Stormy Weather II

[BBMmk2]

7C - 11C. Quite mild today. Not gojng out thigh, as the ground is still quite wet.

[Serial_Apologist]

Sunny and with light winds quite springlike. Something tells me that winter will return just as Nature really gets going and apply the big cosh.

Man here first thing to put a fencing panel blown down a week ago caught me in my dressing gown! We're also expecting someone from the council to come and remove a dead fox discovered yesterday in our basement area. I will spare details on its condition, preventing us from just bin bagging him; apparently one can no longer just dig a pit in the garden and bury dead animals in any case - whether wildlife or pets. A charge will be made, but I guess that makes sense.

The BBC weather site has been down for several hours now, for some reason

[DracoM]

Well, as I post, up here, it is filthily foul: driving THICK rain on a piercing westerly. And genuinely cold. Fells virtually invisible under dense cloud.

[Serial_Apologist]

Well, as I post, up here, it is filthily foul: driving THICK rain on a piercing westerly. And genuinely cold. Fells virtually invisible under dense cloud.

Yes, a load of clag suddenly appeared seemingly out of nowhere while I was just now out shopping, and it is now drizzling, Damp, but not cold.

[BBMmk2]

A showery day, today.

[Joseph K]

Yes, heavy rain on my walk a few hours ago. The wind made light work of my umbrella.

[Serial_Apologist]

A tremendous downpour took place here half an hour ago - rain roaring down in cataracts, Niagara-like curtains of water overflowing rain gutters: some of the heaviest I have ever seen, including abroad. Had it continued longer than 10 minutes our rear driveway would not have coped and all the garages would certainly have flooded. There was just one vivid lightning flash, over Peckham way, followed by long and very loud thunder. Watching the shower clouds rapidly building to the west during my afternoon walk, I had half-expected this: it wouldn't surprise me if more wasn't on the way, with a number of secondary fronts following in a strong south-westerly tonight and tomorrow. Exciting stuff for January!

[Old Grumpy]

Climate change- pah!

[Old Grumpy]

Agreed. At least it's probably mild enough to switch the CH off. But I'm thinking of dropping off this particular thread unless there is something of genuine interest to remark on.

Please hang in there, S_A.

Despite my occasional frivolity, I am genuinely interested in your knowledgeable insights into the science of weather systems.

[Serial_Apologist]

Please hang in there, S_A.

Despite my occasional frivolity, I am genuinely interested in your knowledgeable insights into the science of weather systems.

[BBMmk2]

A mixed bag today, I think. Quite mild at 8C.

[Serial_Apologist]

A mixed bag today, I think. Quite mild at 8C.

The mixture has now become pretty homogenized, though - early showers now merging into continuous moderate to heavy rain. The fact that it's dark enough to have to have the lights on indoors is an indication of cloud depths: winter showers tend to have much more ragged, claggy bases than do summer ones, the air at lower levels itself becoming more mixed up with cloud bases at this time of the year. This makes for greater difficulty identifying cloud types when under them: nimbo-stratus/altostratus, suggesting frontal advection; or cumulonimbus, suggestive of convection. Rapidly changing light levels indicates the latter; we could well be getting thunder this afternoon and evening - it has been reported over E Anglia in the last couple of hours. On the other hand, showers merging into less distinctive units have a habit of draining the concentrated energy needed to charge up particular cloud cells and instead spreading it around, especially in winter, at which season the heat build up for lightning generation is lacking, mostly only to be found in "forced" situations, eg with orographic uplift, where winds are forced up on encountering cliffs, mountains etc, or along convergence lines - fronts for example.

[BBMmk2]

I wonder if it’s going to be the same again?

[oddoneout]

The mixture has now become pretty homogenized, though - early showers now merging into continuous moderate to heavy rain. The fact that it's dark enough to have to have the lights on indoors is an indication of cloud depths: winter showers tend to have much more ragged, claggy bases than do summer ones, the air at lower levels itself becoming more mixed up with cloud bases at this time of the year. This makes for greater difficulty identifying cloud types when under them: nimbo-stratus/altostratus, suggesting frontal advection; or cumulonimbus, suggestive of convection. Rapidly changing light levels indicates the latter; we could well be getting thunder this afternoon and evening - it has been reported over E Anglia in the last couple of hours. On the other hand, showers merging into less distinctive units have a habit of draining the concentrated energy needed to charge up particular cloud cells and instead spreading it around, especially in winter, at which season the heat build up for lightning generation is lacking, mostly only to be found in "forced" situations, eg with orographic uplift, where winds are forced up on encountering cliffs, mountains etc, or along convergence lines - fronts for example.

You've just demonstrated why we value your contributions! Thunder didn't each this far-flung corner of East Anglia, but there were some brief noisy rain episodes during the night.

[DracoM]

Rain and a serious drop in temp! Now 4C