>5 January, 2011

Written by on January 5, 2011 in Rest of Europe with 0 Comments

>TODAY’S TOP WEATHER STORIES
On Weather & Climate Through the Eyes of Mark Vogan

Diversions were put in place on a section of the M9 after a multi-vehicle crash (BBC)

The closure of part of the M8 caused major rush-hour tailbacks (BBC)

ICE-STRICKEN SCOTLAND
IT SEEMED THAT, ONE MINUTE, IT WAS RAINING, THE NEXT SKIES HAD CLEARED AND TEMPS DROPPED BELOW FREEZING, TURNING SCOTLAND’S ROADS INTO DANGEROUS ICE RINKS!

Icy conditions cause crashes across Scotland
BBC Scotland

M8 closed after up to 15 vehicles involved in crashes

STV Scotland
 
Last December UK’s coldest for 100 years
BBC Weather

THE COLDEST DECEMBER SINCE RECORDS BEGAN
Daily Mail


Last month was the chilliest December in records stretching back 100 years and one of the coldest months ever recorded in the UK, the Met Office said today. And while globally 2010 has been one of the warmest years on record, provisional figures show that in the UK it was the 12th coldest year in records dating back to 1910.


Temperatures in this country averaged 8C over the year, the Met Office said.


The average temperature for December was minus 1C, significantly colder than the long term average of 4.2C and lower than the previous coldest December in 1981, when temperatures averaged 0.1C over the month.


December 2010 was the coldest month in England and Wales since February 1986, the coldest in Scotland since February 1947 and in Northern Ireland it was the coldest on record.


Last month temperatures regularly plunged to between minus 10C and minus 20C overnight as the country was hit by exceptionally cold and snowy weather, while it struggled to get above freezing in many places during the day.

asia is shivering as well as the uk and europe

Indian cold snap death toll rises
BBC Weather

Mass evacuations as China’s south battles ‘big freeze’
BBC Weather

Queensland, Australia Flooding Situation
Latest

Nick Bryant of the BBC reports from over Rockhampton.

Queensland floods: Rockhampton floodwaters ‘peak’
BBC

Today’s ABC Sydney National Weather Forecast
TODAY’S WEATHER ACROSS AMERICA
From AccuWeather
AccuWeather
AccuWeather
AccuWeather
WEATHER TALK
By Mark Vogan
VERY COLD ROAD AND GROUND TEMPERATURES PLAYED MAJOR ROLE IN THIS MORNING’S MAJOR ICING ON SCOTLAND’S ROADS
After yesterday’s rain, sleet and hill snow which continued off and on during the overnight hours, skies indeed cleared out as expected and of course all the moisture lying on roads indeed froze almost instantly and thus created a complete nightmare for driving this morning.
I believe an element which could easily be overlooked regarding the icing problems on both roads and pavements, is the role last month’s persistent, brutal cold played. Indeed, I believe we have seen many instances of overnight rain which has cleared out of a given area, skies have cleared and in winter, when those skies typically clear and the stars shine, so the thermometer falls to freezing or slightly below.
So, why the severe icing on major roads which DID recieve salt from gritters? The month-long cold which was far more severe than typical and something more similat to that of an interior continent, forced roadway, pavement and soil temperatures to plummet to much lower levels than normal. Despite milder weather returning on the whole from Boxing day onwards, temperatures have hardly been “warm”, certainly not by typical UK thaw standards. Let’s face it, I’m sure your tired of hearing on the forecasts of “risk of snow, sleet and freezing rain”, yep, and this is the “thaw”. Those fairly low temperatures haven’t allowed the ground temps to recover much and sure enough, allow rain to fall, soak the ground which of course has more standing water on it than normal thanks yet again to the frozen ground and clear skies out, draw a fresh lobe of chilly northerly air down and bingo. MAJOR ICE PROBLEMS, even on gritted roads. Like during the nightmare gridlock we saw a few weeks ago, temps dropped to too low a level once those gritters finally did get onto packed motorways. I believe it’s a similar thing with this morning as ground temps are so cold and with the combo of dropping temps thanks to not only clear skies but actually a fresh opush of cooler air and the moisture on the ground, deemed salt, a lot less effective, had the ground been warmer.
TONIGHT WILL SEE THE SAME TYPE OF ICING ON ROADS AND PAVEMENTS
As the ground remains very damp after more rain, sleet and snow, the skies across a broad area of the Central Lowlands is meaning a fall in temperatures tonight with already my reading down to 28 degrees (-2C) and falling. The ground shines as the dampness is not ICE!, Please be extremnely careful whilst walking on pavements and driving on the roads. DO NOT JUST EXPECT THE ROADS TO BE FINE JUST BECAUSE THEY’VE BEEN SALTED!
HEAVY SNOW AND INCREASING NORTHERLIES TO CREATE BLIZZARD CONDITIONS OVER THE HIGHLANDS TONIGHT AND TOMORROW
As we here in the central belt will see sunnier, drier, but colder weather, this is courtesy of a departing weather system which is forcing air to the north to be pulled south. By drawing that air south, heavy, wind driven snow will cause problems through the north and central Highlands with harsh wind chills, blowing and drifting and treacherous driving, anywhere from the northwest Highlands, Caithness, northern Badenoch and Strathspey and this may extend into Moray and Aberdeenshire.
VAGARIES OF THE WEATHER
INDIA & SUB-CONTINENTAL ASIA WEATHER
BY RAJESH KAPADIA
Coming Soon!
WHAT’S REACHING TODAY’S BLOGS?
Joe Lundburg, AccuWeather
Henry Margusity, AccuWeather
Frank Strait, AccuWeather
THE EXTREMES OF THE DAY
TODAY’S US EXTREMES
COURTESY OF ACCUWEATHER
HIGH: 83 degrees at Brownsville, TX
LOW: -22 degrees at Mammoth Lakes, CA
TODAY’S UK EXTREMES
COURTESY OF THE MET OFFICE
HIGH: 49 degrees (9.6C) at Culdrose (Cornwall)
COLD HIGH: 34 degrees (0.9C) at Tulloch Bridge (Highland)
LOW: 23 degrees (-5.2C) at Loch Glascarnoch (Highland)
TODAY’S EXTREMES HERE AT MY HOUSE

HIGH: 36 degrees
LOW: 31 degrees
TODAY’S CONDITIONS (LOCALLY)
An overnight which saw rain and cloud give way to clear skies and lowering temps which laid to severe icing problems both locally and nationally. This was caused by a fresh push of cooler air from the north which has made things cooler than of the past couple of days.
Thanks for reading.
-Mark

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