General Weather Chat

[damianslaw]

A notably cold start with air frost last night - many northern parts saw a frost overnight. Lowest temp I think was -6 degrees in the Highlands, the coldest night for quite some time - April was frost free for most south of the border.

Not quite as good a day as recent ones, despite much less wind, temps hovered around 13-14 degree mark and we had less sunshine thanks to some high level cloud from time to time.

Today marks the end of a very good long dry spell of weather which started in earnest some 4 weeks ago or so now with only a few cloudy days and one or two wet ones since. The next few days look distinctly unsettled here in the Lake District with much more cloud and the promise of some very useful rain/heavy showers thanks to the moist airstream coming in off the Irish Sea - such synoptics can bring days of low claggy cloud and 'heavy humid air' - with heavy rain or convective showers.

[Kentish Kiwi]

There was more ice on the car at 0730 today, already I've seen it more times in May than April. A decent day except for the plague of aircraft-induced muck mid-morning, and the cloud that appeared around 5pm. With a little help from Icelandic Volcanoes we could have had a 21C+ temperature range today I reckon, without it we only got 16.

I'm pretty certain that would not be the case.

[stewfox]

There was more ice on the car at 0730 today, already I've seen it more times in May than April. A decent day except for the plague of aircraft-induced muck mid-morning, and the cloud that appeared around 5pm. With a little help from Icelandic Volcanoes we could have had a 21C+ temperature range today I reckon, without it we only got 16.

Yes I had to scrape off the frost from car cira 6.45am , not that common for May ?

Cant remember doing it in April but proabably did.

No low flying ducks or aircraft to report

[Weather-history]

Driest March-April periods for England and Wales

1938: 23.6mm

1893: 25.7mm

1785: 28.9mm

2011: 32.8mm

1840: 34.0mm

1854: 35.1mm

1852: 37.2mm

[grab my graupel]

After so many sunny starts of late, it felt very strange to step outside and find it was cloudy this morning.

[Thundery wintry showers]

Back on 23 April I posted this:

I would quite fancy a June 2003-esque cyclonic/southerly type at this stage, continuing the notable "warm" theme of this April (it will be an interesting counterpoint to December if that CET record goes) while adding some (mainly convective) falls of rain for the parched areas, but such a pattern only shows occasionally out in FI.

Interesting to see that this pattern has come out of FI and is now showing for the coming week- I might even get what I asked for!

[Milhouse]

At last after days of supressed maxima here we are finally seeing something more respectable for early May. Currently 15.2c but as its cloudy and fairly breezy it doesnt really feel warmer.

[Coast]

Actually, now the cloud has abated a little bit, its really pleasant out here with the merest hint of warmth on the back - probably more in keeping with the traditional weather at this time of year (whatever that is!!!)

[Terminal Moraine]

A dry, cloudy but fairly bright morning here with a f4 SE breeze,in fact the sun has almost broken through as I type.

We're now on 30 consecutive days without measurable rainfall; today would be the 31st but it does seem more likely than recently that we might get at least a little rain later this afternoon.

[Liam J]

Where is the rain?? I'm in keswick at work and the sun has just come out it feeks quite warm now, hazy skies with high cloud not rain bearing cloud atm.... We need the rain!!

15.8c the temp

[Lynxus]

WE HAVE RAIN!

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm Theres that lovely smell in the air..

[Coast]

WE HAVE RAIN!

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm Theres that lovely smell in the air..

:lol: Or is it on the ground? I never have been able to work out what the smell is, is it something to do with warm concrete or aggregate and the acidity of the rain?

[Lynxus]

:lol: Or is it on the ground? I never have been able to work out what the smell is, is it something to do with warm concrete or aggregate and the acidity of the rain?

I was reading somewhere a while ago that the smell is actually a fungus spore that certain fungi give off in hot weather.

When the rain hits the ground it blows it up in the air causing the smell.

Apparently the smell is differnet from country to country.

