Thursday 21st December 2017 – Monday 25th December 2017

Hi all,

So far December has been a month of variations and, as of the 19th, we are colder and drier than average. With the recent snow and bitterly cold temperatures some of us might be hoping for a White Christmas. It’s not going to happen this year folks.

Thursday: Cloudy with spells of light rain or drizzle with hill-fog for most of the day. Another drab day but most of the rain should ease away into the afternoon. Mild. Max 10°C

Friday: Mostly cloudy, patches of mist/fog and remaining mild. There is a chance of some brightness (forgotten what that is!) developing, especially in eastern parts, during the day. Max 10°C

Saturday: Perhaps, don’t hold your breath, a bright start but cloud increasing and the breeze picking it. Some rain likely later in the day. The wind remains from the southwest so above average temperatures again. Max 10°C

Christmas Eve: Windy with cloudy skies. Rain likely as the day progresses and it will be heavy on western-facing hills and in the northwest. Very mild. Max 11°C

Christmas Day: A day of change albeit slowly. A damp day, bah humbug!, with some rain moving south. It will remain mostly cloudy and mild but a little cooler than lately. Later into the evening and overnight colder air will arrive from the northwest. To warrant a White Christmas we need a single snowflake falling before midnight and this is highly unlikely. Max 9°C

Outlook: Colder at times but with spells of rain and possible gales coming in from the west. Don’t rule out another named-storm before we see out 2017.

Finally, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and all the best for 2018!

Thanks,
Jon

Forecast issued at 11:15am on Wednesday 20th of December 2017

 

Thursday 7th December 2017 – Sunday 10th December 2017

Hi all,

Apologies for the delay today I’ve been exploring the Manchester Christmas Markets and of course the food and beer. So then, a lot of hype this week about colder weather coming and whether it will snow or not and if yes, then how much and where, etc. etc. Interesting times ahead, tricky forecasting times ahead and one thing for sure, cold times ahead. Brrrrr.

Thursday: Storm Caroline brings early heavy, perhaps squally rain, which clears quickly. It will be windy and after a very mild start it will become colder and colder. Sunny spells will arrive with the Arctic air then showers will get going later into the afternoon which will start to turn wintry. Later in the evening and overnight sleet and snow showers will push down from the northwest on a stiff, bitterly cold wind. Don’t be surprised to see a covering of snow on Friday morning. Max 11°C occurring in the morning falling to 6°C by mid-afternoon.

Tit

Snow showers pushing down on a bitter NW’ly wind on Thursday night into Friday

Friday: Sleet and snow showers will become confined to western parts and most of us will enjoy some sunshine. It will feel very cold with a significant wind-chill. Max 2°C but feeling more like -3°C. Frost settling in overnight.

Weekend: Plenty of sunshine then a chance of snow.

Saturday: Frosty early and late with sunny spells during the day. Just a chance of a wintry shower to the west where it could be cloudier. Max 4°C

A chance of snow arriving from the southwest on Sunday but details far from certain

Sunday: A forecasters’ nightmare at the moment and be aware things could change. The current model output suggests a dry start but very cold with temperatures close to freezing. Rain coming in from the west or southwest towards midday will engage with the cold air and turn to snow. Some heavy snow looks possible but details at this stage are not certain, i.e. the band of rain/snow could stay away further south, so look out for further updates this week on Twitter. Low-lying areas (under 100M) more prone to sleet but travel disruption could occur in locations above this height. Max 2°C

Outlook: It will remain cold or very cold for the foreseeable with night frosts. There is another chance of snow on Thursday but again details can only be firmed up nearer the time. The cold spell is here to stay.

So to summarise we have a good chance of some snow Thursday into early Friday and also on Sunday.

Follow @ChadWeather on Twitter for up to date forecasts and the latest on the possible snow.

Thanks,
Jon

Forecast issued at 9:50pm on Wednesday the 6th of December 2017

Images: http://wxcharts.eu

Thursday 23rd of November 2017 – Sunday 26th November 2017

Hi all,

Well hello weather, we welcomed back our typical Autumn this week, with an inch of rain falling in the first few days. We’ve also had a bit more snow-talk on the grapevine and this time there is some truth in the rumours. No no, don’t get your sledges out just yet, just be ready for a cold weekend with a risk of wintry showers.

Thursday: A mild start with some bright spells but showers will start to appear as the day progresses. Remaining windy and slowly becoming colder. Max 9°C

Friday: A better day and hopefully we will escape with a dry one with sunny spells. It will feel colder again with temperatures really struggling, leading to a slight frost overnight. Max 6°C

Weekend: Cold and breezy with wintry showers and some night-time frosts.

