Mark Hunt’s Weather Assessment
22nd February – 1st March 2010
This week is going to be week of two halves I'm afraid with the first part one we're all rather familiar with. The milder, wetter air that I predicted for the early part of this week is indeed on its way up country, the problem is the cold air that's sitting over the north of the country and the Midlands and stubbornly refuses to move. This means that when the rain hits this cold air, we get snow.
Last Thursday the line was set diagonally across the UK and roughly went up the M40 because in Oxford it was raining and 4.5°C, but 12 miles further north and east, it was minus 1.5°C and dumping down with snow - I know because it took me 1 ½ hours to do the last 8 miles to my house.
So, this week we have a bit of a replay, I'm afraid, with heavy rain moving up country on Monday morning (whilst Ireland should have a sharp, but sunny day) and again that snow band will, I think, track through South Wales and up towards Oxfordshire. Tuesday sees a repeat of this except that Ireland gets it as well with rain, sleet and snow on higher ground for Co. Cork and then moving up country to reach Dublin by the evening and then it pretty much stays over the mid part of Ireland and the Midlands and north of England. Above that it should be dry, bright and cold with night frosts.
The pattern is set for the week, but I reckon it will get slowly milder from Thursday onwards, in the south of Ireland and England first, and the snow will only form further up country. It will be a wet one though where the snow doesn't form. Thursday will probably be the driest day of the week for the South of England.
I mentioned milder weather in my last weather report and I still stand by my prediction that the beginning of March will see us in double figures as the jet stream makes a welcome return up north.
Mark Hunt
Technical Director
Headland Amenity Ltd
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