I hate the cold

[Redwolf]

At least you don't have to worry about falling iquanas!

http://www.justnews.com/news/22152242/detail.html

[dubhlinn]

Interesting picture from the University of Dundee:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/p ... html/1.stm

That's bizarre. Why is Ireland not similarly blanketed?

The English grabbed it all for themselves.


Slan,
D.

[dwest]

San Diego ... it's a cultural wasteland. The fake boobs and Baja tacos wear thin after a few weeks, and you realize you are in margarita-dystopia.

Actually, the only boobs I ever see around here are clueless visitors.

Yes, it was nice here today, temps around 80F/27C.

Sometimes in Cork it will really get cold, like as low as the forties during the winter. I'm always surprise there aren't more bananas grown there.

[Innocent Bystander]

Interesting picture from the University of Dundee:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/p ... html/1.stm

That's bizarre. Why is Ireland not similarly blanketed?

The English grabbed it all for themselves.


Slan,
D.

on the contrary:

1. Offered - Snow - West Wycombe Road
Posted by: "christopher324711" chris_barnett@btinternet.com christopher324711
Wed Jan 6, 2010 6:04 am (PST)


Hi All,

I have lots of spare Snow

Location: West Wycombe Road (suspected elsewhere too)

Thanks,

Chris

[Moderator note:
** well it had to be said but no more please! **]

[fearfaoin]

Interesting picture from the University of Dundee:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/p ... html/1.stm

That's bizarre. Why is Ireland not similarly blanketed?

Jet Stream?

[dwest]

Interesting picture from the University of Dundee:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/p ... html/1.stm

That's bizarre. Why is Ireland not similarly blanketed?

Jet Stream?

Gulf Stream, not the plane.

[hans]

Ireland's western parts did not get snow, but the eastern parts had a snow storm.
I think the image may be showing this.
There is lots of snow in Northern Ireland.

Ireland at a standstill as snow storm pummels country

[Charlene]

Last winter we had 97 inches of snow by the time it was over. I'm quite willing to have that spread out over the rest of the world this winter. So far this year we've had very little snow but it's been cold.

[s1m0n]

Interesting picture from the University of Dundee:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/p ... html/1.stm

That's bizarre. Why is Ireland not similarly blanketed?

Meet the gulf stream..

[hans]

Simon, I think this is not due to the Gulf Stream.

Most of Europa is under this prolonged cold spell, and this year's winter the continental cold air has reached further west than usual, encompassing all of UK. But it always battles in the West with milder Atlantic weather. Most winters the UK is predominated by the Atlantic systems, and Europa's cold air masses stay on the continent. This year it spread further West, but not fully encompassing Ireland with the snow storms.

Same here in Scotland, where the most snow fall on the Eastern parts, driven in from the North Sea, and Western Scotland usually escapes this and stays milder. But not this year.

The gulf stream goes all way around Scotland and much further north. It makes for a milder coastal climate here, but this cold spell is very strong, right now here -5C on the coast, where it is rarely below freezing, and snow usually melts within a day or two.

[s1m0n]

Simon, I think this is not due to the Gulf Stream.

Most of Europa is under this prolonged cold spell, and this year's winter the continental cold air has reached further west than usual, encompassing all of UK. But it always battles in the West with milder Atlantic weather. Most winters the UK is predominated by the Atlantic systems, and Europa's cold air masses stay on the continent.

If you compare similar latitudes on the western and eastern atlantic seashores, you'll note that Europe, for instance, is WAY warmer than the east coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. Cartwright, labrador, for instance, is within half a degree of the same latitude as Galway Bay, yet I expect its been a few years since there have been icebergs floating past the Galway coast*. On the Labrador coast, taking tourists iceberg-watching is a summertime industry. If you visit Cartwright's website, it's most prominant design element is an iceberg. The Gulf Stream is the difference. Without it, Europe would have Labrador's climate.

*When I google 'iceberg' and 'galway', all the hits are metaphor ('tip of the iceberg') or about varieties of lettuce, etc.

[Innocent Bystander]

I'm with Simon on this one. When I wor a lad, we used to get Basking Sharks off the West coast of Ireland. They like warm water. It's clear that the Gulf Stream warming affects the whole of the UK.

This current weather pattern is a Northern whirl, held largely stationary over the South of England. (Home Counties in weather shock horror!)

Like Simon, I await with interest the possibility of the Gulf Stream reversing.

[hans]

If you compare similar latitudes on the western and eastern atlantic seashores, you'll note that Europe, for instance, is WAY warmer than the east coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. [snip......] The Gulf Stream is the difference. Without it, Europe would have Labrador's climate.

Yes, sure. At least Western Europe. But although the Gulf Stream is responsible for a milder climate here, it is not responsible for having a snow covered UK and not snow covered Western Ireland. This is due to the particular weather, not the climate, mainly.

[dwest]

Does the Irish Sea produce sea effect snows? Where a cooler air mass picks up warmer humid air from the Irish Sea and dumps it as snow in Wales, Scotland, and England?

[chrisoff]

Does the Irish Sea produce sea effect snows? Where a cooler air mass picks up warmer humid air from the Irish Sea and dumps it as snow in Wales, Scotland, and England?

Most of the snow we've had has been coming from the arctic and scandinavia. If we were getting stuff from the west it would likely be rain as it would be bringing warmer air behind it. However I do remember seeing that the south and west of England have had some heavy snow showers in the last week or so which were due to warm air from the SW coming in and hitting the cold air from the north.

In general though the reason we've had 3 weeks of snow is because of Arctic Oscillation. There's an article on the BBC site about it:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters ... cause.html