Wintry Showers

Wintry showers, some falling as snow especially on Saturday

Saturday: A bitter day with some bright spells and wintry showers which will could fall as hail or sleet. Some snow showers are possible, in any heavier bursts and certainly more likely on higher ground. Max 5°C

Sunday: More in the way of sunshine with a few wintry showers left over, but there shouldn’t be as many as Saturday. Still cold, especially with the freshening breeze ahead of rain due late-evening and overnight. Max 6°C

Outlook: A touch milder with some rain but then it seems the colder air returns and with it the risk of wintry showers and overnight frosts.

Follow @ChadWeather on Twitter for the latest forecasts.

Thanks,
Jon

Forecast Issued on Wednesday 22nd of November 2017 at 11:35am.
Image: http://wxcharts.eu/

Thursday 9th of November 2017 – Sunday 12th of November 2017

Hi all,

Yep the media are still at it. Anyone got their sledges out? Nope. The weather does have a chill about it, already, but it is anyone’s guess what winter will bring.

Thursday: A cloudy start with milder air back again across the region. Some rain likely in the morning but patchy in nature. This will ease away and some bright spells will break out and lead to a drier afternoon. Max 11°C

Friday: A cloudy and breezy day with bright spells and some showers especially so in the morning. A band of rain moving through overnight. Max 10°C

Weekend: Cold, especially in the wind.

Saturday: A northwesterly airflow will take hold over the UK this weekend and it will feel cold. We’ll see some brightness on Saturday, but also some showers blown in on that keen breeze. Max 9°C

Sunday: A drier day is expected with sunny spells and a few lingering showers. Remaining cold with a frost likely overnight as skies clear. Max 9°C

Outlook: Slowly becoming less cold and cloudier after a decent Monday. Temperatures close or just below average. No sign of any snowfall or any named-storm on the horizon. We could become stuck under a cloudy-high, which means little sunshine but very settled conditions.

Follow @ChadWeather on Twitter for the latest localised forecasts.

You can also view hourly weather stats tweets at @OldhamWxStats and 1-minute data updates from my personal weather station on Wunderground.

Thanks,
Jon

Forecast Issued at 4:30pm on Wednesday the 8th of November
Image: wxcharts

Thursday 2nd March 2017 – Sunday 5th March 2017

Hi all,

Winter has gone, meteorologically-speaking of course, but we all know we tend to see snow in March at some point, so don’t unpack the garden furniture just yet. Speaking of snow, there could be some overnight on Wednesday with up to 7cm possible above 300M. See Twitter for updates.

Rain likely to turn to snow Wednesday night.


Thursday: Cloudy with rain, sleet and snow during the morning. Drier into the afternoon with some brightness. Breezy too making it feel cold. Some more rain late-evening. Max 7°C

Friday: Some drier, bright spells during the day, but later cloud will thicken with a risk of more rain coming up from the southwest. A cold breeze. Max 7°C

Saturday: A messy picture on Saturday as low pressure from the south swings up another weather front which could stall over the region bringing a wet day with rain at times. There is some uncertainty how far north it gets so watch for updates on my Twitter, @ChadWeather. Max 6°C

Sunday: I’m hoping a little ridge of high pressure builds for Sunday so we have a drier day with some brightness. Temperatures remaining similar values.  Max 7°C

Looking ahead: Temperatures around average, bright spells but also a lot of cloud which will limit the frost-risk. Some showers.

February 2017 Stats

Max 13.1°C (20th)
Min -0.1°C (28th)
Wettest 18.8mm (23rd)
Windiest 49mph (23rd)
Rain 101.8mm (above average)
Rainy Days 23
Dry Days 5
Snow Falling Days 4
Snow Lying Days 1

Thanks,
Jon

Image: http://www.netweather.tv
Forecast Issued: Wednesday 1st of March at 2pm

Thursday 9th February 2017 – Sunday 12th February 2017

Hi all,

As predicted in the last blog, colder weather with winds from the East is on its way.

As for snow, read on.

Thursday: The colder weather is now upon us with a frosty start. Variable cloud and dry with any bright spells to the west. Feeling very cold with a nagging breeze which might bring some snow flurries. Frosty later and some icy stretches where wintry showers have fallen. Max 3°C

windchill

A subzero windchill over the coming days – several layers needed


Friday: Feeling raw with a bitter, easterly wind and some snow flurries or snow grains in the air. Some bright spells, if any, favoured further west. Frost overnight. Max 2°C but some places in the hills not getting above freezing.

