Exciting Forecast for Penzance

[Graham Easterling]

Now this might not excite Ken in Copley, but BBC, GFS & the MetO are all forecasting the showers streaming across the tip of Cornwall to gradually turn to snow.

The last covering of real snow here was back in the beast from east.

However, the ground's not that cold, so whether anything will settle . . .

Not a bad day today, most of the shower's affecting Cornwall seemed to pass just to the east, or just to the west, in a couple of distinct lines.

Graham

Penzance 

[Ashley haworth-roberts]

Having checked Met Office radar I see it's not an extension of the Pembrokeshire dangler (which is not operating at the moment).

[Len]

We very rarely get snow here in south Devon in a northerly. It only comes with a meaty polar low coming down from the north.

Not just by a few cumulus drifting by.

Now an easterly in winter is something different. That raises the chance of snow considerably in these parts.

Meteogoup give light snow 30% chance at 0400

UKMO give light snow 60% chance any time now at 2300.  LOL

Len

Wembury

[Ken Cook]

Hi, Graham,

Not a lot of snow here, just 3cm and it's been this way all winter. Just small amounts, good for getting about though. We'll probably get the disruptive falls in March when we're preparing for spring!

Ken

Copley 253m

Teesdale / Weardale watershed

On Monday, 16 January 2023 at 15:50:58 UTC Graham Easterling wrote:

[Graham Easterling]

It did snow in west Cornwall, but didn't settle down to sea level (though it did a bit further up the County).

There were a lot of showers overnight, dropping 8mm of rain here in Penzance. At some point just before dawn it did turn to snow, but the minimum temperature in Penzance was 1.4C at around 08:00. Looking at the precipitation that did settle, and still remained in a rather refrozen state (I was asleep when it fell) it was definately crystalline, snow rather than soft hail or snow pellets.

I was going to post a couple of pics from the BBC news page showing todays snow, then recognised one supposedly of this morning, which wasn't.  So, as I can't be sure what's genuine & what isn't I won't bother, except to say it would appear many parts of Cornwall over 250' or so had a good covering of snow (2-3cm or so) and the carer for my daughter is now stuck on the road out of Porthleven due to ice & snow.

I sometimes think weather observers (and others) send in old photos to deliberately mislead. A classic was a certain Spotlight weather presenter showed a picture of sunset over St. Michael's Mount, taken by a weather watcher in Penzance that morning. (You may need to refer to a map) 

Graham

Penzance

[Graham Easterling]

Oh, I'm impressed the way the models did pick up the brief period of snow risk in Cornwall, and get the temperature and timieng basically spot on. It seems to have been a fairly small pool of colder air. GFS, consistently showed 2-3 hours of snow showers just before dawn with an air temperature around 1C, for a few days.

Graham

[jack.h...@gmail.com]

I take it Graham you mean 'exciting' as in 'interesting' rather than implying that you are really getting a thrill from the weather.

I'm finding this anything but exciting here in the north.  Although not technically snowbound, it is pointless to risk a broken bone on the snow.  See my post:

https://groups.google.com/g/weatherandclimate/c/hUSTfVqur9c

More snow due overnight.

Jack

[Len W]

Is this photo for real from last night Graham?

From Plymouth live website of snow in Redruth.

Len

[Graham Easterling]

Yes, Redruth got plenty.

This is Porthtowan  beach, I know this is genuine. They had to shut the Blue Bar - for snow. That's probably a 1st. It's off their facebook page

There's seem to be a strip of fairly heavy snow from Godrevy / Perranporth / Porthtowan across Camborne /Redruth towards ST Day & St Austell.

Sadly, Cornwall Live have around 50 photos entitled snow on the Penwith moors, which date from various times over the last 50 years or so, none from today. They don't actually state they were taken today, but . . why not show genuine photos of the event. Pure laziness.

I also discovered that the other side of Penzance (the east side) had a fair bit of snow, from 50ft amsl.

The main road from Helston to Penzance was still impassable at 09:00 this morning due to a sheet of ice on the hill up from Porthleven. Icy conditions were well forecast, but the much maligned Council had used the salt on fish & chips.

Graham 

Penzance - sadly no snow in my garden!

[Graham Easterling]

Well, I mean 'exciting' as in 'exciting' and as in 'interested'

Just ask my other half as I excitedly run up and down pointing a developing Cb.

Graham

Penzance