Snow around the province.

 What we have instead is miserable rain. I need to wait for a break so I can check my pool box!

Snow in Bigastro - I don't believe it!

 This doesn't seem to work on iPads - story about that!

Bless them!

 Snow here is such a rare occurence, when a little falls people rush out to photograph it before it disappears.

Official advice

The forecast for Bigastro is rain and strong wind . In other words,  miserable!!

For those who are planning a journey further afield.

Come in disguise

Advanced notice of the Middle Year festival here in Bigastro.

Well worth going down to see the excellent costumes that the townsfolk have put together.

Those who want to stay afterwards can take their food and drink down to enjoy a meal with the neighbours.

Looks like we will escape

Looking at this map, it seems that we are unlikely to have any snow in the next few days. It will still be damn cold though so take care.

Which is it?

Check out your symptoms to see if you have flu or just a cold.

Snow in Bigastro?

The cold weather this last week was just a foretaste of what is to come this week.

The cold air that affected us came from Iceland. Normally, an anticyclone would  have acted as a barrier to a cold front but this year that system has moved out to the Atlantic leaving us exposed to the cold air mass.

However, on Tuesday things will change and we will be exposed to the Siberian or continental cold air wave.

This is not an uncommon phenomena, it happens every three of four years. This year though the anticyclone has spread to the north and a new air mass, coming from Russia, sitting on its right hand flank, has created a corridor that has covered Poland, Germany, France and eventually Spain.

We are fortunate in that Spain sits at the end of the corridor and so we will not experience the extremes that have led to record lows in the rest of Europe. Although this air mass is dry, it is expected to pick up moisture from the Bay of Biscay and the Mediterranean leading to widespread snowfall over much of Spain.  

Could we see snowfall in Bigastro? Well, AEMET is predicting rain on Thursday and Friday into Saturday but at the same time a rise in temperature of up to 5 degrees. They predict that Sunday will be dry but colder again.

In truth, nobody is sure either how long this cold snap will last nor whether we will have snow or not here in Bigastro.

This is the forecast from Yahoo. 

Thinking ahead to Easter

Weather watch

It's going to be colder in the north. 

These maps show why it will be colder next week. Can't wait for the Daily Mail to tell us that it is warmer in Britain.  

The official advice. 

Cheap tourism

Many thought that Brexit would have a negative effect on tourism to countries like Spain. The truth is that numbers of visitors increased by 7.2 million last year, a rise of 9.9% and the lions share came from France, Germany and Britain.

These visitors spent 77 billion Euros, an average of 138 Euros per person per day, contributing 10% to the Spanish GDP.

The only concern now is sustainability of the low cost "sand and sun" model that Spain promotes. The consulting firm Ernst & Young says that the country should really be targeting the high-end tourist market. They point out that the average spend of Chinese tourists to Europe is 960 Euros and Americans spend 672 Euros per day.

The highs and lows

Over the twelve years that we have lived here, there have been cold winters and mild ones. We recall even being out in T-shirts and shorts during February. However, this year seems set to be generally cold.

Today and tomorrow are predicted to be mild with a low of 8 degrees and a high of 18. Sadly, that will not last. The forecast for next Wednesday is for a high of 8 and a low of 0.

The low temperatures will then hang around at least until the following Wednesday when things should start to improve.

When we look at the forecast for Liverpool, where we lived, things don't seem to be as bad. At least we should see some sunshine and we are not expecting the strong winds that have affected the North of England.

Feels cold to us

You probably wonder what the fuss is about when other parts of Europe and even Spain are experiencing temperatures below zero (in some cases well below zero).

However, we are no longer accustomed to the cold.

You can see that the coast is a little milder (Pilar de la Horadada, Torrevieja and Guardamar del Sugura are coastal towns). Not sure why Benejuzar is milder though.

That's what we call snow

Although there are parts of Spain that do get snow., it is highly unlikely that we will ever see snow in Bigastro.

These photos are from other parts of Europe that are buried in the stuff. Spare a thought for those in Moscow where the temperature is-30ºC, in Minsk it is -25ºC and in Krakow -20ºC

Blace (Serbia) still in southern Europe.

Florina (Greece) in the north but apparently there is snow in Athens as well. 

Mesina (Italy) I don't imagine they have ever seen snow like that before in Sicily.

In Orihuela last night

Apart from lots of dancers, children in costumes, pages etc etc, a farmyard of animals took to the streets.

As luck would have it

The second prize in the special lottery "El Niño" went to Orihuela.

A part of number 95379 was sold in Orihuela, The total  prize was 750,000 euros for the series and 75,000 euros for one tenth. It was bought by a syndicate of 100 who will share their winnings between them.

Make the most of it

The last few days have been nice and mild but that won't last. Looking at the forecast for next week, it is going to get Baltic with highs of 12 to 13 and lows close to freezing point. It definitely is not time to put away those winter coats just yet.

Shaking the Yorkshire coast

Pamela was most put out when she realised that we lived in an earthquake zone. The first quake we experienced here made a sound like a truck was hitting the building and we could sense the movement. Subsequent quakes have been less dramatic.

Living on the Wirral as we did, earthquakes were unheard of. However, Britain is not free from the odd tremor.

On Tuesday a 3.8 magnitude quake struck the North Sea 150 miles east of Scarborough. And in 2011, a 3.6-magnitude quake struck North Yorkshire around five miles north west of Ripon. Tremors were felt in the towns of Bingley and Skipton, near Leeds, where people reported doors, windows and heavy furniture rattling.

The most damaging UK earthquake recorded  in Britain was in the Colchester area in 1884. Around 1,200 buildings needed repairs after the shaking, which collapsed chimneys and cracked walls.

Most earthquakes occur on the eastern side of the British mainland, most often in the North Sea.

The driving forces for earthquake activity in the UK are unclear but include compression caused by the movement of the Earth’s tectonic plates, and uplift resulting from the melting of the ice sheets that covered many parts of Britain thousands of years ago.

A huge thank you!

First off to my wife and family for the surprise pre-birthday party on Boxing Day. Also to my family and friends for their cards and generous gifts. I have been truly spoilt this year!

Next to all those who sent me messages on Facebook or sent ecards via the Internet. Your best wishes have really touched me in a way I cannot describe.

For those who are reaching the golden age of 70, you have nothing to fear. It is a milestone that is true but one which will enrich your lives in many different ways.

Finally again, many thanks to all of you for your kind words, cards, and presents, you have made me truly happy.

Red days

Red days are national holidays (non working days) - blue days are holidays in certain communities.