A cold weekend ahead as the easterly flow persists and this could bring snow.

snow-overnight-saturday

Sleet & snow spreading in from the East Saturday evening into Sunday morning


Saturday: Another mostly cloudy day and cold. Later into the evening and overnight a weather system will come in from the North Sea and move westward bringing some snow inland. Some low-lying areas might see rain or sleet. Certainly one to watch. Max 4°C

Sunday: Don’t be surprised to wake up to see a covering of snow especially in areas above 200M. Any rain, sleet or snow should ease away leaving a drier day with bright spells. Becoming less cold later in the day. Max 5°C

milder

Milder from the S or SE early next week, especially on Tuesday


Looking ahead: We lose the freezing, easterly feed so it will become milder and any lying snow will melt quickly. Mostly dry with bright spells and overnight frosts.

I’ve compared this winter so far, to last winter. It just shows how very wet last winter was.

1st Dec-7th Feb

2016

Av. Temp 7.1°C
Rain 371.6mm
Wet Days 62
Dry Days 7

2017

Av. Temp 5.5°C
Rain 145.4mm
Wet Days 49
Dry Days 20

Thanks,
Jon

Forecast Issued: Wednesday the 8th of February 2017 at 12:05
Images: http://www.netweather.tv/ and http://www.ukweatherforecast.co.uk/

Thursday 2nd February 2017 – Sunday 5th February 2017

Hi all,

As we enter February our weather looks to turn wet and windy with a chance of the next named-storm; Storm Doris affecting some parts of the UK.

windy-on-thursday-and-friday

Low pressure in charge Thursday & Friday

Thursday: Low pressure arrives from the southwest so expect it to turn wet and windy with pulses of rain. Some drier slots. Gusts to 40mph likely especially later. Mild throughout. Max 11°C

Friday: A brighter start with some sunshine. Now there is some uncertainty about this but another low pressure could track in from the southwest with the potential for some strong winds with gusts up to 50mph. A warning was issued but now has been cancelled as the low is likely to track futher south. So the thinking is, bright spells and drier during the day, winds increasing later with some rain into the evening. Max 9°C

Cooler over the weekend but any frost limited.

Saturday: Cooler with some showers. Not as windy as recently. Max 6°C

Sunday:  A chilly day with a few scattered showers but in between weather systems means we should have a reasonable day with some bright spells as well. Max 6°C

wintry-showers

Colder with wintry showers midweek next week?

Looking ahead: Rain arriving later on Monday then midweek a chance of wintry showers and colder air from the East to finish the week. Finally some proper cold and snowfall?

cold-air-from-the-east-gif

Proper winter cold from the East arriving later next week?

January 2017 Stats

Max 9.9°C (11th)
Min -2.7°C (5th)
Wettest 12.8mm (15th)
Windiest 41mph (11th)
Rain 82mm
Rainy Days 23
Dry Days 8
Air Frosts Days 7
Snow Falling Days 3
Snow Lying Days 2

Follow @ChadWeather on Twitter to keep up to date with your local weather.

Thanks,
Jon

Forecast Issued on Wednesday the 1st of February 2017 at 12:15
Images: http://wxcharts.eu/

Thursday 26th January 2017 – Sunday 29th January 2017

Hi all,

It is looking like January is going to finish overall, as a calm, cold and dry month. Perhaps February will offer something more ‘lively’ or even snowy? Looking ahead the first week of February does indeed look windier and wetter but no sign of snow. As always, time will tell.

overview

A wetter and windier theme as we enter February?

Thursday: We drag in some of the very cold air that has been stationed across Europe, so it will feel bitter. Mostly cloudy and we can’t rule out the odd snow flurry. Some brightness here and there especially later. A harsh southeasterly wind leading to a significant wind-chill. Plenty of layers needed. It could be the coldest day for up to 2 years. Max 1°C

windchill

A low wind-chill on Thursday making it feel like -5°C

Friday: A cold start but becoming slightly milder later and nowhere near as cold as yesterday. Remaining breezy so it will feel chilly in that wind. Mostly dry and cloudy with limited bright spells. Max 5°C

Saturday: Likely to see some rain in the form of showers at some point, especially into the afternoon . Winds a little lighter. Max 7°C

Sunday: The best day of the weekend. Sunny spells and with light winds it shouldn’t feel too bad. Dry. Max 7°C

wet-and-windy-1

Our next named-storm for early February? #StormDoris

Looking ahead: There is a reasonable chance that the Jet Stream will kick into gear into February so expect wind and rain. As always, keep up to date on Twitter by following @ChadWeather.

