Winter 2016/17

[PanBiker]

Autumn is officially over it's the Winter Solstice today.

Autumn has been kind in the main lets see what Winter can bring.

[Stanley]

Yesterday was slightly better than my pessimistic forecast. The Met Office site was back up by dinnertime. Last night at 21:00 it overcast, dry and a stronger colder wind. This morning it is still breezy and we have light cold rain. The glass is down again at 1005mb. The forecast is for it to dry up until 10:00 when we shall have rain for the remainder of the daylight hours. The high is 6C and the low 3C tonight but it will never feel better than 1C because of the brisk, constant SW wind. This wind is going to be a feature of the weather until Boxing day as the Atlantic Lows come through.
07:00.Back in after a colder walk, scarf on for the first time for a while. The brisk SW wind cuts right through you. The good thing is that it is dry, the cloud is thinning and the crescent moon is peeping through. This could well be the pattern of the weather over Xmas.....

[Whyperion]

Yesterday seemed dark, but no rain . Today the clouds seem lighter shade, but its raining

Rain just chucked down, wind picked up, think its going to blow hard and blustery as pressure changes thru the day. Chilly but tolerable in Burnley, just glad got a fair amount of stuff outside done yesterday

[Moh]

We went to do our dry goods shopping early so when the rain came we were back home - just the meat and bread to get on Friday.

[Whyperion]

By the afternoon it cleared up a bit, sunshine through the front window and the odd patch of blue sky.

[Stanley]

The forecast got the cold rain right yesterday.... At 21:00 last night it was horrible, heavy cold rain on a strong breeze. This morning it's dry and the cloud has odd breaks in it but there is a fresh cold breeze. The glass has risen to a shade over 1014mb. The forecast is for a mixed bag of weather, overcast generally but sunny spells and showers at the same time mid-morning to early afternoon. The high is 6C and the low tonight 4C but the SW wind is constant and strong at times which will give a significant wind chill, it will feel cold so wrap up!

[Cathy]

Our forecast here in SA is for 38 - 41C for Christmas Day.
We have a Total Fire ban and have been told that only electric or gas bbq's can be used.
It's a definite No for webers, braziers, pizza ovens or rotisserie spits.

[Stanley]

What's a 'weber' Cathy?

We are back from our walk. Dry and the sky is clearing, we have a bright crescent moon and some stars. However, that wind is cruel, thin and lazy, it would far rather go through you than round! Definitely below freezing with the chill, I had more skins on than and Onion! (My mate Sarah tells me they had over 40C in Perth yesterday....)

[Cathy]

Weber refurbished grills for sale _ Best Charcoal and Gas Grills ___.jpg

A weber is a bbq. Very popular here.

[Moh]

It was -3 when we went down Burnley at 9.am

[Stanley]

Thanks Cathy.....
Yes Moh, that wind chill was bitter! I noticed the heating working harder yesterday as well, it was a cold day and wet at times. At 21:00 last night the sky was mostly clear and still a cold breeze. Same this morning and it's dry. The glass is up slightly again at a shade under 1019mb. The forecast is for it to be dry and overcast until noon when we shall have rain that will persist all afternoon and start to clear up around teatime, by late tonight it will be clear again. The theoretical high is 9C and a low of 4C tonight. The main feature of the day will be the strong west or SW wind all day which will give a significant wind chill, never warmer than 5C and below freezing later tonight. Further North the wind is serious..... I hear on the shipping forecast that there are gales in all areas and some as bad as Force 12 hurricane in the far north. There will be a respite tomorrow but expect the same again on Xmas Day as another low comes in from the Atlantic.
We were back home from the butcher's at 07:00 after a dry walk. The sky has cleared enough for the crescent moon to be visible but that wind is brisk and very cold. Once more it cut through you like a knife if you hadn't enough skins on! Only some sprouts to buy now. My wrap up will be delivered tomorrow afternoon and who knows what delights will be in there.....

[Moh]

Managed to get to the butchers and bakers before wind got strong and the rain came down - began about 10am here in Burnley but our daughter rang at noon from the Ribble Valley where they have gone for their firms Xmas 'do' and they had no rain there.

