TODAY'S PENNINE WEATHER

[Stanley]

I think you can call it anything you want Wendy!
Light steady snow all morning until now, it has just stopped. Nothing is thawing and we have a good inch! The salt on the roads is just encouraging slush, not completely clearing them. We've done all we need to do and I have shut the door on the weather!

[Big Kev]

Mmm... OK pendants out there, should it be an Npower van or a Npower van??

As a bit of a pedant I'd definitely go for an Npower van, due to the pronunciation of the N in this instance. Not sure what the "pendants" think though

[Wendyf]

Just testing!

[Big Kev]

Just testing!

[plaques]

Bloody hell I've found someone to agree with. Putting aside the usual rules about vowels and consonants its acceptable to use 'an' if the starting letter of the next word 'sounds' like a vowel. N sounds like en. therefore OK. Those £M's spent trying to educate us hasn't been all wasted.

[Big Kev]

Just need to educate the majority of Facebook users now. They should have to pass a literacy test before being allowed to post anything

[Wendyf]

You have to check every word after you have typed it though, especially if you are using a tablet that thinks it has had a better education than you!

[Tripps]

What about 'an hotel' - beloved of pedants - how does that fit in with the rules?

Where's Oliver Kamm when you need him?

Rules are for the obedience of fools, and the guidance of wise men.

[Big Kev]

What about 'an hotel' - beloved of pedants - how does that fit in with the rules?

It's 'a hotel' for me but that'll be more to do with my south London accent

[Stanley]

I went to my Comprehensive English Language Grammar by Quirk et al to find you a definitive answer but there are so many entries for the indefinite article I would have been there all morning and Life is short. So take it from me, this pendant (For he had been to night school) says that 'an hotel' is correct!!



Susan's pic of snow from Thornton Manor yesterday.
Last night at 20:00 all the snow had gone, washed away by the rain. The wind was in the west, milder and it was raining. Same thing this morning. The glass fell all day yesterday and is down at 979mb. The forecast is for a wet day with occasional spells of broken cloud when we might see the sun around noon but don't hold your breath. The wind starts very light ESE but by 9am will be backing to SW and becoming brisk, that will hold for the rest of the day. The high is 8C and the low 5C with a 3C wind chill in the brisk wind. The outlook into 2018 is for the milder weather to continue. Good, no slippy pavements for a while!
06:10. I got togged up in full wet weather gear for my walk but the forecast was spot on, 5 minutes into our walk it had reduced to a very fine mizzle and this combined with the virtual calm to make a very acceptable walk. I saw my mate Mark and he asked me whether it was true that there had been no snow at Salterforth. I told him I doubted it because there was snow at Thornton and Black Lane Ends. Surprisingly there was some packed snow still lingering on the pavement in Butts but my rain gauge was telling me that we had a good soak yesterday and during the night, the beck was running 4" deep over the cill of the Corn Mill Dam. Water stocks should be OK!

[Tizer]

Where's Oliver Kamm when you need him?

Oliver Kamm would reply `Write it as you say it, both are correct, and any English person would know what you mean'.

[Stanley]

Yesterday didn't do a lot of anything and ended up going dark early. At 20:00 we had a brisk wind, dry and mild. This morning is the same. The glass rose slightly yesterday but is back on 979mb again. The forecast is for it to be dry and mild in daylight hours with some broken cloud and sun most of the day. At nightfall rain is to come in and persist. The main feature is the strong at times SW wind which will be constant. High of 7C and a low of 3C. The outlook is for more of the same but more chance of rain over the next two days.
06:10. A pleasant walk, overcast but dry and mild with a brisk SW wind. The Shipping Forecast was instructive this morning, there are SW gales up Beaufort 11 all the way up the West Coast. A succession of deep lows is marching eastwards across the Northern waters and what we are getting is the benefit of the stronger peripheral winds. Even in the shelter of the Weets we will see 40/50mph gusts today. A good day for blowing 2017 cobwebs off!

[Stanley]

The forecast yesterday was correct, we had some good sun but by 14:00 cold hard rain had come in and it was like that at 20:00 when Jack went out. Accompanied by a strong wind it was a good night to be indoors. This morning first thing there was a light breeze and it was dry, I've just looked outside and it has deteriorated, we now have light rain. The glass has risen slightly during the nigh to 983mb. The forecast is for a showery day with the occasional glimpse of the sun during the morning and drying up temporarily later tonight. The constant W or SW wind is brisk and the high will be 6C and the low 3C with a 4C wind chill which will make it feel like freezing all day so wrap up warm if you are out. It's a similar picture tomorrow.....
06:10. A cold, dark, breezy but thankfully dry walk. It stopped raining as we went out of the back yard and Jack never got wet. A few revellers staggering home as we went out after a good night's sleep. I am satisfied with my choice! It's not exciting weather but for this time of year we don't expect anything much and as things stand it could be far, far worse!
Later at 10:00. There are a few thin spots in the cloud but nowhere near the brighter weather the forecast promised us. Cold wind with light rain blowing on it. I am glad I am back in the warm!

