Stormy Weather II

[Joseph K]

A lovely bright sunny day, and with the wind having dropped right away the volunteer gardening was a real pleasure. There seems to have been a change in the robin residents - there were two around but they were wary and silent, and the territories either hadn't been established yet or were just different from last season. Last year we had a newbie who was fairly shy, and an established bird who alternated between singing to us and scolding, loudly and prominently.

Very nice here too. Could have removed my coat after walking about a mile.

[Serial_Apologist]

Make the most of this quiet spell, because Sunday's midday chart shows 14 isobars at 4 millibar intervals right across the UK - which if accurate will be the tightest pressure gradient I will have observed in over 60 years of weather watching: an indication of gale force westerly winds for everyone, expected to last at least until late on Tuesday, and more on west-facing coasts. Not looking forward to this at all!

[BBMmk2]

Back to there vampire clinic this morning for more tests. This time for my specialist! Good day for it as well. Maybe rather cold, I think. At least it’s sunny.

[cloughie]

Back to there vampire clinic this morning for more tests. This time for my specialist! Good day for it as well. Maybe rather cold, I think. At least it’s sunny.

Sunny intervals here with a moderate breeze ~ 9C

[DracoM]

Beautiful day here, but bracing for w/end!!

[cloughie]

Beautiful day here, but bracing for w/end!!

Indeed!

[oddoneout]

The temperature plummeted just before sunrise, so when the orange tinted sun appeared it showed up decoratively frosted surfaces - a classic winter landscape seen from the back of the house. A brief mist episode cleared to brilliant sun and cloudless blue sky and minimal air movement. Glorious.
I'm not looking forward to the forecast windy weather; I dislike wind anyway, and worry about what damage might be caused as I'm not best placed to deal with such things. On the plus side the timing seems to have changed so I might be able to get into the city on Saturday as I'd originally intended - call me risk averse but I don't like travelling on double decker buses in high winds!

[BBMmk2]

Another sunny day today, hopefully will stay like it, as cloud may come over in the afternoon.

[DracoM]

Zapping frost here. Now we await Ciara.

[BBMmk2]

Zapping frost here. Now we await Ciara.

Hope you’ll be alright there Draco!

Rather cloudy with showers today, after the lovely weather we have had recently.

[oddoneout]

Disappointing morning - NAF, being grey and damp rather than the bright and dry I had been expecting. It's mild but that's not so much of a bonus when the damp is causing joints gip and the grey sky is mirrored in low spirits; the last few days of bright dry weather have been much better even with the cold, not least because sun lifts the mood which is then better able to deal with pain.
Ah well, time to get battened down for whatever tomorrow may bring - charged up torches and an extra basket of logs indoors. I noticed in the local paper's events listings that several well known snowdrop walks have been cancelled on Sunday, understandable but a shame as they are at their peak just now. A Yellow Book garden in town with glorious galanthus drifts has a 5-bar gate facing the road, opposite a Coop that I frequent, so I have been able to watch their progress and enjoy the display.

[Pulcinella]

Bright here just now.
Off to Leeds (Opera North: Marriage of Figaro) soon.

Passengers advised not to travel on East Coast line tomorrow: tickets valid instead until 6 this evening or Monday.
Tricky, as partner has a flight from London City Airport at 4 tomorrow afternoon, but couldn't use the train ticket to get down later tonight.
He's going to risk it; tickets are still being sold for tomorrow's trains!!

[DracoM]

Braced for a really big one up here.

[oddoneout]

Bright here just now.
Off to Leeds (Opera North: Marriage of Figaro) soon.

Passengers advised not to travel on East Coast line tomorrow: tickets valid instead until 6 this evening or Monday.
Tricky, as partner has a flight from London City Airport at 4 tomorrow afternoon, but couldn't use the train ticket to get down later tonight.
He's going to risk it; tickets are still being sold for tomorrow's trains!!

But won't the flights be affected as well?

[Serial_Apologist]

Disappointing morning - NAF, being grey and damp rather than the bright and dry I had been expecting. It's mild but that's not so much of a bonus when the damp is causing joints gip and the grey sky is mirrored in low spirits; the last few days of bright dry weather have been much better even with the cold, not least because sun lifts the mood which is then better able to deal with pain.
Ah well, time to get battened down for whatever tomorrow may bring - charged up torches and an extra basket of logs indoors. I noticed in the local paper's events listings that several well known snowdrop walks have been cancelled on Sunday, understandable but a shame as they are at their peak just now. A Yellow Book garden in town with glorious galanthus drifts has a 5-bar gate facing the road, opposite a Coop that I frequent, so I have been able to watch their progress and enjoy the display.

The point about torches at the ready is well made: I have just checked to make sure of the whereabouts of mine, should the lights go out after dark tomorrow. Also candles - one at the ready in the bedroom, and two old still serviceable cigarette lighters from my smoking days of old! Several residents have thanked me for advising them to remove garden furniture and potted plants from balconies - the possible gusts of 60-70 mph forewarned in the orange alert for the SE, south of the Thames, would easily be capable of blowing such objects off balconies or smashing them into windows and doors. I well remember the near-impossibility of walking in the 60 mph gale experienced during the Burns Day Storm of January 1990 - people clinging like grim death to a long fence as they made their way up the hill off which I was living at the time, my eyelashes literally pressed into my eyeballs facing the wind, tall street lamps left leaning at 80 degree angles, and a park entrance sign mounted on sturdy upright posts at an angle of 45 degrees. I might move the 2 metre high potted palm to behind the block on the north side, given that it's rather exposed at the north-east corner! Should there be a power cut - or outtage as I expect we'll soon be expected to say, I think I'll head for bed with a book to read in candle light!

As of now, the strongest winds appear likely to hit the south-east during the afternoon just prior to the passage of the double cold front, having crossed the North and Midlands earlier. Meterological enthusiasts on the UKWW site are even predicting a high likelihood of tornadoes forming along the front, along with torrential rain; and even after these two main rain belts have passed across, winds are expected to continue at around or above strong gales force (Force 9), with repeats during daytime on Monday and Tuesday - after which things should quieten down somewhat, but still be blustery for the remainder of the week.

Best of luck to everybody! It is probably of little comfort to learn that eastern Australia is presently experiencing record rainfalls from a slow-moving offshore linear weather feature, which is doing its job in extinguishing any remaining fires.