[Tizer]

It's a heavy overcast all day here in Somerset and with the clouds racing across the sky. Mild at 11C but mostly dry. We're promised 14C for Christmas Day!

[Stanley]

Tizer, yesterday developed into a horrible day in the late afternoon. At 16:00 sheets of rain were blasting us in the strong wind, bursting off the roofs like sea spray when it hit the slates.... Dry but windy at 21:00 with a clearing sky. This morning it's dry, cold and a mostly clear sky with a strong west wind. The glass dropped like a stone to below 1000mb at teatime but has recovered, is climbing and is on 1012mb this morning. The forecast is for a very mixed day, it will start as bright overcast with good breaks that could give some sun but always the chance of a quick shower. By late morning it will be closing in and the forecast for the rest of the day is a high probability of heavy rain. The theoretical temperature is 7c for the high and the low tonight. Again, the main feature is the constant, strong and gusty WSW wind which will chill us down to near freezing all day. We're lucky, the wind is again far stronger north of us. Another low will hit us during the night and Xmas Day looks like theoretically mild at 11C but very wet and windy.
Later at 06:35. We've had a dark, cold walk with occasional spatters of cold rain. Not a nice morning..... It's warm in here!
08:30. Still dark. Windy and raining. I'm glad I don't have to be out in it....

[Stanley]

Not a nice day at all yesterday. Windy and wet at 21:00 last night. The Shipping forecast warns of hurricane force winds in several Northern sea areas as storm Connor roars in the the north of the Isles. We will feel the overspill from this. The glass is down slightly at a shade under 1010mb. The forecast is dead simple. A high probability of rain all day brought in on a strong and gusty WSW wind. Theoretical high of 11C and a low tonight of 3C. There is a possibility that the record high of 15.6C for Xmas day will be broken somewhere in the South. Weird weather caused by Connor dragging warm air up from the Azores.... Further north, as the low passes it will start bringing down colder Arctic air and there could be snow but it will not get down as far as us.
07:00. We were lucky and had a dry walk. Not a lot to report apart from the fact that the wind is strengthening and is very mild. When I was coming back home I thought I heard a wagon as I was crossing the road but it was a gust of wind roaring in the trees down towards Gisburn. There are some strong gusts. Didn't see a soul on the streets......

[Stanley]

As yesterday wore on it became colder and more wet. At 21:00 it was windy, cold and a hard rain. This morning I opened the back door at 03:00 and the flags were dry but there was a stiff breeze. Within less than five minutes, as Jack was having his morning pee, the heavens opened and we had heavy cold rain and hail. Two hours later it is drying up and there must be breaks in the cloud because I can briefly see the odd star. The glass surprised me by being up at 1015mb, this figures because a high pressure system to the South is pushing up against the latest storm in the North. The forecast is for it to clear and we are promised full sun all day from 09:00 onwards. It is much colder, the wind is gusty and at the moment from the NW but will settle down mostly to a strong and gusty westerly, tending to the north if anything. The theoretical high is 5C with a low of 4C tonight but the wind chill will make it feel like freezing all day. The message is wrap up warm! Listening to the shipping forecast, winds in the North touching force 12 hurricane again.
06:15. Back in the warm after our walk. It was clearing and dry when we set off but we soon had light rain and hail which accompanied us all the way round. Not heavy but enough to make it verge on slippy underfoot. The feature of the weather is the wind, a strong breeze with fierce gusts and it is cold enough to nip your ears. It remains to be seen whether the forecast of clear skies and sun will hold after dawn, we could do without a day like it is at the moment.

[Stanley]

Funny thing but I can't remember what the weather was like yesterday.... At 21:00 it was clear, dry, calm and cold. This morning first thing it was calm, dry and cold. We've had our walk and it's the same now, plenty of stars visible and the Council have salted the main roads, I think they were expecting a frost, it's close to it. The glass is up with a bang at 1035mb. The southern high pressure zone has reached us, still stormy further north and snow forecast. The Barlick forecast is for a dry, bright day with sunny spells. The theoretical high is 6C and the low tonight -1C. There will be a constant light WSW breeze and the wind chill will take us down to near freezing. Good weather considering what is happening further North.

