Stormy Weather II

[Serial_Apologist]

It looks like 2024 begins where 2023 left off, meteorologically speaking as well as in other respects! Atlantic depressions continue to process across the middle of the country along with their sweeping frontal systems. But by the end of this week there are signs of a change coming, with high pressure expected to build up to the west of Scotland, bringing cold north-easterlies down from the North Sea. Beyond that remains uncertain for the time being - we just have to hope high pressure does not then bridge over to Scandinavia, bringing in air of much colder provenance.

Meanwhile rain from the approaching warm fronts is in the offing, so I'd better have my constitutional right away - can't se much change of another decent walk for the next three days.

[oddoneout]

It looks like 2024 begins where 2023 left off, meteorologically speaking as well as in other respects! Atlantic depressions continue to process across the middle of the country along with their sweeping frontal systems. But by the end of this week there are signs of a change coming, with high pressure expected to build up to the west of Scotland, bringing cold north-easterlies down from the North Sea. Beyond that remains uncertain for the time being - we just have to hope high pressure does not then bridge over to Scandinavia, bringing in air of much colder provenance.

Meanwhile rain from the approaching warm fronts is in the offing, so I'd better have my constitutional right away - can't se much change of another decent walk for the next three days.

North easterlies later in the week - oh joy! And tomorrow looks grim - rain and wind warnings. Just as well I gave up on the NYD concert today and got out into the garden to make the most of sun, blue sky and not too much breeze.

[Old Grumpy]

North easterlies later in the week - oh joy! And tomorrow looks grim - rain and wind warnings. Just as well I gave up on the NYD concert today and got out into the garden to make the most of sun, blue sky and not too much breeze.

Avoiding the NYD concert for any reason is surely a good move

[Sir Velo]

And will BBC stop talking smugly of 'milder'? .

And who wants milder anyway in January? If 2023 isn't the year which pushed us over the 1.5C mark that will be a surprise.

[oddoneout]

Drat and double drat. I checked the forecast this morning to try and establish the least wet time to go out. Unfortunately it's changed since then and now, when I want(and need) to go out it is raining heavily and set to continue for some time yet. Even though I'll be using the car, when the rain is this heavy the trotting around between the shops is enough to get wet.
In addition, the arrangement my neighbour finally made to stop all the water from his back roofs overflowing his waterbutt(never fitted with the proper downflow kit to divert back to the drain) and ending up in my back yard is no longer doing its job, so I'm back to temporary stream and pond water features across the yard, and also down the side of the garden onto the lawn. Whether the issue is too much flow to cope with because he hasn't used a proper pipe and connection and his bodge has failed I don't know, but it's tiresome to say the least - it had been working and I was beginning to get used to the improvement.

[Serial_Apologist]

The Amber Warning issued earlier on behalf of a broad W-E swathe incorporating S Wales, the S Midlands, northern Home Counties and E Anglia has yet to release its worst for us here, just on its border, though the barometer fell like a stone this morning and is now bottoming out. I rather expect the strongest winds to reach us after dark as the tightened isobars behind retreating Storm Henk become more straight line. We still seem to be on for chilly north north easterlies by Saturday preluding a long cold spell; I'm wondering if the Met Office & co have underestimated just how cold.

[oddoneout]

The Amber Warning issued earlier on behalf of a broad W-E swathe incorporating S Wales, the S Midlands, northern Home Counties and E Anglia has yet to release its worst for us here, just on its border, though the barometer fell like a stone this morning and is now bottoming out. I rather expect the strongest winds to reach us after dark as the tightened isobars behind retreating Storm Henk become more straight line. We still seem to be on for chilly north north easterlies by Saturday preluding a long cold spell; I'm wondering if the Met Office & co have underestimated just how cold.

Yes I'm looking at the projected wind gusts and thinking it could be difficult to sleep tonight, especially if there is heavy rain with it as forecast. Need to check the small torch in my bedside drawer is working I think. Given the quantity of standing water I saw when I was out earlier there could well be problems on the roads tomorrow. The fields at the back of my house which are due to become a housing estate in due course are demonstrating very well why those of us living adjacent are concerned about increases in the incidence of flooding in the area. Such matters are not impossible to solve but developers get away with not doing so, as can be seen on some other developments around town.

