snowmageddon'?

[johnworf]

According to this article, based on past winters and other factors, this winter could be a very chilly one.

I don't understand half of the things used to predict why this may be but I'm wondering if I should start making sure we're ready for it, should it come?

Looking like Ison didn't make it :(

Oh well.......but I'd love to see another like Hyakutake, was fab, proper tail across the sky stuff.......back to hoping for snow and aurora then

That was spectacular :)

The weekly winter forecast from the Express for us all to enjoy!

Met office are going to be hopping mad!

Hey Kitten - I went to Iceland and it was FAB!! Thanks so much for all your suggestions, really helpful.

That's brilliant hully I'm so glad you enjoyed it! :) I'd love to hear about it!

GFS and ECMWF have really backed away from next weekends snow fest with a couple of really cold days and that's it.

Megleti can confirm that you are right about Huskies. Lucky enough to go dog sledding when we stayed at the Ice Hotel in Sweden. Also lucky enough not to get hit by any of it :)

Moose ~ was it the Icehotel here? Looks lovely and wintry at the moment and some of the designs they do are amazing.

OYBBK ~ perhaps the metoffice go through a mixture of 'hopping mad' together with 'rolling eyes!'

Still mild here. Long may it last! :o

Met office
www.metoffice.gov.uk/learning/get-ready-for-winter

Thanks SophieRose :) it must really drive the met office completely batty. Headlines will then be - Met office got it wrong.!

I work with people who believe the Express. I sit there with my face on trying not to bang my head on my desk.

While we're on bonkers weather forecasting I did read an article about a not-very-woo, ex policeman amateur forecaster who said december would be cold but the snow wouldn't fall until boxing day. Then we'd be frozen until spring.

Which reminds me I've nearly run out of de-icer.

Oh we're all going to die! Coldest winter, like, EVAH on its way.

Meglet where abouts was the amateur forecaster talking about? Not in the north of England or for in a few spots in the SE and def not in Scotland or Wales!

No no no no no, just no. Snow is NOT allowed to fall next weekend, it is DS's birthday party and we have hired a hall and everything

Models are split for next weekend. GFS shows cold but not much in the way of snow (bit too warm and too dry) ECMWF shows very cold and the potential for a fair bit of snow.

OYBBK, whenever you say ECMWF I read it as EWCM. Clearly I have spent far too long on the conception boards :o

Even the Beeb lady on the weather last night was talking about the possibility of some "very cold weather" for next week and they were keeping an eye on it. I'll have to get some logs in - finished the neighbour's leylandii the other day. Unless I can persuade them to chop down another.....

Kitten - can you answer my question please!
Everyone is saying that it is going to be really cold until March.
Is it possible to have a really cold winter without snow or does freezing weather always bring snow with it?
I don't mind winter, cold and wet etc but I really don't like snow and the disruption it causes.
TIA Kitten!

I don't think there is any evidence yet that it is going to be an exceptional winter, though the met office are saying the probability lies slightly in the balance of it being a colder than average winter.

I'll do an update in a couple of days looking at some of the possible predictors again

However it is very possible to have a cold winter without much snow. Some of our coldest weather happens when a high pressure plonks itself over us and Europe drawing cold air over us from eastern and northern europe but blocking weather systems from the west.

oybbk this is the bloke. Ok, he is a bit woo, but interesting all the same. I think it was a Times article where he predicted the snow after Xmas, not sure what areas it would fall though.

In my defence I have started peeking at netweather for the scientific forecasts.

hester I read it as EWCM too .

Interesting, lets see how he does :)

I read it as EWCM too

dad used to say it was too cold for snow. Thinking about it now, and knowing a bit more about our climate, that means when it is really cold we have a clear sky so no snow possible. Like last night - it went down to 0 at 01.23 hours as skies cleared, but is now +4 and cloudy.

Found my 2010 diary and an entry on 21st Dec 2009 that it was snowing at 4.10pm with +2 outside.
6th Jan 2010@ 08.07 snowing +1 . Had been -8 in the night.
Another entry on 22nd Feb snowing @ 08.30 +1 out.
Seems my dad was right, but he was speaking only from experience.