[Stanley]

Yesterday wasn't as bright as the forecast suggested. We are on the cusp here in the foothills of the Pennines and I suspect we were getting West Coast weather. This morning it is crystal clear, calm and a hard frost. The glass rose yesterday to 1037mb and has held that all night, the continental high is evidently well established. The forecast is for a dry and mainly clear day with good spells of sun. The wind is very light and variable and is mainly from the southern quarter. The theoretical high is 3C and -1C tonight. Though light, the breeze will give us a wind chill and it will never feel warmer that 1C. Healthy weather as my mother used to tell me!
06:30. A bracing walk I think! Very cold but thank god the wind is light, if there had been any it would have been bitter. I've seen worse in late December.

[Moh]

Very wet weather in Australia - Oluru park closed because of waterfalls down the rock!

[Stanley]

I think it was colder in Barlick yesterday than the forecast 3C as the white frost persisted all day wherever the sun couldn't reach, we have another hard frost this morning. Th glass was steady all day but has fallen to 1030mb this morning. The forecast is for a bright cold day until early afternoon with a persistent frost. Then the very light wind will become a little stronger from the SW and this will raise the temperature a bit. The theoretical high is 3C and the low tonight 2C but it will never feel warmer that 2C. A quiet cold day......
06:30. Back from another bracing walk! Calm,very cold and the untreated surfaces and cars have a thick covering of frost and are slippy. I notice that the glass is slowly falling....

[Moh]

Beautiful winter's day - people were eating outside at the Pendle Inn in Barley.

[Stanley]

The thing that struck me was the clear sky and the fact it was daylight until 16:00 when it got dark very quickly.
Not as cold this morning. It was warming up slightly at 21:00 last night and unless I am mistaken the light breeze seemed to be in the East. The glass has dropped slightly to 1027.5mb. The forecast is for a generally overcast day with the slight chance of light rain almost any time. The expected high is 8C and the low tonight 7C, all due to the influence of the moderate SW wind.
Later.... A completely uneventful walk on a mild, calm dry morning. According to the forecast this is what we will have all day. Not exciting but very acceptable!

[Moh]

A lovely dark red sunrise this morning - beware!!

[Stanley]

The worst we had was a light misty mizzle Moh. Much warmer. At 21:00 last night it was overcast and misty. This morning it's dry, mild and there is a fresh breeze bring in broken cloud. The glass is down slightly at 1024mb. The forecast is a re-run of yesterday, Overcast all day with a slight chance of light rain any time until later tonight when we could have a short spell of heavier rain. The wind is constant from the SW and will be a brisk breeze. The theoretical high is 8C and the low tonight 2C. The wind chill will be constant also and make it feel like no better than 4C all day. If we follow the recent trend, it will be brighter than the forecast suggests. Noticeable how the days are lengthening, even with the overcast it was light until 16:00. Very welcome!
We were back home at 06:30 after a pleasant walk on a mild morning round a totally deserted town. The cloud is breaking and I think that perhaps my prediction of a brighter day than the forecast might be true.

[Stanley]

It was brighter yesterday than expected. By afternoon there were breaks in the cloud but no sun. Late last night it was dry, breezy and cold after rain. This morning first thing it was cold and raining and it is the same as I write. The glass is down to 1012mb. The forecast is that the rain will cease shortly and after that we will have a dry day with sunny spells. The main feature of the weather today is that the wind is already swinging into the North as the rain eases and will strengthen to a moderate breeze as the day progresses. This is going to mean a sharp drop in temperature, today's theoretical high is 4C and a low tonight of -1C, however the wind chill will make it feel colder and it will be effectively below freezing all day. The New Year is bringing winter in with it!
06:30. Back in the warm after a dark, damp cold walk. But we were lucky, the rain stopped just as we went out and the wind has not started to strengthen yet so we were spared. My rain gauge in Butts tells me that we had quite a lot of rain last night, there is a good flow over the cill of the dam this morning.... No doubt about it, there is a change in the weather. I couldn't see clearly but I have an idea that the cloud is thinning.