Stormy Weather II

[Serial_Apologist]

Distinctly cool this morning which is an odd feeling. Combination of brisk N breeze and thick cloud cover responsible, and forecast to keep temps under 20 all day. No rain here, as usual; some places might have had the odd shower as there was some likely looking lumpy dark cloud moving across at 3am this morning.
Going round the garden last night the quantity of crisped dead foliage from Wednesday's searing wind acting on wilted leaves is sad. In several cases whole branches of some shrubs are now dead. Today I'll be putting the hose to seep on my little winter flowering cherry which was planted 5 years ago but is now showing marked and worrying signs of distress and I really don't want to lose it; a few showers won't be enough even if I was confident they would appear.

Yes, that scorching was the most distressing and, for me, surprising thing about the "hottest day" - previously I would not have believed so much damage could be inflicted on a single day. Each and every one of all our pellargonium flower heads pulverised - yesterday I literally swept them up in my hands and the wind blew the remains away as a pink powder. Up the road a bed full of Busy Lissies in fill bloom last week, planted by a socially conscious householder in one of the council's under-tended beds, was totally laid waste; here a couple of unidentified pot plants belonging to a neighbour in the block have been completely cornflaked; however my own two potted fuschias and the lobelia are all recovering.

[Joseph K]

The temperature has plummeted and I wore my cardigan while out for the first time in a while. Experienced a few specks from the sky intermittently while walking to the shop; this turned into drizzle for about five minutes on my way back, but not enough for me to get my umbrella out.

[Petrushka]

The temperature has plummeted and I wore my cardigan while out for the first time in a while. Experienced a few specks from the sky intermittently while walking to the shop; this turned into drizzle for about five minutes on my way back, but not enough for me to get my umbrella out.

Still very warm inside at around 25 degrees but a sharp drop to around 18 out of doors. We had quite a bit of drizzly rain this morning which gave the garden a decent soaking but will go over it again with the can later this evening though thankfully not as late as a couple of nights ago when it was almost dark before I thought the ground had sufficiently cooled to allow watering.

[DracoM]

Cool, grey, rain!!

[Serial_Apologist]

Just back from my first proper exercise in a week, making use of what has become a cloudy day, with the temperature not exceeding a reasonable 23C: a 12-mile round cycle journey, taking in Upper Norwood, Streatham Common, Streatham High Road, Clapham Park, Brixton gaol (the outside!) and windmill, Brockwell Park, Herne Hill, W Dulwich and home. At 76 lack of regular exercise means one quickly loses muscle power and joints flexibility, and I imagine it will take some time getting them back. A few spots of rain from the solid layer of stratocumulus (roller cloud) now covering the entire sky. What a change!

[BBMmk2]

Just starting spitting rain, maybe a shower

[Serial_Apologist]

An hour ago it looked about to turn thundery; now the sky is lightening once more, and thunderstorms in the vicinity of Chichester and Littlehampton appear on the retreat. Very heavy atmosphere, however, despite temperatures being at the late July norm - for the first time this month!

[Serial_Apologist]

Today rain fell briefly here for the first time in living memory.

There is talk now about this July being possibly the driest on record in the south of England, and we may have to prepare ourselves for hosepipe bans if the situation does not change by the end of the month.

This afternoon's cycle down to the huge Sainsbury's in Lower Sydenham ("the space ship") to acquire a new pair of trainers turned out to be a comfortable one at 22 degrees C, the average for this, the warmest part of the meteorological year: even the 300 ft climb back up to the Crystal Palace summit proved less arduous than I had been expecting.

[DracoM]

Chilly, boisterous westerly, but also humid - weird combo. 10C as I post!!

[Joseph K]

Drizzle.

[Petrushka]

A couple of hefty showers yesterday and Sunday and looks like another is brewing up now if those dark clouds are anything to go by. Cool at around 16 degrees with little wind.

Wish it was this time last week!

[Joseph K]

Wish it was this time last week!

I don't!

While there was a bit of drizzle throughout most my walk, it was only the last ten minutes or so where I deemed it necessary to use my brolly.

[Serial_Apologist]

I don't!

While there was a bit of drizzle throughout most my walk, it was only the last ten minutes or so where I deemed it necessary to use my brolly.

Still practically no rain down here, though it has turned refreshingly cool, such that I almost regretted not donning a jacket over my T-shirt when cycling down the the Tesco Express in W Dulwich earlier on. Amazing to think that were the temperature to continue dropping to the extent it has since last week's maximum it would now be around zero, with frost and possibly snow!

A little old lady, I would say probably in her 80s, was loading her own bicycle, locked adjacent to mine. When I said how valuable having a bike had been during the lockdown when one had still been free to ride anywhere and traffic had been light, she pointed to much of the frame on hers, which was encased in silver foil, explaining that she had done this using kitchen foil and a household adhesive, the purpose being to make the vehicle as unsightly as possible so no one would think of stealing it!

[BBMmk2]

Still practically no rain down here, though it has turned refreshingly cool, such that I almost regretted not donning a jacket over my T-shirt when cycling down the the Tesco Express in W Dulwich earlier on. Amazing to think that were the temperature to continue dropping to the extent it has since last week's maximum it would now be around zero, with frost and possibly snow!

A little old lady, I would say probably in her 80s, was loading her own bicycle, locked adjacent to mine. When I said how valuable having a bike had been during the lockdown when one had still been free to ride anywhere and traffic had been light, she pointed to much of the frame on hers, which was encased in silver foil, explaining that she had done this using kitchen foil and a household adhesive, the purpose being to make the vehicle as unsightly as possible so no one would think of stealing it!

Had a lot of rain, down hereabouts, quite recently. Today’s weather, rather muggy, according to MrsBBM, who was walking our puppies.

[Serial_Apologist]

Had a lot of rain, down hereabouts, quite recently. Today’s weather, rather muggy, according to MrsBBM, who was walking our puppies.

We too had our first sufficiently significant rain to produce puddles for well over a month. It was at around midnight - hearing the sound of it I popped outside to remind myself of the experience! I now notice it was from a very localised shower over London, and wouldn't have thought it produced more than a couple of millimetres of rainfall. I think we'll be talking hosepipe bans for the entire SE within the next week.