[DracoM]

Yes, up here too - westerlies driving non-stop thick whackings of heavy rain.
And can we stop the BBC describing it as 'mild'? Sure as heck it's NOT mild up here. 4-5C.

Is this the nastiest winter for some years, I wonder?

[Serial_Apologist]

If official readings are correct, East Anglia had some of the strongest winds - over 80 mph in a few places! Here the strongest winds lasted about two hours, at my estimation reaching 55 mph, noisy enough to be louder than music I had on at pretty high volume levels. At one point I gtried opening the north-facing window where I keep my max/min thermometer on a ledge beneath the sill and needed to use all my strength to hold it open. Gales less strong than this brought down one of our three 100ft Leylandii a year ago - I shall be taking a wander around the district tomorrow: lots of mature trees have been brought down in London, sadly.

[Old Grumpy]

Pretty quiet here wind-wise. Plenty of rain though - the Ouse in York is lapping over the quayside in places. Quite pleasant out today. Was sunshine earlier, but it seems to have gone now.

[Serial_Apologist]

Pretty quiet here wind-wise. Plenty of rain though - the Ouse in York is lapping over the quayside in places. Quite pleasant out today. Was sunshine earlier, but it seems to have gone now.

It was a relief not to have seen much evidence of damage on my walk to the shops earlier this afternoon - the worst being 30 feet of someone's border fence blown flat, crushing an adjacent sapling by the looks of it. Mostly the rest consisted in branches scattered about on pavements and road surfaces. It almost felt like spring, with warmth already detectable from the sun and a temperature of 11C. The first daffs have already come into flower - this being a small patch in a relatively sheltered spot that always leads the way, though never this early in the past. The BBC seemed to have a choice of two weather forecasts for its lunchtime News on One for tomorrow: a large area of rain spreading up from the western Channel covering most of the SE and extending into the south Midlands and Essex, and a different story for the SE News which had the rain area only affecting the southern part of Kent and the East Sussex coastline. Whichever way this pans out, it will mark the ending of what has been a long unsettled spell, with high pressure toppling across Scotland switching the main wind direction round to the NE for the forseeable future.

[oddoneout]

It was a relief not to have seen much evidence of damage on my walk to the shops earlier this afternoon - the worst being 30 feet of someone's border fence blown flat, crushing an adjacent sapling by the looks of it. Mostly the rest consisted in branches scattered about on pavements and road surfaces. It almost felt like spring, with warmth already detectable from the sun and a temperature of 11C. The first daffs have already come into flower - this being a small patch in a relatively sheltered spot that always leads the way, though never this early in the past. The BBC seemed to have a choice of two weather forecasts for its lunchtime News on One for tomorrow: a large area of rain spreading up from the western Channel covering most of the SE and extending into the south Midlands and Essex, and a different story for the SE News which had the rain area only affecting the southern part of Kent and the East Sussex coastline. Whichever way this pans out, it will mark the ending of what has been a long unsettled spell, with high pressure toppling across Scotland switching the main wind direction round to the NE for the forseeable future.

Some varieties of daffs naturally come into bloom early. Years ago I had a clump of Rijnveld's Early Sensation which flowered in early January despite the cold winters we used to get - prolonged easterly airflows that drove frost into the ground and would quickly air chill water to ice. February Gold wouldn't be far behind. Milder weather does make the ordinary ones earlier as well - which caused a problem last year for commercial growers producing for the Easter cut flower market.
So far the gist of the forecast for the days ahead is generally drier and colder. Drier would be good, and cold, while not welcome, is to be expected in January for heaven's sake!

[Old Grumpy]

So far the gist of the forecast for the days ahead is generally drier and colder. Drier would be good, and cold, while not welcome, is to be expected in January for heaven's sake!

Ah, but BBC weather's mild in Eastern Cumbria is just above zero...

...goodness knows what cold will be like

[DracoM]

[oddoneout]

Ah, but BBC weather's mild in Eastern Cumbria is just above zero...

...goodness knows what cold will be like

Ignoring the effect of wind chill, as the Beeb seems to do doesn't help. The Met does include the effect - and it can be quite - erm... noticeable - here when the wind's coming from the East.