Weather winter 2010/2011

[Panu]

Length of the day 8 h 20 min, the sun is already warming.

[Stephenb]

Panu: Yes, the sun makes a big difference. Add 15C to your temperature trace and you get our current temperature. Out skiing at the weekend in about -12C in the sunshine gave a fantastic feeling (however, -25C is too cold for skiing!). I stopped in the forest at one place and 3 Coal Tits (Parus ater) were singing their hearts out, already establishing their territories. 

Cohan: A quick glimpse at your post and I thought you were using a chain saw to clear the snow, then I remembered your snow is light stuff, not ice....

[cohan]

Yes, thank goodness for lengthening days--we can feel some hope when there is still little other sign (and some awakenings on indoor plants, couldn't live without those!).. just today I was passing a big old spruce tree which is right on the side of our driveway, with some southern exposure at the base giving a rare for this season bare patch of ground, and I was thinking how exciting it is just to see soil, dead grass and leaves, never mind anything growing which will be months yet!
We've been having lots of above zero days, not enough to make a dent in the snowcover on the ground, apart from roads and paths, but we have 4 days coming of possible snow, and after tomorrow a return to -15C as a high....

Stephen, thankfully I don't have to use the chainsaw for snow! But I have used a big axe on ice drips in front of the door....

[Hoy]

Here's one family that got a surprise when they visited their cabin this weekend. Part of their cabin was covered by 12m(!) snow. It is nor very far from where I live but I have no snow at all





Read the rest of the story here:

http://nrk.no/nyheter/distrikt/rogaland/1.7516479

[cohan]

Yikes, was this drifted over a hill? Luckily no such thing is possible here! (perhaps if you were below a cliff, and it could drift over the top, but there are no cliffs, and not that much snow 

[Peter Maguire]

2000 cubic metres is a lot of snow   I'm surprised the cabin didn't collapse.
I seem to remember Sirdal is quite a long east-west valley, but it looks from the pictures as if it's near the top, so it will get snow blown across the plateau and dumped there.

[mark smyth]

By contrast the heat hasnt been on in the car or house all week

Lough Neagh today was flat calm. It was like an island paradise standing on the small beach looking out

[Paul T]

Mark,

The visual effect in that pic had me thinking there was a huge wave coming towards you, Mark.

[Maren]

Mark, is that the view from your window? you lucky man.

[mark smyth]

I wish Maren. The lough is only about 2 miles from my house

What a day today! Sunshine all day. Shorts and polo shirt but no flip flops yet although I did see a guy with flip flops yesterday.

I started painting the fence until the brush broke - there is always tomorrow

[Hoy]

Nice view, Mark! We had sun yesterday but not shorts weather. Today foggy

Yikes, was this drifted over a hill? Luckily no such thing is possible here! (perhaps if you were below a cliff, and it could drift over the top, but there are no cliffs, and not that much snow 

Cohan: Yes, it is a snowdrift or "fonn" as we say here.

2000 cubic metres is a lot of snow  I'm surprised the cabin didn't collapse.
I seem to remember Sirdal is quite a long east-west valley, but it looks from the pictures as if it's near the top, so it will get snow blown across the plateau and dumped there.

The cabins are built to withstand much snow but the trouble comes in spring if it starts raining! Then you'll get a heavy load

[Susan Owl]

I wished to have some snow during the last weeks. We had bare frost down to - 15 C during night, days full of sun and dry winds from east. Ground ist frozen down to 40 cm. The leaves of cyclamen and primula are totally frozen and irreversibly damaged, buds of helleborus often dry. The leaves of hepatica feel like thin paper. 

[Hoy]

Susan, couldn't you cover with fleece or something? I have 2-3 plants I cover with a piece of styrofoam in dry, cold weather. It works fine even if the soil freezes.

[Susan Owl]

That's a good idea for next winter. It will look funny, half the garden covered with fleece. Nothing about winter aspect  .  Now it is too late. They say temperature will rise.

[Giles]

It's definitely Spring here.