Buchan's Cold Spell (From Worcester News)

Buchan's Cold Spell

11:07am Monday 23rd February 2009 in

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Buchan was born in Kinneswood, Perth and Kinross, in 1829, and took up teaching after graduating from Edinburgh University. He was always a keen amateur meteorologist, and the secretary of the Scottish Meteorological Society from 1860 until his death from pneumonia in 1907 aged 78. In the autumn and early winter of 1863 he put together 18 charts following the development and track of weather systems across Europe. Buchan also found that in the northern hemisphere the winds around high pressure blew in a clockwise direction and anticlockwise around low pressure.

He also found that certain cold and warm spells occurred regularly through some years. The most well known spell was Buchan's cold spell which frequently started around the 7th February until 14th February, often bringing frost and also snow. During the forty years I have taken local observations, I find that the Buchan's Cold Spell was very reliable up until the mid 70,s but from that moment in time, our winter's became much milder, the two week cold spell in February was almost none noticeable due to Global Warming.

Next Week: Spring Weather Part 1.

Glossary: Black Ice: Transparent ice that forms when liquid water on the ground freezes, for instance when the temperature falls below freezing point after rain.

Weather for coming week Monday 23rd February-Friday 27th February.

High pressure influencing our weather through this coming week.

Apart from some slight rain or drizzle Wednesday Night into Thursday, much of the week will be dry, Cloudy and much milder than usual. Some bright or sunny intervals at times. Frost free night.

Winds mainly gentle coming in between north-west and south-west.

Maximum temperature 10-14c 50-57f.
Minimum temperature 6-8c 43-46f.
Last Week's Observations (Monday-Sunday)

Highest day temperature.........14.6c on Saturday 21st February

Lowest night temperature.........1.2c on Thursday 19th February

Wettest day................................Trace on Tuesday 17th February