Autumn 2013

[Stanley]

Some very strange weather around you Cathy. It's overcast, mild and raining gently in Barlick at the moment. Glass is down again at 28.2", very low and not promising! Forecast is for more rain on a blustery west wind till after dinner and then clearing up with a bright day forecast for tomorrow with less wind and tending southerly.
08:30. We have had our walk. Jack soaked and rubbed down, my trosers so wet they went straight in the washer. Butts Beck running a banker, almost a foot deep solid over the cill. I think we can all agree it's a wet morning! But, the glass is showing signs of rising, it went down fast, it will come back just as quickly.

[Stanley]

Dry and much cooler outside this morning. Glass rising fast, almost up to 29.1" as the centre of the low moves up towards Iceland. Another low is following it in from the Atlantic so we'll have a bright day today but by this time tomorrow we will be moving into heavy rain again.

[Stanley]

Good day yesterday. It was dry when I got up but it's raining steadily now. Glass has fallen to 28.9" so it looks like another lot of rain coming in. Forecast isn't good, SW wind and rain for next three days.....

[Cathy]

Lovely day today, no complaints about conditions or temperature, reached 23C I think.

[Stanley]

We had a very wet start to Friday, full wet weather gear and Jack got an early bath! He's a good lad, rain doesn't put him off and it's good for his coat. (He gets a good rub down with a dry towel when he gets in and loves it!) Broken cloud scudding across the sky in a brisk westerly this morning. Still warm for the time of year and it looks to have rained during the night. Glass is on 28.7" and tending to fall. Forecast is for a fairly dry day till this evening and then we go into two rainy days, Monday looks dire at the moment. Wellies warmed up ready Wendy?

[Stanley]

I see that there are forecasts that what was supposed to be strong winds and rain coming in later today and tomorrow could be one of the worst storms we have seen for years. (LINK) Much reference to 1987 and dire warnings. At the moment my barometer is steady on 28.7" but I'll be watching it closely. Experience teaches that certain papers are often guilty of bigging up what is simply a bad Atlantic Low. Nevertheless, if you are in an exposed position, think worst case and tie the dustbin lid on!

[Stanley]

The glass started falling at about 15:00 yesterday and is now down at 28.4". The wind has got up and thin overcast is scudding across but the flags have dried after rain in the night. The forecast says it should be raining at the moment so I've just popped my head out and yes, it's pouring down! Later this evening the wind starts to increase and Monday's forecast is a bad one, wind and rain.
Later at 05:30 after finding out that I'd missed the clock change and was up an hour earlier! Ah well, I've still had my six hours sleep and it means I can walk Jack an hour earlier. Just listened to the shipping forecast and there are force 10 winds blowing already out in the SW approaches. At the moment it looks as though the worst of the winds will be south of the Midlands and they're forecasting possible wind speeds of over 80mph inland. Whatever we get it will arrive this evening and Monday looks rough, particularly in the south. Something to remember is that the ground is wet and wind damage to trees will be worse as the roots won't have as good a hold as they would in dry or frosty weather. There could be screams of pain from the soft underbelly tomorrow, they aren't used to weather like this.

[Marilyn]

Hope you are all still here and haven't blown too far from home...and still have everything you owned yesterday!

Lovely day here.
Green waste day tomorrow, so I've tidied the garden and dead-headed the roses, pulled a few weeds and trimmed the climbing Geranium ( which has been a cheery picture for the last fortnight).
Also tackled a basket of ironing, which wasn't nearly as much fun.

[Stanley]

Wendy's poly tunnel is safe so far! It's almost calm outside, just a gentle breeze from the west. Reports are that the storm is in full flow in the south but up here in Barlick, nothing. (LINK). The glass has fallen to 28.1", lowest for a long time. Forecast for Barlick is still for a rainy day with winds gusting to about 40mph. Certainly nothing to worry about. But we'll see what we get as the day goes on. Shipping forecast gives up to force 12, hurricane, in southern sea areas. Irish Sea is 5 to 7. The report from the Scillies is for rising glass and winds have moderated so it's passing through quickly and very concentrated, heading NE out into the North Sea.
I think Tiz and Mrs Tiz will be getting the cobwebs blown off them this morning!

