Tagged with: Storms
Posts (17)
Winds easing but heavy rain on the way
Derek Brockway
I'd like to start my first blog of 2012 by wishing you all a very Happy New Year! But sadly there's not much to celebrate on the weather front... Wales has been hit by the worst storm of the winter so far with heavy rain, flooding and severe gale force winds causing widespread problems. A...
First proper snow of the winter
Derek Brockway
Some parts of Wales have already had a dusting of snow but it looks like we could be in for the first proper snow of the winter later tonight and tomorrow morning! Mind you, it's not going to snow everywhere, it will depend very much on where you live and how high you are above sea level. Some places will just have rain. Based on the latest information from the Met Office, the higher ground of South and Mid Wales could be worst hit by snow but of course things could change with further updates later today. There is still some uncertainty on the path of a deepening area of low pressure moving in from the Atlantic. A change in direction of just 50 to 100 miles north or south can make all the difference as to which part of Britain will get heavy rain, snow or severe gales. This evening rain in Pembrokeshire will spread across the rest of Wales and it will turn increasingly to sleet and snow after midnight. On the coast it will probably stay as rain or sleet but snow inland. The Met Office has issued a yellow and amber snow warning for parts of Wales. Amber means be prepared for some disruption. Forecast chart for 6am on Friday, 16 December, 2011. Parts of Mid Wales, the South Wales Valleys and Monmouthshire could have 2 to 5 cm of snow, 1 to 2 inches. However over 10cm (4 inches) is possible on higher ground e.g. the Heads of the Valleys, the Black Mountains, Brecon Beacons and the hills of Powys. The snow will be the wet, sticky kind and consist of big flakes. It will settle, especially but not exclusively on higher ground. Cardiff and Swansea may get away with little if any snow but I wouldn't rule out a light covering on some cars and the grass. Tomorrow the rain and snow will move away but in the north showers will move in from the Irish Sea, some of these heavy falling as rain, hail, sleet and snow with thunder possible too. Pen y Fan with a dusting of snow by Mike Davies. Tomorrow night, the showers will clear and with temperatures falling close to freezing or below ice will become a hazard. This is not the start of a severe cold spell though and it looks like turning milder in the run up to Christmas next week, so a White Christmas looks unlikely at the moment. So, a wintry mix of weather heading our way in the next 24 hours. Don't forget you can keep up to date with the forecast and the latest traffic and travel news on BBC Radio Wales and BBC Radio Cymru. If you take any pictures of snow why not send them in to the weather team via email to dereksdiary@bbc.co.uk or send me a tweet @derektheweather. Derek
Snow warning in force
Derek Brockway
We've had just about everything thrown at us today - heavy rain, sleet, thunder, snow and hail the size of large peas. Mark Hillman sent in this picture via twitter. The road in Ystradfellte covered in hailstones making driving conditions treacherous and it's been a similar story in other parts of the country too. We've also had plenty of rain and some flooding with over 11 flood alerts in force at the time of writing and a flood warning on the River Dee from Llangollen to Chester. There have been strong to severe gale force winds as well. At Mumbles Head, in Swansea a gust of 81mph was recorded this afternoon with gusts of 67mph at Aberdaron on the Lleyn Peninsula. The reason for the disturbed weather is low pressure. The air over us has come from Greenland so its unstable producing towering clouds and heavy showers. Mountainous seas off the Anglesey coast by Mr Lyn Adams from Llanfair P.G Tonight, further heavy showers are expected in the south feeding in from the Bristol Channel. Snow is likely in places, especially on higher ground with the north dry and clearer. The wind will be easing but still breezy on the coast and temperatures inland falling close to freezing with a frost and a risk of ice. There is now a Met Office snow warning in force covering most of Wales tonight and tomorrow. It's a yellow warning which is the lowest grading. So, widespread problems are not expected but be aware that there is some snow in the forecast. In fact some places, especially the higher communities including the south Wales Valleys could have a covering of snow by tomorrow morning. A few sunny intervals are likely tomorrow but showers will become more widespread during the day. Rain, hail and sleet again. Some snow in places too but later in the afternoon the showers should be mostly of rain. Temperatures on the cold side, 4 to 7 Celsius. The wind not as strong as today but still breezy, especially on the coast and gusty at times near the showers. On Wednesday night a trough of low pressure will bring more rain and heavy showers. Strong to gale force winds possible in Pembrokeshire. The air less cold so any snow should be confined to the very highest ground. Thursday will be breezy with some sunshine and scattered showers, becoming dry for a time but we could be in for another dose of stormy weather on Thursday night into Friday. It all depends on an area of low pressure and which path it takes. Wales could be in the firing line for more heavy rain, flooding and gales but it's there is still some uncertainty. So it would be worth keeping a close eye on the forecast over the next couple of days. Derek
Wales in the firing line for storms
Derek Brockway
One of the stormiest periods the UK has seen for years is set to continue this week with Wales in the firing line for more heavy rain, gales and some snow too. The Met Office has issued weather warnings. The reason for the turbulent weather is the jet stream, a ribbon of strong winds travelling at speeds of around 200mph high in the atmosphere around 30,000 feet. This will steer areas of low pressure in from the Atlantic bringing spells of wet and windy weather and some heavy rain is likely with gales and a risk of localised flooding. On Tuesday and Wednesday the air will be cold enough for some of the showers to fall as sleet and snow. Most of the snow will be on ground above 100 metres or 300 feet. The snow will settle in places, especially on some hills and mountains where 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4 inches) of snow is possible but I wouldn't rule out slushy deposits on some lower ground. Later on Thursday and into Friday we could be in a significant spell of stormy weather as a deep area of low pressure steams in from the Atlantic. We could see wind gusts of 60 to 70mph, with some exposed coasts and hills touching 80 mph. At the moment, though, there is some uncertainty about the exact track, the storm will take and consequently which part of the country will be worst hit. Don't forget you can follow me on Twitter @derektheweather and send your weather photos by email to dereksdiary@bbc.co.uk. Take care Derek
Katia storm photos
Derek Brockway
A selection of photos from the leftovers of Hurricane Katia as it battered into Wales on Monday. Porthcawl Harbour about to be swamped by a large wave. Image by Allen Lloyd. Barri Elford took this amazing shot of Coney Harbour, Porthcawl on Monday. Scwd yr Eira Falls, Pontne...
