Hi all,

What a superb spell of early-Spring weather we are experiencing and you need to fill your boots. Temperatures into the late-teens and plenty of sunny periods, but hazy due to the high pollution levels.

Everywhere is now beginning to dry out fast and after giving my garden its annual winter-is-over declutter, it was clear to see that it actually might need watering soon. With little rain on the horizon, it means after a soggy February, it will have been a very dry March.

Growers beware, temperatures are set to drop to below average values next week, a real shock for our gardens and plants after the warmth of this week.

UV levels are now creeping up and are around medium for a couple of hours at lunchtime. No sun-cream really needed yet, unless you’re out in it for several hours non-stop, late-morning to early-afternoon.

Thursday: Another cracking day. Warm to very warm for the time of year with widespread sunny spells. Some fair-weather cloud around. Light winds. Max 18°C

Friday: Continuing warm and sunny. Some cloud bubbling up into the day. Light winds. Max 18°C

Weekend: Grab that sunshine and make the most of it.

Saturday: Further sunny spells and warm with it too. Any morning-cloud burning off. Dry. Max 17°C

Sunday: Sunny spells but temperatures likely to be a notch or two lower. Max 15°C

Outlook: The high pressure that has dominated our weather will shift west and that move in location will allow more in the way of cloud to arrive. More importantly we will introduce a north-to-northeasterly airflow and at this time of the year that is still a very cold direction. Some of the air will be sourced from the Arctic. A lot of dry weather is still expected with the odd shower drifting in from the northeast. No snow expected, this will fall in the Scottish mountains though. By midweek we will see some ground-frosts return and daytime temperatures struggling to 7-9°C, a big change from this week.

Follow @ChadWeather on Twitter for the latest forecasts and warnings.

Thanks,
Jon

Forecast Issued: Wednesday the 23rd of March 2022 at 9:13pm
Image: (chart) http://www.wxcharts.com

Hi all,

What a wet and wild week that was, with storms Dudley, Eunice and Franklin bringing disruptive winds and high rainfall totals, leading to localised flooding. You’ll be glad to know that we are in for a more settled few days once we get past a blast of cold snowy air from the northwest.

Thursday: Windy especially during showers which will be wintry in nature. Expect thunder & lightning, hail, sleet & some snow, even to lower-levels for a time. Biting wind & much colder.

Snow amounts: 1-3cms can’t be ruled out especially at 150-300M and even up to 5cm above 300M, especially in areas seeing frequent snow showers. Gusts of 35-40mph making it feel sub-zero. Max 5°C

Friday: Well this has been long overdue. A decent day with plenty of sunny spells across the region. It will also be dry and with lighter winds, it will not feel as cold. Max 8°C

Weekend: The best one for a while.

Saturday: A dry day with sunny spells. A little bit on the breezy side but much improved on last weekend. Max 9°C

Sunday: Another dry day but with more cloud, we will see more in the way of bright spells rather than sunny spells. Max 9°C

Outlook: Cloudy with some rain expected on Monday, but after that, high pressure to our south looks to keep us settled for a few days and any bands of rain from the northwest will weaken. So good news, we will get a rest from the relentless rain and storms. Still no signs of any proper cold as we enter Spring.

Follow @ChadWeather on Twitter for the latest weather forecasts and warnings.

Thanks,
Jon

Forecast Issued: Wednesday the 23rd of February 2022 at 5:15pm.
Images: http://www.wxcharts.com

Hi all,

Remember in January, how I mentioned how uneventful the weather was and how February would be payback time. Looks like you have me to blame for the miserable conditions that we are experiencing.

In the first 16 days of February we have measured rainfall on every single day and we are standing at 84mm for the month, well above average. Also, we are experiencing milder-than-average temperatures. The winters now, certainly don’t feel like the winters of my youth, with a distinct lack of snow and cold spells.

