scotland Scotland (Alba) Regional Discussion 28th March 2013 22:00hrs>

[Richard Taylor]

That activity I was looking at earlier offshore has dissipated quite considerably - no lightning & the rain from the radar looks much less intense, and breaking up. Quite surprising, seemed quite organised originally.

[NUT]

That activity I was looking at earlier offshore has dissipated quite considerably - no lightning & the rain from the radar looks much less intense, and breaking up. Quite surprising, seemed quite organised originally.

 

I'm looking to tomorrow. Could be interesting.

[Ross B]

Yes, weather warning out from the meto for thunderstorms tomorrow. Here's hoping!

Still quite foggy here now, hopefully that will burn off to some late afternoon warm sun

[Northernlights]

Well started cutting grass on Friday in the gardens so another late start to the grass cutting season. Currently 8c, calm and very misty ground saturated again. Over on the model thread seems it might be a bit chilly at the end of the week. Plum blossom just opening hope the potential frost does"nt knock out all the fruit trees again. If it does I will be totally convinced of a major new (in the last six summers/winters) background influence probably an errant Jetstream ( possible causes, melting arctic ice and a quiet sun). I had never seen all the top fruit knocked out like last year in my lifetime.

Edited May 19, 2013 by Northernlights

[Northernlights]

Forgot to balance my last post by saying that my main event signifying high summer happened last Thursday with the arrival of 6 swifts in the house eaves.

[Guest]

After a slow start the day is cranking up into something nice. Currently 17.7ºC (up almost 3ºC in an hour) as the cloud splits and the sun burns through.

 

No heatwave yet (going by the latest ECM), but still plenty of time later in spring and into summer.

 

Edit: Spoke too soon, going a bit grey again and temp down to 16.2ºC 

Edited May 19, 2013 by CatchMyDrift

[Guest]

Forgot to balance my last post by saying that my main event signifying high summer happened last Thursday with the arrival of 6 swifts in the house eaves.

 

We must be slightly ahead of you in terms of seasons, ours arrived at the start of last week!

 

While we're on the subject of birds, can anyone help identify a bird I've seen (and heard) around here in the last few weeks. I have never seen this bird before, but am sure that it is perfectly normal for this area. It is black & white, maybe about two thirds the size of a crow, with bent wings* and quite an electronic sounding call. I have looked online but can't find anything.

 

* the first half of the wing is at right angles to the body, but the lower half is set around 45 degrees down towards the tail of the bird.

[Hawesy]

Forgot to balance my last post by saying that my main event signifying high summer happened last Thursday with the arrival of 6 swifts in the house eaves.

I spotted swifts in St Andrews on Friday. Interestingly, although we've had swallows back for a few weeks now there are no House Martins here as yet (we normally have plenty around).

[sn0wman]

Tomorrow is looking exciting! Temperatures up to 22°C and energetic thunderstorms breaking out. Hopefully this cloud will clear and the sun can give a boost to those CAPE values. 

[Hairy Celt]

 

We must be slightly ahead of you in terms of seasons, ours arrived at the start of last week!

 

While we're on the subject of birds, can anyone help identify a bird I've seen (and heard) around here in the last few weeks. I have never seen this bird before, but am sure that it is perfectly normal for this area. It is black & white, maybe about two thirds the size of a crow, with bent wings* and quite an electronic sounding call. I have looked online but can't find anything.

 

* the first half of the wing is at right angles to the body, but the lower half is set around 45 degrees down towards the tail of the bird.

Stuka?  The call is quite distinctive - my Mum still goes very quiet at the mention of them...

 

Warming here despite persistent claggy stuff - dizzy heights of 14C. We have 1 bee on duty going round he blackcurrant bushes, where are the rest?

 

edit - and now at half past 3 we get hazy sun and 17C       and the swallows are getting very friendly on the phone wires... 

Edited May 19, 2013 by Hairy Celt

[mardatha]

Black and white that size up here on the moors, all I can think of is oystercatcher or peewit .. or magpie in some places.

[Guest]

Black and white that size up here on the moors, all I can think of is oystercatcher or peewit .. or magpie in some places.

 

It's a peewit (Lapwing), the sound is very, very distinctive:

 

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/l/lapwing/index.aspx

 

Thanks mardatha

[Cheggers]

Mist and murk still clinging on here, but has certainly warmed up.

[NUT]

Some lightning in the highlands right now I think looks livey on the radar alhough it's very isolated

[sn0wman]

Some lightning in the highlands right now I think looks livey on the radar alhough it's very isolated

Looks extremely intense! GFS shows an area of higher CAPE where the shower is at the moment. If that storm is what a small amount of CAPE and some warmth can produce I can't imagine what tomorrow will be like! 

