Dave.C wrote:
Well, more scientific than some! It has been snowing more or less
continuously here this morning, often with reasonable intensity,
certainly
more than it would seem on the radar, but not settling.
Overnight min was -0.8C and overnight did settle but has been melting
during
morning. 2 metre air temp is 1.3C as at 11.30 hrs. I have then taken
a soil
reading with an accurate mercury in glass thermometer at 1cm depth.
Temperature was 2.4C.
In my experience most other cold spells of this length would have
produced
enough overnight low temperatures for the ground, near to the
surface, in
the morning especially, to be colder than the air. Sufficient snow
cover,
given the amount of snow I have had, would then have built up, to
prevent
further melting. This is evidenced now by deeper patches still
remaining.
It's not rocket science, I know, but I am sure this is the biggest
factor
why the snow is not settling here rather than SST's too high (6C),
too late
in the year, too much solar radiation, air not cold enough and other
much
mooted theories.

Dave

Dave

It's the vegetation that's giving it away as far as I'm concerned.
Daffodils mid-Jan, crocuses, sound of lawnmowers everywhere- could
easily be mistaken for April. Even in other mild-winter years I don't
recall seeing anything like that.
February 94 we got a decent amount of snow here in a similar setup
after a mild Jan, (but that followed a very cold, frosty autumn- did
this get the soil cold enough to counter January?)
I've noticed that even when it's got down to -2 or -3 the ground has
barely frozen, frost has covered the grass but it's not been hard
underfoot. Your 1cm temp would explain why. Cars however have iced
easily.

Edmund