firefly

Spindrift1980 is quite right when he says that the current level of cover in the Cairngorms is unusual even by the standards of the mid to late 20th century. Comparable years would be 1955, 1968 and 2010. Here's a link to the ski area at Cairn Gorm in May 1968, which is self-explanatory! I believe the level of cover there at present is similar, but I'm no expert on Cairn Gorm! http://www.flickr.co...157617462340273

The level of cover in the Cairngorms (where I am at present) is exceptional for mid-May. I was up at 3600 ft on Saturday and there were deep fresh drifts, normally associated with March than May. Skiing until June is virtually assured, and as I type more fresh snow has fallen on a westerly wind to the tune of about 6 inches. Very unusual indeed.

Teesdale, on 14 May 2012 - 07:26 , said:

Really? Any pictures? Must be a remnant of the snow that fell on the night of the 3rd/4th April.

Terminal Moraine, on 13 May 2012 - 09:42 , said:

Too kind, TM! Given the level of interest and kind compliments then I will start one at the end of this month.

Driving over the A9 at Slochd summit this afternoon (1200 ft) we encountered 1 Celcius and thick snow falling. Pretty surreal.

Goodness, but it's been a while since I've been over here... Apologies for that!

The current weather across the Highlands as I type is remarkable. Snow is falling at a rate of knots seldom seen even in winter this year. By the time this moisture laden behemoth clears I expect we'll have seen a good top-up to the snow that fell in April and before. I don't know how much if any snow will be deposited south of Hardian's Wall, but I'll keep an eye on that.

Speaking of April, the snow that fell overnight on the 3rd-4th from the north east left BIG deposits all over the upland areas of Wales, northern England and Scotland. In particular, the Peak District had snow lying to around the 3rd May this year, near Shelf Moor. Contrary to what SnOwFeSt wrote in the post above, there aren't plenty of patches left in England. The snow he saw a couple of weeks ago was largely unconsolidated and shallow stuff that fell in April. Also, it fell from the wrong direction (north east). The pictures I've seen of the Lakes recently (couple of days ago) show snow free summits and gullies. The only hill I've seen snow on from the last few days in England is Helvellyn, at Brown Cove (the usual place).

Wales still has quite a bit on the high Carneddau and Snowdon peaks, which should last a wee while yet. A good trip report can be found here: http://www.walkhighl...hp?f=16&t=21137 I suspect that this could go quite quickly, mind you. I'll keep my contacts primed to get their binoculars out!

April was a cold and wet month, hence the remarkable accumulations that fell. Cairngorm Mountain has re-opened for skiing, and after this latest storm are postulating that there'll be enough to keep them sliding until well into June. Remarkable, and similar to 1955. In this year, the maximum level of cover of snow in the Cairngorms was not recorded until late May.

This year has been a roller-coaster, and I suspect there'll be plenty more of the same. May is also shaping up to be pretty cool, with no mild weather in the pipeline. Mr Corbyn, derided as a bit of a fruit cake, might not be a million miles out in the end!