[Whyperion]

Indeed , Somerset reported at 78mph, 99mph at Isle of Wight ( later info said The Needles - which is a bit exposed so readings not slowed by other land obstructions). London at present seems to have a brisk southerly wind , its re-arranged the small plant pots outside mums landing. Yesterday afternoon the two 12 storey tower blocks which give rise to mini torandos as they were built blocking the prevailing winds , making walking difficult at the best of times. The last great (land) storm of 1987 we did not have warning of it , and much of the greatest damage was more overnight and we awoke to destruction and still stiff winds until gone lunchtime , this one seems about 10% less severe. Also then the main trees had turned most leaves to shades of brown , this year in the south of london many trees have retained green leaves until now , with many , although dropping slowly over the past week , are 50% in yellow and green leaf still , I think due to the mild and damp (yet generally bright )weather of October

[Stanley]

Just back from our walk. Wendy's poly-tunnel is safe. Bit of wind and rain, that's all. I can't help wondering when the trains were cancelled in Scotland when they had worse winds than this....

[Wendyf]

A very quiet night with the wind dropping away to just a gentle breeze. It is picking up again now though and it is very wet.

[Cathy]

Glad to hear you are all fine in Barlick, hope the rest of you have survived.
Quite windy here today with threatening looking clouds for most of day, all calm at the moment... :/

[Tizer]

Our little bit of deepest south Somerset is virtually untouched - in fact there seemed to be more wind during the day yesterday than overnight or this morning. But...the storm was concentrated and intense, and it caused a lot of damage in Yeovil only 15 miles south of us. As you could see from the weather maps yesterday as it moved in, the storm was long and thin with its axis running west-east, closely in line with its direction of movement. So it was a bit like soldiers or ships moving in line ahead rather than abreast on a broad front. This meant that the band of maximum storm damage is narrow across the country but intense where it occurred. Mrs Tiz tells me that in our patch the only news of the storm in Bridgwater is that the fire brigade was called out to fix a pub sign that ended up hanging from only one of its two hooks! We've got to travel to London and we're hanging on to see where is most affected and how quickly the damage gets sorted. It's alright for some people to say it was a damp squib but if they'd been under that narrow band across the country they'd have known about it. Now if the band had been north-south and moving west-east it might have been a different story altogether...

[Whyperion]

Tree blown over in Hounslow , damaging House by causing gas explosion. Double Deck bus turned over on flat bit of land near Hadleigh , Suffolk . General tree debris causing hospitalisation , a few near misses and , unfortunately , two deaths.

[Stanley]

Wet morning in Barlick but cleared up in the afternoon. Glass has risen sharply to almost 28.9" and at the moment it's raining with a moderate breeze. Forecast is for rain until late afternoon with a brisk westerly wind. Another good reading day!

[Cathy]

Have been watching scenes of the terrible storm on tele, just awful, and frightening. Hope it has completely passed you all now, and all is well.

[hartley353]

Gods people in the north west have seen only heavy rain, and a stiff breeze, we are blessed.

[Stanley]

Clear sky, calm, cool and dry in Barlick this morning. Glass is rising fast and is almost at 29.3". Forecast is for a dry morning with rain coming in after dinner on a SW breeze. Good weather for the time of year, normally a clear morning would mean a frost but it's around 7C which is very mild.
07:15. We got back from our walk round the town. Marvellous what a difference a clear sky makes! It's a pleasant morning, cooler but by no means cold. Crescent moon in the sky....

[Marilyn]

Perfect day here. About 21C...sunny...good breeze to dry three loads of washing in about 40 mins.
Sitting here now ( after dinner) with the lounge room doors open and enjoying a light gully breeze.

[Stanley]

Doors firmly closed here Maz as it gradually gets colder. Glass is down slightly at just over 29.1". Forecast is for a basically dry day till late tonight, light SW breeze and we may get 9C. No sign of frost as yet and tomorrow we will be into November!

[Marilyn]

Another fabulous day here...cleaned the caravan. Two step stools, a ladder, two buckets, two brooms and the hose. Then lots of wiping down. Finally pushed it into the garage, all shiny white and sparkling. Then we shared a cold beer.
Sweaty job.

[Stanley]

Hot chocolate would be more appropriate here Maz. It was dry first thing but it's raining hard now, full wet weather gear for our trip down to the butchers. Glass is dead on 29" at the moment. Forecast says this will have passed over by 9am. Steady SW breeze all day and the rain returns this evening. Still good weather for November 1st!

[Cathy]

29C here in Adelaide today. Spent some time in the shops (big centre) and it was humid in most of the individual shops and malls, don't think they have adjusted their air conditioning settings yet. Much nicer at home this afternoon with doors and windows open.

[Stanley]

The forecast was accurate. The early rain has gone and we now have sunny spells and a lot less cloud.