Southwest & Central Southern England Regional Discussion 18th December 2012>

[cerneman]

Sunshine and gusty winds, New lake appeared overnight on field, Seagulls found it already, Thought couple of the gulls had stilts on, but realised they little Egrets

[Mapantz]

It took nearly seven years to get some thunder back in the Summer and then i get two seperate incidents within three days!

The down side is that Lychett Minster school got hit and as far as i know the new section of school that was built after asn arson attack has completely burnt down.

http://www.bournemou...Minster_School/

There was also a hotel in Boscombe ..

http://www.bbc.co.uk...dorset-20850208

Edited December 27, 2012 by Mapantz

[cerneman]

It took nearly seven years to get some thunder back in the Summer and then i get two seperate incidents within three days!

The down side is that Lychett Minster school got hit and as far as i know the new section of school that was built after asn arson attack has completely burnt down.

http://www.bournemou...Minster_School/

There was also a hotel in Boscombe ..

http://www.bbc.co.uk...dorset-20850208

Was violent when passed over my area, Just hope no injuries, What next ?????

[Lynxus]

Had the heaviest rain this morning ~8am.. You could see waves of rain running down the street. Immense rain shower. It actually woke me up. The noise from it hitting the window in another room on the other side of the house woke me up!

Very cool. Lasted about 5 mins.

[tinybill]

http://www.meteoradar.co.uk/home/maps?bg=0

think the people in the west country should look west over Ireland more rain heading in

[ARTDEMOLE]

7c. Cloudy. Light nw breeze.

[cerneman]

When water finally drains from fields, going to be mud bath, Will be some very muddy sheep and unfortunatly muddy dogs, Need rain gone, but hope don't finish up with foggy damp days

[Lyn-M]

Only just caught up with this thread today. A friend of OH's told him that the storm this morning in Dorchester was one of the worst he has experienced in this country, and he's in his late 70s! On this side of the county, we had some rain, not much, and certainly no thunder or lightning. It's been squally showers this morning and fine this afternoon. Next batch of rain is gradually creeping up to Exeter.

[cerneman]

Storm was intense and ligtening crackled, Said earlier have two solar lights by my fish pond. They were out, but the flash from lightening activated them, Rain sounded like train coming, Very exciting but seems roof school over Wareham way set on fire,,,,,,,So far tonight no rain yet

[AWD]

Looking like a rather wet & windy day on Saturday;

[Coast]

Flood-hit areas have been warned they face renewed problems from storms, as further rain is forecast across the UK.

There are 82 flood warnings and 185 flood alerts in England and Wales, and six flood alerts in Scotland. The main rail line in the South West of England, which was closed between Exeter St Davids and Tiverton due to flooding, is expected to reopen later. Meanwhile, Met Office figures suggest 2012 is set to be one of the wettest years since records began in 1910.

It said just 46mm of rain was needed to fall before 31 December to make this year the wettest on record for the UK overall, with 1,291.2mm recorded between 1 January and 26 December. A new record has already been set for England with 1,095.8mm falling in the year up to Boxing Day. Localised flooding BBC weather forecaster Mike Silverston said much of the UK would see heavy rain and strong winds heading into the weekend.

Up to 40mm of rain is expected fall in the South West on Saturday, with Wales and areas of north-west England expected to see between 60-80mm. He said because of the continuing saturated state of the ground this might lead to further localised flooding. A number of flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected and immediate action should be taken, and flood alerts, calling on people to be prepared for possible flooding, are expected to remain in place. There are currently no severe flood warnings, which signal a danger to life. The Environment Agency said some 520 properties had flooded since Wednesday.

Buses continue to replace trains between Liskeard and Looe in Cornwall, with the line possibly opening on Saturday, National Rail said. Services also continue to be disrupted between Exeter St Davids and Exmouth, and Exeter St Davids and Barnstaple. The Thames Barrier was raised on Thursday morning to keep the high tide out of London and reduce the risk of flooding as water from days of downpours causes high levels further upstream.

