A marked thunderstorm starting 1332Z with many c-g discharges, one or two quite close (about half a mile). More interestingly, the precipitation was mostly large snow pellets, up to 20 mm, quite lumpy and hard but certainly not hail. Outside it was like being pelted with white fudge. The total amount was not large but enough to almost completely whiten the short grass in my back garden. The temperature fell from 9°C to 6°C. The sky was yellowish (and still is) with haze and had a distinctly summery look but other factors soon gave the lie to that.
A combination of late March sunshine a cold pool (524 dam) must be what set it off. I notice that showers broke out widely over southern England and the Midlands from from about 10 a.m. onwards.
Do I call this snow? If so, that is 2 consecutive days in March with snow but none in "winter".

Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, NE Surrey, 556 ft.

On 27/03/2014 15:50, Tudor Hughes wrote:
A marked thunderstorm starting 1332Z with many c-g discharges, one or two quite close (about half a mile). More interestingly, the precipitation was mostly large snow pellets, up to 20 mm, quite lumpy and hard but certainly not hail. Outside it was like being pelted with white fudge. The total amount was not large but enough to almost completely whiten the short grass in my back garden. The temperature fell from 9°C to 6°C. The sky was yellowish (and still is) with haze and had a distinctly summery look but other factors soon gave the lie to that.
A combination of late March sunshine a cold pool (524 dam) must be what set it off. I notice that showers broke out widely over southern England and the Midlands from from about 10 a.m. onwards.
Do I call this snow? If so, that is 2 consecutive days in March with snow but none in "winter".

Similar weather up here in North Yorkshire though smaller snow
pellets/soft hail. First warning of the cloud ground strike was the
electricity going off followed less than a second later by the bang!

There are some fairly chunky storms about with hefty precipitation.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

Tudor Hughes wrote:

A marked thunderstorm starting 1332Z with many c-g discharges, one or two
quite close (about half a mile). More interestingly, the precipitation was
mostly large snow pellets, up to 20 mm, quite lumpy and hard but certainly
not hail. Outside it was like being pelted with white fudge.


Very similar stuff here in the early afternoon, Tudor. There didn't appear to
be any water content even though the temp was above 6 deg at the time.


--
Norman Lynagh
Tideswell, Derbyshire
303m a.s.l.
http://peakdistrictweather.org

"Tudor Hughes" wrote in message
...
A marked thunderstorm starting 1332Z with many c-g discharges, one or two
quite close (about half a mile). More interestingly, the precipitation was
mostly large snow pellets, up to 20 mm, quite lumpy and hard but certainly
not hail. Outside it was like being pelted with white fudge. The total
amount was not large but enough to almost completely whiten the short grass
in my back garden. The temperature fell from 9°C to 6°C. The sky was
yellowish (and still is) with haze and had a distinctly summery look but
other factors soon gave the lie to that.
A combination of late March sunshine a cold pool (524 dam) must be what
set it off. I notice that showers broke out widely over southern England
and the Midlands from from about 10 a.m. onwards.
Do I call this snow? If so, that is 2 consecutive days in March with
snow but none in "winter".

Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, NE Surrey, 556 ft.



You raise an interesting point, Tudor. I have always been of two minds when
logging snow pellets. Officially, snow pellets come under the category of
'ice meteors', and are logged as such with small hail (ice pellets), snow
grains and diamond dust, hail itself being reserved for hail stones of 5mm
dia or more.

I made a note in my Observer's Handbook back in the 1970s against the
definition of snow pellets; 'snow or hail depending on size', and later in
the early 1980s; 'classed as hail provided that the hail pad is marked,
otherwise snow'. These definitions are not, I think, official, but just for
my own benefit, so that I do not have to agonise over how to classify them
on the rare occasions that they occur.

We recently had a fall of snow pellets on the 23rd, and these were up to
appx. 6 mm dia. At the time I thought I would call them snow, especially as
they produced a temporary covering on the roads etc. But when I returned
home, I found they had marked the hail pad well, thus changed my mind to
enter them under the 'small hail/ice' category.


--
Bernard Burton

Wokingham Berkshire.

Weather data and satellite images at:
http://www.woksat.info/wwp.html

Bernard Burton wrote:

"Tudor Hughes" wrote in message
... A marked
thunderstorm starting 1332Z with many c-g discharges, one or two quite close
(about half a mile). More interestingly, the precipitation was mostly large
snow pellets, up to 20 mm, quite lumpy and hard but certainly not hail.
Outside it was like being pelted with white fudge. The total amount was not
large but enough to almost completely whiten the short grass in my back
garden. The temperature fell from 90C to 60C. The sky was yellowish (and
still is) with haze and had a distinctly summery look but other factors soon
gave the lie to that. A combination of late March sunshine a cold pool (524
dam) must be what set it off. I notice that showers broke out widely over
southern England and the Midlands from from about 10 a.m. onwards. Do I
call this snow? If so, that is 2 consecutive days in March with snow but
none in "winter".

Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, NE Surrey, 556 ft.



You raise an interesting point, Tudor. I have always been of two minds when
logging snow pellets. Officially, snow pellets come under the category of
'ice meteors', and are logged as such with small hail (ice pellets), snow
grains and diamond dust, hail itself being reserved for hail stones of 5mm
dia or more.

I made a note in my Observer's Handbook back in the 1970s against the
definition of snow pellets; 'snow or hail depending on size', and later in
the early 1980s; 'classed as hail provided that the hail pad is marked,
otherwise snow'. These definitions are not, I think, official, but just for
my own benefit, so that I do not have to agonise over how to classify them on
the rare occasions that they occur.

We recently had a fall of snow pellets on the 23rd, and these were up to
appx. 6 mm dia. At the time I thought I would call them snow, especially as
they produced a temporary covering on the roads etc. But when I returned
home, I found they had marked the hail pad well, thus changed my mind to
enter them under the 'small hail/ice' category.


The stuff that we had in Tideswell at about 1230z was very similar to what
Tudor described. I could best describe it as an agglomeration of frozen stuff
something like very big snowflakes but with a hardish centre. I didn't measure
it but Tudor's estimate of up to 20 mm sounds about right. The stuff came down
faster than snowflakes and slower than hail. On hitting the ground each
agglomeration disintegrated and instantly melted, not at all like hail. What
was striking was that there didn't seem to be any liquid water present even
though the temperature was over 6 deg. I've called it snow pellets though that
doesn't really describe it properly

--
Norman Lynagh
Tideswell, Derbyshire
303m a.s.l.
http://peakdistrictweather.org

On Thursday, March 27, 2014 7:35:38 PM UTC, Norman wrote:
Bernard Burton wrote:



"Tudor Hughes" wrote in message

... A marked

thunderstorm starting 1332Z with many c-g discharges, one or two quite close

(about half a mile). More interestingly, the precipitation was mostly large

snow pellets, up to 20 mm, quite lumpy and hard but certainly not hail.

Outside it was like being pelted with white fudge. The total amount was not

large but enough to almost completely whiten the short grass in my back

garden. The temperature fell from 90C to 60C. The sky was yellowish (and

still is) with haze and had a distinctly summery look but other factors soon

gave the lie to that. A combination of late March sunshine a cold pool (524

dam) must be what set it off. I notice that showers broke out widely over

southern England and the Midlands from from about 10 a.m. onwards. Do I

call this snow? If so, that is 2 consecutive days in March with snow but

none in "winter".



Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, NE Surrey, 556 ft.







You raise an interesting point, Tudor. I have always been of two minds when

logging snow pellets. Officially, snow pellets come under the category of

'ice meteors', and are logged as such with small hail (ice pellets), snow

grains and diamond dust, hail itself being reserved for hail stones of 5mm

dia or more.



I made a note in my Observer's Handbook back in the 1970s against the

definition of snow pellets; 'snow or hail depending on size', and later in

the early 1980s; 'classed as hail provided that the hail pad is marked,

otherwise snow'. These definitions are not, I think, official, but just for

my own benefit, so that I do not have to agonise over how to classify them on

the rare occasions that they occur.



We recently had a fall of snow pellets on the 23rd, and these were up to

appx. 6 mm dia. At the time I thought I would call them snow, especially as

they produced a temporary covering on the roads etc. But when I returned

home, I found they had marked the hail pad well, thus changed my mind to

enter them under the 'small hail/ice' category.





The stuff that we had in Tideswell at about 1230z was very similar to what

Tudor described. I could best describe it as an agglomeration of frozen stuff

something like very big snowflakes but with a hardish centre. I didn't measure

it but Tudor's estimate of up to 20 mm sounds about right. The stuff came down

faster than snowflakes and slower than hail. On hitting the ground each

agglomeration disintegrated and instantly melted, not at all like hail. What

was striking was that there didn't seem to be any liquid water present even

though the temperature was over 6 deg. I've called it snow pellets though that

doesn't really describe it properly



--

Norman Lynagh

Tideswell, Derbyshire

303m a.s.l.

http://peakdistrictweather.org

Hail here in Dawlish and strong winds as the shower blew through. Hail, because on opening the window and sampling the damn stuff, it stayed as a, slowly melting, 0.5cm ice ball while I brought it downstairs to show the missus. Wild weather. Rain now, but the radar promises more wild stuff within the hour.

