Foul weather

Hi Bluebelle, I'm from Suffolk too - clue in the name - and near me in Snape and along the coast, it was really bad flooding a couple of weeks ago. I count myself lucky we live up a hill, not right by the crumbling coast. But of course, ditches can still flood etc. The horrible thing about flooding, it takes months sometimes for it all to dry out, and people able to go back home. I was dreading another power loss over Christmas, but we were lucky this time.

Have bought my OH a proper old working oil lamp for Christmas, gives out a good light and heat, so next time we're off for a couple of days, we'll have some good lighting at least.

The paraffin for oil lamps cost a fortune now. It was a great same that the flooding in the East of England was ignored. Like recent flooding in Yalding. It did not get any help until Cameron visited then all of a sudden everyone turned up and had some sort of pathetic apology why they were not available before.
The wind has still not reduced. Hope it does soon but the rain is stopping.

Wet and windy again today. Was taking the bag from the kitchen bin out to the dustbin, just as I got outside the door the damn bag burst, and there was I, in the wind and pouring rain, picking up all the manky horrid stuff, and getting soaked and cold into the bargain. Not a good start to the day.

A tiny bit brighter at the moment, after torrential rain yesterday. Still lots of flood warnings for the south west..

So glad for some sun. And so lucky here. Commiserations to everyone having problems because of the weather!

Actually put some washing outside for a bit. It didn't dry much, but I always like to put it in the fresh air!

A very high tide today in N Wales. Apparently spring tides are at an 18 year high today and tomorrow. Spectacular here - made eye contact with a slightly surprised looking seal as it shot the rapids through the bridge as the tide started to drop. It is even higher than the storm surge a few weeks ago.
Can't understand why the PM said we were "looking to experience" these high tides today - "expecting" would have been better but actually "we are going to have them" would have been made it clear to people.
Isaac Newton was the first person to do the equations to work out the tide tables and there have been a few improvements in the calculations since. Anyone with a tide tables spreadsheet could have told him a few years ago exactly how high the tides would be at an date in the future and at exactly what times.

What on earth do we expect it is WINTER. Does'nt it always have storms in the winter. Everything is hyped up in the media and theyre all being hysterical. What a fuss

Well, yes, the media again. Same with snow.

BUT, here in Devon, living with the storms, it really is quite serious, and is the same in Cornwall. These are storms the like of which I have never seen. (Suppose I am being anecdotal.....)

Nothing like we've experienced Cactus in the last 60 years These are not normal winter storms well they might be where you are living but not where I am The last time we had to rescue people was 1953 nothing like normal

The last three winters have been exceptionally cold and snowy cactus60. Notable for their lack of Atlantic storms. This one is exceptionally rich in Atlantic storms and no fun at all for those whose homes and businesses are at risk of flooding. The unusual height of the spring tides is an unfortunate co-incidence. Something to do with the angle between the earth and the moon apparently.
I can see why people get weather-news weary though with the Express running shock weather headlines every few days.

Actually winter is not necessarily connected with gales and storms, unlike the Spring and Autumn equinoxes. Cowering under the duvet in Dorset and Somerset these last has not been my usual NY experience.

Cactus I cannot remember such severe gales and floods as we have had in the last few years. The serious storm surge flooding in the North sea coasts in early December was the worst for 60 years. I

I have lived where I am now for 26yrs and there was hardly any snow until the two bitterly snowy winters of 09/10. For several years now we have had. what is for the UK, some exceptionally extreme weather.

I have been told that the jet stream is responsible for this series of storms as it was for our hot summer. It's in an unusual position which brings cyclonic conditions across the Atlantic. Snow in the eastern US falls as heavy rain here because the influence of the ocean warms the air. I think...

yup and it was also responsible for the cold in previous winters. All linked in to the changes in the Arctic which are encouraging the jet stream to become more stable than it used to be - once it gets in a certain pattern it is staying there for longer giving us same old weather for weeks or months on end. It basically drives what is happening in the Atlantic - it is the big energy transfer mechanism.
I am picking up more of this oceanography stuff now that DH is back into it - one thing i learned this week is that the highest spring tides are a day or two after the new moon and not exactly on the new moon. And also this nodal thing that makes the current tides highest for 18 yrs (he just threw that in casually this morning as i noted not only the car park but the big rocks around it were submerged)

The film I saw today of the tides in Perranporth were far worse than anything I remember when we lived in Cornwall. There was the occasion about 25 to 30 years ago when two policemen were swept into the sea at Porthleven and drowned, but that was very much a one off.

