Stormy Weather II

[Petrushka]

It's been cold and wet here for most of the day. Feels more like November.

[Serial_Apologist]

Today the temperature here reached 19C - the highest thus far this year, representing a distinct anomaly from recent years which have all seen May temps attaining values in the high 20s celsius, and a return to pre-climate change values. The really hot weather appears trapped in the south of Spain and Portugal, with further east along the Med experiencing temperatures below normal and copious rainfalls. For us this could be a salutary situation, allowing nature to repair following last year's record-breaking heat and subsequent near-drought conditions. It was a nice chance to embark on my first longish cycle trip this afternoon, a distance of about 10 miles - longer might have risked finding myself in difficulties with my shoulder problem, but this turned out not to be the case, and I was home in time to listen to Jazz Record Requests, and do a couple of repair jobs - on my new wrist watch buckle (by fashioning a replacement out of a paper clip) and an old chipboard table housing my computer. What with nature resplendent and having completed my annual total spring clean, everything, windows included, appearing to have had an expensive cleaning agency at work for a week, I feel pretty relaxed at last, and looking forward to the coming Dulwich Festival, which this year promises a few interesting events alongside the usual street fayres.

Incidentally, there were signs of a flying ant explosion as I made my way through Ladywell Park today. This is the earliest I have known such a swarm event to occur.

[Old Grumpy]

Today the temperature here reached 19C - the highest thus far this year, representing a distinct anomaly from recent years which have all seen May temps attaining values in the high 20s celsius, and a return to pre-climate change values. The really hot weather appears trapped in the south of Spain and Portugal, with further east along the Med experiencing temperatures below normal and copious rainfalls. For us this could be a salutary situation, allowing nature to repair following last year's record-breaking heat and subsequent near-drought conditions. It was a nice chance to embark on my first longish cycle trip this afternoon, a distance of about 10 miles - longer might have risked finding myself in difficulties with my shoulder problem, but this turned out not to be the case, and I was home in time to listen to Jazz Record Requests, and do a couple of repair jobs - on my new wrist watch buckle (by fashioning a replacement out of a paper clip) and an old chipboard table housing my computer. What with nature resplendent and having completed my annual total spring clean, everything, windows included, appearing to have had an expensive cleaning agency at work for a week, I feel pretty relaxed at last, and looking forward to the coming Dulwich Festival, which this year promises a few interesting events alongside the usual street fayres.

Enjoy*, S_A! You deserve it.

* I know, I can't get with this "Enjoy" nonsense either...

... but do so anyway!

[DracoM]

Western edge of Pennines, a driving rain on strong westerly. Temp 8C. Looks like similar filth all day.

[Pulcinella]

Rain here too.

[oddoneout]

Currently sunny and warm but there is a big bank of lurgy waiting in the wings so I need to get myself into gear to get shopping and other outside matters sorted this morning before it arrives. With luck it won't hit until late afternoon/early evening, but better not to make assumptions!

[DracoM]

<< Looks like similar filth all day. >>

And, boy, has THAT proved prophetic! Fells, horizons, and grazing sheep disappear in thick foggy mizzle.

[Serial_Apologist]

Heavy rain from the first of today's showers from a cloud which was only just breaking through the inversion as I arrived home from a timely 6 mile cycle trip, 10 minutes ago, which gives some idea of how strong surface-based convection is today. A broken line of clearly vigorous thunderstorms has formed from Dorset through the Bristol Channel at Avonmouth, by way of Birmingham, to Grimsby - incessant lightning strikes between Gloucs and Warwicks, with another strong cluster ahead in the Hampshire.Berks region. Feels pretty warm today, probably only 18C. Expect more of the same over the next 3 days.

[Petrushka]

Short but strong thunderstorm with lightning and heavy rain here about an hour ago. Feels reasonably warm at around 15 degrees with zero wind. Yesterday was a shocker of a day
with Sunday being a fine, warm, sunny day after the shocker on Coronation Day.

It's turning into a very peculiar spring indeed with no two days the same.

[DracoM]

After yesterday's 'filth', fine late Spring day today..........terrific

[Serial_Apologist]

Short but strong thunderstorm with lightning and heavy rain here about an hour ago. Feels reasonably warm at around 15 degrees with zero wind. Yesterday was a shocker of a day
with Sunday being a fine, warm, sunny day after the shocker on Coronation Day.

It's turning into a very peculiar spring indeed with no two days the same.

My abovementioned "storm line" now lies between north of Oxford and The Wash, another E-W aligned convergence having appeared across north Norfolk, and other storm clusters just now sparking off around Middlesbrough and Cardiff; but this is a situation developing with incredible rapidity - one storm which was delivering frequent lightning bolts along the southern section of the M25 has now extended its activity into the S London suburban fringe. Conditions such as this can deliver arcing, namely cloud/ground strikes many miles from a storm's epicentre, in dry air.

[oddoneout]

My abovementioned "storm line" now lies between north of Oxford and The Wash, another E-W aligned convergence having appeared across north Norfolk, and other storm clusters just now sparking off around Middlesbrough and Cardiff; but this is a situation developing with incredible rapidity - one storm which was delivering frequent lightning bolts along the southern section of the M25 has now extended its activity into the S London suburban fringe. Conditions such as this can deliver arcing, namely cloud/ground strikes many miles from a storm's epicentre, in dry air.

Well there was certainly a lot of weather here this afternoon. What seemed slightly odd was having storm activity overhead or very close by(lightning flash and almost immediate rumble) and torrential rain with occasional hail, but from a pale grey sky with not very thick cloud. It seemed to have got stuck as it took a long time to move away - in fact it gave the impression of just running out of steam rather than moving. There was a pause for an hour or so and then a fearsome black sky built up - which didn't lead to anything. The rain turned the road into a torrent - not good when it's unsurfaced - and the folk down the end will have been paddling to their front doors as all the water collects there. The holes that the gas contractors had largely filled in after their work on the gas main will need filling up again, as a fair amount of hardcore has been washed out.

[oddoneout]

The Met Office spokesperson Stephen Dixon said some parts of the yellow warning area could see more than 40ml of rain over a three-hour period.

I am somewhat puzzled by this, I thought rainfall was usually expressed in mm?

[Serial_Apologist]

Well there was certainly a lot of weather here this afternoon. What seemed slightly odd was having storm activity overhead or very close by(lightning flash and almost immediate rumble) and torrential rain with occasional hail, but from a pale grey sky with not very thick cloud. It seemed to have got stuck as it took a long time to move away - in fact it gave the impression of just running out of steam rather than moving. There was a pause for an hour or so and then a fearsome black sky built up - which didn't lead to anything. The rain turned the road into a torrent - not good when it's unsurfaced - and the folk down the end will have been paddling to their front doors as all the water collects there. The holes that the gas contractors had largely filled in after their work on the gas main will need filling up again, as a fair amount of hardcore has been washed out.

There were reports of quite bad flash flooding in many parts: around Exeter, and in Hertfordshire, Essex and Northants. Apart from three heavy showers, associated with thunderstorms 10-15 miles away, most of London escaped today, although there were amazingly dramatic skies at times: the sort of thing seen in tornado situations in America where you could almost feel one could reach up and touch the cloud bases. Tomorrow could turn out to be another interesting day weatherwise.

[Old Grumpy]

I am somewhat puzzled by this, I thought rainfall was usually expressed in mm?

If the ERG get their way it will be expressed in rods, poles or perches!