( Apparently )

[Edit]

Apparently its bacteria

http://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/climate-weather/atmospheric/question479.htm

"

One of the more pleasant rain smells, the one we often notice in the woods, is actually caused by bacteria! Actinomycetes, a type of filamentous bacteria, grow in soil when conditions are damp and warm. When the soil dries out, the bacteria produces spores in the soil. The wetness and force of rainfall kick these tiny spores up into the air where the moisture after a rain acts as an aerosol (just like an aerosol air freshener).

"

So yeah, Spores....

I was 1/2 right

Edited May 5, 2011 by Lynxus

[conor123]

:lol: Or is it on the ground? I never have been able to work out what the smell is, is it something to do with warm concrete or aggregate and the acidity of the rain?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geosmin

Geosmin, which literally translates to "earth smell", is an organic compound with a distinct earthy flavour and aroma, and is responsible for the earthy taste of beets and a contributor to the strong scent that occurs in the air when rain falls after a dry spell of weather (petrichor) or when soil is disturbed.[

I think its that but im not 100% sure.

Anyway cloudy skies now here for the first time since last Friday, the sun came out hazily earlier but its rather dark now out there.

[Coast]

Apparently its bacteria

http://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/climate-weather/atmospheric/question479.htm

I was just reading that after years of not knowing!!!! Also came up with this:

"Petrichor", well known to mineralogists as argillaceous odour, is commonly observed as the pleasant and refreshing odour which frequently accompanies the first rains after a warm dry period. Several possible mechanisms have been considered in connection with the origin of this odour. These include the synthesis of odorous compounds on the clay or rock surface by spontaneous catalysis of atmospheric gases, the sorption of organic compounds from the atmosphere, catalytic transformation of sorbed compounds and microbial activity. Evidence is presented which suggests the atmosphere contains, as general contaminants, lipids, terpenes, carotenoids and other volatile decomposition products from animal and vegetable matter. The sorption of these compounds, or their oxygenated derivatives, by rocks and clays is controlled by the properties of the sorbent and the partial water vapour pressure of the atmosphere, low relative humidities favouring maximum uptake. Oxidation and transformation of sorbates take place on the rock surface and are accelerated by warm to hot climatic conditions. The odorous and volatile products of these processes are subsequently displaced from the pores of the rock by moisture when the relative humidity of the atmosphere approaches saturation. The possibility of a relationship between petrichor and petroleum formation is discussed.

http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=76fd0164e5a605844d80db38186e703b&topic=8054.msg93197#msg93197

[AderynCoch]

The sun is breaking through and it feels quite warm again. It was rather chilly this morning.

[Bottesford]

A mostly cloudy day but feeling warmer in the shade than recent days. Some sunshine at times and a max of 20.2c so far.

[Slowpoke]

19C and overcast here. Apparently the rain is on its way.

[BlueHedgehog074]

Some thundery-ish looking clouds about with some patches of Mammas (Or Mammatas) spotted earlier. A few breaks in the beastly clouds too with some occasional sunshine. Possibility of some showers/showery rain later. Feeling warm with temperature around 18*C, though it actually feels more like 21*C.

[Slowpoke]

We had about 12 seconds of rain and I was forecast heavy showers.

[alr1970]

Light rain in Manchester now. Not much, but it's a start.

[Lynxus]

We had about 12 seconds of rain and I was forecast heavy showers.

LOL same here.

we had light... Then heavy... then nothing.. All in about 10 minutes.

Its now dry again

Back to the drought then lol

Apparently im going to get storms on sunday... HAHHAHA ill believe it when i see it.

[AderynCoch]

We had about 12 seconds of rain and I was forecast heavy showers.

A couple of heavy showers in Wallasey in the past hour. Heading your way?

[conor123]

We had about 12 seconds of rain and I was forecast heavy showers.

Same here, after turning increasingly warm and bright around lunchtime things have dissolved into slate grey skies and just the odd spot of rain.

[Summer of 95]

It's been trying to rain here for over 2 hours, yet we've had nothing but a few spots that haven't even dampened the ground. Every so often it looks like getting heavy, then peters out.