TODAY'S PENNINE WEATHER

[Stanley]

Going to bed cured the matter. Good sleep and it is now dry but windier. I forgot to mention, I found a pound in a puddle this morning......

[Tripps]

"Southerners - only travel if absolutely necessary.

Northerners - you might need your big coat" .

They've closed the M11 as a hangar roof is coming loose at the Imperial War Museum Duxford, and may blow onto the motorway.

[Stanley]

Wind has dropped here and it's stopped raining for a while. Last night at 20:00 we had wind and light rain. This morning first thing it is colder, less wind and not raining, some breaks appearing in the overcast. The glass yesterday fell to 965mb, it is recovering now, on 976mb and rising. The forecast is for a cloudy day with showers of rain and at times sleet or snow, occasional bright intervals. The constant W/WSW wind is strong, gusting to 50mph at times and gives a high of 4C and a low of 1C with a wind chill of -6C or -7C all day making it feel very cold. Wrap up well!
06:00. I freely admit that we bottled it this morning. We have a strong very cold west wind blowing in heavy showers of hard cold rain, sleet and even hard snow which was heavy enough to start to stick on the wet ground and drift under the walls. It's particularly nasty and soon as Jack had made his morning delivery we turned for home and got back inside as fast as we could. I like exercise but not at any price! Let's hope for something better later!
08:00. Had our second short walk. Very cold and spatters of sleet and hail, glad to be indoors again for breakfast and bed!

[Stanley]

Much better day though cold and wintry at times. At 20:00 the wind had dropped even further, it was dry, broken cloud and cold. First thing this morning it was the same and I have just popped out, we have light sleet and rain falling now. The glass has risen slowly all night and is still rising. We have 988mb. The forecast is not good. broken fast moving weather with a glimpse of the sun occasionally but otherwise rain, sleet, snow and ice all day until 21:00.
The constant west wind is strong all day gusting to 50mph at times giving a high of 3C and a low of 1C with a constant wind chill of -7C all day. The effect of this is that we will be hovering around -5C all day. A good day for being indoors if you can manage it! (Sometimes being old is a big advantage!)
Margaret is in Bali sunning herself. That thought is very attractive!

[Cathy]

I was hoping you would say it was snowing Stanley , pity about the rest of it.
Beautiful day here. 27C with a breeze.

[Stanley]

No Cathy, just nasty cold weather.... Very cold!

[Stanley]

Turned out nice again! Not!! Another short walk this morning, just enough for Jack to empty himself and have a good run and sniff on the Green. We were lucky actually, all we had to contend with was a bitterly cold strong wind and light driving sleet/hail. It is really nasty out there and there is no reason to prolong the agony! Commiserations for anyone working outside today.

[Stanley]

We've had our second walk in wind and driving hard snow/soft hail. Lousy weather.

[plaques]

Covering of snow, not enough to make a decent snowman. Will be leaving the car where it is, not ready to exchange it for a new one yet.

[Stanley]

Sensible decision P. Many a morning in winter I gave myself an extra half hour and waited until the streets were aired!
After yesterday I wouldn't have been surprised to waken to a fall of snow but first thing it was dry, less windy and the moon was clearly visible through the large breaks in the fast moving clouds. It's more overcast now but still dry. The glass is still climbing slowly and is on 1000mb. The forecast is for a mixed day, varying from sunny to heavy wintry showers, these more frequent in the morning. The wind is a constant W/WSW gusting to 40mph and gives a high of 4C and a low of 1C with a -6C wind chill most of the day. Tomorrow and Friday much the same but Saturday and Sunday see another deep Atlantic depression coming in, not as bad as Ciara but significant. It's winter.....
06:05. We went out in a hail shower, deep joy! However that soon stopped and we have had a dry walk apart from a spatter of hail as we got home after our normal Valley Gardens walk. The lull was due to a big clear gap in the heavy ragged cloud coming in from the West. Clear sight of moon and stars but they are hidden again now. According to the Met Office it is -4C in the strong wind and I'll believe them. However we had a full Mother Russia rug up and my head was sweating when we came in. So, toasty and Jack is dry. This is a good walk in weather like this.

