Kiwi

Sadly it also looks like Irma will also directly hit the British Virgin Islands (In particular Virgin Gorda ...Richard B hunkered down on Necker Is and also Tortola, where family friends and godparents to our children live) https://radar.weather.gov/radar.php?rid=jua

Not good. Is Mar-a-lago in the firing line??

You wouldn't think there was a hurricane bearing down on this idyllic spot. Live webcam from outside the Soggy Dollar Bar, Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands. http://www.soggydollar.com/webcam v concerned about our friends who live on the neighbouring island of Tortola, their house is perched right on top of a large hill outside Road Town.

Torrential rain and v spectacular lightning here near Basingstoke. Best I've seen for years. Sorry!

First rumble of thunder here in north Hampshire.

Some interesting isolated hefty showers traveling up from the south west. Currently over Cotswolds/Gloucester. Also some over Dorset. Will anything come of these?

Bay of Plenty area looking wet and windy overnight thanks to Cyclone Cook. A state of emergency is in place in Bay of Plenty and the Thames-Coromandel District. http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/328715/live-cyclone-cook-bears-down-on-nz http://blog.metservice.com/CyloneCookUpdate13April

Incredible photos ...damn hard to photograph glowworms in the pitch darkness!! I was down the caves in Waitomo in December (lots of different caves in the area)......but my photos bear very little resemblance to the stunning photography here!

Sidney had better not be counting his chickens, or mallards for that matter.....plenty of time for that special snowy surprise yet;

and here ...about 30 mins ago. Odd.....

Snowing here for the last 20 minutes in north Hampshire. Starting to lay on parked cars.

Very pleasant weather at the moment here close to Whangarei Heads. A bit of rain tomorrow might encourage me to focus on some Christmas shopping! The run up into Christmas looks to be largely fine with temps around 24c, but uncertainty re cloud cover. Hoping for a sunny Christmas Day for the BBQ and to appreciate the stunning views from the house we're renting. Anyway, the sun is shining now so best make the most of it for the next 10 days or so before our return to the gloomy Brit winter. "Will it snow at Heathrow on 31 Dec?!"

7.1 quake, depth 19 miles.....just off the NE coast of New Zealand's North Island. Nearest towns are Gisborne, Whakatane and Tauranga/Mt Maunganui (kiwi sis lives here). No major damage reported in these cities and luckily the region closest to the epicentre is sparsely populated. Civil Defence have issued a Tsunami warning for the Bay of Plenty area "The Ministry of Civil Defence & Emergency Management (MCDEM) has issued a tsunami warning for East Coast of the North Island (including Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty) and Upper South Island.Confirmation has been received that a tsunami was generated at East Cape. A wave height measuring 30cm was measured at East Cape a short time ago.The first tsunami activity has arrived. Tsunami activity will continue for several hours and the threat must be regarded as real until this warning is cancelled.People in the above/ coastal areas should:1. Stay out of the water (sea, rivers and estuaries, including boating activities) 2. Stay off beaches and shore areas 3. Do not go sightseeing 4. Share this information with family, neighbours and friends 5. Listen to the radio and/or TV for updates 6. Follow instructions of local civil defence authorities"

Good to get a "heads up" from our Nathan. time to dig out my winter wardrobe and prep the flood defences then.

First long rumble of thunder here in North Hampshire at 4.35pm.

That could mess up the ski season for Whakapapa and Turoa! (Due to open in about 7 weeks) http://www.mtruapehu.com/ Both are on Ruapehu and offer some very good skiing.....though don't expect lava would do much for the pistes. When I've skied there I've always been conscious of the volcanic alarm tests though never been wholly convinced by the advice...... "move to higher ground and out of the valleys"

Beautiful day in the Cairngorms on Sunday 24th April.......lots of snow up Ben Macdui on the Saturday with blizzard conditions at times, but unfortunately couldn't see much. Sunday however and we headed up Braeriach in fabulous weather with views down to Aonach Mor and across to Glen Shiel. Even got myself a sun tan! Lots of snow about and seems that lots more will be falling up there this week.

Toursits banned from hiking on Fox and Franz Josef glaciers in NZ. They're melting so quickly that they're now considered dangerous. http://mashable.com/2016/03/16/new-zealand-glacier-hikes/#mRUyouhTsuqE

Caught on car dashcam https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/aberdeenshire/848867/video-dramatic-moment-huge-white-flash-captured-car-dashcam-sky-aberdeenshire/

I see that Knocker is protecting his daffodils by citing the "M4 clause" in his post on the model thread. "The ecm is showing quite significant snowfalls north of a line Bristol to London through Thursday/Friday as the depression travels SE. "

Death toll in Fiji from Winston now stands at 42....and expected to rise as some remote islands have still not been contacted. http://www.radionz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/297310/fiji-death-toll-from-winston-rises-to-42

http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/world/297265/homes,-crops-hit-in-fiji's-yasawa-islands

Updated information re severe impact of Winston on Fiji http://fijivillage.com/news-feature/Centre-of-Severe-Tropical-Cyclone-Winston-exits-Viti-Levu-over-the-Nadi-area-k59rs2/

Ok.....so the sweet spot must be the central reservation and inside carriageways of the M4 .......and narrowing things down even further I'd have thought the services at Membury would be a good bet. Forewarned is forearmed ! http://www.motorwaycameras.co.uk/choosecarriageway/?motorway=m4