Snowfall event this weekend

[polar low UK]

There is a possibilty of snowfall down to low levels in Scotland this weekend, with temps likely to be around -- in the following areas:

Scotland: 39-46F
Wales: 42-51F
England: 42-51F

Decreasing with altitude.

Also a risk of air frost for all.......

[Aquawind]

Will that set a record? Is this from a Iceland Low Pressure area or where is it coming from? We did have snow along the Canadian Border this week...not all that surprising for them. Heck it's October..we have had nasty blizzards this month.. :o

[polar low UK]

There is a possibility of a few temperature records going today....

The low we are talking about is one in between Iceland and Scandinavia, running up against a large mid Atlantic high.

This will eventually ridge underneath the Low, and bring a more westerly flow, before North Westerly again mid next week!

Here is a webcam of the current situation on Cairngorm mountain, at 1245m:



And as you can see, snow is lying, and falling currently at 1095m.

Temp at 1245m is -4c, with windchill factor of -22c.

the snow level looks like falling as low as 200-300m in Scotland this evening, before the milder weather encroaches from the West tommorow afternoon........

[StormCrazyIowan]

Brrrrrrr! You can have the snow for now!

[polar low UK]

lol not a snow lover then

We get so little anyway there's no point in me getting over excited....!!!!!

[Aquawind]

lol not a snow lover then

We get so little anyway there's no point in me getting over excited....!!!!!

If it's gonna be cold it may as well snow!! Snow is exciting stuff provided I am not shovling it. Wow no trees in that picture. :? What happened to the trees and shrubs? :o

[Essan]

The picture is a live webcam from the Ptarmigan Restaurant near the summit of Cairngorm - about 3,500 ft up in the Scottish Highlands.

Nearby is Ben Macdui which at 4,300ft is the second highest hill in the UK. The area is the closest we come to an arctic environment in Britain. It's also our main area for ski-ing (that's what the fencing is for. You can also see a pylon for a ski-tow)

The tree level there is only about 1,500ft so above that it's just rock, heather and grass. In the distance you can see a lake which is Loch Morlich and is surrounded by trees

[Aquawind]

The picture is a live webcam from the Ptarmigan Restaurant near the summit of Cairngorm - about 3,500 ft up in the Scottish Highlands.

Nearby is Ben Macdui which at 4,300ft is the second highest hill in the UK. The area is the closest we come to an arctic environment in Britain. It's also our main area for ski-ing (that's what the fencing is for. You can also see a pylon for a ski-tow)

The tree level there is only about 1,500ft so above that it's just rock, heather and grass. In the distance you can see a lake which is Loch Morlich and is surrounded by trees

I see some people in the CAM right now are looking very cold today. Is it real dry in that area? Do you have alot of snow hang around through the season...looks like it might blow off or melt in the sun quickly with all the exposure. The elevation difference isn't much but does it enhance the precip. I imagine there is alot of wildlife down around the lake and trees in the lower elevations. How do rural people make a living around there..cattle or sheep? Thanks for the input.

[Essan]

I see some people in the CAM right now are looking very cold today. Is it real dry in that area? Do you have alot of snow hang around through the season...looks like it might blow off or melt in the sun quickly with all the exposure. The elevation difference isn't much but does it enhance the precip. I imagine there is alot of wildlife down around the lake and trees in the lower elevations. How do rural people make a living around there..cattle or sheep? Thanks for the input.

Hi Aquawind, pleased to help

There can be a cold wind there at any time of the year and by now it'll rarely get more than a few degrees above freezing. There is plenty of rain though! Snow in winter can hang around a long time and still be there in June (a few sheltered spots can have snow lay all year round), but recent winters haven't been very good - either not enough snow or too mild. Especially early on in the winter there can be some heavy snowfall but a few days later the temperature rises above freezing, it rains, and all gets melted away. There can also be very strong winds (often gusting over 70mph in bad storms) and the fences you can just see in the webcam are to help stop the snow from being blown away.

On the plateau itself there's not a great deal of wildlife but lower down we have the UK's only herd of reindeer! There's also plenty of red deer down in the valley amongst the trees as well as plenty of birds including ospreys and golden eagles.

There's some sheep farming down in the valley but the main sources of employment are in tourism and mountain activities (especially ski-ing in the winter).

A couple of sites which might be of interest:

http://www.cairngorms.co.uk/
http://www.cairngormmountain.com/
http://www.ecn.ac.uk/photos/cai_photo.htm

Hope that helps!

[TexasStooge]

My hometown is STILL Overdue for colder temps and a big winter storm.

Nice Webcam Polar low UK.

[Essan]

Looks like we should be seeing lots more of the white stuff on that webcam from Sunday onwards for a few days

[JCT777]

Thanks, Essan. Always good to hear about snow!