At the time of writing this forecast, we are currently experiencing Storm Dudley, which to be fair is a typical lively winter storm system. But Friday will see a rarer event, with a rapidly deepening area of low pressure, that will be damaging and dangerous to parts of England and Wales.

Although it is set to be very windy and hazardous, it looks like we will miss out on the more damaging 80-90mph gusts which are modelled to arrive across the south-west and southern parts of England and Wales on Friday, but there looks to be a sting in the tail as winds change direction.

Thursday: A windy day, especially early on. Sunshine and blustery showers, some heavy with hail and thunder and lightning. Wintry on the tops too. Max 6°C

Friday: Storm Eunice is here. The latest data puts the storm slightly further south. This means lower wind gusts for the morning with the strongest gusts saved for the afternoon, with 70mph possible quite widely, as winds swing north-westerly. Another shift in its track is possible. An very unsettled day for us, which looks to start not too windy. Heavy rain followed by wintry showers and some more prolonged rain, sleet and snow later as winds veer north-westerly. Winds look to be at their strongest mid-afternoon. Max 7°C

Weekend: More wind and rain. Sorry.

Saturday: Further bouts of showers which could be wintry (hill-snow) and thundery at times. Remaining windy making it feel cold. Some of the showers falling as snow above 300M. Max 6°C

Sunday: Another very windy day, and don’t be surprised to see another named-storm, Storm Franklin, as we see more rain followed by showers across the region with strong and gusty winds; 50mph possible. Milder. Max 10°C

Outlook:  The unsettled weather will continue during the week after a respite on Monday, when it is looking drier with some bright spells thanks to a ridge of high pressure. Conditions look set to improve towards next weekend with high pressure trying to build in from the south-west of the UK. No sign of any below average temperatures. It’s starting to feel like Autumn lasts 6 months.

Follow me on Twitter at @ChadWeather for the latest forecasts and warnings.

Thanks for reading.
Jon

Forecast Issued: Wednesday the 16th of February 2022 at 9:10pm
Image: http://www.theweatheroutlook.com

Hi all,

More tabloid clickbait nonsense being printed this week. Decent snowfall to come in parts of Scotland over the next few days but we aren’t going to be ‘buried under 30cm’ of snow on my watch. If only.

I’m a snow-lover, and love frosty mornings and that crisp-feel to a winter’s day but we certainly had more snow when I was a lad, as well as colder nights. I know winter hasn’t finished with us yet but I’m actually starting to look forward to Spring now. Being able to get out in the garden, cutting the lawns and feeling some warmth from the sun can’t come quickly enough. Sunsets are now after 5pm. Springtime will soon be here.

Thursday: Colder air has now arrived from the northwest. Sunny spells with some wintry showers blown in on a brisk biting wind. These will fall as hail, sleet and snow above 250M. Harsh frost to come overnight. Max 5°C Min -4°C

Friday: A decent day with plenty of sunny spells after a very frosty and possibly foggy start. Lighter winds with the sun turning hazy later. Max 6°C Min 2°C

Weekend: High pressure slips away. Windy with periods of rain.

Saturday: A cold and bright start but cloud and wind increasing from the west quickly as rain moves in during the day and it becomes milder. Max 8°C Min 6°C

Sunday: Mild and staying unsettled with further rain or showers and windy. Max 10°C Min 5°C

Outlook: The westerly flow of wind and spells of rain or showers looks set to continue. At this stage no sign of any proper cold, a Beast from the East or sledge-able snowfall. I feel a chilly March could be on the cards.

Follow @ChadWeather on Twitter for the latest forecasts and warnings.

Thanks,
Jon

Forecast Issued: Wednesday the 9th of February 2022 at 6:55pm.

Image: Rochdale canal (09/02/2022).

Hi all,

The final winter month has arrived and still we wait for a proper cold spell which are becoming few and far between these days. January did have a few sunny days but equally overcast days with little eventful weather after a wet start.

