A little more snow.

It snowed a little bit more on Monday evening but luckily we seem to be missing the worst of the snow. It still remained cold all day with the temperature managing just above freezing at best.

From 03 Weather 2010

It’s a problem keeping the bird bath ice free. After pouring in almost boiling water it takes about an hour for it to refreeze. The bird feeders too have needed the snow removing and stocking up with food to see the birds through another bitterly cold day.

Is it winter yet?

Sunday remained bitter cold after record breaking low overnight temperatures.

From 03 Weather 2010

I just got some winter protection to our tree fern and bananas in place in the nick of time. Last night was the coldest night our tree fern has had to survive. I’m hoping it doesn’t get any colder on nights through the winter when it arrives next month!

We’ve still only had a sprinkle of snow unlike some areas but it does make for some good wintry scenes. Here’s just a selection.

From 03 Weather 2010

Beats last winter for low temperature!

Sunday morning and the overnight low was -7.6°C colder than last winters low of -6.5°C and it’s only the end of November. On the plus side we haven’t had any more snow and the sun is shining. These are the 08:00 temperatures across West Yorkshire today.

From 03 Weather 2010

Saturday continued sunny and very cold. The temperature managed above 0°C for a couple hours today and the temperature was down to below -4.0°C by early evening.

Our first snow of winter

Saturday am
Just a light covering of snow this morning.

From 03 Weather 2010

Sunny and cold

Friday was a lovely sunny day as we missed the snow showers once again.

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It was bitterly cold and it was difficult to keep the bird bath free of ice. I’m always surprised that tipping boiling water into the bird bath doesn’t shatter the stone but so far so good.

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Winter scarf

Thursday just got colder with the temperature struggling to just 2.4°C by the afternoon. We missed the snow which affected other parts of Yorkshire. These were the temperatures across West Yorkshire at 14:00 on Thursday.

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I was glad I gave our tree fern its winter scarf yesterday to keep it protected from the cold.

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It survived last year with temperatures down to -6.5°C and a prolonged period of cold weather. Its scarf is horticultural fleece pushed into the crown and fixed by intertwining around the base of sturdy fronds.

From 03 Weather 2010

It’s now making sure the crown of the plant doesn’t dry out so on any milder days I will remove its scarf and moisten the crown.

Getting colder!

Wednesday was our coldest day of autumn so far with the temperature struggling up to just 5°C. I decided it was time to protect the roots of our banana plants. The old stems were cut back to almost ground level.

From 03 Weather 2010

This produced some material for the compost heap. The remaining stumps were then covered with plenty of straw to provide protection from the winter frosts.

From 03 Weather 2010

It will be late spring before I remove the straw as hopefully the plants manage to survive another winter.

Much the same

Tuesday’s weather continued in a similar pattern. It was mostly cloudy and cool with just some brief glimpses of weak sunshine.

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Our banana plantation looks a bit under the weather from the recent cold weather. I think it’s time to cut it down and then pop along to see the farmer again for some more straw bales to protect the roots over winter.

Was that the sun?

The sun did make a brief appearance today but it was through a cloudy sky rather than clear blue.

From 03 Weather 2010

A few rain showers in the late evening just pushed this month’s rainfall up to the average for November. All the weather forecasts are predicting a colder spell from the middle of the week. It looks like they’re all going to be correct or perhaps all wrong!

Warm or cold?

I’m not sure if the weather is warmer or colder than average at the moment. One thing for sure is that the same week up to the 21st November last year was much milder. Most days temperatures reached double figures and there had been no frosty nights with a temperature below zero.

It’s cleared

At least on Saturday the fog had cleared and it turned out to be a much better day with temperatures reaching about average for late November. Next week the forecast is for colder weather with some American forecasts suggesting much of Britain could be covered in snow next Friday. The weatheroutlook forecast is much the same.

I'm afraid this lone honeysuckle flower might not make into bloom!

From 03 Weather 2010

Competition winner

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Foggy

We were shrouded in fog for most of Friday. It made an effort to clear in the morning as the sun managed to break through briefly but it quickly lost out to the fog which remained for the rest of the day.

The video was taken mid afternoon and was typical of yesterdays weather.

