Did anyone in the SE record any form of precipitation this morning or was it
due to the sudden rise in the air temperature due to the cloud cover.
Skies here were mainly clear overnight (AWS -5.3 at 04z / +0.6 05z) until
some cloud spread over from the East but clear again by sunrise. (1/8 St
seen to the West at 08z) At 09z the concrete slab was icy and the local
roads *appeared* to have a very slight dusting of wintery precipitation (car
tracks visible - not normally seen even in a hard frost). A mention was made
of the possibility of the odd snow flake in last nights forecast and the
0800 MO Rainfall Radar image showed a slight return to the South of London -
but this could have been a false echo? Having checked the hourly
temperatures as above, the rise from -5 to +0,6 in the hour could explain
the wintery scene this morning. Both my rain gauges were dry. A family
member woke in the early hours and thought they heard what sounded like
slight sleet/hail but didn't get out of bed to look !

I think its down to the sudden rise in temperature but would be interested
in other people's observations.

Regards

Richard

Horsham AWS
West Sussex.

On 17 Dec, 14:59, "Richard Griffith"
wrote:

Did anyone in the SE record any form of precipitation this morning or was it
due to the sudden rise in the air temperature due to the cloud cover.

I could have sworn I saw a couple of flakes in the wind around 1pm
walking around the City (me, not the flakes). However there are a few
pigeons around here with errant white feathers...

Richard

"Richard Dixon" wrote in message
...
On 17 Dec, 14:59, "Richard Griffith"
wrote:

Did anyone in the SE record any form of precipitation this morning or was
it
due to the sudden rise in the air temperature due to the cloud cover.

I could have sworn I saw a couple of flakes in the wind around 1pm
walking around the City (me, not the flakes). However there are a few
pigeons around here with errant white feathers...

Richard
------------------
mmm - you can tell from my previous post I was thinking the same! I thought
I saw a couple of flakes in the wind but it might have been because it
looked and felt so obviously that there should be. ;-)

Dave, S.Essex, 2.9C, dew point -0.8C

On Dec 17, 5:06 pm, "Dave Cornwell"
wrote:

------------------
mmm - you can tell from my previous post I was thinking the same! I thought
I saw a couple of flakes in the wind but it might have been because it
looked and felt so obviously that there should be. ;-)

Dave, S.Essex, 2.9C, dew point -0.8C

I also thought I saw a few snow grains blowing in the wind in London
around 2pm.

As for Richard's query, the whiteness on the roads this morning was
simply down to hoar frost. I noticed it too - enough for car tracks to
be quite visible, and untreated pavements especially had a thick white
covering. It wasn't snow, though, simply a case of moister air coming
in during the night with the cloud, I think, and forming rime on the
very cold surfaces. Quite impressive and very wintry-looking though!

Rob

Thanks for the replies - it just shows - TRUST YOUR AWS DATA !

Best Wishes

Richard

wrote in message
...
On Dec 17, 5:06 pm, "Dave Cornwell"
wrote:

------------------
mmm - you can tell from my previous post I was thinking the same! I
thought
I saw a couple of flakes in the wind but it might have been because it
looked and felt so obviously that there should be. ;-)

Dave, S.Essex, 2.9C, dew point -0.8C

I also thought I saw a few snow grains blowing in the wind in London
around 2pm.

As for Richard's query, the whiteness on the roads this morning was
simply down to hoar frost. I noticed it too - enough for car tracks to
be quite visible, and untreated pavements especially had a thick white
covering. It wasn't snow, though, simply a case of moister air coming
in during the night with the cloud, I think, and forming rime on the
very cold surfaces. Quite impressive and very wintry-looking though!

Rob

In article
,
writes:
On Dec 17, 5:06 pm, "Dave Cornwell"
wrote:

------------------
mmm - you can tell from my previous post I was thinking the same! I thought
I saw a couple of flakes in the wind but it might have been because it
looked and felt so obviously that there should be. ;-)

Dave, S.Essex, 2.9C, dew point -0.8C

I also thought I saw a few snow grains blowing in the wind in London
around 2pm.

As for Richard's query, the whiteness on the roads this morning was
simply down to hoar frost. I noticed it too - enough for car tracks to
be quite visible, and untreated pavements especially had a thick white
covering. It wasn't snow, though, simply a case of moister air coming
in during the night with the cloud, I think, and forming rime on the
very cold surfaces. Quite impressive and very wintry-looking though!

The odd thing was that the grass was nowhere near as white, which is the
reverse of what one normally sees with hoar frost.
--
John Hall
"Honest criticism is hard to take,
particularly from a relative, a friend,
an acquaintance, or a stranger." Franklin P Jones

On Mon, 17 Dec 2007 18:02:27 +0000, John Hall wrote in


As for Richard's query, the whiteness on the roads this morning was
simply down to hoar frost. I noticed it too - enough for car tracks to
be quite visible, and untreated pavements especially had a thick white
covering. It wasn't snow, though, simply a case of moister air coming
in during the night with the cloud, I think, and forming rime on the
very cold surfaces. Quite impressive and very wintry-looking though!

The odd thing was that the grass was nowhere near as white, which is the
reverse of what one normally sees with hoar frost.

I think that is because the grass reacts almost as quickly as the air to
the warming, whereas the solid surfaces stay cooler for longer, allowing
the water vapour to collect on them readily.

--
Mike Tullett - Coleraine 55.13°N 6.69°W posted 17/12/2007 19:33:41 GMT

"Mike Tullett" wrote:
On Mon, 17 Dec 2007 18:02:27 +0000, John Hall wrote :

As for Richard's query, the whiteness on the roads this morning was
simply down to hoar frost. I noticed it too - enough for car tracks to
be quite visible, and untreated pavements especially had a thick white
covering. It wasn't snow, though, simply a case of moister air coming
in during the night with the cloud, I think, and forming rime on the
very cold surfaces. Quite impressive and very wintry-looking though!

The odd thing was that the grass was nowhere near as white, which is the
reverse of what one normally sees with hoar frost.

I think that is because the grass reacts almost as quickly as the air to
the warming, whereas the solid surfaces stay cooler for longer, allowing
the water vapour to collect on them readily.

Aha, a genuine 'silver thaw'!

Philip

On Mon, 17 Dec 2007 21:36:19 -0000, Philip Eden wrote in


The odd thing was that the grass was nowhere near as white, which is the
reverse of what one normally sees with hoar frost.

I think that is because the grass reacts almost as quickly as the air to
the warming, whereas the solid surfaces stay cooler for longer, allowing
the water vapour to collect on them readily.

Aha, a genuine 'silver thaw'!

I'd not seen that expression before, but it describes the process well.

--
Mike Tullett - Coleraine 55.13°N 6.69°W posted 17/12/2007 23:43:41 GMT