[Stanley]

We got some clearer weather eventually in the late afternoon. At 20:00 the sky was largely clear, dry with a very cold wind and we had a brilliant full moon. This morning we have a largely clear sky, it's dry and breezy and much colder than of late. The glass is well up on 1000mb. The forecast is for a dry start and a dry bright spell in the early afternoon but two spells of rain this morning and later today. The constant wind is moderate at first but stronger later and varies between SW and S giving a high of 7C and a low of 3C but with a wind chill of 4 to 6C which will make it feel very cold. A brilliant full moon which I am informed is a 'Wolf Moon'.
06:05. I think Jack and I might have had the best part of the morning, if not the day. Listening to the Shipping Forecast it's a similar picture to yesterday. A new deep Atlantic low is coming in and heading NE across N Ireland and the northern parts of Scotland. It will bring rain in at first followed by some very strong winds round the SW and up the West Coast, these will reach Force 11 at times. This means that Mr and Mrs Tiz are going to get the cobwebs blown off them today! At the moment it is almost calm, chilly but dry with a clear sky apart from a light haze shown up by the brilliant full moon in the NW. So we have had a good walk.
10:25. Just been out with Jack and then a trip to the Co-op. The forecast was right, we have cold steady rain......

[Stanley]

The3 forecast was accurate yesterday. After the morning spell of rain we had a sunny spell until about 15:00 and then the rain came in again as the wind speed rose. At 20:00 we had a strong SW wind and significant rain, it's exactly the same this morning. The glass fell to just below 970mb during the night but is rising again and almost up to 973mb. The forecast is for the rain to cease hopefully around 06:00 in time for our walk but it will return again after Noon and persist until about 20:00 tonight. The wind is constant, westerly, strong and will gust to up to 50mph. The high is 6C and the low 3C but with a wind chill of about 6C all day which will make it feel very cold. Later tonight the wind will start to abate as the low passes to the east. It will of course be worse up at Wendy's level. A good day for being indoors!
06:10. We were lucky! The rain ceased just as we went out for our walk. Very windy, a lot of rain has fallen as witness Butts Beck which is running full flow. I listened to the Shipping Forecast and there are gale warnings in all sea areas bar four in the SE. The low that's causing this is tracking Eastwards and the pressure is starting to rise but don't start cheering yet. Another deep low is marching in and will be with us on Thursday and don't forget the horrendous forecasts of bad weather coming out of Canada and the US. Plenty of winter weather out there and it gets here eventually. Reports of 100mph+ over the Pennines last night......

[Wendyf]

We didn't get much sleep up here, the noise was horrible. The weather station tells me we had a gust of 68mph but it sounded worse than that.

[Stanley]

And of course apart from the noise you are laid there wondering what, if any damage, is being done but you also know there's no point in getting up to find out. I once lay in bed in the Watermill on Eigg watching the roof going up and down 6". It blew 156mph in the Cairngorms and over 120mph on Tyree that night but in the end we were OK. But an interesting experience!

[plaques]

Took the felting off the summer house. Ah well, another job to add to the list.

[Wendyf]

And of course apart from the noise you are laid there wondering what, if any damage, is being done but you also know there's no point in getting up to find out. I once lay in bed in the Watermill on Eigg watching the roof going up and down 6". It blew 156mph in the Cairngorms and over 120mph on Tyree that night but in the end we were OK. But an interesting experience!

Not long after we moved here we were trying to sleep one very stormy night when there was a crashing noise out the back of the house. Col could see from the window that a scaffolding tower (luckily quite lightweight) had blown over and was resting on the power cable coming into the house. He insisted that we should go out to sort it. I was terrified, not only because of the force of the wind but because I was convinced we would be electrocuted and Colin didn't waste time reassuring me. We managed to lift it off the cable and lay it on the ground ..... and I lived to tell the tale.

