FI Charts ( T120+ onwards) Winter 2020 **READ MOD NOTE IN FIRST POST**

Nqp15hhu

nacho libre wrote: »

From a imby perspective I would prefer a proper direct northerly, like the ones we used to know, that brings a polar low down over us. There is a chance of this happening at some point if things fall in our favour. The beauty of a proper polar low is most of the country can see snow from one. I would love to see a thread with Polar Low in its title at some point in the next two to three weeks.

Me too. Easterlies are useless.

Don’t want a polar low though, that would just be a warm sector. Just give me an unstable, cold flow.

Nqp15hhu

nacho libre wrote: »

From a imby perspective I would prefer a proper direct northerly, like the ones we used to know, that brings a polar low down over us. There is a chance of this happening at some point if things fall in our favour. The beauty of a proper polar low is most of the country can see snow from one. I would love to see a thread with Polar Low in its title at some point in the next two to three weeks.

Me too. Easterlies are useless.

pad199207

nacho libre wrote: »

From a imby perspective I would prefer a proper direct northerly, like the ones we used to know, that brings a polar low down over us. There is a chance of this happening at some point if things fall in our favour. The beauty of a proper polar low is most of the country can see snow from one. I would love to see a thread with Polar Low in its title at some point in the next two to three weeks.

Oh I dunno. Northerlies don’t seem to be as reliable as they used to be.

nacho libre

Nqp15hhu wrote: »

Me too. Easterlies are useless.

Don’t want a polar low though, that would just be a warm sector. Just give me an unstable, cold flow.

If the Airmass is cold enough, the dreaded warm sector can't do its worst.

The Russian High has been benefical on the one hand, but also a hindrance. It would be great if it did retreat.

mcburns07

Gonzo wrote: »

Gavsweather reckons that the charts we are looking at today may trend even colder for the second week of January over the next few days, that the cold will intensify and a freeze up is possible at some point. He also suggest that the blocking may carry on into February. The second half of January is currently showing milder air trying to get established from the south but this could end up in a battleground situation with potential for more wintry conditions. This battleground scenario may not happen and northerlies could still dominate into the second half of January.

No doubt about it, this is shaping up to be the coldest January we have seen in a very long time.

Seems like we’ve had mainly milder than average Jans lately. Be nice to get a cold one. The last 4 in Cork have been 0.5 - 1 degree above avg.

nacho libre

pad199207 wrote: »

Oh I dunno. Northerlies don’t seem to be as reliable as they used to be.

If we could tap into some of the very cold air bottled up in the arctic in the next few weeks i think we would be laughing

Humberto Salazar

Nqp15hhu wrote: »

I am never impressed by cold from Eastern Europe. It never delivers here and always seems to moderate crossing the Irish Sea.

Have to disagree here. While moderation to a degree naturally does occur, a proper easterly set up remains at the forefront of all 'classic' winters.

Slashermcguirk

You are joking surely? Easterlies deliver the best snow events. 2010 was a classic example. I would take an Easterly every time over anything else, the Irish sea delivers some amazing snow trains!

Nqp15hhu wrote: »

I am never impressed by cold from Eastern Europe. It never delivers here and always seems to moderate crossing the Irish Sea.

Nqp15hhu

Why would I be joking? The previous easterly at peak brought snizzle or and lots of cloud. There is a very small sea track from Scotland and lots of land to cross to get to me. Easterlies are hopeless for me.

I lived in East Anglia in the March 2017 easterlies and that was a different world. However, that would never happen here.

Gonzo

Nqp15hhu wrote: »

Why would I be joking? The previous easterly at peak brought snizzle or and lots of cloud. There is a very small sea track from Scotland and lots of land to cross to get to me.

Easterlies are hopeless for me.

Northerlies are hopeless for almost all of Ireland except for maybe Donegal. A decent easterly can deliver plenty of snow to northern areas, north-western areas, eastern areas and sometimes southern and midland areas. 9 times out of 10 a northerly will be cold but mainly sunshine and frost. A northerly requires a polar low or a low pressure system without mild sectors to deliver snow to most parts of the country away from the very northern fringes.

Oneiric 3

Slashermcguirk wrote: »

You are joking surely? Easterlies deliver the best snow events. 2010 was a classic example. I would take an Easterly every time over anything else, the Irish sea delivers some amazing snow trains!