[Stanley]

Cold mixed weather yesterday, very cold wind, showers of graupel and sunny intervals. Never a dull moment! At 20:00 the sky was clear and it was cold and dry with a light breeze. First thing this morning it is cold, overcast and we had light rain/Sleet. I've just looked outside and we have steady light rain and a light breeze. The glass has fallen to 985mb. The forecast is for wintry showers until about 07:00 and then overcast for the rest of the day. The wind starts as a moderate Southerly but around 11:00 backs to a light NW breeze giving a high of 5C and a low of 1C with a -5C wind chill for the early part of the day making it feel very cold, as low as -4C at the moment. The NW wind being lighter gives a wind chill of about -3C later. It's February and it's winter!
06:05. When we went out this morning I was entertaining a short walk so as not to unduly punish either of us but the wind was very light and so was the rain so we had the full Valley Gardens Walk. 100% overcast, light rain and not much wind but very cold. Full Mother Russia so once again warm as toast and Jack is feeling no pin. A bit of a let off I reckon!

[Stanley]

A better day eventually yesterday with sun in the afternoon. At 20:00 it was clear, cold and dry, what little wind there was was from the North. First thing this morning it was calm, dry and high very thin mist giving the moon a halo. Still the same, very light overcast. The glass is up and steady on 1008mb. The forecast is dry with bright overcast until 13:00 when we will have a spell of heavy rain followed by showers until evening. The wind has swung out of the north and will be a constant brisk southerly gusting at times to 40mph giving a high this afternoon of 9C and a low of 4C with a wind chill that starts at -2C and gets to -5C at times in the early afternoon. The outlook for the weekend is another storm coming in giving us some very heavy rain at times but warmer with it. The message is if you are doing anything outside, get it done this morning!
06:30. A decent walk. Light frost, calm and very thin overcast, the moon clearly visible through it. A deceptively quiet start on a day that we know is a brewing day for what is to come over the weekend.

[Cathy]

You might not see this Stanley, but just a question...Would you get out of bed and go on these very early morning walks if you didn’t have Jack?

[Stanley]

I often ask that question myself Cathy and the answer is that I think I would because I am convinced that that early morning exercise and breathing good fresh air is a major contribution to my health. But it would mean a supreme effort of will and Jack makes that easy for me. That's why when Jack shuffles off he will be replaced immediately by another Personal Fitness Trainer!
Yesterday was another acceptable day apart from a wet early afternoon walk. at 20:00 we had a mainly clear sky, dry and a very light wind. Same first thing this morning. The glass is down slightly at 1001mb and falling rapidly. The forecast is for the rain associated with storm Dennis to arrive at around 08:00 and persist all day, we are promised 'biblical' amounts so the aim is to get my first two walks in before then. The S/WSW wind starts light but soon gains strength and becomes strong with gusts of over 50mph by evening and overnight giving a high of 11C and a low of 5C with -4C wind chill all day. The wind and heavy rain will persist into tomorrow morning when the rain eases but we keep the wind. That weather spills over into Tuesday as well. A rough weekend and anywhere prone to flooding is likely to get it worse than last weekend. There must be a lot of worried people this morning. We are lucky of course being high on the watershed but spare a thought for those who don't have our advantage. (Crossed fingers for Wendy up on the hill!)
05:40. The first part of our cunning scheme has gone well, we've had a dry early walk round Valley Gardens. Light breeze, mild, broken overcast with the moon popping through occasionally. It is dry. Next phase is to get a second walk in before the rain starts, probably about 07:30. I doubt if we can avoid the rain this afternoon! So far so good!

[Stanley]

We've executed the second part of the cunning plan. I have been keeping an eye on the weather, the overcast has thickened, the wind was starting to include some fretful little gusts and at 07:30 a few isolated drops of rain fell. So we went out and we have had our second short walk. Jack did his part, he gave me a second delivery and had a good run and several pees. So we are back inside, not raining yet but we may have managed our job well. Now I'm warm and dry inside, just about to have breakfast and watching to see if we were right and rain is imminent.

[Wendyf]

No rain yet, morning walk acheived without major waterproofing. My cunning plan is to keep the ponies inside today and probably tomorrow. The wind is mainly southerly again, which gives us shelter but drives the heavy rain into places it doesnt normally go.

[Stanley]

It's just starting here, big heavy drops slanting in from the SW.

