Photographic weather talk

[Kulebron]

Rather than talk about the weather in words, let's show off our best photographs. Let's agree to post only what's near your house, where you're present, and own work only. You haven't photographed it, it didn't happen.

My turn. Autumn was rainy and sunny on and off, and then someone turned the switch. This year it happened a week or two earlier the schedule. But anyway, gone are the nasty wet days, now it's only white furry snow!

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Just a notice: it's not polar circle, but the same latitude as London and Copenhagen.

[Kulebron]

Almost all of it melted down last week actually, but now it snows again. Can't help but take photos.

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[Bekiekutmoar]

I live at roughly the same latitude (51,5 degrees N) but winters are a lot warmer here. Daytime temperatures usually hover around plus 7 degrees celcius, while nighttime-temperatures are just above 0 degrees. Skies are mostly overcast with some rain now and then. Sometimes however, cold Russian air reaches Western-Europe, resulting in wintry weather in this area. In february 2012, temperatures dropped to -22 degrees in the Netherlands during an outbreak of cold air from the (north)east. The last winter (2014) was very mild with virtually no snowfall and lowest temperatures of around -3 degrees. Spring already begun in january ... !

Here a pic taken somewhere in March 2013:

[Kulebron]

^^ Pic is not loading. (Probably not allowing direct linking, try uploading to imgur.)

Yep, it's continent vs shore climate. You enjoy Gulfstream. Here, winters are cold because of the huge continental anti-cyclon, with center over Kazakhstan, which dries air, closes circulation and makes this place a good freezer. I lived in North Europe, and the difference is stunning. Didn't like it. When I came back, I couldn't believe: it's sunny almost every day. Even Moscow is too cloudy and humid for me. But guys from deeper in the continent (Baikal region or Kazakhstan) complain that it's humid and cloudy here.

[Bekiekutmoar]

Well, I've just browsed through some climatic data of Novosibirsk. Gotta say if we here would experience the same winters as in Novosibirsk, my country's infrastructure would be devestated at least ... ! A layer of just a few cm's snow and temperatures of slightly below freezing is enough to cause large traffic-jams throughout the country, especially concerning trains.

Do cars even start when temperatures are around -30, -40 degrees over there ... ?

Edited November 9, 2014 by Bekiekutmoar
Typo

[Kulebron]

They do start and are used, although a lot less. Usually owners try not to stress their cars at these temperatures.

We have commercial services that bring your car to life in strong frosts. But you can do it yourself.

Normally cars are built for not lower than -20. Lower than that 4 things go wrong: first and most often battery loses charge. You have to heat it up to get any electricity. Secondly, the most expensive thing with -30 and lower is dampers get stiff and damage themselves if you ride over bumps (and ice bumps are abundant in winter). After some ride they heat up and become soft, but you can already damage them. A dozen rides like this, and they're dead.

Then, oil becomes viscous, makes harder to start the engine, and something may happen to the coolant. Apart from that, no issues.

Here are some tricks to turn the car on:

1) Most popular: equip the car with auto heating. After the engine cools below some threshold, it turns on for a minute. Monthly fuel usage raises 4 or 8 times in winter.

2) Put heat insulation coat on the engine right after you turn it off. Next 12 hours it's warm enough to start normally.

3) In army, they just drain oil and coolant in pales and bring them indoors, as well as the battery. Sometimes they heat them up before putting back. But this is too much work for a city dweller.

4) Electric heater, exhaust heat exchanger.

If you didn't take care ahead, there are workarounds:

5) Ask someone to "light a cigarette", which means you connect your dead car's batteries to his working car, and run the starter as long as you need.

6) Use electric air heater (like in the photo above)

7) If nothing helps, heat up the engine with fire. It's risky to say the least, but some think they need this badly. Every year hundreds cars are heated up like this, and several of them burn up.

This guy heats up the oil in the rear differential, which must have locked rear wheels.

Edited November 9, 2014 by Kulebron

[Bekiekutmoar]

Wow, I never knew these devices were used in extremely cold regions. Its an unknown method here for sure ... ! Is it true that Russian built cars are more resilient to extreme cold than 'foreign' cars?

Btw, it looks like winter is to stay in your region if I see the forecasts correctly.

[Kulebron]

Yes, got pretty cold yesterday, seems to stay indeed.

As a typical millenial I don't have nor want a car, so I can only make active logical guesses. I think everything just boils down to what oil and coolant type you have. And Russian cars had next to no advantage, because I never heard stories like foreign car not starting. Eveyone who had a Toyota seems happy and won't ever buy another brand.