We did manage to close out the month with a couple of named-storms but we missed the carnage which was mostly felt to our north and north-east where gusts of 80-90mph were recorded away from elevation.

As mentioned it was a wet start and also a wet final few days but overall we only saw 43% of the average rainfall last month. So as well as drier-than-average and it was milder with a lack of very cold spells and snowfall. What will February bring? Long-range models suggest drier-than-average again, although this is borderline with plenty of rain on the cards just to our northwest. Fine margins.

Thursday: Mostly cloudy with some patchy rain during the morning. A few bright spells later and windy with 35mph gusts. Again, very mild for the time of year but change arrives overnight with a squally cold-front passing through the region during the early hours. Max 10°C

Friday: A weather-front earlier in the night will bring a much colder polar airflow with sunny spells and wintry showers with some sleet and snow. Expect hail and a chance of thunder and lightning. Feeling cold in a strong, gusty and biting wind. Max 5°C

Weekend: Milder once again.

Saturday: Slowly becoming milder and generally overcast with some patchy rain or drizzle. Max 8°C

Sunday: Heavy rain early followed by a few showers. Windy with 35-40mph gusts but remaining mild. Max 9°C

Outlook: High pressure close to the south of the UK, slipping a little further east, and rain-bearing fronts to the north-west means we will be sandwiched in the middle. Mostly cloudy days, staying mild for most with the threat of rain now and again. Chance it turns even milder later. The search for a decent cold spell continues. Snow at Easter no doubt.

Follow @ChadWeather on Twitter for the latest forecasts and weather warnings.

January 2022 Stats

Max 13.6°C (1st)
Min -2.1°C (6th)
Av. 4.6°C
Wettest 11.2mm (8th)
Av. Humidity 88%
Av. Barometer 1024.8 hPa
Max Gust 41.4mph (31st)
Av. Wind Direction WSW
Rain 44.8mm (43% of average)
Rain Registered Days 18
Dry Days 13
Air Frosts 6
Snow Falling Days 5

Thanks,
Jon

Forecast Issued: Wednesday the 2nd of February 2022 at 6:55pm.

Image: http://www.wxcharts.com

Hi all,

What a boring rut the weather has got itself into. We can deal with day after day of blue skies, which parts from the country have had; but for us it’s been overcast, dull and dank and even very cold for a couple of days. Finally, we have some changes on the way, by that I mean some sort of weather with a bit of mobility.

Thursday: After some overnight rain it will be a breezy day with some sunny spells and just an isolated shower or two. Milder than recently. Max 10°C

Friday: A bright start then cloud tending to increase from the west with a few spots of light rain into the evening. Windy. Max 10°C

Weekend: Very windy for a time.

Saturday: Cloudy with a band of rain moving south-east through the region, weakening as it does so. Very windy with local gale-force gusts. Mild but cooler later. Max 11°C

Sunday: Cool with some brightness but mostly cloudy. Rain looks set to arrive into the evening. Not as windy. Max 8°C

Outlook: More changeable going into February with some areas of rain from the west and occasionally windy. Looks chilly for a day or two otherwise temperatures around or just above average. No sign of significant cold or any snow event.

Follow me on Twitter @ChadWeather for the latest forecasts and warnings.

Thanks,
Jon

Forecast Issued: Wednesday the 26th of January 2022 at 9:15pm
Images: http://www.theweatheroutlook.com

Hi all,

We have seen high pressure after high pressure mostly in charge of our weather. During winter this can mean fog and frost and we’ve certainly seen a few of those conditions recently.

The disappointing side has been some persistent cloud topping over the high pressure from the north-west, becoming trapped across the region leading to cold, dank days.

Where sunshine has made an appearance we have had some wonderful winter sunshine. Looking at the forecast and outlook, I suspect February will be payback for all the uneventful weather.

So far in January we have only recorded 31.4mm of rain, way below the average and with little rainfall to come, this will turn out to be a very dry month.

