Waiting in the Post Office queue this morning I could not help overhear a
conversation between two woman who were saying it was too cold to snow. I
was going to mention that it was snowing at the South Pole with minus 25C or
I had just seen several Siberian weather stations reporting snow below minus
30C. Did they not remember January 1987 when snow was falling at minus 8C in
my area. Having given over 230 talks to the public this year I thought, "No,
I am going to have a day off".
However our weather does encourage such statements in that snow can fall
when a warm front comes along and the temperature does in fact rise. Often
the coldest night or day is the one before it becomes warmer with snow
turning to rain as the warm front passes. Thus the weather to people with no
background in meteorology, physics or geography can often reinforce the "
too cold to snow" syndrome especially in inland places that do not often get
snow showers coming in off the sea. A good example is today with a warm
front moving south east.
In the absence of any explanation from television forecasts which are pushed
for time I will do my best in next year's round of talks when, "Is it too
cold for snow" can be a question from the audience.

Ian Currie--Coulsdon and Chipstead Valley
Editor of Weather eye
www.Frostedearth.com

On Mon, 22 Dec 2003 14:14:42 -0000, "Ian Currie"
wrote:

I've always wondered where that saying originated. As you say, it
snows in Siberia (and the poles plus Canada, Alaska, etc) at -30 and
below, so I think the good old UK can manage it at just below
freezing.

Methinks those dear old ladies need educating.


Phil

I could not help overhear a
conversation between two woman who were saying it was too cold to snow.

Never mind "too cold". Most of the times I hear that it's actually not
quite cold enough. To be fair, I've never heard a forecaster say or even imply
that it was too cold to snow.

Did they not remember January 1987 when snow was falling at minus 8C in
my area.

No, they wouldn't. I've come to the rather sad conclusion that unless
someone is really interested in the weather they never learn a thing from their
own observations but are content to fall back on ideas they acquired when very
young. Great tact is necessary in pointing this out to neighbours, etc. Down
the pub it's different.

Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, Surrey.

In message , phil
writes
On Mon, 22 Dec 2003 14:14:42 -0000, "Ian Currie"
wrote:

I've always wondered where that saying originated. As you say, it
snows in Siberia (and the poles plus Canada, Alaska, etc) at -30 and
below, so I think the good old UK can manage it at just below
freezing.

Is this new snow or the old stuff being blown around?


Methinks those dear old ladies need educating.


Phil


--
Five Cats
Email to: cats_spam at uk2 dot net

On Mon, 22 Dec 2003 15:37:23 +0000, Five Cats ]
wrote:


I've always wondered where that saying originated. As you say, it
snows in Siberia (and the poles plus Canada, Alaska, etc) at -30 and
below, so I think the good old UK can manage it at just below
freezing.

Is this new snow or the old stuff being blown around?

New snow.


Phil

You make the point with your statement that away from coasts, most of the
Country does not usually get snow in cold snaps from showers. Apart from
relatively rare polar lows or extreme conditions such as Jan '87 where
showers come well inland, most 'snow' events on the mainland, just as you
say, need the advancing front, usually a warm or occluded one. In our part
of the world this means the temp rising to near freezing before and during
any snow, then rising further as the front passes.

I've always assumed the saying is another piece of old Country weather
folklore based on this observation over Centuries, just as many of the
others. One has to say, to the uneducated on the finer more scientific
points of the weather, it does appear to be true. I long gave up trying to
'correct' otherwise uninterested people, it is like banging ones head
against a brick wall. As a youngster, my mum always made the point,
obviously a modification of the 'too cold' observation, that snow always
soon turns to rain. At that time, to me she always appeared to be right.
Then came 1963!

