Snow & Fog
Snow is precipitation in the form of flakes of crystalline water ice that falls from clouds.
Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft, white, and fluffy structure, unless subjected to external pressure. Snowflakes come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Types that fall in the form of a ball due to melting and refreezing, rather than a flake, are hail, ice pellets or snow grains.
The process of precipitating snow is called snowfall. Snowfall tends to form within regions of upward movement of air around a type of low-pressure system known as an extratropical cyclone. Snowfall amount and its related liquid equivalent precipitation amount are measured using a variety of different rain gauges.
Once on the ground, snow can be categorized as powdery when light and fluffy, fresh when recent but heavier, granular when it begins the cycle of melting and refreezing, and eventually ice once it comes down, after multiple melting and refreezing cycles, into a dense mass called snow pack. The existence of a snowpack keeps temperatures lower than they would be otherwise, as the whiteness of the snow reflects most sunlight, and any absorbed heat goes into melting the snow rather than increasing its temperature. The water equivalent of snowfall is measured to monitor how much liquid is available to flood rivers from meltwater that will occur during thawing. Snow cover can protect crops from extreme cold.
Fog is a visible mass consisting of cloud water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. Fog can be considered a type of low-lying cloud and is heavily influenced by nearby bodies of water, topography, and wind conditions. In turn, fog has affected many human activities, such as shipping, travel, and warfare.
Winter 2009/10 was the most severe in the UK for over 30 years - the coldest since 1978/79. As snow and ice swept across the country, Met Office forecasts and warnings helped the emergency services and the public to manage the difficult circumstances.
From mid-December, cold air from Eastern Europe started a cold spell in the UK with widespread frost, ice and snow affecting many areas with the first significant snowfall on the night of 17 December.
By 19 December, there was cold air across most of the UK with widespread snow and ice causing travel disruption in the run-up to Christmas. Low temperatures continued into the New Year as winds from the north and north east brought freezing temperatures to the UK.
The mean UK temperature over the entire winter was 1.5 °C, the lowest since 1978/79 when it was 1.2 °C.
There is no link between this particular event and climate change - it's just part of the natural variability of the weather. As the climate warms, we expect fewer cold winters and less snowfall in future.
This seen is on Basingstoke Common and although it is totally within the parish of Old Basing in the English county of Hampshire, the common is provided by Basingstoke Council. It is bounded by London Road (A30), Redbridge Lane, Crown Lane and Park Lane. From the Park Lane end, there are these views across to the office towers of Basingstoke. This area, which stretches as far as Basing House is popular with walkers, particularly those with dogs. The common is always considered sacrosanct when developers come looking for land. The fear, though, that one day it will house a new estate is always there.
Old Basing is situated just to the east of Basingstoke, and in the 2001 census had a population of 7,232. Its former name is Basing (which several neighbouring village signs highlight).
www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/who/how/case-studies/winter...
Snow & Fog
Snow is precipitation in the form of flakes of crystalline water ice that falls from clouds.
Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft, white, and fluffy structure, unless subjected to external pressure. Snowflakes come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Types that fall in the form of a ball due to melting and refreezing, rather than a flake, are hail, ice pellets or snow grains.
The process of precipitating snow is called snowfall. Snowfall tends to form within regions of upward movement of air around a type of low-pressure system known as an extratropical cyclone. Snowfall amount and its related liquid equivalent precipitation amount are measured using a variety of different rain gauges.
Once on the ground, snow can be categorized as powdery when light and fluffy, fresh when recent but heavier, granular when it begins the cycle of melting and refreezing, and eventually ice once it comes down, after multiple melting and refreezing cycles, into a dense mass called snow pack. The existence of a snowpack keeps temperatures lower than they would be otherwise, as the whiteness of the snow reflects most sunlight, and any absorbed heat goes into melting the snow rather than increasing its temperature. The water equivalent of snowfall is measured to monitor how much liquid is available to flood rivers from meltwater that will occur during thawing. Snow cover can protect crops from extreme cold.
Fog is a visible mass consisting of cloud water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. Fog can be considered a type of low-lying cloud and is heavily influenced by nearby bodies of water, topography, and wind conditions. In turn, fog has affected many human activities, such as shipping, travel, and warfare.
Winter 2009/10 was the most severe in the UK for over 30 years - the coldest since 1978/79. As snow and ice swept across the country, Met Office forecasts and warnings helped the emergency services and the public to manage the difficult circumstances.
From mid-December, cold air from Eastern Europe started a cold spell in the UK with widespread frost, ice and snow affecting many areas with the first significant snowfall on the night of 17 December.
By 19 December, there was cold air across most of the UK with widespread snow and ice causing travel disruption in the run-up to Christmas. Low temperatures continued into the New Year as winds from the north and north east brought freezing temperatures to the UK.
The mean UK temperature over the entire winter was 1.5 °C, the lowest since 1978/79 when it was 1.2 °C.
There is no link between this particular event and climate change - it's just part of the natural variability of the weather. As the climate warms, we expect fewer cold winters and less snowfall in future.
This seen is on Basingstoke Common and although it is totally within the parish of Old Basing in the English county of Hampshire, the common is provided by Basingstoke Council. It is bounded by London Road (A30), Redbridge Lane, Crown Lane and Park Lane. From the Park Lane end, there are these views across to the office towers of Basingstoke. This area, which stretches as far as Basing House is popular with walkers, particularly those with dogs. The common is always considered sacrosanct when developers come looking for land. The fear, though, that one day it will house a new estate is always there.
Old Basing is situated just to the east of Basingstoke, and in the 2001 census had a population of 7,232. Its former name is Basing (which several neighbouring village signs highlight).
www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/who/how/case-studies/winter...