Thursday: A frosty start then a decent day with sunny spells developing. Breezy the further west you are. Feeling chilly. Max 5°C

Friday: After a frosty start it looks like the sunshine won’t match Thursday as cloud topples in from the north-west again. Signs of us falling back into a pattern that we saw last week. Light winds and remaining dry, best of any sunshine in the east. Max 6°C

Weekend: Little change.

Saturday: A mostly cloudy day with limited brightness. Some areas seeing misty conditions throughout. Just the chance of some drizzle or light rain where cloud is at its thickest. Max 6°C

Sunday: A little cooler with the risk of some fog patches which could last all day. Due to the cloud-cover being mostly overcast again, frost unlikely. Max 5°C

Monday & the rest of the week: The stationary weather conditions continues with high pressure still controlling our weather. Due to a lot of cloud, frosts will be patchy or limited, and daytime sunny spells at a premium. Temperatures around or just above normal. No sign of any significant cold or snow, certainly not in January. The signs are there for rain and wind to return as we enter February, which I’m sure will be more of a mobile, eventful month weather-wise.

Follow me on Twitter at @ChadWeather for forecasts and warnings.

Thanks,
Jon

Forecast Issued: Wednesday the 19th of January 2022 at 8:45pm.

Hi all,

Happy New Year to everyone. All the best for 2022 and hopefully a better year all round for us all.

After a cold start to December we ended it very mild with temperatures locally up to 15°C. It was the 5th mildest December in the last 10 years so nothing extreme either way.

Stats for the whole year vs. previous years coming soon…

Thursday: A cold start with a widespread frost. Sunny spells for a time then cloud thickening. Rain, sleet and hill-snow will move east from around lunchtime. Snow amounts small but a couple of cms above 250M possible before it turns to rain and it turns slightly milder. Warning in place for the hills/Pennines. Max 5°C

Overnight Thursday into Friday: Turning colder again with showers becoming frequent and turning increasingly wintry. Warning in place.

Friday: Potential for some hefty snow showers for some during the morning. Some of the wintry showers falling as hail and sleet. The afternoon will tend to dry up as showers ease. Breezy and feeling sub-zero. Max 4°C

Weekend: Rain returns.

Saturday: Cloudy with pulses of heavy rain arriving from the west. Perhaps some brief sleet/wet-snow for the hills. All this will turn more showery into the evening. Breezy and turning milder. Max 7°C

Sunday: Any morning showers easing and a drier day but mostly cloudy. Windy. Patchy rain arriving towards evening. Max 6°C

Outlook: Very mild for a time on Monday with temperatures into double-figures again. High pressure looks set to build this week, so plenty of dry weather. A lot of cloud though so frosts limited and temperatures above normal, 7-9°C.

December 2021 Stats

Max 13.3°C (30th)
Min -0.7°C (19th)
Av. 5.6°C
Wettest 25.2mm (8th)
Av. Humidity 90%
Av. Barometer 1011.7 hPa
Max Gust 34.5mph (7th)
Av. Wind Direction SW
Rain 128mm (102% of average)
Rain Registered Days 25
Dry Days 6
Snow Falling Days 5

Follow @ChadWeather on Twitter for the latest forecasts and warnings.

Thanks,

Jon

Forecast Issued: Wednesday the 5th of January 2022 at 7:05pm.

Images: http://www.theweatheroutlook.com

Hi all,

Another eventful week with plenty of rain, wind and some hill-snow. The second named-storm of the season, Storm Barra, brought ferocious winds to parts of Ireland and gale-force gusts to our region followed by a lot of rainfall, 22mm alone today.

We have certainly missed the worst of these storms and typically this is weather we are used to in winter. Storm Barra filled (lost intensity) quickly on Wednesday but its position meant we were subject to bouts of rain, hail, sleet and hill-snow on a strong WNW wind. Any dry days ahead? We certainly need some as it’s rained or snowed the last 10 out of 11 days.