Genuine sympathy for anybody suffering storm /flooding damage at this time.

I have to comment on the stupidity of people however. Don't the b----y idiots who think they can take little notice of warnings and not do everything to protect their homes deserve what they get. Unbelievable attitude by some residents interviewed on t.v. As for those who think they are immune to sudden rush of water and place themselves in harms way, well words just fail me.

I get so cross that fools put our emergency service personnel in danger by being so idiotic. Should be ashamed of themselves, what is the point of 'sight seeing' or trying to get a photo and not returning home to your family.

Not to mention the reporter on the Scottish News who was standing IN the flood water, next to the sea front at Ardrossan excitedly telling us that the storm surge was due in the next 5 or 10 minutes. 10 minutes later he was back on, standing in the same spot (with presumably his camera person). He sounded very disappointed that no surge had actually materialized.

We are confined to the lounge room, husband, dog and I. The weather is just too awful to venture anywhere else - and dangerous if I stay out any length of time. But I have to water my plants or they'll die.

It is 43 degrees celsius in central Ipswich, Queensland. Australia but my suburb is always hotter, AND in a rain shadow, so we get a lot less rain than is forecast.

We have aircon in the lounge room and bedroom - heaven knows how we'd manage without it. I dread the electricity bill though.One year, in the times past when aircon was an unaffordable luxury, we had a similar heatwave, so the only way to survive at home was to shower fully clothed, then sit on a towel in front of the fan. Repeat as needed.

Rain and lower temps are forecast for tomorrow. I'll believe it when I see it. Our government (right-wing of course) is in denial about global warming even though Australian temps were up 1.2% last year. They've cancelled an anti-pollution tax, the carbon tax, in the spirit of 'bugger science, only profit matters.'

Oh well, I guess they have terrific air conditioning in parliament house and their own posh homes.

Does it stay that hot at night too, joan? Got temps like that in Thailand and I worked in schools with no air-con, no fans even. Got very good at finding the draughtiest place in classrooms! At night it would drop to mid-twenties, which felt quite cool by comparison, but which I'd find hot in Scotland. Always v humid in Thailand, which makes one feel it more, i think.

MrBags said when he was in India the only way he could get to sleep was have a cool shower and wrap a wet sarong around him. If he got to sleep before the sarong dried, he was OK. Otherwise it was rinse and repeat...

Hope you cool down soon.

It usually drops at night, but last night it didn't drop much. Tomorrow it will not be anywhere near as bad - max 33 min 21 if the forecast is right.

Yes, without aircon it is back to wearing wet clothes in front of the fan. Trouble is, the cold shower is never cold at times like this; it is warmer than lukewarm. And you have to be careful watering the garden - you have to spray the concrete until the hot water from the hose is gone. If you forget, you scald your plants to death.

Oh joan that sounds grim. And humid with it in Queensland. I was shocked to realise that there and vulnerable people in AUs who cannot afford air-conditioning. in a rich country like Australia.
Granny23 what a plonker. Obviously thought a storm surge was something like a mini tsunami, rather than a higher than average tide. When we had the early Dec surge here a neighbour put out a marker in his garden, which was getting flooded, at the moment when the tide should have started falling. It carried on rising for another 40 minutes. That is a good illustration of what a storm surge is like.

People without air con usually spend days like today in shopping centres, the ones with covered car parks, enjoying free air conditioning. Many go to the air conditioned cinemas, or to a local swimming pool.

I watered my vegetables three times today, but I think some Chinese cabbages have died.

Heat is very draining. We were in France in 1990 when the temperature reached 40s, no air con in the villa. We spent an entire day sitting in the swimming pool with all the parasols lined up to give us some shade. When the storm came we rushed out in the hope of cooling off but the rain was like a warm shower. I remember the news reports and them asking to go and check on elderly.

Another stormy front - wind and rain in N wales already. Grim winter for many people. Tides continue to be exceptionally high.

It is a wild night down here, with lots of flooding and defences down on the actual coast. The house is feeling batters once again.