2010 was a northerly winter, and the best snows always come from the north.

...or at least they used to.

Oneiric 3

Gonzo wrote: »

Northerlies are hopeless for almost all of Ireland except for maybe Donegal. A decent easterly can deliver plenty of snow to northern areas, north-western areas, eastern areas and sometimes southern and midland areas. 9 times out of 10 a northerly will be cold but mainly sunshine and frost. A northerly requires a polar low or a low pressure system without mild sectors to deliver snow to most parts of the country away from the very northern fringes.

How many easterlies bring snow?

Nqp15hhu

Gonzo wrote: »

Northerlies are hopeless for almost all of Ireland except for maybe Donegal. A decent easterly can deliver plenty of snow to northern areas, north-western areas, eastern areas and sometimes southern and midland areas. 9 times out of 10 a northerly will be cold but mainly sunshine and frost. A northerly requires a polar low or a low pressure system without mild sectors to deliver snow to most parts of the country away from the very northern fringes.

I’m not sure how an easterly could deliver snow to all of the island. The showers would only penetrate the east coast.

Mount Vesuvius

Nqp15hhu wrote: »

Why would I be joking? The previous easterly at peak brought snizzle or and lots of cloud. There is a very small sea track from Scotland and lots of land to cross to get to me. Easterlies are hopeless for me.

I lived in East Anglia in the March 2017 easterlies and that was a different world. However, that would never happen here.

Where were you in March 2018?

https://www.irishnews.com/news/northernirelandnews/2018/03/01/news/snow-causes-disruption-across-northern-ireland-1267622/

downwiththatsor

In the Southwest its snow from a low moving west into an entrenched cold air mass or a front coming down on a Northerly that have been almost the only type that have delivered a few inches of lying snow here. I was a child in the 80's the last time I remember a frontal snow event moving in from the west. When the East Coast gets plastered by streamers moving in from the Irish Sea we barely get a flake on the west coast just dry and cold. We tend to do ok but not as good as the Northwest and West obviously on a Northerly.

irishrover99

Humberto Salazar wrote: »

Have to disagree here. While moderation to a degree naturally does occur, a proper easterly set up remains at the forefront of all 'classic' winters.

“Classic” winters 😀

All four on record.

Slashermcguirk

All the snow in Dublin was coming from the east. The Irish Sea produced what felt like non stop snow. Also I recall the epic snow in 2018 came from the east?

Oneiric 3 wrote: »

2010 was a northerly winter, and the best snows always come from the north.

...or at least they used to.

Nqp15hhu

March 2018 easterly, we had a -6c high one day but it was nowhere near as cold as 2010.

https://streamable.com/ek0acd

Gonzo

Nqp15hhu wrote: »

I’m not sure how an easterly could deliver snow to all of the island. The showers would only penetrate the east coast.

December 2010 brought alot of snow well across Ireland, made it to western areas and all including most of the south, midlands, east, north and north-west. That did start of a northerly too so Donegal was doing well before the rest of the country saw action.

The BFTE also saw snow getting into central areas, although the shadows meant that much of Meath and Wicklow missed out until Storm Emma came up from the south-east and dumped massive amounts of snow to many southern, central and eastern areas.

Of course not all easterlies are this good, sometimes they deliver to mainly eastern areas and other times there isn't enough cold in place and they can be more of a wet mix particularly when we move into March.

John.Icy

Oneiric 3 wrote: »

2010 was a northerly winter, and the best snows always come from the north.

...or at least they used to.

End of November/start of December was easterly (dumped 30+cm here in Kildare). Mid-December had a brilliant Northerly spell for the North and West before another day or two of Irish sea action that dumped another 30cm in parts of the East (around 22nd December IIRC).

EDIT: It would be great to get a mix of both again. I agree people in the East are too quick to say Easterlies are the best snow makers in Winter when that is not the case for the North. I remember some of Nacho's pictures and the insane amount of snow he got, Northerlies definitely deliver for others.

Nqp15hhu

Gonzo wrote: »

December 2010 brought alot of snow well across Ireland, made it to western areas and all including most of the south, midlands, east, north and north-west. That did start of a northerly too so Donegal was doing well before the rest of the country saw action.

