Weather Musing...One to Watch!

simonjk

Well-Known Member
Joined
6 Mar 2003
Messages
2,342
www.sailingweather.co.uk
Morning all,

Thanks to everyone who signed up to help with my PhD research. If you haven't yet, all I need is for you to complete a survey after listening to a weather forecast at home/office. If you can help me and spare a few minutes of your time please email phdfocusgroup-subscribe@weatherweb.net

Just a quickie for you this time. Interesting developments taking place on the weather front (excuse the pun) over the next 24 hours or so.

We are still under the influence of high pressure, (see http://expert.weatheronline.co.uk/cgi-bin/geturl/daten/profi/en/ukmo/PPVG89.jpg). It's a classic blocking high and is preventing weather systems approaching from the Atlantic making any headyway towards us. What it is also doing is bringing these cold winds, and they look set to last into the weekend.

Now, what I am interested in is the feature marked as a warm front coming onto northeast coasts of England and Scotland Thursday afternoon. That is going to be moving southwest through the day. It causing me a few headaches because although it undoubtedly has warmer air behind it (the air having travelled around the north of the high), the precipitation falling from it could be enough to produce a period of snow for much of East Anglii and perhaps the eastern Midlands tomorrow afternoon. It probably wouldn't amount to very much if it did occur, but the risk is certainly there.

The Met Office are currently going for it being mainly rain and an outside chance of a bit of sleet and snow on it and I do feel for them in this situation, as this is the most likely outcome. However, it should be borne in mind that for a few hours tomorrow (say from 0600-1500 hrs) there is a risk of wintry precipitation for much of eastern Midlands and East Anglia.

The forecast upper air profile for Birmingham is shown below for midday tomorrow from Weatheronline. It's based on the GFS model and shows it very cold in the lower layers. The freezing point (where the red line crosses the 0C isotherm is low down, and with the blue and red lines touching in many places this indicates a moist atmosphere. Certainly lots of icing around tomorrow.

We'll see what transpires,but watch those forecasts and see how it develops through the day.
Hope that has been of use?

Simon

03534_00_36.gif
 
This is an interesting problem for you.
You might also be interested to know that the high moor between Great Mis Tor and High Wilhays on Dartmoor has had a light covering of snow since Sunday, and very pretty it looks too.
 
Great Mis Tor (539m) is to the north west of Princetown and is the most prominent tor in that area.
High Wilhays (621m) is the highest point on Dartmoor and is just 3m higher than nearby Yes Tor. They are due north of Great Mis Tor and overlook Okehampton.
The high moor joining them is the western face of Dartmoor looking into Cornwall.
 
Top