Ideal Snow setups
These pictures take quite a bit of time to load! They give a brief view on whats setups required for snow in some areas
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PLEASE READ FIRST: Maps show a rough view on synoptic winter setups and ideal
snow conditions for the red coloured area. This is only a rough guide and snow can
effect many other areas due to different factors: height, low formation, convection etc
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A low pressure or high
pressure over Scandinavia
can "bump" into mild Atlantic
air and cause great
unstableness resulting in
many central areas getting
snow.
The more colder the air over
Norway the more snow over the
country. Atlantic/Scand high setup
often results in very heavy snowfall
for long peirods of time before it
turns milder or colder depending
on who wins the fight!
Small low pressures or troughs
can be formed in the English
Channel mouth. These often
give Wales and SW England a
beating. Cold air from a
Northerly is required.
Channel lows are dreams for
Southerners. They often give
heavy prolonged snow
sometimes lasting at least a day.
A good NW, N, NE, E flow is
required to get cold air often in
winter if you hear the words "low
off France" and "cold air" its most
likely a channel low heading our
way!
An Easterly is often quite a rare
airstream but when it comes
boy it can be cold! For snow
(from a Eastern high pressure)
your require a trough or front
for very heavy snow you require
low pressure over Belgium..
the result brrrr!
Area affected by light dustings
from N-E-E airflow. Often giving
quick sharp snow showers
A North Easterly often gives
heavy snow showers to NE
facing coastal regions
Polar Low affected areas.
These areas can often receive
heavy snow showers from
coastal lows, they often die out
but sometimes can reach
mid-land
NW airflows (if cold enough) can
often bring sleet and/or snow to
N Western areas. Often the air
over Britain can be 5C in Wales
and 10C in London due to the
fact that there is a warm sector
over SE England. However if in
mid winter and stretching right
out to the Artic, a NWstrly can
obliterate many areas of the UK!