"Dave Cornwell" wrote in message
...

"Nick Gardner" wrote in message
...
Pah! Only 6.8 hours of sunshine today, such a paltry amount after the
gloriously sunny days of this week. Still, managed 88.3 hours of the
warm, bright stuff this month so far, which is 72% of the total possible
for the first 11 days.

Temperatures are on the up, but really struggling. Haven't had a
double-figure job since the 5th March with today's maximum being 9.6°C.
Overnight minimum was a rather chilly 0.1°C.

No rainfall since the 28th Feb and everything dry. On a trip over to
Launceston this afternoon I noticed that parts of the moor on Dartmoor
are on fire.

Despite the below normal temperatures, Spring seems to be advancing with
celandines in flower in the more lowland, sheltered spots, and I even saw
a few hawthorn hedgerows coming into leaf. Still no frogspawn in the pond
(unusually late) but it is now full of pond life. Time to drain off some
'syrup' (more like sap really) from the silver maple tree and make some
maple syrup. Could be the best ever this year as the trees prefer a cold
winter (or so I am told).

(18:30), 5.2°C, RH 65%, DP -0.7°C, 1024 hPa (F), Wind 5 mph NNE.
_____________________
Nick
Otter Valley, Devon
83 m amsl
http://www.ottervalley.co.uk
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I'm definitely thinking of "emigrating" to the West Country. Cold snowy
winters, hours and hours of Spring sunshine, dry summers.... - not like
the permanent cloudy, wet conditions of the South East. Don't believe all
that climate rubbish you read in the Geography books at school ;-(

Dave


Er no Dave.

The snow is reserved for areas above 700 feet. Below that it gets less and
less to practically none at sea level. Above 700 feet add 5 days of snow
lying for every 300 feet of ascent.

Rainfall is high in the west and south with huge amounts over Dartmoor. The
rain shadows in Exeter and the Otter Valley are much drier though and the
coast gets most sun. Dartmoor and other inland hilly areas can have a lot of
cloud in the warmer season.

Will
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