[Guest]

Looks extremely intense! GFS shows an area of higher CAPE where the shower is at the moment. If that storm is what a small amount of CAPE and some warmth can produce I can't imagine what tomorrow will be like! 

 

Fingers crossed for some excitement, although the usual caveats of hoping no-one gets hurt or flooded apply

[Northernlights]

Haar finally cleared about 4.00pm temperature went from 8c to 17c. Shifted cattle to a fresh field with 4 inches of new grass this evening and finally we had cattle grazing grass contentedly in a true spring countryside. This is a whole one month behind our average turnout date of 20th April and repeats last year turnout date, so 2 years in a row now.

Swifts are happy too screaming round the house just now in their tight formation.

[Stormeh]

Hi guys, looking interesting tomorrow. Looks like there will be some lively showers and thunderstorms about, camera at the ready here

[Cheggers]

What area do we think these storms will pop up?

 

Good read. GW theory looking to be on shaky ground.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22567023

[Hairy Celt]

What area do we think these storms will pop up?

 

Good read. GW theory looking to be on shaky ground.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22567023

Yeah but I don't like the last quote: 'No comfort whatever.'

 

Like NL, not looking forward to the midweek cooldown - fruit trees will take a beating again.  Jeez, where's that bottle?

[Cheggers]

Yeah but I don't like the last quote: 'No comfort whatever.'

 

Like NL, not looking forward to the midweek cooldown - fruit trees will take a beating again.  Jeez, where's that bottle?

I think the last quote will always remain the last quote, as it has for the last few years of varying reports.

[lorenzo]

Think a wee drive to Perthshire is in order tomorrow afternoon... hopefully this gets a sneaky upgrade too..

 

 

 

[sn0wman]

Here's a post from Nigel Bolton on the UKWW forum:  

 

Primarily for Scotland, particularly the east, plus Northeast England.

A set-up that has recently produced good crops of Scottish thunderstorms in recent years, a potentially warm Northerly, with an upper trough edging in from the west.

Assuming cloud breaks inland, temperatures should climb into the high teens or low twenties Celsius, enough to initiate some decent convection. Hail and thunder certainly a possibility with localised high short-lived point rainfall episodes, especially where there is good aspect. Areas within 75 miles radius of Edinburgh appear to have best potential ATM.

Flow is uni-deirectional and only lightly sheared, so funnel cloud risk low, but aided by topography, especially on southwestern side of high ground, risk is non-zero.

N.

 

And a crude map I made on paint for tomorrow's risk of thunderstorms:

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 19, 2013 by sn0wman

[Hairy Celt]

Here's a post from Nigel Bolton on the UKWW forum:  

 

Primarily for Scotland, particularly the east, plus Northeast England.

A set-up that has recently produced good crops of Scottish thunderstorms in recent years, a potentially warm Northerly, with an upper trough edging in from the west.

Assuming cloud breaks inland, temperatures should climb into the high teens or low twenties Celsius, enough to initiate some decent convection. Hail and thunder certainly a possibility with localised high short-lived point rainfall episodes, especially where there is good aspect. Areas within 75 miles radius of Edinburgh appear to have best potential ATM.

Flow is uni-deirectional and only lightly sheared, so funnel cloud risk low, but aided by topography, especially on southwestern side of high ground, risk is non-zero.

N.

 

And a crude map I made on paint for tomorrow's risk of thunderstorms:

 

 

Good. Last thing I want is thunder when I'm on the hills, and you've kept that nicely southern.

 

I like a good electric storm as much as anyone else when I'm safe indoors, but not when I'm miles from shelter.

Edited May 19, 2013 by Hairy Celt

[Guest]

Good. Last thing I want is thunder when I'm on the hills, and you've kept that nicely southern.

 

I like a good electric storm as much as anyone else when I'm safe indoors, but not when I'm miles from shelter.

 

Much that it was briefly amusing to imagine you coming onto the forum as Singed Celt, it's best that you stay safe

 

The latest TAF for Edinburgh airport is forecasting heavy rain showers between 12pm and 9pm. Nothing much expected over at Glasgow airport.

 

TAF EGPH 200500Z 2006/2106 VRB05KT 3000 HZ BKN008 BECMG 2009/2012

9999 NSW SCT015 TEMPO 2012/2021 3000 +SHRA BKN009CB PROB30 TEMPO

2021/2106 5000 BR BKN005 =