Stormy Weather

[salymap]

saly, last Winter caught me out paying a low DD and I landed up owing them money, so rather than pay them a lump sum the DD was increased to cancel out debt during Summer months. I still prefer DD as you don't miss the money to being landed with a big quarterly bill, last year I owed them the unbelievable sum of £344! But now they owe me money Only 0 degrees at the mo, it'll be a chilly night!

Thanks Anna. Yes, I've varied the DDs but the weather always catches me out! Very cold at the mo. Minus 5 I saw somewhere on the boards. Daffs are growing fast though, spring round the [long] corner.

[BBMmk2]

Looks like the same as yesterday! Sunny, cold and with a frost last night.

[Serial_Apologist]

Amazing "mock sun" here this morning at about elevenses time. This comparatively rare phenomenon occurs when the sun is comparatively low in the sky, this being more often seen in winter. It appears as a bright blob of light in rainbow colours, red on the outside, located at some considerable distance from the sun, but in the same direction (unlike rainbows), and at 9, 12, or 3 o'clock to the sun, (sometimes all three at once), and is caused by sunbeam refraction through cloud at ice-crystal height, i.e. cirrus or cirrostratus. The causation, in other words, is the same as that for haloes; the difference being that differential thicknesses within the cloud layer block out parts of the solar arc and only reveal the refraction where the cloud is thinnest.

http://www.atoptics.co.uk/halo/parhelia.htm

An associated phenomenon is the "sun pillar", seen at sunset, when similar ice crystal cloud is distributed across the sky in horizontal layers, and the sunlight from the setting sum appears to leak upwards and outwards (sideways) into gaps between the layers.

Both phenomena are usually indicative of an approaching front - as indeed is the case today. Onset of associated weather is dependent on speed of approach; the particular warm front responsible for today's lumpy high cloud sheet is approaching slowly from the west, and will hit Wales and the SW later this evening, and us in the E and SE early tomorrow morning. So expect some rain first thing tomorrow... but at least it will get warmer... for a bit!

[salymap]

You're not Daniel Corbett are you S-A ? He seems to have disappeared from the Beeb weather Forecasts.

Warmer today but rain on and off.

[Serial_Apologist]

You're not Daniel Corbett are you S-A ? He seems to have disappeared from the Beeb weather Forecasts.

Warmer today but rain on and off.

No Saly - just a self-taught amateur meteorologist. I've loved the weather since about age 11 - it's the one area of nature where changes can be observed as they happen - watching paint dry takes longer! - and, like jazz! - is never quite the same twice! At 17 I took the A Level Geog class on the subject when Teacher was hopelessly lost as to which way winds circulate around highs and lows, and in which hemisphere. My one school contact never forgets that.

[Anna]

S-A, I meant to say thank you yesterday for the information about "mock sun" I'm not aware that I've ever seen anything like that or a "sun pillar" Certainly at school we did cover weather in Geography, not that much of it sunk in, apart from various cloud formations and vague memories of isobars but weather (and forecasting by observation) is ndeed fascinating, very much warmer today
(13.8)

[Serial_Apologist]

S-A, I meant to say thank you yesterday for the information about "mock sun" I'm not aware that I've ever seen anything like that or a "sun pillar" Certainly at school we did cover weather in Geography, not that much of it sunk in, apart from various cloud formations and vague memories of isobars but weather (and forecasting by observation) is ndeed fascinating, very much warmer today
(13.8)

It's an endless source of fascination, Anna, but one should be warned: too much looking upwards can be hazardous!

[greenilex]

Yes, flying dinosaurs or bobbin' robins equally hazardous. But it is meant to be lucky...

[Anna]

It's an endless source of fascination, Anna, but one should be warned: too much looking upwards can be hazardous!

And stargazing, which I've been doing, is extremely hazardous and involves tripping over in the pitchy darkness! Good to see the Star Gazing programme has been pulling in 3.8m viewers (I know it will have its detractors saying it's dumbing down science, too jokey, etc., etc., but I think anything that gets people interested and involved in something they would never consider doing is A Good Thing)

[salymap]

I trip over in the daylight now so wouldn't venture out at night. I must catch up on the iPlayer and tonight's programme too. Orion is about all I recognise from my back windows. Too much street light in the front to see anything.

[Anna]

I trip over in the daylight now so wouldn't venture out at night. I must catch up on the iPlayer and tonight's programme too. Orion is about all I recognise from my back windows. Too much street light in the front to see anything.

It's on iplayer for a month. Light pollution is such a problem saly, some Councils have been switching them off after a certain time at night but the safety of pedestrians has to be foremost (if I walk home in the dark it's down a minor road with woods either side, no houses giving any light) but the best, clearest, night skies I've ever seen have been on the hills in mid Wales, and lying in a field being able to pick out the constellations was wonderful and magical. I also remember, years ago, was it 97? seeing Hale Bopp reflected in the River Wye, that was awesome!

[BBMmk2]

I bet that was awesome, in the truest sense of the much misused word, Anna!! Very special.

Is Brian Cox presenting the programme?

[Anna]

I bet that was awesome, in the truest sense of the much misused word, Anna!! Very special.

Is Brian Cox presenting the programme?

Yes, with Dara O'Briain and Patrick Moore makes occasional appearances! He's a lovely old bloke I think

[BBMmk2]

Ah, patrick Moore is, yes! Not to sure if I like Brian Cox?

[Anna]

Ah, patrick Moore is, yes! Not to sure if I like Brian Cox?

No, I am not keen either. I like my science teachers to look like Gareth Malone, not someone glam, but if he can get people to consider science, space, black holes and aliens rather than watch mindless rubbish like Big Brother and that Essex thing, he must be a National Treasure!