Weather winter 2010/2011

[Diane Clement]

Congratulations, Diane's husband!!!  I think you are close enough! Didn't think anyone would get this...

He says thanks   

To explain: I actually experienced this in Tromsø. On one day each year, depending on whether the local sun midnight is before or after midnight, the sun can rise (or set) at say 00:01 hrs  and then later the same day rises (or sets) again at say 23:59 hrs (as the day length is changing rapidly); i.e., on the same day. Couldn't find anything on the net about this...

He also says that the day length doesn't change rapidly at the solstices, it's at its slowest rate of change.  I think it's connected to your clocks being significantly different from actual suntime, (so significantly west or east of the time zone change) and in addition you are far enough north to experience nearly 24 hours sun.

[Stephenb]

He also says that the day length doesn't change rapidly at the solstices, it's at its slowest rate of change.  I think it's connected to your clocks being significantly different from actual suntime, (so significantly west or east of the time zone change) and in addition you are far enough north to experience nearly 24 hours sun.

Yes, that's correct, it may well have been a month away from the solstice - give that man a gold star...

[ArnoldT]

At the solstices the length of day/night are equal.  This seems to me to be an amazing feat considering the wide difference in day/night length in some of the northern and southern locations.  The daily change must be huge in order to wind up with 12 hours daylight and 12 hours of night by Dec. 21 and June 21.

[Diane Clement]

At the solstices the length of day/night are equal.  This seems to me to be an amazing feat considering the wide difference in day/night length in some of the northern and southern locations.  The daily change must be huge in order to wind up with 12 hours daylight and 12 hours of night by Dec. 21 and June 21.

Arnold, it's at the equinox when the length of day and night are equal (Mar 21 and Sept 21).  The daily change is not on a linear scale, it's sinusoidal.  At the solstice the day and night differences are as great as they get, the exact difference depends on your latitude.  The daily change varies greatest at the equinox and least near to the solstice.  So from about a month before and a month after the solstice there is only a little change.  

[Hoy]

Here the days lengthen about 5min/day around equinox in spring and shorten in the autumn

My congratulations to Mr Clement too! I was thinking in that direction but hadn't finished yet.

Here are a picture from today - "the blue hour" when the sun has just set. Pic taken from my bedroom veranda.

[ArnoldT]

Diane:

Thanks for setting me straight.  It seems to me that the fact that on Sept 21 and March 21 the day length is equal around the globe is amazing.

 

[Hoy]

He also says that the day length doesn't change rapidly at the solstices, it's at its slowest rate of change.  I think it's connected to your clocks being significantly different from actual suntime, (so significantly west or east of the time zone change) and in addition you are far enough north to experience nearly 24 hours sun.

You know it is about 1 2/3 hour  (24^o) difference in suntime between the easternmost and westernmost part of mainland Norway. The easternmost part is as far east as Kiev, Ukraine; and the westernmost is as far west as Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

From north to south it is only 12^odifference (still on the mainland)!

[mark smyth]

On our local news they are telling us we are having the worst snow fall since 1985. My brother has 10 inches 25cm. I have about half of that. All our airports are closed and the motorway that runs west out of Belfast.

[Stephenb]

I've always thought that one of the wonders of the world is actually living for a couple of months from february to april in Longyearbyen (Svalbard), where the doomsday seedvault is located. It is also the world's northernmost settlement. Here you can experience a change from "the dark time" or "midday dark" (is there an English word for the period of the year with no sun?) to the period with midnight sun (meaning the sun over the horizon the whole day, not just at midnight) in only two months, from 15th February to 20th April. However, be aware that midnight sun on 20th April means an average temperature of -11C!

[Hoy]

On our local news they are telling us we are having the worst snow fall since 1985. My brother has 10 inches 25cm. I have about half of that. All our airports are closed and the motorway that runs west out of Belfast.

Welcome to the snow club!

[ranunculus]

(is there an English word for the period of the year with no sun?)

Summer?  

[Hoy]

I've always thought that one of the wonders of the world is actually living for a couple of months from february to april in Longyearbyen (Svalbard), where the doomsday seedvault is located. It is also the world's northernmost settlement. Here you can experience a change from "the dark time" or "midday dark" (is there an English word for the period of the year with no sun?) to the period with midnight sun (meaning the sun over the horizon the whole day, not just at midnight) in only two months, from 15th February to 20th April. However, be aware that midnight sun on 20th April means an average temperature of -11C!

I once spent a week in Svalbard (on Spitzbergen Island) from 10th to 17th of May. We had midnight sun but cold weather. However the snow rapidly disappeared by sublimation. I used the snowmobile all day but suddenly I couldn't - almost no snow left from a day to the next!

[Hoy]

(is there an English word for the period of the year with no sun?)

Summer?  

 

[Stephenb]

  Thank you, I'm losing it....

[Panu]

Stephen

at least we don´t have polar night.

and on Sunday, I´ll hopefully be at Tenerife