Thanks,
Jon

Images: http://wxcharts.eu/
Forecast Issued: Wednesday 25th of January 2017 at 13:15

 

Thursday 19th January 2017 – Sunday 22nd January 2017

Hi all,

This is one of the most benign forecasts I’ve ever written in my blog. The weather is stuck in a rut and the last few days have been depressing. Drizzle, mizzle, fog, low-cloud and darkness. Horrible. 

To top things off, as you know I’m a cold- and snow-lover, even Spain has been seeing snow today. 

The Polaris World Golf Resort in Condado de Alhama in Spain saw snow on Wednesday

 

@barrabest on Twitter: Xàbia (Jàvea) Beach on the Costa Blanca, just north of Benidorm, in Spain today. Photo via Patricia Smyth McKeown.

@GVA112 on Twitter – snow falling to sea level this morning on the Valencia Costa

 

Most of Europe has been cold and snowy and this cold air has extended to most countries bar the U.K. (the SE being an exception for once). 

This graphic from the BBC shows exactly where the cold has spread to across Europe.

So, are we into for a share of this widespread cold. Well we will all become a little colder towards the weekend but we won’t get any snow or anything resembling very cold conditions. 

We have high pressure in charge of our weather but for us it’s a ‘cloudy high’, which means we’ve dragged in a lot of cloud from the west which is ‘trapped’ and can’t escape. With the sun weak at this time of the year, there’s no strength in it to even attempt to burn off the cloud. This leads to a bland outlook. 

Oh, one thing this weather has done, is broken one of my records. The difference between the Max and Min temperatures during a day, is called the diurnal temperature variation. My previous record was 0.9°C in January 2013. This was beaten on Tuesday 17th January 2017 with the range being just 0.8°C thanks to the lack of sun and damp/dull/misty conditions.

See all records here; Chadderton Weather Records.

Thursday: Cloudy and dull, some local drizzle. Misty on the hills. Light winds. Max 8°C

Friday: Another cloudy day. Slightly cooler than yesterday. Again, we can’t rule out drizzle or mizzle. Max 6°C

Saturday and Sunday: An easterly airflow will drag in some slightly colder air so noticeably chilly across the region. There should be enough cloud-cover to limit any frost. Mostly cloudy during the day but a chance of some brightness especially on Sunday. Max 4°C

Looking ahead: Settled early next week before things look to turn unsettled from the west with rain and milder temperatures. Wanting snow and some ‘proper cold’…..then forget it until February

Keep up to date with my local forecasts on Twitter by following @ChadWeather

Thanks,
Jon

Forecast issued: Wednesday 18th January 2017 at 14:20

Images: From Twitter and credited above and BBC Weather

Thursday 17th November 2016 – Sunday 20th November 2016

Hi all,

A bit of a late posting today, but I’m finally here with the usual weekly outlook on what our weather’s going to throw at us. It’s certainly not going to disappoint this week.

Thursday: Cold and windy. Showers of rain and possibly hail and thunder. Some sleet for the hills. There is a chance of more prolonged rain during the morning. 6°C

**There is a possibility that wintry showers will merge together to bring a spell of sleet or snow overnight on Thursday, especially above 200M. One to keep an eye on via my tweets**

Possibilities of some localised sleet and snow overnight Thursday and into Friday morning. Above 200M most at risk.

Friday: Possibly a wintry start as mentioned, then feeling quite bitter with a stiff northwesterly wind and some wintry showers. Sunny spells during the day mixed in with those showers. Showers dying away overnight leading to a frost. 5°C

Heavy rain arrives on Sunday, preceded by Pennine-snow?

Saturday: Frosty start, then a typical pleasant, autumnal day. Sunny spells, just the odd wintry shower but with lighter winds it won’t feel as cold as previous days. 6°C

Sunday: Another cold start with a touch of frost. Cloud soon thickening and the wind increasing as heavy rain, possibly preceded by hill-snow for a time, moves in from the south-west. There is a good deal of uncertainty about how strong the winds could be and how heavy the rain will be so keep your eyes on my tweets. A cold raw feeling day. 7°C

Looking ahead and it’s set to stay cold with unsettled conditions close by. 

Keep up to date with your local weather by following @ChadWeather on Twitter.

Cheers,

Jon

Images: http://www.netweather.tv

Forecast issued Wednesday 16th November at 18:30.