--
Pete

---------------------------------------------------------------
The views expressed above are entirely those of the writer and
do not represent the views, policy or understanding of any
other person or official body.
---------------------------------------------------------------
"Ian Currie" wrote in message
...
Waiting in the Post Office queue this morning I could not help overhear a
conversation between two woman who were saying it was too cold to snow. I
was going to mention that it was snowing at the South Pole with minus 25C
or
I had just seen several Siberian weather stations reporting snow below
minus
30C. Did they not remember January 1987 when snow was falling at minus 8C
in
my area. Having given over 230 talks to the public this year I thought,
"No,
I am going to have a day off".
However our weather does encourage such statements in that snow can fall
when a warm front comes along and the temperature does in fact rise. Often
the coldest night or day is the one before it becomes warmer with snow
turning to rain as the warm front passes. Thus the weather to people with
no
background in meteorology, physics or geography can often reinforce the "
too cold to snow" syndrome especially in inland places that do not often
get
snow showers coming in off the sea. A good example is today with a warm
front moving south east.
In the absence of any explanation from television forecasts which are
pushed
for time I will do my best in next year's round of talks when, "Is it too
cold for snow" can be a question from the audience.

Ian Currie--Coulsdon and Chipstead Valley
Editor of Weather eye
www.Frostedearth.com

"Ian Currie" wrote in message
...
Waiting in the Post Office queue this morning I could not help overhear a
conversation between two woman who were saying it was too cold to snow. I
was going to mention that it was snowing at the South Pole with minus 25C
or
I had just seen several Siberian weather stations reporting snow below
minus
30C. Did they not remember January 1987 when snow was falling at minus 8C
in
my area. Having given over 230 talks to the public this year I thought,
"No,
I am going to have a day off".
However our weather does encourage such statements in that snow can fall
when a warm front comes along and the temperature does in fact rise. Often
the coldest night or day is the one before it becomes warmer with snow
turning to rain as the warm front passes. Thus the weather to people with
no
background in meteorology, physics or geography can often reinforce the "
too cold to snow" syndrome especially in inland places that do not often
get
snow showers coming in off the sea. A good example is today with a warm
front moving south east.
In the absence of any explanation from television forecasts which are
pushed
for time I will do my best in next year's round of talks when, "Is it too
cold for snow" can be a question from the audience.

Ian Currie--Coulsdon and Chipstead Valley
Editor of Weather eye
www.Frostedearth.com


Ian. I remember my Dad saying that Boxing day 1962 .

"phil" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 22 Dec 2003 14:14:42 -0000, "Ian Currie"
wrote:

I've always wondered where that saying originated. As you say, it
snows in Siberia (and the poles plus Canada, Alaska, etc) at -30 and
below, so I think the good old UK can manage it at just below
freezing.

Methinks those dear old ladies need educating.


Phil

I thought the point was that they are correct, when based on the experience
of the UK.

Land temperatures have been too low to trigger convection. The North Sea
however is still at around 10 degrees, more than enough. Consequently, the
snow showers have to a very large extent been confined to coastal districts
and a short way inland. I doubt that any showers were actually GENERATED
over the cold land.

So in situations like Monday morning, "too cold to snow" has a ring of truth
about it.

Jack

"Jack Harrison" wrote in message
...
Land temperatures have been too low to trigger convection. The North Sea
however is still at around 10 degrees, more than enough. Consequently,
the
snow showers have to a very large extent been confined to coastal
districts
and a short way inland. I doubt that any showers were actually GENERATED
over the cold land.

So in situations like Monday morning, "too cold to snow" has a ring of
truth
about it.

Jack


Jack my instincts tell me that many a severe cold spell back in my youth
were very cold indeed. Now call me naive and stupid but I also thought the
classic parttern for really heavy snow was a high over europe scandinavia
and an atlantic depression trying to push in creating heavy snow for the
south as it hit the dense cold air.. Being old fashioned I then believed
that temps can rise as this happens.
As for Monday morning was'nt that a totally differnet set up? with a cold
arctic air stream bringing in the heavy showers of the north sea.

Have I got hold of the wrong end of the stick again?