An amber landslide warning was put in place by the British Geological Survey has for the South West, who urged walkers to take care along coastal routes.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20856619

[Dorsetbred]

It took nearly seven years to get some thunder back in the Summer and then i get two seperate incidents within three days!

The down side is that Lychett Minster school got hit and as far as i know the new section of school that was built after asn arson attack has completely burnt down.

http://www.bournemou...Minster_School/

There was also a hotel in Boscombe ..

http://www.bbc.co.uk...dorset-20850208

Meridian news yesterday on a report about Lychett Minster school fire said ".... shortly after 6 o'clock this morning there was a loud crash of thunder followed by a flash of lightening..."

Really that's a first!

[Coast]

Severe disruption for train travel in and out of Cornwall

Train operator First Great Western is warning of severe disruption on the Penzance to London line until tomorrow at least after flooding damaged the tracks. The line is closed between Tiverton Parkway Station and Exeter St Davids with replacement road services in place, although even these coaches are suffering from flooding on the roads.

With the Met Office forecasting more rain across the area today, First Great Western say the line between Exeter and Tiverton is not expected to reopen until tomorrow

http://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/news/10130110.Severe_disruption_for_train_travel_in_and_out_of_Cornwall/

[cerneman]

Fed up talking about rain and floods, Still unsure if decent cold spell will devolpe by end Jan so into fantasy world,,,,,,,,, Very hot today again,even too hot for beach, Think go off to my local lake for some fishing in the shade, Tonight will sit out in garden when it will be cooler, may have BBQ, Really need some cooling rain to settle the dust but forecasters say could be another two weeks of hot sunny temps, Back to reallity, Gloomy day still flooded fields. more rain forecast , Think getting soggy brain

[Dorsetbred]

Fed up talking about rain and floods, Still unsure if decent cold spell will devolpe by end Jan so into fantasy world,,,,,,,,, Very hot today again,even too hot for beach, Think go off to my local lake for some fishing in the shade, Tonight will sit out in garden when it will be cooler, may have BBQ, Really need some cooling rain to settle the dust but forecasters say could be another two weeks of hot sunny temps, Back to reallity, Gloomy day still flooded fields. more rain forecast , Think getting soggy brain

Like you I'm thinking a drier spell would be nice. I am reaching the point whereby a "gut feel" is taking this winter towards a given mild and wet one, irrespective of the meto outlook and the SSW talk. I'm not going all out for a "winters over" BUT the more we move towards the next third of the winter the stronger this feeling is becoming. Let's see, gut versus SSW!

[Nights King]

Well looking at models it could well be pretty much game over for most of january now also with mild all the way

This really reminds me of those awful mild 90's winters When was the last time we even had a run of hard frosts?

Edited December 28, 2012 by mullender83

[gottolovethisweather]

Like you I'm thinking a drier spell would be nice. I am reaching the point whereby a "gut feel" is taking this winter towards a given mild and wet one, irrespective of the meto outlook and the SSW talk. I'm not going all out for a "winters over" BUT the more we move towards the next third of the winter the stronger this feeling is becoming. Let's see, gut versus SSW!

You've never been any different Db.

High pressure is starting to look nailed on for a few days at the turn of the year, but the question is where it positions itself and from which direction thereafter, the inevitable return to more active weather comes from.

All IMHO.

Edited December 28, 2012 by gottolovethisweather

[gottolovethisweather]

This is indicative of something drier as we enter the New Year, using Poole in Dorset as an example.

http://www.netweathe...tion=10day;sess=

Edited December 28, 2012 by gottolovethisweather

[AWD]

Some strong SWesterly winds likely tomorrow AM associated with a deep depressions running to the north of Scotland;

Rain is nothing too heavy down here thankfully, with typically 10mm the average expected amount!

[AWD]

This is indicative of something drier as we enter the New Year, using Poole in Dorset as an example.

http://www.netweathe...tion=10day;sess=

Yes, a strong pressure anomaly over Western Europe shown now;

http://www.meteo.psu.edu/~fxg1/ECMWF_12z/hgtcomp.html

Dry, mild & settled looks like in the opening week of the new year, although I wouldn't rule out some overnight frost/fog forming, dependant on the HP cell's exact positioning.

