Penellype's Weather Channel 2

[Nicos]

Agree with you there about the sensationalism Pen.
So long as everyone is prepared for a bad spell - be it wind, snow, rain, potential flooding- even heatwaves, then that’s the important thing.
With Climate Change we all need to be a bit more aware of coping with more unusual/ atypical weathers.Especially as gardeners!

When we first came out here to rural France from an English suburb, I’d never even considered in winter leaving a blanket and boots with sturdy treads in the boot of the car ‘just in case’ and a tow rope to help pull neighbours or friends - or us!- out of snowdrifts/ ditches.
If I’d lived in rural England then I might have been more aware.
Different weather expectations in different areas was the norm, but more extreme weather at home is going to take some getting used to!

[Nicos]

I Always appreciate your weather forecasts Pen- you always seem to come up as more accurate than the official ones!
Thank you x

[Plot70]

Newspaper weather forecasts have a one phrase.
Damp squib.
There is nothing else that can be said.

[Bren In Pots]

Thanks Pen, you make more sense than the headlines.

[Penellype]

Models are now firming up on colder weather arriving at the weekend as the wind turns into the north. The Met Office shows a cold night on Friday with temperatures widely around or below freezing. There is considerable disagreement still on how long this lasts, with some models bringing in milder air after only a day or so while others keep it cold for several days. Any snow is likely to be confined to showers and high ground or along coasts in the north, although sleet or transient snow can't be ruled out if showers become heavy (seems unlikely).

It is worth keeping an eye on forecast temperatures for your area and also on the forecasts regarding snow, as it is very hard to forecast snow accurately more than 1-2 days in advance.

[Nicos]

Just checked my location and we are in for 1C night temperatures then too….thanks for the heads up on that!

[Bren In Pots]

Thanks Pen, both Met office and BBC give me lows of 0 to1c for the weekend.

[Penellype]

The cold air is now arriving and looks like hanging around for the next couple of weeks, with the odd milder day here and there (probably with rain). There may well be some snow, mostly on higher ground in the north, although the odd model run has more in the way of snow and the newspapers are (of course) latching onto this and forecasting armageddon. It is more likely to be frosty and chilly, but more precipitation spikes are appearing later on and depending on precise conditions and timing some of this could fall as snow, or even as freezing rain. This is going to be very much a case of keeping an eye on forecasts and being prepared for possibly quite big changes even at fairly short notice, as snow is just about the hardest weather type to forecast accurately.

[Bren In Pots]

Thanks Pen.

Edited to say, our local council are prepared, the gritters have just done our road.

[sandspider]

Having had a few days of minus temps, we've now got a lot of rain!

[Penellype]

Having had a few days of minus temps, we've now got a lot of rain!

Same here - the allotment has gone from being frozen solid to under water, and more forecast tonight and tomorrow. The back garden is a large puddle too.

[Nicos]

We too have had very heavy rain. The small rivers nearby are very full.
At least it’s warmed up a bit!

[Bren In Pots]

We had 3-4 inch of snow on Sunday by the afternoon it started melting its now completely gone because of yesterday heavy rain.

[Penellype]

Not strictly "weather" but...

If you have clear skies, look out for these beautiful "mother of pearl" clouds, which have been making an appearance over the last few days. They are very high in the atmosphere and are normally seen at higher latitudes, but at present the very cold temperatures are displaced over Western Europe so we get a chance to see them. The correct name for them is nacreous clouds.

[Nicos]

Oh wow Pen!
how lucky are you to see that!