Tuesday 28/02/06

A very wintery scene presents itself at daybreak. About 2 to 5 cms of snow, a fair amount over the Arnish hills and in the backyard. The picture gallery shows what could be seen outside through the day. As the morning progresses, very heavy snow showers come through. Snow does not settle, but visibility is at times restricted to Goat Island, only ¼ mile distant across the Basin. The ferry is very late, arriving at 2.30 pm, and its second sailing of the day is cancelled. Muirneag never left for Ullapool last night. Strong winds today, force 6-7, with gusts up to force 9. Severe disruption in the Highlands and Northern Isles due to snow and ice with hundreds of schools closed. Webcam attracts about 120 visitors by 2.40pm. Have extensively publicised it on Metcheck, and everybody wants to watch falling snow. Heaven knows why. Snow penetrates further south in the UK. It's very cold outside, only 1C / 34F. The ferry from Stromness to Scrabster is cancelled. Continue to try out the new camera, which has a camcorder function on it. Odd visitors to the webcam come from South Africa, Egypt and Vietnam. The snowshowers continue unabated after dark. Total number of viewers on webcam 215 today.