Several people have noted that temperature levels over the
last few days have been a good deal higher than had been
predicted before the cold snap began.

This is highlighted by the fac that the lowest Central England
maximum temperature this month was 4.2ºC last Tuesday
(1971-2000 mean is 6.2ºC).

In December there were six colder days.

Last January there were nine colder days.

During the winter of 1962-63 there was not a single day
as warm as this from December 22 to February 27 inc.

Philip Eden

Yes Philip, very interesting your figures. I posted earlier in the year
saying that there have several occasions this winter when it has rained in
my part of Surrey at 2C to 3C and that in my opinion in winters say in the
1940s or 1950s and most certainly in Victorian times the temperature would
have been several degrees lower producing snow. Thus cold is now just a snap
which does not drastically reduce sea temperatures during winter and thus
helps to perpetuate the warming.
The recent air stream had a fair bit of a westerly component so probably
spent rather longer over the sea, the snow cover was rather thin in many
places and there was a good deal of sunshine yesterday which boosted max
values, though the sun is still weak at this time of year. The previous
night had been quite breezy which prevented really low values. A deep snow
cover and a calm, clear night such as on December 11th/12th 1981 would have
been interesting in the Chipstead Valley.
Perhaps the last real prolonged cold was in February 1986.

Ian Currie-Coulsdon and Chipstead Valley
www.Frostedearth.com





"Philip Eden" philipATweatherHYPHENukDOTcom wrote in message
...
Several people have noted that temperature levels over the
last few days have been a good deal higher than had been
predicted before the cold snap began.

This is highlighted by the fac that the lowest Central England
maximum temperature this month was 4.2ºC last Tuesday
(1971-2000 mean is 6.2ºC).

In December there were six colder days.

Last January there were nine colder days.

During the winter of 1962-63 there was not a single day
as warm as this from December 22 to February 27 inc.

Philip Eden

"Philip Eden" philipATweatherHYPHENukDOTcom wrote in message
...
Several people have noted that temperature levels over the
last few days have been a good deal higher than had been
predicted before the cold snap began.

This is highlighted by the fac that the lowest Central England
maximum temperature this month was 4.2ºC last Tuesday
(1971-2000 mean is 6.2ºC).

In December there were six colder days.

Last January there were nine colder days.

During the winter of 1962-63 there was not a single day
as warm as this from December 22 to February 27 inc.


Hi, Philip,

I think part of the problem here is that the maximum temperatures were
"split" on Wednesday by a tongue of slightly milder air moving south. My
24hr max for Tuesday was -0.2C at 09Z Wednesday and my max for Wednesday
of 1.1C occurred a three hours later at 12Z.

The max from 1230Z Wednesday to 00Z Thursday, however, was -2.0C

The problem was that this severe spell was so short and, as far as
recording goes, will go unnoticed, as you have suggested.

ATB,


--
Ken Cook, Copley (5miles north of Barnard Castle), County Durham.
830ft
http://mysite.freeserve.com/copley
(MO climat. site updated before 10Z and 19Z daily)
kencookATcopleydurham.freeserve.co.uk


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"Ken Cook" wrote in message


The problem was that this severe spell was so short and, as far as
recording goes, will go unnoticed, as you have suggested.

One of the things that got left unnoticed in the aftermath of the
attack on New York and the susequent grounding of US airlines (according
to a programme on Jets last night) was that temperatures never changed
overall. The day was 1*C warmer and the night 1*C colder. I don't know
what source he was quoting from though.


--
Posted via Mailgate.ORG Server - http://www.Mailgate.ORG

Ken, watch your altitude- 830 feet[252 metres}. Your max temperatures in a
polar airstream with a relatively high lapse rate means several degrees
lower than most people who post in this news group. What for instance would
be the max in your area at say 50 metres or 150 feet above sea
level -certainly above freezing. Very few of the observers in the COL
network are this high up.

Ian Currie-Coulsdon
www.Frostedearth.com
..



"Ken Cook" wrote in message
...
"Philip Eden" philipATweatherHYPHENukDOTcom wrote in message
...
Several people have noted that temperature levels over the
last few days have been a good deal higher than had been
predicted before the cold snap began.

This is highlighted by the fac that the lowest Central England
maximum temperature this month was 4.2ºC last Tuesday
(1971-2000 mean is 6.2ºC).

In December there were six colder days.

Last January there were nine colder days.

During the winter of 1962-63 there was not a single day
as warm as this from December 22 to February 27 inc.


Hi, Philip,

I think part of the problem here is that the maximum temperatures were
"split" on Wednesday by a tongue of slightly milder air moving south. My
24hr max for Tuesday was -0.2C at 09Z Wednesday and my max for Wednesday
of 1.1C occurred a three hours later at 12Z.

The max from 1230Z Wednesday to 00Z Thursday, however, was -2.0C

The problem was that this severe spell was so short and, as far as
recording goes, will go unnoticed, as you have suggested.

ATB,


--
Ken Cook, Copley (5miles north of Barnard Castle), County Durham.
830ft
http://mysite.freeserve.com/copley
(MO climat. site updated before 10Z and 19Z daily)
kencookATcopleydurham.freeserve.co.uk


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In article ,
Philip Eden writes:
Several people have noted that temperature levels over the
last few days have been a good deal higher than had been
predicted before the cold snap began.

As Ian has pointed out, the wind direction seems to have been mostly
north-westerly, whereas the forecast was for more of a straight
northerly IIRC. Perhaps that accounts for it.
--
John Hall
"Hegel was right when he said that we learn from history
that man can never learn anything from history."
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

"Ian Currie" wrote in message
...

Ken, watch your altitude- 830 feet[252 metres}. Your max temperatures
in a
polar airstream with a relatively high lapse rate means several
degrees
lower than most people who post in this news group. What for instance
would
be the max in your area at say 50 metres or 150 feet above sea
level -certainly above freezing. Very few of the observers in the COL
network are this high up.

Hi, Ian,

Thanks for the reply.

The main point I was making was that the lowest max, at whatever level,
would not go into the record books as it occurred at the wrong time i.e.
1230Z to 00z. Temperatures at either side of these times were higher. If
the system had come about 3 hours earlier, it would have probably been a
sub zero max even at low levels.

Best wishes,

--
Ken
http://mysite.freeserve.com/copley
kencookATcopleydurham.freeserve.co.uk


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