May be rugged they took more time to freeze one part to another (like the axle above), and it's hard to kill a rugged machine completely, but overall... why would they do those tricks take oil and water indoors in army?

[Kulebron]

End of October last year. Clouds touching the ground, not fog, because I saw low clouds in the mountains, and this was the same.

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[PakledHostage]

I don't live anywhere near Buffalo, NY but the snow storms there over the past week have been in the news here pretty much constantly. What's interesting to me is how localized the accumulations were. Over 2 metres of snow fell in the worst hit areas but very little snow fell only a few km away. You can see how this could happen from time-lapses like this one:

[Bekiekutmoar]

In the meanwhile, temperatures here are about to go subzero for the first time this fall/autumn as I speak. The weather here in november is very mild and somewhat dry this year, with temperatures on the first day of this month rising above 20 degrees Celsius. Took this photo earlier today in the German city Cologne, 120 km southeast of where I live.

[Kulebron]

I was there changing trains, went out for 10 minutes, and didn't know the cathedral was just behind the corner in 5 meters! So pity.

[Kulebron]

I don't live anywhere near Buffalo, NY but the snow storms there over the past week have been in the news here pretty much constantly. What's interesting to me is how localized the accumulations were. Over 2 metres of snow fell in the worst hit areas but very little snow fell only a few km away. You can see how this could happen from time-lapses like this one:

Great timelapse! Never thought lakes can affect weather this way. Well, it must be because it's surface is not frozen.

[Kulebron]

Night in mid-November. Keeps snowing and fortunately quite warm for winter, about -5°C. This is why I like cold climate: what is winter rain in Europe is just snow here. Every year when winter comes it's great pleasure to see you can't stop admiring it. A good compensation for moving your activities indoors.

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Edited December 4, 2014 by Kulebron

[WinkAllKerb'']

Nice inuit aurora, really something you'll hardly get used too

[Kulebron]

Photos from December: it's either cloudy and snowing (warm humid air comes from oceans) and warm (0..-10. Given low humidity you can easily stay outdoors an hour or more), or very sunny and very cold, down to -30. Sun does not heat more than by 2..3 degrees during the day.

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February: it stopped snowing, and is always shiny, and sun heats again. Nevertheless, ice cream kiosks continue working all the winter. Look at the amount of snow.

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[Kulebron]

Last Saturday we tried to burn a wooden winter strawman. It did not burn (the wood was wet throughout). Today we did the same, again in vane.

March is considered the first month of spring, but it's still 0 degrees and snowing. (I guess, around Moscow it's spring, but I'm 3000 km from there, and here spring comes 2-3 weeks later.)

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[GoSlash27]

This one is years old: An approaching supercell thunderstorm.

You can see the strong downdraft present in the leading edge, which causes a distinct rolling shelf on the leading edge.

We get big weather out here in the midwest.

This was from last winter.

We had a cold snap with wind chill down to -52*F (-47*C). I soaked a t-shirt, held it out in the wind, and flash-froze it into that shape.

Best,

-Slashy

Edited February 28, 2015 by GoSlash27

[PakledHostage]

We get big weather out here in the midwest.

I miss a good thunderstorm. They get them a lot in the summer on the prairies where I grew up (very near where parts of Interstellar were filmed). Its quite arid there too, so you can see the beautiful CBs and TCUs from dozens of miles away. Looks amazing at sunset.

Edited February 28, 2015 by PakledHostage

[tater]

storm from my patio

A sunset with more typical weather (and Moon/Venus):

Here's one from today:

Edited February 28, 2015 by tater

[Kulebron]

This one is years old: An approaching supercell thunderstorm.

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g13/GoSlash27/littlepan.jpg

You can see the strong downdraft present in the leading edge, which causes a distinct rolling shelf on the leading edge.

We get big weather out here in the midwest.

This was from last winter.

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g13/GoSlash27/Wet_T-shirt_zpsa5667427.jpg

We had a cold snap with wind chill down to -52*F (-47*C). I soaked a t-shirt, held it out in the wind, and flash-froze it into that shape.

Looks impressive!

[tater]

I should have added that we are at about 35 degrees latitude, but my house is at 1981 m altitude.

[Kulebron]

Ya adiviné I met a guy from Mexico, he showed photos from a place where the nature was similar to that of Siberia or Scandinavia, and explained that it's an altoplano.