Stormy Weather II

[Serial_Apologist]

Absolutely massive downpours here in the East Riding this afternoon and the odd rumble of thunder. Pretty much a repeat of yesterday however yesterday, the thunderstorm went on for far longer! No sign of any funnel clouds or anything interesting though.

I may have spotted a funnel cloud, albeit a dispersing one, yesterday early evening. If so, it would be a first, in all my years of avidly scanning stormy skies for the signs. Apparently 16 funnel clouds were reported around the country yesterday - at least one of which touched down, in Suffolk, to become a tornado.

Today, cold, wet and windy - at 10C - just now - "normal" for mid-March.

[DracoM]

Well, mid-May here, big sun, small cloud, breeze.
Wow! do we need something encouraging like this!

[Sir Velo]

Lowering clouds, grey skies. Weather stuck in late March/early April for the last six weeks, witness the narcissi still in bloom.

[oddoneout]

Lowering clouds, grey skies. Weather stuck in late March/early April for the last six weeks, witness the narcissi still in bloom.

Unpleasant here yesterday too - grey sky, occasionally leaky, and a brisk northerly wind. Heating is off at work as it's May, so sweatshirt and fleece were order of the day for my (thankfully) short shift. Today is set to be similar but with less risk of wetness. I'm doing a town community event this afternoon, fortunately with an inside spot for our stall, but I suspect it will also be cold, so layers will be needed.

The flowering of narcissus can be a function of the variety as much as the weather - pheasant eye narcissus for instance is very late, coming into its own in May when it adorns meadow settings. Cooler weather also means that earlier flowering sorts don't go over so quickly; I have some multi-headed jonquil types that have been out for weeks now for that reason.

[Serial_Apologist]

Brilliantly sunny day down here in London today, albeit with a coolish breeze.

Well - SOMEBODY has to try and keep the forum going!

[oddoneout]

Brilliantly sunny day down here in London today, albeit with a coolish breeze.

Well - SOMEBODY has to try and keep the forum going!

And it might as well be the cheerful soul who was, unfortunately, accurate about northerly airstreams this week... It's been variations on damp, grey, sunny, the past few days but the one constant has been wind - always cold, and at varying strengths. Sunday was a vile combination of damp and cold such that the heating was fired up in the evening. The woodstove had sufficed the previous evening for a couple of hours but something more was needed on Sunday. Last night it was very cold, with a grass frost in places. Fortunately my tender plants are either still indoors or under cover by the house so no damage done, although the outside ones will not have liked the chill.

[Serial_Apologist]

And it might as well be the cheerful soul who was, unfortunately, accurate about northerly airstreams this week... It's been variations on damp, grey, sunny, the past few days but the one constant has been wind - always cold, and at varying strengths. Sunday was a vile combination of damp and cold such that the heating was fired up in the evening. The woodstove had sufficed the previous evening for a couple of hours but something more was needed on Sunday. Last night it was very cold, with a grass frost in places. Fortunately my tender plants are either still indoors or under cover by the house so no damage done, although the outside ones will not have liked the chill.

One thing everybody around here is talking about is just how vigorous this spring is turning out to be. Unprecedented grass growth; roses already as tall as they usually reach in high summer, and covered with buds. The gardener has only applied our usual domestic compost - he reckons it is down to nature's tendency to over-compensate following colder than usual winters, but hereabouts temperatures were only slightly below averages.

Edit: It looks likely that we will be having high pressure across or adjacent to the N/NW of the UK for the remainder of the month, with occasional incursions of rather unstable showery conditions courtesy a large low in situ through the Med covering most of the Continent affecting the south east from time to time, so that temperatures continue mostly around or slightly below the seasonal averages, apart from western Scotland, N Ireland and possibly the Lakes, NW and west Wales, where compression associated with stable descending NE-erly air will favour higher temperatures and longer sunshine hours (lucky them!).