Lunchtime dip

Thursday remained cool and cloudy with no hint of any sunshine. It doesn’t put the sparrows off their lunchtime dip in the bird bath though. After a spot of seed for lunch they just love a quick dip.

What daylight?

It didn’t get properly light on Wednesday. The highest solar radiation was 29 W/sq.m, which I reckon is the lowest daytime value I’ve recorded. Just for good measure it was pretty cold too, although we missed the heavy rain which caused some flooding in Cornwall.

From 03 Weather 2010

November continues to be on course to be cooler than average with the temperature seemingly stuck at around 5°C.

More frost

Tuesday started frosty again and like yesterday turned into a lovely sunny day

From 03 Weather 2010

The average temperature for November is now below average even though we had a very mild start to the month.

Frosty start

Monday turned out to be sunny and cool after a frosty start. It’s the first time this autumn that the bird bath has been iced over.

From 03 Weather 2010

The leaves shed in the recent gales that were still left on the paths and lawn were all swept up and scattered under our magnolia tree and shrubs to provide winter foraging for the birds

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Who’s eating our coconut filling?

Since manufacturing our new bird table it’s had a couple of weeks standing on the path stuffed with goodies to tempt the birds. I’ve spotted coal tits, blue tits and great tits taking peanuts and sunflowers but it’s a case of snatch and off to a nearby tree branch for safe snacking. I’ve also spotted a robin doing much the same thing. On closer inspection someone’s eating our suet filled coconut but I haven’t spotted who.

From 03 Weather 2010

Sunday wasn’t too bad a day. Cool and cloudy but the wind and rain has moved away.

Rain again but the gales subside

Rain in the early hours of Saturday morning meant a wet start to the day. During the day we had some pleasant autumn sunshine. The wind gradually continued to ease throughout the day leaving reasonably calm conditions by Saturday afternoon.

Even after some frost together with the wind and rain we still have one rose in the garden doing its best to flower.

From 03 Weather 2010

Autumn leaves blown away

Friday continued windy with the occasional squally shower and some sunny periods. The gale force winds of the last couple of days have certainly cleared the trees in our garden of their autumn leaves. Our medlar has lost it beautiful autumn colour.

From 03 Weather 2010

Not that they’ve blown away, just fallen off and left on the ground. I might collect them up and try rotting them down in a black bag or maybe put them all in a large heap under the shrubs to provide a winter home or at the least somewhere for the blackbirds to forage over winter.

Severe Gales

Thursday was a day of gales and heavy squally showers. The winds strengthened throughout the day becoming strongest in during the evening and into Friday morning. My previous high wind speed records were left in tatters by today’s gales.

From 03 Weather 2010

The winds caused problems throughout the country, but without doubt the most serious incident occurred just a few miles from where we live, on a road we’ve used many times.

From 03 Weather 2010

Click on the image for the Telegraph reports on yesterdays gales.

Below Zero

The temperature fell briefly below zero for the first time this autumn on Wednesday. As the latest low pressure system moved in the temperatures started to rise.

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This was at the end of a cold day although we did have some afternoon sunshine following a dull morning. The photograph was taken late afternoon looking towards Emley Moor TV mast.

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Showers

Tuesday produced another cold, cloudy and windy day with intermittent heavy showers. The forecast suggests this weather will remain over the next 2 weeks with the occasional sunny day mixed in.

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The damp weather makes lichen on our old plum tree branches on the plot look rather good.

Wet wet wet

Monday was wet. It rained all through the daylight hours, not particularly heavy, just steady rain. By the end of the day the rainfall amounted to 19.1mm. It was cold too with a maximum temperature of just 5.6°C. It was a thoroughly miserable day even by November standards.

The deep low pressure system crossing the country recorded 967.6mB which is the lowest value in the 12 months I've had my weather station.

From 03 Weather 2010

Autumn arrives!

The temperature just continues to keep falling. Sundays high was just 8.0°C a far cry from the heady heights of 17.3°C of just a few days ago. The weekly chart shows how the temperatures have fallen over the last few days.

From 03 Weather 2010

At the moment a deep area of low pressure is crossing the UK. It’s the deepest low pressure for over 12 months from my weather station records. At the moment it’s just steady rain and strong winds.

