The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: bamford6 on October 04, 2010, 09:24:48 pm
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another white-out scenario as some areas grind to a halt.
SCOTLAND is facing another savage "white-out" winter - with temperatures plunging to -20°C, forecasters warned last night.
The country is set for a repeat of last year's blizzard chaos - which brought power cuts, school closures and saw transport grind to a halt.
Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/3163738/Scotland-in-for-harsh-winter-with-temperatures-due-to-fall-to-20C.Experts at Positive Weather Solutions - who predicted last year's big freeze - expect December to be gripped by fog until we are bombarded by repeated snowfalls in January.
Senior forecaster Jonathan Powell said: "Scotland will bear the brunt of Britain's winter. It has another bitterly cold winter in store.
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"Temperatures will rival those seen last year with snowfall a close match.
"It is unusual to have two very harsh winters back-to-back, so most people would have expected it milder this year. We could see
"School closures are likely, as is disruption on the roads if there are heavy snowfalls or if they are not gritted. Local authorities will have to handle another very cold winter."
The forecasting firm - which predicts from long-term weather patterns - also claims another white Christmas is a "distinct possibility in Scotland".
Last year's was the first since 2004. But last winter was also the coldest in 31 years, with a UK average temperature of 1.5°C - dropping to as low as -22.3°C in Sutherland.
Snowfalls of up to 2ft saw under-fire councils run out of grit as they battled to treat ice-bound roads and pavements.
But kids enjoyed building snowmen, and curlers got to play on the frozen Lake of Menteith in Stirlingshire.
R
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December: Chilly, some wintry weather around.
A chilly but dry start to December with some dry and bright weather around, but also some rain - amounts of which are not expected to give cause for concern. Through mid-month, high pressure consolidates, so expect a run of dry weather, which will combine chilly and bright daytimes, with clear and crisp nights, leading to sustained frost and fog activity, some of which will persist throughout the day, predominantly inland and in more so valley locations. During the final segment of December, unsettled weather chiefly affecting the higher ground across the eastern and north-eastern side of the UK, and possibly higher ground pushing westward for a time, may well deliver a White Christmas.
January: Mainly dry start, wintry weather developing.
A cold but dry start to January, quite raw at times, with a continuation of dry and bright conditions by day, with some sharp night frosts, particularly inland. By mid-month, with the cold theme continuing, sleet and snow showers will become increasingly more widespread, with moderate falls of snow possible, which have the potential to cause disruption - particularly for eastern and upland regions. PWS will continue to assess how the detail of the expected snowfall develops, but confidence is high that this eventuality will occur. January ends with dry and bright conditions alternating with periods of wintry weather, with the north and northeast again most likely to experience the worst of the conditions, with the south and west seeing more of a rain/sleet combination for the most part.
February: Bitterly cold month, wintry weather.
Another largely cold start to another month, with the ongoing threat of wintry conditions, in the form of organised bands of rain, sleet, and snow, interspersed with drier and brighter weather. Through mid-month, the likelihood and confidence of more widespread and disruptive snowfall increases, most likely once again to the north and east, with for a time, the south and west affected too, and some level of disruption can be expected. PWS will continue to monitor this segment of the forecast. By late month, although the cold conditions show signs of receding somewhat, further wintry weather especially to the north and east cannot be ruled out, with the south and west more likely to see a rain/sleet mix.
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OOOOh NO!
Better check all my horse rugs are repaired and ready to go and the hay is well stocked up. Still wonder how we survived last winter, we had no fire in the house til Mid Feb! and what wood we burnt in the rayburn was wet so hardly any heat.
Having read that I think I shall leave my horses unrugged for as long as possible so they sprout lovely winter coats, then, when the winter hits hard they are nice and snug in their rugs. Last year we had to turn them out as the stable doors froze shut and the ice on the inside was half an inch thick with the horses in them, this year no stables. Oh dear, am quite anxious now as am sure others will be too!
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i would certainly love to have another snowy cold winter, much better than the warmer wet ones!!
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Well I wouldn't - I HATE snow. It is cold, wet and dirty :'( :( >:(
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There's a mixed view of the weather forecast if I recall - I read something about it yesterday. The met office now don't do forecasts for longer than 30 days becase they cannot predict it accurately, and there was something about Positive Weather Solutions too. I'll see if I can find the page I was reading it on, hang on!
Here you go! http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/69562,news-comment,news-politics,met-rival-predicts-another-snowy-winter (http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/69562,news-comment,news-politics,met-rival-predicts-another-snowy-winter)
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I hope it isnt as bad as last year for you guys up north as two bad winters in a row will see many crofters and smallholders go to the wall cos of the price of feed. :(
Good luck to you all.
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Oh great ::) something to look forward to then :-\
I need to sell a couple of ponies so I can buy in more hay and straw to feed the rest, but at least working from home this winter I will actually get to see the animals in daylight rather than trudge around in the dark at silly o'clock trying to find them in storms, blizzards and mud before work :)
The boiler is getting serviced on Thursday and then I think I need to order oil before the price rockets ;) Anyone got tips on who is cheapest just now in Scotland? I usually use Scottish Fuels and they're quoting me 48p for 900-1000 litres and more for 500 litre minimum order.. BoilerJuice website reckons 43 and they use an average cost to price theirs but I've not used them and don't know where the companies are that are the below averages so I can go straight there for 41p!
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Ellied not sure where in Scotland you are but in the Borders I usually phone Brogan Fuels, Johnstone Oils and Chrystal to see which is cheapest I
find Scottish Oil is always most expensive.
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Thanks for the heads-up ;) better to be prepared. Last year the council ran out of grit but it didn't make much of a difference anyway because apparently grit doesn't work so well when the temperature is -10deg C, which it was quite regularly here. It was so cold that the diesel froze in the fuel tank and the truck wouldn't go anywhere until lunchtime on several occasions.