Monthly Archives: Mar 2018

Thursday 29th March 2018 – Bank Holiday Monday 2nd April 2018

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Hi,

More media speculation this week. After getting lucky, even a broken clock is right twice a day :), with predicting ‘The Beasts’ more than a week out, this time they are wrong. No ‘Beast from the East 3’.

Thursday: Cold with some frost and mist to start the day. Sunny spells for the morning but heavy, possibly thundery, showers will arrive from the south late-afternoon and into the evening. Some of these wintry over high ground. Max 10°C

Good Friday: Mostly cloudy with some brightness. Showery rain which again could be heavy and wintry on the hills arriving later into the evening. Feeling cool. Max 8°C

The Extended Weekend: Sunday probably the best.

Saturday: Early rain moves away and eases quickly during the morning. Bright spells will develop but also some showers which will fade away later. Max 8°C

Easter Sunday: It should be mostly dry with bright spells after a misty start. Like other days it will still be quite cool with temperatures below average. Max 8°C

Bank Holiday Monday: Sunny spells for the morning but cloud thickening with rain arriving from the southwest during the day which could give some snow on the hills. Eventually milder. Max 8°C

Outlook: Remaining unsettled with temperatures on the chilly side. Some rain at times, which could have a wintry mix over the Pennines. So, disappointing news if you’re on the lookout for some Spring warmth. I know I am.

Follow @ChadWeather on Twitter for the latest weather forecasts.

Thanks,
Jon

Forecast Issued: 4:15pm on Wednesday the 28th of March 2018

Thursday 22nd March 2018 – Sunday 25th March 2018

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Hi all,

Last week we discussed the ‘Beast from the East 2’, the sequel etc. and it certainly delivered. To be honest the amount of snow it brought even surprised me. The wind was also a feature bringing a severe wind-chill and snow drifts up to 4 feet high. It was only a short-lived affair, basically freezing us for the weekend and it wasn’t as intense as the previous Beast, but it was certainly impressive for the second half of March. Of course the media have jumped on this opportuinity to say number 3 is coming and we will see snow at Easter, but what is the realistic outlook?

‘Beast from the East 2’ Stats

  • The temperature dropped 6°C in 90 mins as colder conditions arrived on Friday
  • Snow fell most of Saturday afternoon and overnight
  • Widely 8cm of snow-cover
  • Snow drifts up to 4ft
  • Many road closures
  • Lowest wind-chill of -10°C
  • Lowest feels-like temperature of -11°C
  • Sunday didn’t see the temperature rise above freezing
  • Wind gusts of 50mph locally and especially on the hills felling some trees
Temp drop Beast 2

A rapid temperature drop as the ‘Beast from the East 2’ arrived last Friday

Thursday: Sunny spells and southwesterly winds freshening. It should remain dry until later in the evening and overnight when rain will arrive. Max 9°C

Friday: Early rain, some heavy clearing during the morning. Bright spells into the afternoon with a few showers, possibly thundery. Cool and breezy. Max 10°C

Weekend: Not bad at all, no dramas like last weekend.

Saturday: Apart from the odd shower it looks a reasonable day with sunny spells. Max 9°C

Sunday: A misty start, soon lifting to sunny spells and the odd rogue shower. With light winds it will feel pleasant in any sunshine. Max 10°C

Cold NE

Colder with a chance of snow showers by the time we get to Good Friday

Outlook: Remaining mild with temperatures close to double-figures. Some rain at times, especially into Tuesday, but brighter spells too. As we approach Easter the computer models are showing signs of a cold wind developing again. This looks to be from the northwest or north, but some signs are there for a northeasterly. This will bring lower temperatures and with it the risk of some wintry showers and snow. This looks to last 2-3 days, and yes you’ve guessed it, starting on Good Friday. So, at this current stage, no Beast from the East 3 exactly, but definitely not the Easter forecast you wanted to hear.

Follow @ChadWeather on Twitter for the latest weather forecasts.

Thanks,
Jon

Forecast Issued at 10:30am on Wednesday the 21st of March 2018
Image: wxcharts.eu

 

Thursday 15th March 2018 – Sunday 18th March 2018

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Hi all,

Beast from the East 2. The sequel. Snow until Easter. I’ve heard it all this week. There’s some truth in those headlines and with it a disappointing outlook as Spring seems to be on hold.

