Thundersquall

More drizzle over Bristol than I was expecting yesterday and today which was just about none at all. Which was annoying as I had put the washing out to dry over the last two days and it's still not quite dry. I wonder if the promised warmer spell is just going to fizzle out into a damp squib?

Jethro, many thanks for your advice. If they are an Opium Poppies (and looking at Google Images it may well be) I assume I will have to get rid of them quickly as it's surely illegal to have them growing in the veg plot! Or is it illegal only if the seeds are collected?

I am trying to identify weeds or plants that have grown all over my veg plot in courtyard. Basically, it is the same species and all weeds/plants are currently about 2.5 foot tall and all plants/weeds terminate with a large ball-shaped bud on a stalk (about an inch or more in diameter) that opens up to reveal a large flower-head with large pink petals (which rather resemble rose flowers). Firstly, I was wondering if they could be a poisonous weed or plant that must be removed with great care? Just wondered if anyone could possibly identify what I'm talking about with the information I have provided here. Many thanks. TS.

The smell was very noticeable in Bristol on Friday, and it was still detectable at 03:30 on Saturday morning as I was walking home after a night out. By this morning it had all been rained out of the air. It was most definitely a manure-like smell over Bristol.

Why is it that although all the showers are moving directly N-S, the 5-minute radar has always this evening extrapolated the hour or so following the latest 5 minute slide for the showers to move NW-SE? Surely all the showers will continue their progression N-S?

Nice shower cell over Stoke on Trent! Robert, is the snow settling, and if so how much would you say has settled?

I don't know but accordning to the Netweather Extra 5-minute radar, you should already have had some more prolonged snow over the last hour or so, but signs are the radar's on the blink at the moment.

Ah, the return of the thunder-snow!

That precip over North Wales appears to be moving south quickly enough to reach Bristol by midnight or soon afterwards. Further north the precip over Cumbria and North Yorkshire will probably reach areas including the West Country by about 4 am tomorrow morning.

That's odd as the 5-minute radar is showing the precipitation as snow! There's definitely something organising itself over North Wales which links to the band of more prolonged precipitation over the Lake District and North Yorkshire.

Well, give about another hour at most and that shower will have reached Bristol. It's a bit confusing that many of the showers are showing as pink on the 5-minute radar, if this is caused by an error then it will be disappointing to see just rain. How much difference does it make for me at 70m (approx. 240ft) above sea level compared to central Bristol which is practically at sea-level, as to whether the snow sticks (or pitches as we in the West Country term it)?

Actually, I'm wondering if the Netweather 5-minute radar is on the blink, as the boundary between rain and snow to the south of Bristol doesn't move and there seems to be an imaginary 'box' as though the data is incorrect. Still, it would be interesting to hear from anyone under this shower as to whether it is actually snowing.

Prob not meant to do this, but this chart from the 5-minute radar is what's getting me so excited about the prospect of snow! Extrapolate the movement of this cluster of showers directly southwards and Bristol is clearly in the path!

Assuming that's snow approaching Bristol from the north, a small part of the Precipitation Type intensity is between 4 and 8 mm/hour! Wow, that's 4 and 8 cms snow/hour if it all settled.

7andY - this presumably snow shower (as it's pink on the Netweather Extra radar Precipitiaion Type) is due to reach you in I'd say the next half an hour. It would be useful to have some reports from other posters as well of what's falling from this in locations to the north of Bristol so I have some idea of what to expect by 22:00 pm. It was blue meaning rain as it moved over Gloucetser, now it's turned to pink meaning snow and is now just east of Bristol. How accurate is the 5-minute radar? Does pink necessarily mean snow is falling? Because if it does, then I reckon Bristol could well be in for quite some snow before midnight!

Have you go access to Netweather Extra 5-minute radar? If you key in any Bristol postcode and see how this shower area is moving, you can see it's touch and go as to whether it moves over Bristol. The chances are it will hit Bristol head on because if you extrapolate the direct southwards movement, Bristol lies in this shower's path. Anyway, I don't mind if it misses me, it's just enjoyable to watch as it moves relentlessly towards me on the radar! Whoa, I just clicked a button on the Netweather radar image and the blue for rainfall has just turned to pink for snow! 2000 it was rain, 2005 it's now all snow! There's a large area of snow approaching Bristol from the north. I reckon I have 1.5 to 2 hours to wait. Let's say it reaches Bristol around 22:00 pm.

Thursday / Friday we're having maxima of 16 to 18 C, now 24 to 36 hours later we're talking about the best snow event of the winter! Madness! :lol:

Well, the Sun's just set over Bristol I think, so I wait in anticipation for that long shower to move over from the north. My reckoning is the lowering temperatures this evening may turn this more and more to snow as it approaches. Also, the evening time can enhance showers as the cloud tops cool more rapidly than surface temperatures.

There is a band/cluster of showers heading almost directly south, currently affecting Birmingham and Shropshire amongst other surrounding areas, from viewing the Netweather Extra radar. This will almost certainly move south over Bristol after sunset so will coincide with falling temperatures. Everything is shifting southwards at quite a rate of knots, so it's probably the band currently affecting especially northern parts of Cumbria that will come into play by 0600 hours Sunday morning over those areas you mention.

Is there anyone on here from Gloucester / Cheltenham or nearby who can confirm whether it's rain, hail, sleet or snow falling from that shower I can see on Netweather Extra? The reason I ask is Netweather Extra is suggesting all precip within 40 miles of Bristol is rain. If it's not reached Gloucester yet it's due to imminently I reckon. 7andY - just seen your message immediately after I posted mine.

The Netweather Extra 5-minute radar is tracking the showers around and approaching Bristol, to track almost directly N-S, even tracking a touch west of N-S. The movement of these showers makes me almost certain Bristol will be affected by the more intense band of showers further to the North which are affecting places including Birmingham at the moment. I think the small cluster of showers making a bee-line for Gloucester may well just miss Bristol to the east, but I'm sure I will see the cumulo-nimbus clouds froim which this shower is falling. Whatever happens after sunset it will be a very interesting night indeed with the lamp-post watching.

I think your hail/sleet/snow mix may be on the way south to Bristol. There's another more intense band to your north which could well affect you but it's difficult to tell at the scale of the Met Office Radar maps.

There's a band of showers about I guess 40 miles north of Bristol with our name on it. A further more intense band of showers between Birmingham and Manchester could also be heading south Bristol way. http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/radar/ Will be very interesting indeed as we come towards the time the Sun's due to set. It's due to set around 7:51 pm, which is probably just before that first band of showers arrives. http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/astronomy.html?n=299 Another shower has just popped up to the east of Bristol, and the one crossing Birmingham may well just clip us at best.

The latest Be aware warnings from the Met Office seem to suggest North Somerset, Somerset, Dorset, Devon & Cornwall are out of the risk area. Although I guess nowhere is immune from getting snow, and I find it strange to see Somerset and Dorset left out of the risk area.

Wow, the pink shading gets darker with every run. Now Bristol is in an area predicted to have snow at 2 to 4mm/hr rainfall equivalent! That is in snowfall equivalent 2 to 4 cms / hour, or very roughly 1 to 2 inches / hour.