[Stanley]

He knew that if there was no discharge to earth when it hit the feed the insulation must have been OK. Mind you, he could have told you!
Yesterday was cold and wet.... At 20:00 we still had a brisk west wind and rain. This morning the moon is clearly visible through very thin overcast, it's windy still and we have light rain. The glass has risen to 985mb but I suspect it will soon fall again. The forecast is simple, rain all day. The wind varies between WSW and S but is never less than brisk. The high is 7C and the low 2C but with a wind chill of around 5C all day so it will feel close to or below freezing except in the middle of the day. Another good day for being indoors....
06:05. We were lucky again. The light rain ceased as we left the house and we have had a dry breezy walk this morning. It was quite pleasant, I have seen much worse. We are having a lull in the weather as the next low moves in. Expect another spell of windy weather.... Take note as well of the unseasonably cold weather in the Southern States of the US.
10:00. Just been out with Jack. The wind has dropped but we have steady cold rain and the green is saturated, standing water on the surface in places... I'm glad we are back indoors.

[Stanley]

Yesterday was another cold wet day on the whole. Occasionally the slates dried out but never for long! At 20:00 last night it was breezy and damp but not actually raining. This morning first thing it was calmer, dry and the thin overcast was broken, thin enough for the moon to be visible, it's the same now but perhaps slightly more overcast. The glass is down slightly at 982mb but tending to rise. The forecast is for a dry overcast day but slightly brighter than yesterday as the cloud cover is thin. The wind is light, variable and swings all round the compass. We will have a high of 4C and a low of 1C with a chill of two or three degrees Centigrade. The outlook is for the colder trend to continue, not surprising if you take note of the US East Coast weather at the moment, hurricane force winds and very cold.
06:45. Back from a pleasant walk. Dry, a light cool breeze and, for the time of year, a very acceptable morning.

[Marilyn]

I compared our weather while you were sleeping.
At 1am it was 1C in Barlick. It was 10.30am here and was 38C and rising. We have ferocious hot winds and it is like a blast furnace outside. Shopping done, we are staying inside for the rest of the day. Any bushfires today will result in a firestorm. There is danger in those hot winds, that change direction every few minutes. We all hold our breath when it's like this.

[Stanley]

And raining lightly as well Maz, no danger of fire! I hope you avoid it and by the way, happy Anniversary....... Hope you enjoyed the prawns.
It was a good day yesterday. Last night at 20:00 it was cool but almost calm, overcast but no rain. This morning we have a light breeze, thin overcast, moon just visible through it and very light rain. The glass has risen to 999mb. The forecast is for the rain to cease shortly and the overcast will start to clear giving us a dry day with some good sunshine. The wind will be a constant moderate NE and the high will be 3C and the low -1C, a frost tonight. This settled colder weather with high pressure is to last for two or three days at least. Wind chill of 5C all day so it will never feel better than -1C. Wrap up warm and get out and walk!

[Stanley]

First thought, be aware that parts of Canada and the US are expecting temperatures of -50C as a low today. Experience tells us that their weather is often an indicator of what is in store for us.
Yesterday was cold but dry and not a bad day at all. At 20:00 it was breezy and cold but dry. This morning first thing we had a clear sky and a frost. There is slightly more overcast now as far as I can see but it's cold. The glass is up with a bang at 1024mb. Listening to the Shipping Forecast, this high still has some legs to it and could reach 1030mb. The forecast is for a bright, dry cold day with plenty of sun. The constant NE wind gives us a high of 3C and a low of -2C. The wind chill will be as much as 5C making it feel well below freezing all day. The outlook is settled.
06:10. A cold walk on a dry morning under thin broken cloud, the moon visible at all times even through the cloud. All untreated surfaces are slippy and even some parts of the roadside where traffic hasn't raised the temperature slightly. Not a soul about, just a few cars..... Still I have had much worse walks in January!

[Stanley]

Yesterday was good, frosty but bright. Last night at 20:00 it was clear, a light east wind and very cold. This morning we have an even harder frost under a brilliant moon. The glass is steady on 1024mb after rising a couple of mb yesterday and during the night. The forecast is almost a carbon copy of yesterday. It will be dry and clear until mid afternoon and then there may be some overcast and even fog. The wind is constant moderate NE swinging to E later in the afternoon. The high is 2C and the low 0C with a severe wind chill of 5 or 6C all day so cold if you are exposed.... Wrap up warm!
06:20. A good walk. Cold but dry and as long as you watched your footing on some surfaces it was OK. The wind has not got up yet and when it does there is a possibility that even treated surfaces might start to ice up. This is already evident in the side streets that are only getting the salt carried in on vehicle wheels. This was a good winter walk!