>Scotland Goes From Sun, Sweat And Shades To Shivering And Shoveling Within A Week

Written by Mark Vogan on April 3, 2012 in Rest of Europe with 0 Comments

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UK-Europe Summer 2012 Forecast @ #SEASONAL FORECASTS
Dry spring could lead to a significantly warm June, July over England which periodically extends up into Scotland and west into Ireland

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From Sun, Sweat And Shades To Shivering And Shoveling Within A Week

AVIEMORE COLLECTED 19CM OF SNOW, ABERDEEN 5CM

Aboyne Goes From National Record Holder For Scotland’s Warmest March High To 6 Inches Of Snow Within A Week

Last week when temps topped 19C here and there was a summer-like haze

Today where there was off and on flurries, a chilly 3-4C and a biting northeast wind making it feel below freezing

20C Temp Swing Within A Week

Village Last Week Today

Aviemore 22C 2C
Aboyne 24C 3C

So, why the wild swing between summer-like warmth and midwinter snow and cold?

Last Tuesday’s upper chart of ECMWF

I blame the long term drought for last week’s record-breaking heat and the position of where a stronger than normal high pressure system setup. The core of high pressure sat over NE England and so strongest ‘heights’ where focused over eastern Scotland. This allowed a warm, dry flow of air into Scotland from the south, aiding and further heating an already warm air mass. Aboyne topped 23.6C making for the warmest ever March day in Scotland. The perfect setup was building for weeks prior to last week’s heat as high pressure continued to rule, drying out the soils and with drought came stronger high pressure aloft and ultimately warmer air.

Between last Tuesday and this Tuesday, we saw that very high which brought us the record warmth push northwestwards up into the far North Atlantic. As it did so, all that brutally cold air which was locked up over Greenland was then displaced as a ridge a trough was quickly replaced by as ridge, allowing cold, arctic air to be forced south.By pushing our warm pool up towards Greenland, then buckling the jet to our northwest rather than due north, means the door to arctic air is opened, sending a trough down. The cold air flowed down along with a polar low and that polar low riding down the east side of the UK meant snow for northern, central and particularly eastern areas of Scotland and tonight, England.

Today’s upper chart off ECMWF

During tomorrow we will see snow progress slowly south through the Midlands and eventually the South while further north, howlling winds, clear skies and snow covered ground will make it feel like a mid winter deep freeze with wind chills likely to dip into the -6 to -12C range in areas.

Below is a stunning satellite contrast between the clear skies of last week and the swirl of cloud showing the storm system and across much of Scotland, with clear skies, the white shown is snow covered ground!