The BFTE also saw snow getting into central areas, although the shadows meant that much of Meath and Wicklow missed out until Storm Emma came up from the south-east and dumped massive amounts of snow to many southern, central and eastern areas.

Of course not all easterlies are this good, sometimes they deliver to mainly eastern areas and other times there isn't enough cold in place and they can be more of a wet mix particularly when we move into March.

Well the last big easterly only delivered snow to the Antrim hills. It didn’t produce anything west of that.

I remember they brought in chinooks to rescue people and deliver food supplies. But it was VERY localised.

nacho libre

As much as I love a northerly, I have to agree the most epic snowfalls tend to come from a north easterly airflow. The problem is that while a North Easterly is good for some, a lot of the country misses out, unless we get a frontal situation. With a proper unstable northerly more of the country can get in on the action. I have seen sod all snow from a easterly over the years.
Linking this back to FI, i would welcome an easterly though as i enjoy the cold dry air from one, also if it eventually led to a frontal snow event it would be most welcome. What would be even better is if the system stalled and it led to a 36 hour snowfall for a lot of the country. I know I'm not asking too much for that to happen in the next five weeks... M.T. Cranium get working on it:pac:

nacho libre

Gonzo wrote: »

December 2010 brought alot of snow well across Ireland, made it to western areas and all including most of the south, midlands, east, north and north-west. That did start of a northerly too so Donegal was doing well before the rest of the country saw action.

The 2010 Northerly delivered big time in much of Connacht, the Midlands and parts of Munster. I get what you are saying that a lot of Northerlies are tepid affairs, but the good ones deliver to many areas outside of Donegal.

Oneiric 3

John.Icy wrote: »

End of November/start of December was easterly (dumped 30+cm here in Kildare). Mid-December had a brilliant Northerly spell for the North and West before another day or two of Irish sea action that dumped another 30cm in parts of the East (around 22nd December IIRC).

EDIT: It would be great to get a mix of both again. I agree people in the East are too quick to say Easterlies are the best snow makers in Winter when that is not the case for the North. I remember some of Nacho's pictures and the insane amount of snow he got, Northerlies definitely deliver for others.

True, but a lot the easterly flows during Nov/Dec 2010 were just returning northerlies. I don't recall anything deeply easterly (continental) at any stage during that period. However, I do recall that we did get a few inches top from the late Nov early Dec easterly even here in the west.

Nqp15hhu

nacho libre wrote: »

The 2010 Northerly delivered big time in much of Connacht, the Midlands and parts of Munster. I get what you are saying that a lot of Northerlies are tepid affairs, but the good ones deliver to many areas outside of Donegal.

A good Northernly will bring frequent, heavy snow showers right down to sea level almost lake effect.

I think we had one here last January.

Oneiric 3

nacho libre wrote: »

As much as I love a northerly, I have to agree the most epic snowfalls tend to come from a north easterly airflow. The problem is that while a North Easterly is good for some, a lot of the country misses out, unless we get a frontal situation. With a proper unstable northerly more of the country can get in on the action. I have seen sod all snow from a easterly over the years.
Linking this back to FI, i would welcome an easterly though as i enjoy the cold dry air from one, also if it eventually led to a frontal snow event it would be most welcome. What would be even better is if the system stalled and it led to a 36 hour snowfall for a lot of the country. I know I'm not asking too much for that to happen in the next five weeks... M.T. Cranium get working on it:pac:

Snow showers from the east can make across as far as here regularly (or as regularly as they occur, which isn't very regular in itself) They can often survive the journey across the central plain.

nacho libre

Oneiric 3 wrote: »

Snow showers from the east can make across as far as here regularly (or as regularly as they occur, which isn't very regular in itself) They can often survive the journey across the central plain.

True some do make it cross, but any showers that we got were always light in nature. I did enjoy the stiff easterly breeze though.

Oneiric 3

Blasht from the pasht. A (mostly) snow covered Ireland on Dec 22nd, 2010:

Oneiric 3

nacho libre wrote: »

True some do make it cross, but any showers that we got were always light in nature. I did enjoy the stiff easterly breeze though.

We had some incredibly 'dense' snow showers from the east shortly before Emma hit back in 2018 that resulted in near zero visibility.

sryanbruen

The 18z must have known about the coming level 5 restrictions and stocked up early because we yet again have another run on crack..