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Temperatures tumble

Saturday turned out to be a lovely sunny day. Temperatures returned to normal today after a week of rather unseasonably mild levels. It’s now tricky to accurately record hours of sunshine as by early afternoon all our garden is in shade as the sun gradually gets lower in the sky as winter approaches.

The windy weather of the last few days has stripped many trees of their leaves. The Met Office are predicting gale force winds for many parts of the country on Monday so the trees may well be better off leafless.

From 03 Weather 2010

Dahlias go into hibernation

Friday continued mild with the strong winds easing through the morning. On the plot we took advantage of the mild and relatively calm afternoon to protect the dahlias lifted last week with straw and a waterproof layer. Light rain started to fall just as we finished placing timbers and bricks on the polythene to keep it in place.

From 03 Weather 2010

Incredibly mild but wet and windy

What an unusual day Thursday turned out to be. The temperature reached 17.3°C unusually high for the beginning of November. It was a windy morning with some sunshine but spits and spots of rain too. The wind eased mid afternoon and the rain came to be followed by more windy weather in the evening. A wind gust speed of 23mph at 20:00 is equal to the highest speed I’ve recorded. The temperature remained into double figures into the evening.

I suppose the wind will have stripped the trees of their autumn leaves. Our medlar tree looked very autumnal this week.

From 03 Weather 2010

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The competition is open to visitors to any of our blogs and websites. Unfortunately the seed company only ship within Europe.

Our Plot at Green Lane Allotments

Our Plot at Green Lane Allotments  Garden in Ossett

Green Lane Allotments Weather Diary

The School Vegetable Patch

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The closing date for entry is 19 November 2010

Mild

Wednesday continued the mild and windy start to the month. The autumn colours will soon be blown away if this windy weather continues.

It’s not just the trees that have autumn colour as this gooseberry bush on the plot shows.

From 03 Weather 2010

Old Moor RSPB reserve

Tuesday was dull and windy in the morning and early afternoon. We made a spur of the moment decision to visit the RSPB reserve at Old Moor near Rotherham. Never having visited the RSPB web site was used to plot the location of the reserve on our Sat Nav and off we went.

View Larger Map

It was still cloudy and windy when we arrived and it seemed sensible to take precautions against any sudden showers that might descend on us as we walked around the reserve. The reserve is on the site once occupied by a colliery.

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It’s hard to believe that this was once an area decimated by colliery spoil. There’s plenty of hides around the small lagoons from which to view the birds.

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We had a look from most of the hides which have views out across the water. My favourite spot though was the hide just outside the main RSPB building. Here the super large bird feeders were visited by many birds including this bullfinch.

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After our walk around the reserve we popped into the café/restaurant for a cappuccino each. We may have to visit again and try the lunchtime menu which looked very appetising. As we left the café after our cappuccino it was just starting to rain. Our timing had been just right as the rain continued to fall from late afternoon into the evening.

Drier than last year

Monday wasn’t too bad as it turned out to be a calm, mild and dry day. Just a little bit of brief autumn sunshine in the afternoon made it good for working on the plot. Last year the first day of November produced about 20mm of rainfall. It was followed by lots more rain during the month which put a stop to plot tidying up last year. So it’s just a question of how long the weather holds this autumn.

From 03 Weather 2010

There are certainly some dazzling autumn colours about at the moment. This tree was snapped on our way back from the allotment.

On the plot we made an effort to sort out our now frosted dahlias and prepare them for winter. All the remaining frosted foliage was cut away and composted before the tubers lifted. Judging the colours of each plant from the brown crispy frost damaged flowers wasn't easy and plenty of guess work was involved. The soil around them was surprisingly dry making lifting the tubers easy. Our choicest colours were then placed in a trench dug in the dahlia bed and once they were all in place they were covered with soil. All our remaining dahlia tubers were placed over the top of these buried tubers. Our best tubers will have most protection from the winter cold. I think the ones on top will be more prone to damage from mice but hopefully they will survive the winter too.

From 03 Weather 2010

All that remains now is a visit to the local farmer to purchase some bales of straw to place over the dahlia heap and act as insulation. It will all be protected by polythene to keep off the winter rain. Lots of bricks and stones are required to keep the polythene in place from the winter gales that are bound to come.

Sunday was a dry dull and sunless day. It wasn’t particularly cold but we didn’t visit the plot as we just hoped that there would be some better days even in November!