[cerneman]

We have had months of above average rain and flood warnings,So really can't expect the onset of winter be any different,We are going to get some respite according to forecast, Just hope for pattern change that will lead to longer term break from what we have endured for long time, Landslips around coastal areas are big risk, even if we get drying weather,will take time to stabilise, For my area of interest we have lost large number of trout fry and river banks not in good condition, Our man made otter holt been flooded out so many times this year, Dragonfly nymphs just been destroyed, Kingfisher breeding been affected, Pattern change really needed for the ecology of our rivers to recover, The reason I joined This forum is to learn more about our weather and slowly gaining some knowledge, Hoping for some cold weather to come along, the Grayling [ lady of the stream] thrive on icy cold waters,

[gottolovethisweather]

We have had months of above average rain and flood warnings,So really can't expect the onset of winter be any different,We are going to get some respite according to forecast, Just hope for pattern change that will lead to longer term break from what we have endured for long time, Landslips around coastal areas are big risk, even if we get drying weather,will take time to stabilise, For my area of interest we have lost large number of trout fry and river banks not in good condition, Our man made otter holt been flooded out so many times this year, Dragonfly nymphs just been destroyed, Kingfisher breeding been affected, Pattern change really needed for the ecology of our rivers to recover, The reason I joined This forum is to learn more about our weather and slowly gaining some knowledge, Hoping for some cold weather to come along, the Grayling [ lady of the stream] thrive on icy cold waters,

This is very much an area of interest for me, as you will see from my self advertised blog link below in my signature. I do feel that 2012's climate will have left its mark and 2013 will need to be a year of recovery. Nature is very resilient though and with a bit of added help from mankind, we can make it recover. So far, aside from the excessive rainfall, the end of 2012 is looking very similar to 2011 and I would advise anyone interested in natural phenological indicators to keep an eye out for the following.

• Woodland Snowdrops and Winter Aconite in flower
  
• Unusual utterings from the birds with many a Thrush species in song, amongst others
  
• Drumming Great Spotted Woodpeckers
  
• Maybe an early Bumblebee species
  
• Maybe an early day flying Butterfly
  

I have a undying love for the natural world and come the New Year, I will be making a point of getting out and enjoying as soon as possible.

Edited December 28, 2012 by gottolovethisweather

[cerneman]

This is very much an area of interest for me, as you will see from my self advertised blog link below in my signature. I do feel that 2012's climate will have left its mark and 2013 will need to be a year of recovery. Nature is very resilient though and with a bit of added help from mankind, we can make it recover. So far, aside from the excessive rainfall, the end of 2012 is looking very similar to 2011 and I would advise anyone interested in natural phenological indicators to keep an eye out for the following.

• Woodland Snowdrops and Winter Aconite in flower
  
• Unusual utterings from the birds with many a Thrush species in song, amongst others
  
• Drumming Great Spotted Woodpeckers
  
• Maybe an early Bumblebee species
  
• Maybe an early day flying Butterfly
  

I have a undying love for the natural world and come the New Year, I will be making a point of getting out and enjoying as soon as possible.

I do agree with you and been thinking that some sort of observational thread could be of interest on this forum, The recording of nature throughout the four seasons and the early/late appearence of nature would be interesting to record and look back on, I have seen over last few years variations on how wildlife have reacted to what maybe changing weather patterns, We can only do this for our own locality, Would be good to see how loal observations fit into national picture,Weather and nature are closely interlinked, I think wildlife more reactive than proactive to season change Wish you Happy New Year

[ARTDEMOLE]

10c Damp Drizzle Dark...Bedraggled wet Pheasant on lawn today...

[SunnySouthCoast]

I am up to 110mm of rain so far here this month and with a few days to go no doubt it will rise further

Very unseasonal again today with a maximum of 13C, where is winter?!?