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For me the SMHI's definition will do: five days in a row with mean temps below 0C for it to become winter and it not ending until five consecutive days are above 0C, and in terms of long-term averages one month below 0C in terms of monthly means. It's a pretty simple definition, but for me that's a very good one. Aside from that it's just an extended fall season. I recall December 2015 feeling like an extension of a mild November even though there were some brief cold snaps even then!
Still has 2 out of 3 so it is a true winter IMO
That also means that some months are very wintry and others are not. December 2015 was insanely warm that it's nowhere near being a "true" winter month, while others like March 2014/2015/probably2017 will easily qualify as winter months.
How do you guys classify a "true" winter? For me I would say
- 20 inches of snow a year
- Average lows below freezing
- Average highs less than 8C
If you have two out of three of these it's a "true" winter. Of course I believe that every place has a winter, but if we're talking about the stereotypical winter, this is it
By that definition I don't have a true winter because I don't meet the first two criteria. Actually I agree, an average winter here is still a version of winter but "true" winters only happen every few years.
The last "true" winter month here was actually in spring, March 2013 to be precise:
41 cm of snow (more than in any whole winter since),
Four ice days (we've only had one in total across all four years since then),
Four nights below -5C (which hasn't happened at all since),
A sub-freezing average low (which also hasn't happened since).
In summer maybe three per year? Summer of 2011 was pretty intense offshore though. In here in town we weren't affected so much but for a week in late July there were crazy lightshows out over the sea with the lightning playing some sort of tropical game. It wasn't even that muggy of a summer in terms of the averages so it was just comical really!
Sorry I read that poorly, I imagined all three were required but such things happen when I did read two out of the three, then thought about something else, then replied Dammit!
In summer maybe three per year? Summer of 2011 was pretty intense offshore though. In here in town we weren't affected so much but for a week in late July there were crazy lightshows out over the sea with the lightning playing some sort of tropical game. It wasn't even that muggy of a summer in terms of the averages so it was just comical really!
I love a good thunderstorm, I can feel them in the atmosphere. Although at the same time I am terrified of being hit by lighting, I guess that's why do many thrill seekers seek them out.
I love a good thunderstorm, I can feel them in the atmosphere. Although at the same time I am terrified of being hit by lighting, I guess that's why do many thrill seekers seek them out.
They don't get many of those at the coast because it's so cold there, do they? I'd assume they move inland where you're at because you actually have a summer around Wrexham...
They don't get many of those at the coast because it's so cold there, do they? I'd assume they move inland where you're at because you actually have a summer around Wrexham...
Usually about three or four times each summer, generally about two will be proper storms with lots of lightning.
The major pattern in the UK is that the further south, and east you go, the more likely you are to see a storm. Temperature doesn't really seem to come into it that much, proximity to the continent is the most important factor.
The pattern is even more consistent if you just isolate the summer months. There's almost no anomalies, it's so perfect looking that a part of me is questioning its validity. That being said, the source is definitely highly regarded.
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