[Big Kev]

It's just started over here in Chorley too

[Stanley]

I realised this morning that after 20 hours of constant rain I have the same small leak in the kitchen window head. It has been noted and will be dealt with!
You all know what yesterday was like.... At 20:00 it was mild, a light breeze and constant rain. First thing this morning it was the same, very mild and steady serious rain, there has been no change since, it is still the same. The glass is down to just over 973mb. The forecast is for the rain to ease around 07:00 then a clear spell with broken cloud and some sun until nightfall when light rain will come in again. The constant SW wind is strong with gusts up to 50mph all day giving a high of 7C and a low of 3C with a wind chill of -5C all day rising at times later to -6C.
So, another cold and mainly wet day.
Deep Joy!
05:30. No cunning plan this morning, I decided it was best to bite the bullet and have a short walk now and top up later when the rain has stopped. So, we went out early and as soon as Jack had achieved his first substantial delivery we turned for home and I let him loose on the Green to have a good sniff and empty his bladder. He is rubbed down and sausaged and is feeling no pain. As for the weather, a very fretful strong wind with violent gusts and we still have heavy constant rain. A horrible morning and no qualms about shortening the walk.
07:00. Far from stopping, the rain at the moment is heavier than ever and the wind is worse.
By 07:15 the rain had ceased and the sky is brightening.

[Big Kev]

I realised this morning that after 20 hours of constant rain I have the same small leak in the kitchen window head. It has been noted and will be dealt with!

I have the same, I believe I have identified the source. The mastic seal around the upstairs window above is failing and the rain is being driven underneath, it's finding it's way down to the top of the window below...

[Stanley]

I suspect mine will be the same reason Kev.
We've just had our second walk which is a big improvement on what we had earlier. The clouds have broken and clear patches are blowing in. It;s stopped raining and in places the flags are drying. But that wind is strong and cold, I'll believe the forecast of up to -6C wind chill, nice to be back indoors!

[Whyperion]

Last Sunday's trip to Stockport was relatively uneventful from Ciara, except for a tree blown down near Victoria Coach Station- which diverted my local bus and I had to walk back to the Coach station rather than being dropped outside, earlier in the day the wind had meant I had difficulty walking in the Wind, I understand a jet stream location and strength may be driving the last few and upcoming storms, early forecasts for Ciara had been unusual with the weather fronts being more horizontal across the UK, in the end they became more normal north to south ones, with the low pressure to the north giving a number of more southerly/ WSW winds, which have been warmish for the time of year, and resulting in the rain. Dennis' winds caused disruption in London last night, a house recently (last year) had a loft extension- I dont know what the ridge tiles were affixed down with but they were off this morning and the householder had swept them into his driveway - at one time ridge timbers used to be substantial and the tiles often a heavy concrete when stone was not used nowadays buildings seem to be lighterweight materials. A couple of fences too, one on the council estate which (and I have a long list that I need to do for a political meeting ), that should have been aware was not in a safe condition having been erected in the wrong way anyway. Wind has dropped and its back to persistent rain. noted on the tv news this lunchtime flooding in Nantgarw and Pontypridd, both places I have worked around which I dont recall being on the highlighted national warnings last night ( but might have been for locals but they appeared unprepared compared to the West Yorkshire locations ). News also reported its the highest number of weather warnings for England since they started being reported in recent times.

[Tripps]

Storm Dennis has done its worst, and is calming down a bit. Not much damage here. Most of the fences still standing - just this bit to be pushed back in. . . .

Fence 2020.jpg

[Stanley]

Yesterday we had a sunny afternoon but a very strong, cold wind, the -6C estimate was right I reckon. Last night at 20:00 it was dry but breezy and cold, this morning the wind is howling even in the relative shelter of the back street. Strongest we have had. I'll bet Wendy and Col are feeling it up on the hill. The glass got down to 980mb yesterday but is on 988mb this morning. The forecast is for a relatively dry day with perhaps light showers and sunny intervals. The story today is the wind, a constant violent WSW gusting to 60mph at the moment but gradually easing slightly all day. The high will be 7C and the low 2C with a chill of up to -7C depending on the wind strength. A good day for writing!
05:45. A surprisingly pleasant walk! It's dry apart from a spatter of rain when we were close to home. The wind is violent at times but we appeared to hit a lull and of course in the town there's a lot of shelter. So not a bad walk, we did Valley Gardens of course this morning and Butts Beck is back to a normal heavy flow, being close to the moor it reacts quickly to the weather.
I see the Village Pizzeria is open again, they must have been redecorating.

[Cathy]

Gosh, it sounds like you are all really being put thru it. Take Care Everyone.