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Heavy snow flurries forecast for strath in October

Posted on Tuesday, 13 September 2011 05:02AM by Judy and the Peak District Online Team

A WEATHER expert is warning that the strath and other parts of the Highlands could see the first heavy flurries of snow as early as the start of next month.

With a damp squib of a summer now officially behind us, James Madden, forecaster with the on-line service www.ExactaWeather.com, said that the rain will turn to snow earlier than normal this year.

He also forecasts that there will be a notable increase in usual wind strengths across many parts of the UK which will include damaging gale force winds.

Madden has already told "Strathy" readers there will be no Indian Summer this month and that this coming winter is expected to be harder than that of 2009/10.

His long-range forecast that 2011 would be one of the coldest summers for many years – first made in January – has proved to be correct.

Madden said: "As we head towards winter and in terms of the Scottish Highlands, I expect to see the first signs of some moderate to heavy snowfalls as early as October or November.

"In terms of the meteorological winter, I expect December, January, and February to experience below average temperatures, with the worst of the snowfall occurring around November to January."

He said that the impact of low solar activity and ocean behaviour alter atmospheric circulation and block jet stream patterns enhancing moisture in the air which falls as snow.

Madden said: "The UK and Scotland will be hit by prolonged periods of extreme cold and snow from the Arctic, as cold easterlies or north-easterlies develop.

"Huge swirly low pressure systems also offer the potential for widespread disruption from snowfall as they clash with the cold air from the Arctic.

"Unfortunately this does not paint a pretty picture for the severity of the 2011-2012 UK winter, apart from those who love Christmas card scenes. "Frequent cold temperatures with heavy dumps of snow from blizzard like conditions are the most likely scenario.

"The areas we expect to be worse hit throughout include the whole of Scotland, Northern England, and Northern Ireland.

"We have particular concerns as to the huge implications that this may pose to the infrastructure of the UK and Scottish transportation system."

It snowed on the highest tops of the Cairngorms at the end of last month. Dr Adam Watson, an expert on the range’s snow patches, said that the snow on the 28th was the most persistent August snowfall since 1945.

A spokesman for CairnGorm Mountain said: "One of our rangers was out on MacDui on Friday and some of the remaining drifts were still three to four feet deep, and one on the east side of MacDui’s north top looked to be over 100 metres long – and this after Thursday night’s rain!

"In terms of last winter’s snow, there are still four old patches of snow from last winter remaining on the Cairn Gorm–MacDui plateau, and three in the Garbh Choire Mor of Braeriach.

"Some fresh snow from the August 28th fall was also visible high up on the slope on the north side of this corrie."

The spokesman also joked that they had made the first snowball of the new season with the fresh snow.

Strathspay & Badenoch Herald