Thursday: Mostly cloudy and windy across the region but with it some mild temperatures. Rain will be coming up from the south but will turn patchy at times and eventually fizzle out with hopefully some late-afternoon brightness. Max 9°C

Friday: Another cloudy and windy day with some showery rain at times, mainly in eastern areas. Feeling a little cooler too, especially later with a chance that some of the rain could turn to sleet or snow on the hills as colder air arrives. Max 7°C

Weekend: Bitterly cold, windy.

Saturday: A strong easterly wind feeding in much colder conditions. Gusts to 40mph likely. A similar pattern to when we had the Beast From the East but not as cold/snowy and it will not last as long. During the day some light snow showers could develop, but at this stage no significant snow is expected. Temperatures struggling above freezing with a severe wind-chill for the time of year making it feel like -5°C. Max 2°C

Sunday: Remaining very cold with those biting winds from the east. Any snow flurries or showers tending to fade as the supply from the east gets cut off as high pressure builds. Max 3°C

Outlook: After a very cold 2-day spell over the weekend, it will become less cold but the search for anything Spring-like continues, with temperatures expected to remain below average throughout the next 5 days.

Follow @ChadWeather on Twitter for the latest weather forecasts.

Forecast Issued on Wednesday the 14th of March 2018 at 1:45pm.

Thanks,
Jon

Thursday 8th March 2018 – Sunday 11th March 2018

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Hi all,

Well what a week that was. The ‘Beast From the East‘ certainly delivered. The official snow depth here was 12cm on the 1st of March and we had many days of snowfall, severe wind-chill, travel disruption and then very strong winds gusting locally to 55mph. Of course, weather-wise, we’re now into Spring and we say goodbye to Winter 2017-18, which turned out the ‘snowiest’ I’ve ever recorded since my records began in late-2012.

Extremes Recorded during the Beast From the East – all new records

Lowest Temp= -6.1°C (28th Feb)
Lowest Wind-chill= -12.0°C (1st Mar)
Lowest Apparent Temp= -12.1°C (1st Mar)
Lowest ‘Feels Like’ Temp = -13.3°C (1st Mar)
Lowest Daytime Max Temp= -2.4°C (28th Feb)

But the Lowest Dew Point record of -12.7°C, from the 25th of March 2017, remained intact.

Here’s how previous winters have compared.

Winter Stats

Comparing the last 6 winters

 

So can we expect something warmer and Spring-like soon?

Thursday: A cloudy damp start with some rain, sleet and hill-snow. Some settling snow is possible above 250M (2+cm), and especially so over the Pennines (5+cm), so check the roads if you’re travelling trans-Pennine routes. At the time of this blog there is a warning in place. This should all clear mid-morning with bright spells and showers following. Some of the showers heavy, perhaps wintry with hail and thunder. Max 6°C

Friday: We will start with a slight frost and some ice in places. Not a bad day in store with sunny spells and dry. Feeling pleasant in the sunshine. Cloudier later with rain overnight. Max 7°C

Weekend: Wet then drier; Sunday the better day

Saturday: A keen southeasterly wind. Rain, some heavy,  lasting most of the day. Just a few drier slots at times. Early on, there is a slight chance of some snow on the Pennines for a few hours but this is a low risk as it will get progressively milder. Max 9°C

Sunday: Yesterday’s rain clears quickly to leave a drier day with variable cloud allowing for some sunny spells here and there. Mild and it will be the first time we have reached double-figure temperatures since the end of January. Max 11°C

Outlook: Slighly cooler after Sunday with some showers at times which could be wintry. Milder later in the week with southwesterly winds dominating.

February 2018 Stats

Max 9.7°C (19th)
Min -6.1°C (28th)
Av. 2.5°C (colder than average)
Wettest 11.8mm
Windiest 44mph
Rain 60.8mm (drier than average)
Rainy Days 16
Dry Days 12
Air Frosts 14 (more than average)
Snow Falling Days 10
Snow Lying Days 6

Follow @ChadWeather on Twitter for the very latest weather updates.

Thanks,
Jon

Forecast Issued: Wednesday the 7th of March 2018 at 5pm.