[Petrushka]

It's been variations on damp, grey, sunny, the past few days but the one constant has been wind - always cold, and at varying strengths. Sunday was a vile combination of damp and cold such that the heating was fired up in the evening. The woodstove had sufficed the previous evening for a couple of hours but something more was needed on Sunday. Last night it was very cold

Much the same here apart from Sunday which was actually a very pleasant day. Yesterday and today would have been too if it wasn't for the very nasty wind. Anyone foolish enough to have put the inter woollies away on Sunday would have brought them out again yesterday! Feels very much like mid-March here.

[oddoneout]

Much the same here apart from Sunday which was actually a very pleasant day. Yesterday and today would have been too if it wasn't for the very nasty wind. Anyone foolish enough to have put the inter woollies away on Sunday would have brought them out again yesterday! Feels very much like mid-March here.

Well I didn't actually get the winter woollies up into the loft, so was able to find something warm for the weekend. Outer wear isn't such a problem as a waterproof keeps the wind out so a thick jacket isn't needed - although a scarf has been, to stop draughts down the neck.

[oddoneout]

One thing everybody around here is talking about is just how vigorous this spring is turning out to be. Unprecedented grass growth; roses already as tall as they usually reach in high summer, and covered with buds. The gardener has only applied our usual domestic compost - he reckons it is down to nature's tendency to over-compensate following colder than usual winters, but hereabouts temperatures were only slightly below averages.

Edit: It looks likely that we will be having high pressure across or adjacent to the N/NW of the UK for the remainder of the month, with occasional incursions of rather unstable showery conditions courtesy a large low in situ through the Med covering most of the Continent affecting the south east from time to time, so that temperatures continue mostly around or slightly below the seasonal averages, apart from western Scotland, N Ireland and possibly the Lakes, NW and west Wales, where compression associated with stable descending NE-erly air will favour higher temperatures and longer sunshine hours (lucky them!).

Yes it has all gone a bit mad on the growing front and I noticed while walking around the site at work that quite a lot of things seemed to be well ahead of where they would be usually - there are rosebuds breaking out on the plants up against the walls - and much bigger. It all seems to have happened within the space of a week as well. Bit surprising in view of how very cold it has been, and although the days are obviously much longer now there hasn't exactly been so much light, with all the grey days.

[Serial_Apologist]

Thunderstorms now breaking out in a zone between Dorset and The Needles. We're probably too far east to be in this particular convergence zone - showers were not forecast for the SE, but the sky does look impressively convective in the middle layers, leaving me wondering. It's unusual weather to occur under such high barometric conditions.

[oddoneout]

Not something that happens very often, but there has been a considerable discrepancy between the recording station results and what we have experienced here. Even more surprising considering the relatively small distance over "flat" land, but I won't complain - proper warm(as in shed layers down to shirt sleeves) despite still being an easterly air flow(admittedly low speed) dry and sunny here, rather than chilly grey and drizzly there. I shall look later when the end of afternoon/early evening results should appear to see if the difference remained.

[Petrushka]

Light rain this morning then some really heavy rain at around 4pm that nearly turned the road outside my window into into a river. Temp been around 15 degrees for most of the day. None of this was forecast!

[Serial_Apologist]

Today the mean maximum daily temperature of 18C for this part of Town reaches three-quarters of the way from the winter minimum and the summer maximum - and it feels as though the promise of averages will duly be met, I am pleased to say. And another fine day is expected.

[oddoneout]

I've just noticed that the overnight temp in my woodstore up against the house just managed to get above 5, and the Met Office recording station shows a minimum of 4. It may not be frosty but at this time of year temps that low are not helpful. My tomatoes, planted out earlier this week, have been struggling with the very chilly N /E variations of wind direction during the day(and not always sun to temper it somewhat) and could do without getting so cold overnight as well! The wind has also caused problems with drying things out, as there's been no rain for some time, so I've been having to do far more watering than would usually be the case.