Milli Bar

Seemed more like little seeds or seed cases when I picked some up.

Not sure if I’m adding picture correctly, but yes, it was me with the black bits falling with the ice pellets. Very odd. I’ll head into the village tomorrow to see how widespread they are.

I’m near the Somerset Levels and after fine powdery snow all day I also now have the ice crystals, and things generally seem a bit melty and drippy outside. The weirdest thing is though that since it’s changed to this I’m getting black bits falling too, so my white snow is heavily speckled. I’ve had a look and it seems like little seeds or seed cases. Anyone else getting this? It’s out the front and back of my house.

Even closer than the IOW was getting a battering. I live a few miles from Yeovilton which recorded a gust of 77mph and I can confirm the winds were incredibly strong. I've just been outside fixing guttering and air vents that had got blown out, trying to salvage the parts of my gas bbq strewn across the lawn, locating my anemometer that got ripped from the shed roof and failing to find part of the shed roof- who knows where that ended up. The noise from the wind at about 4:30 woke me- it was so loud! But the worst only lasted for maybe 4 or 5 minutes with the very very worst probably less than a minute.

Was crazy here. Never seen anything like it. The weird thing is that the worst of the damage in my garden seems to have been caused by winds blowing from an easterly direction- the heaviest things, like the 87kg bbq (r.i.p), were tossed due west! I also can't get over the big changes in pressure as the strongest winds hit. I was too busy freaking out slightly to look at my barometer for the couple of minutes the winds were their most ridiculous, but straight after the pressure was about 977 and then had risen to 982 within 15 mins or so. If only my anemometer hadn't been blown away I imagine I would have got some amazing gust readings! 2 trees down on my road. Edit: I think my barometer reads high.

Sounds of chainsaws filling the morning air...

Not that I'm taking this personally, but now it's light I can see chaos in my garden and a smashed greenhouse in the garden behind, but either side of me have trampolines that don't appear to have budged an inch. Hmm.

Having had it pass over me I couldn't agree more. It is nothing like the winds that come before or after. Secure everything now, even things you think are too heavy to be moved by the wind. My bbq (r.i.p) weighs 87kg and was picked up and tossed across the garden. The winds were unbelievable, the worst I've ever seen. Quite frightening. I just can't imagine what is going to happen if that continues across the country into rush hour. Be careful people.

Yes, if that was the front passing over rather than a localised event then there is likely worse to come for many. We weren't forecast to get that here. It has really died down now. Still windy with gusts but not howling. Pressure up 10mb in an hour.

According to met office site there were 75mph gusts at 5am here! That was just after the worst of the winds too. Crazy this far inland.

Met O have just released 5am data on their site and it was gusting at 75mph here! That was about 15 mins after the winds reached their peak!! We were only forecast to have about 55mph this far inland! No wonder there was so much chaos in my garden.

Thanks for that link, that data is from just after the winds struck, but it says the winds were coming from the west- my bbq (r.i.p) got blown towards the west. Also my barometer's been reading higher than local readings, but at that point read much lower than the link suggests. I can only describe the wind strength here as anemometer destroying so can't compare that. I think that station is about 7 miles from me. What could make its readings so different? Pressure is still rising- up to 987 by my readings. Up 8 in less than an hour and winds continue to gust but nothing spectacular.

You could be right, it looks like the temperature has dropped about 3 degrees in an hour as well.

There was a massive pressure change too from 979 just after the crazy winds passed, up to 986 now! All in about 20 mins. (It was/is probably lower than that- my barometer has been reading a bit high) Probably my bbq. Gutted! Brand new and lying in bits.

Judging by comparisons to a local airport yesterday I think my barometer reads too high, but it currently reads 986 and winds are strong but not ridiculous. 20 mins ago after I got in following all hell breaking loose it read 979. What would cause such a difference and would that have caused the crazy winds? There was no rain at the time.