They have had a much colder winter than we have, this time round.

Since I've looked at the summary charts on a daily basis, the contrast between the UK and Scandinavia has been striking over the whole of winter. I'd expect to see an even more anomalously high snow total for Norway.

On the synoptic front, the pattern for most of the winter has been for depressions to move eastwards near the north of Scotland and then dive southwards over the Baltic; hence westerlies for the UK but northerlies for Scandinavia. We did of course get Storm Arwen back in November, when one of these depressions turned south before reaching Norway, and that was spectacular enough but a one-off. However Scandinavia had repeated events like Arwen, just not quite such high windspeeds

Unprecedented warmth in eastern Antarctica at present time with temperatures up to 70 degrees (40c) above normal.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2022/03/18/antarctica-heat-wave-climate-change/

Another very cold weather over Cyprus with Nicosia today max was 9.2C so that 2nd time to drop below 10C after 6.8C max reached last week.  Likely to be the coldest March on record as temps are still in very low teens to mid teens when normally by now is 20C and end of the month go up to 24-25C.  Highest this month only 20.8C in early March once.  They forecast Troodos to drop to record low -13C tonight.

Last day for some very cold weather in Cyprus as in the afternoon in Nicosia was cold around 8C with cold rain showers.  Quite a margin of plus 10C colder than Uk which is unheard as it done before but just by few C but not 10C or over range.  Still lot of snow in Troodos at 60cm and at top 130cm.  

Interesting this. The weather in that region has not been very warm for much of March so this heatwave has come from nowhere. In a similar way to Europe, it appears that heat records can be broken in the blink of an eye these days. 

Without looking at the records, the North Atlantic synoptics of last November and the present North Atlantic synoptics remind me of the 70's and early 80's when climate scientists commented that  something 'unusual' was going on in The Arctic. 

Anyone agree with this? If so, what might the weather be like this summer hereabouts? More slack low pressure nearby with more thunderstorms?

Record low temps across France on 4/4/22

• Ristolas (Hautes-Alpes, 1 670 m) : -14,3 °C (ancien record -12,9 °C le 14/04/2010) ;


• La Pesse (Jura, 1 133 m) : -10,5 °C (ancien record -10,3 °C le 14/04/1998) ;


• Mourmelon (Marne) : -9,3 °C (ancien record -9,0 °C le 14/04/2019) ;


• Tusson (Charente) : -7,4 °C (ancien record -6,2 °C le 08/04/2021) ;


• Léré (Cher) : -6,4 °C (ancien record -5,3 °C le 11/04/2003) ;


• Châteauroux (Indre) : -5,6 °C (ancien record -5,2 °C le 14/04/2019) ;


• Pleucadeuc (Morbihan) : -5,2 °C (ancien record -3,9 °C le 11/04/2003) ;


• Clamecy(Nièvre) : -4,9 °C (ancien record -4,5 °C le 06/04/2021) ;


• Cognac (Charente) : -4,4 °C (ancien record -2,9 °C le 05/04/1975) ;


• Auch (Gers) : -4,4 °C (ancien record -3,7 °C le 07/04/2021) ;


• Vannes (Morbihan) : -3,2 °C (ancien record -2,6 °C le 07/04/2008) ;


• Dax (Landes) : -2,8 °C (ancien record -1,8 °C le 07/04/2021) ;


• Montauban (Tarn-et-Garonne) : -2,4 °C (ancien record -2,1 °C le 08/04/2021) ;


• L’Île-d’Yeu (Vendée) : 0,0 °C (ancien record 0,2 °C le 12/04/1986) ;


• Narbonne (Aude) : 0,7 °C (ancien record 1,5 °C le 21/04/1991).

https://meteofrance.com/actualites-et-dossiers/actualites/climat/nuit-davril-glaciale-la-plus-froide-depuis-75-ans

Interesting readings.

I read a couple of days ago that temperatures in one region were the lowest for 75 years.

Tornado lifts lambs into air and causes £100,000 of damage to Welsh farm (msn.com)

The Tornado and Storm Research Organisation said it had investigated the site and believed that the damage was caused by a T3 level tornado.

Investigator John Mason said he believed the twister had a strength of between 93mph-114mph.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-61046862

Fantastic John. 

It's not often a TWO member makes the BBC news either.