Thursday: Cloudy with any showers easing then bright spells. Much-improved on Wednesday but some rain returning towards evening. Chilly. Max 6°C

Friday: A cool NW’ly airflow with some scattered wintry showers and bright spells. Max 6°C

Weekend: Some rain as temperatures rise.

Saturday: Mostly cloudy but dry to start. Patchy rain spreading across the region later in the morning and into the afternoon. Max 7°C

Sunday: Another cloudy day with some patchy light rain or drizzle. Much milder than recently as we return to double-figure temperatures for the first time in 3 weeks (20th November). Max 13°C

Outlook: Further patchy rain on Monday and mild but thereafter high pressure looks set to build, settling the week down to mostly cloudy skies, dry weather with a cool breeze. Temperatures dropping back to normal. No sign of a cold snap before Christmas.

Follow @ChadWeather for local weather forecasts and warnings.

Thanks,
Jon

Forecast Issued: Wednesday the 8th of December 2021 at 6:40pm
Image: http://www.wxcharts.com

Hi all,

Well what a week of weather that was. The first named-storm of the season, Storm Arwen, arrived (Friday night) bringing locally severe gale-force gusts, an inch of rain, then much colder, Arctic air followed with a surprising snow event on the Sunday.

We certainly escaped the extreme winds that Arwen delivered. These were felt to our NE and SW with some local amateur weather stations in exposed elevated locations recording over 100mph. From Oldham council’s collection of weather stations, the highest gust was on Windy Hill at 58.4mph. We got off lightly.

As I wrote my blog a week ago and even a day before the weekend, it was looking like Sunday would be the calm after the storm with plenty of blue skies and sunshine but the day’s forecast changed quickly. A small feature developed during Saturday, to the NW of Scotland, with a possible SE’ly track which meant sleet or snow was now in the forecast for Sunday.

Even going into Saturday night it was unclear how much precipation would fall and what the actual track would be. Some computer models, notably the one the Met Office use, did not have this on their radar for us. Sunday dawned and a few computer models forecast the system very well and the wintry feature tracked SE.

By Sunday morning it was clear that we were in for several hours of snow (sleet and rain if you were much further W). It snowed quite heavily at times and between 11am and 3:30pm, with a total of 5cm accumulating here in Chadderton. Not bad considering the models, that did forecast the event, were suggesting 1-3cm. And all this still in Autumn.

In fact Sunday, November the 28th, was the coldest November day I have ever recorded with a maximum of +0.1C, almost an ice day. What followed for the evening was light winds, clear skies and plummeting temperatures, aided by the snow-cover. It then turned out to be the coldest November night I have ever recorded too, at -6.3C; values that will take some beating in winter itself.

Thursday: Arctic air is back in place with a widespread frost to start and icy patches. Plenty of sunny spells on offer with a keen wind. Cloud arriving later in the day with a spell of rain overnight (perhaps a little sleet or wet-snow on the tops briefly). Milder overnight. Max 4°C Min 1°C

Friday: Rain moves away to be replaced by mostly cloudy conditions and although most will be dry, some patchy light rain/drizzle will be around. Max 8°C Min 4°C

Weekend: Colder again.

Saturday: Early rain replaced by bright spells and frequent wintry showers, falling as snow on the hills. Feeling cold in a gusty NW’ly. Max 6°C Min 0°C

Sunday: Windy but dry with sunny spells. That N’ly breeze making it feel cold once again. Frosty after dark. Max 5°C Min -2°C

Outlook: Favourable to stay on the cold side with showers at times, which will be wintry in places, more so on the hills. Some models hint at a day (maybe Tuesday) of very windy weather followed by a respite then more rain/hill-snow. Certainly an unsettled and changeable week.

Follow @ChadWeather on Twitter for the latest forecasts and weather warnings.

Thanks for reading as always,
Jon

Forecast Issued: Wednesday the 1st of December 2021 at 8:55pm

Featured Photo: Chadderton Hall Park on Sunday (28/11)