"Dawlish" wrote in message
...
0.5cm ice ball while I brought it downstairs to show the missus.

I bet she thought 'Why did I ever marry a weather man?'
--
Col

Bolton, Lancashire
160m asl
Snow videos:
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3QvmL4UWBmHFMKWiwYm_gg

On Thursday, March 27, 2014 9:01:10 PM UTC, Col wrote:
"Dawlish" wrote in message

...

0.5cm ice ball while I brought it downstairs to show the missus.

I bet she thought 'Why did I ever marry a weather man?'

Col

Oh I know. I sometimes feel I tread a lonely furrow...................... *))

On Thursday, March 27, 2014 9:01:10 PM UTC, Col wrote:
"Dawlish" wrote in message

...

0.5cm ice ball while I brought it downstairs to show the missus.



I bet she thought 'Why did I ever marry a weather man?'

--

Col



Bolton, Lancashire

160m asl

Snow videos:

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3QvmL4UWBmHFMKWiwYm_gg

The showers rattled on through the night. The wind direction has veered more SE, rather than E, hopefully heralding warmer air at the weekend (only 8C here ATM and I can't see it getting a lot warmer today).

Swanage and Weymouth look to be receiving some interesting weather presently. That won't track here and we may have a drier spell coming.

On Thursday, 27 March 2014 19:35:38 UTC, Norman wrote:
Bernard Burton wrote: "Tudor Hughes" wrote in message ... A marked thunderstorm starting 1332Z with many c-g discharges, one or two quite close (about half a mile). More interestingly, the precipitation was mostly large snow pellets, up to 20 mm, quite lumpy and hard but certainly not hail. Outside it was like being pelted with white fudge. The total amount was not large but enough to almost completely whiten the short grass in my back garden. The temperature fell from 90C to 60C. The sky was yellowish (and still is) with haze and had a distinctly summery look but other factors soon gave the lie to that. A combination of late March sunshine a cold pool (524 dam) must be what set it off. I notice that showers broke out widely over southern England and the Midlands from from about 10 a.m.. onwards. Do I call this snow? If so, that is 2 consecutive days in March with snow but none in "winter". Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, NE Surrey, 556 ft. You raise an interesting point, Tudor. I have always been of two minds when logging snow pellets. Officially, snow pellets come under the category of 'ice meteors', and are logged as such with small hail (ice pellets), snow grains and diamond dust, hail itself being reserved for hail stones of 5mm dia or more. I made a note in my Observer's Handbook back in the 1970s against the definition of snow pellets; 'snow or hail depending on size', and later in the early 1980s; 'classed as hail provided that the hail pad is marked, otherwise snow'. These definitions are not, I think, official, but just for my own benefit, so that I do not have to agonise over how to classify them on the rare occasions that they occur. We recently had a fall of snow pellets on the 23rd, and these were up to appx. 6 mm dia. At the time I thought I would call them snow, especially as they produced a temporary covering on the roads etc. But when I returned home, I found they had marked the hail pad well, thus changed my mind to enter them under the 'small hail/ice' category. The stuff that we had in Tideswell at about 1230z was very similar to what Tudor described. I could best describe it as an agglomeration of frozen stuff something like very big snowflakes but with a hardish centre. I didn't measure it but Tudor's estimate of up to 20 mm sounds about right. The stuff came down faster than snowflakes and slower than hail. On hitting the ground each agglomeration disintegrated and instantly melted, not at all like hail. What was striking was that there didn't seem to be any liquid water present even though the temperature was over 6 deg. I've called it snow pellets though that doesn't really describe it properly -- Norman Lynagh Tideswell, Derbyshire 303m a.s.l. http://peakdistrictweather.org

The precipitation we had here was similarly snowy but harder and more coherent than an agglomeration of snowflakes. Only the largest were 20 mm, the bulk of it 10-12 mm. It fell somewhat slower than raindrops but much faster than snowflakes and remained as coherent balls on landing. I picked a few of the larger ones apart to see if they had a hard hail-like nucleus but they didn't and could be crushed completely though it took some force, more than a loose little snowball would. There didn't appear to be any liquid water content until they started melting on the ground, which took some time, over 15 minutes. On the road after a few minutes it resembled slush and cars made quite a noise ploughing through it.

Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, NE Surrey, 556 ft.