Chris Smith

I'm thinking - powerful zonal jet for the foreseeable. Brief chilly intrusions. Lots of rain and wind. I'm thinking 1991 style - which is fine because even then, February had a decent cold spell.

So the Atlantic is really warm for the time of year. Presuming the Arctic cools as normal (whatever "normal" is these days) then we should expect a robust and vibrant Jet this winter?

The jet stream had better wake up soon - the reservoirs are looking very empty. If we end up with another winter like last, with gloomy highs and a mostly flacid and confused jet, next year's water supply could be out of the back of a tanker at the end of your street.

Bloody freezing out there now!

I see RAF Marham were reporting a funnel cloud around the time that monster storm north of Swaffham was there.

Yeah, a drizzly breakdown here too - not enough to settle the dust, as my Mum would have said. Edit: Ha! No sooner did I hit send, it started to pour down.

I don't remember too many occasions when a thundery breakdown of a heatwave started in NW Scotland.

We had some family staying at the weekend, from East Anglia (one from Cambs, the others from Norfolk). They all said "It's so GREEN up here!".

Just had to put a woolly on. Steel grey skies and a max of 17c is a bit of a shock to the system.

My partner and I had to abandon an audax (1000km) in France a few years ago when it was 38c. It was absolutely horrendous. The heat coming off the road was like staring into a fan oven. My heart rate was not coming down during descents and that was a Bad Sign, and instrumental in our abandoning. ETA: In other news, I've just had to put a woolly on. From 37c to 16c in two days - and I'm chilly!

I remember when the Way of It was for a plume to form over Spain, and the Jet would say - "Hey, have some moisture to go with that plume" and the plume would reply "Don't mind if I do, thanks!" and things would get electric. But the Jet Stream has been feeble for months. It's turned from "Grandma" to "Vera" (weak Giles reference there) in the past year, and we're all very disappointed. ETA: Meanwhile, is it still 36c at Cranfield, at half eight in the evening? WTF?? ETA2: No. XC Weather was lying. It was 17:50. Note to self - don't trust stuff on websites. Sigh - one day I'll get the message. Maybe.

How can such an energetic couple of days have such a limp breakdown? One might have expected something biblical after that hadean heat.

The weather machine has been turned off around here since about March. Even today, the North Pennines rain shadow was doing its thing, creating a massive hole in the convection all day, South of Hexham, North of Darlington, East of Killhope cross, but not quite to the coast. Been a lovely dry day here in Durham.

M4 Buoy - 45ft waves. Wow!

Well. It was windy for sure. Worthy of an amber warning? Yes, I think so. Arwen and Malik were stronger though. All eyes to the South now.

Just had a gust that made the windows creak, and my ears pop - so it's starting to rock 'n roll out there. Strongest winds look further south than I was expecting - more West Wales than up here.

Looks like maybe Dudley is already on the "moving south" bandwagon - strongest gusts I've seen so far have been in West Wales

Possible repeat performance tomorrow evening?

Did the amber warning ever make it this far south even? I thought it only came as far as mid-Northumberland. Some damage in the village - flattened fences mostly, but the road into the village was blocked for a while by a fallen tree. Bit of a shock to the system after weeks of relative calm.

I loaded up xcweather to check the USA weather and I see it's been removed from the drop list. When did that happen?

Long time since I've seen so much sunny weather in January. Goes some way to make up for all those interminable days of North Sea haar you get round here in May, when the rest of the country is basking in a heat wave. January sun does nothing for one's Vitamin D, but it helps with the old SAD demons.

This is going to go down in history as "The Bartlett Winter".

What a beautiful day! Crystal clear sky, not cold, no fog or frost. I must be getting old - this is lovely!

Doubt it. Due to turn to rain this arvo.

That next low is set to be a beast - 929mb on the FAX chart.