Hurricane season
Derek Brockway
It's certainly been a wild and windy start to the week with strong to severe gale force winds buffeting Wales for the second time this month. The strongest winds were in the north on the Llyn Peninsula where the wind touched storm force 10 on the Beaufort Scale on Sunday morning. The strong winds caused travel disruption, structural damage and tree damage with many trees still being in full leaf making them particularly vulnerable. We've had much worst storms in the past though such as in January 1990, when an intense Atlantic depression hit Britain causing widespread structural damage, travel disruption and 47 deaths. Hurricane Katia The gales we've been experiencing over the last few days are due to the remains of Hurricane Katia. She started life as a minor disturbance off the west coast of Africa on August 27, became a tropical storm on August 30 and finally developed into a hurricane on September 1. Later as she moved northeast into the North Atlantic and began to lose strength, being downgraded to a tropical storm on September 11. The centre of the storm crossed northern Scotland and then headed eastwards towards Norway last night, weakening all the time. We don't get hurricanes in Britain In Britain, we don't get full blown hurricanes because the sea around us is too cool for them to form. Hurricanes develop over tropical seas where the surface water temperature is 26 degrees Celsius or higher. Sometimes, we get the "tail-end" of hurricanes in Britain that are carried towards us by the Jet Stream but by the time they reach our latitude they lose some of their energy and change into a deep Atlantic depression. In 1986 the "tail-end" of Hurricane Charley lashed Wales creating the wettest August Bank Holiday on record and creating a major disaster in the Republic of Ireland. So they can still pack a punch but are less destructive compared to when they are over the Caribbean or the Gulf of Mexico. How hurricanes get their names Hurricanes names are chosen from a list selected by the World Meteorological Organization. The Atlantic is assigned six lists of names, with one list used each year. Every sixth year, the first list begins again. Each name on the list starts with a different letter, for example, the name of the very first hurricane of the season starts with the letter A, the next starts with the letter B, and so on. The letters "Q", "U", "X", "Y" and "Z", are not used because few names begin with those letters. If more than 21 storms should occur in any season, then there is a reserve list that uses the Greek alphabet. When an unusually destructive hurricane hits, such as Hurricane Katrina, that hurricane's name is retired and never used again. 2011 hurricane names: Arlene, Bret, Cindy, Don, Emily, Franklin, Gert, Harvey, Irene, Jose, Katia, Lee, Maria, Nate, Ophelia, Philippe, Rina, Sean, Tammy, Vince, Whitney. Today will be windy but not as strong as yesterday. On Wednesday the wind will ease further and Thursday looks like the best day of the week, remaining dry with light winds and some sunshine thanks to a ridge of high pressure. Derek
Floods and storms
Derek Brockway
It's been a wet few days in mid and north Wales with some flooding. At Lake Vyrnwy in Powys, 189.4mm of rain has fallen since the beginning of the month, more than than the February average which is 138.7mm. Some rivers are swollen and at the time of writing there are three flood warnings in ...
Groundhog Day
Derek Brockway
Today, February 2nd, is Candlemas Day - a traditional Christian festival. It was the custom on Candlemas Day for clergy to bless candles and distribute them to the people and a lighted candle was placed in churches and windows to brighten up the dark winter nights. In Pagan times, it was known as the 'feast of lights' and celebrated the mid point of winter, half-way between the shortest day in December and the spring equinox in March. In the United States and Canada, Candlemas Day is better known as 'Groundhog Day' - made famous by the film starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. In the United States and Canada, Candlemas Day is better known as 'Groundhog Day' - made famous by the film starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. Yes, it's definitely Groundhog Day ;) According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day, it will leave the burrow and winter will soon end. If it's sunny, the groundhog will see its shadow and go back into its burrow for another nap, and winter will carry on for another six weeks! Some people believe that the weather on Candlemas Day can tell us what the rest of the winter will be like and there's an old rhyme: 'If Candlemas Day be fair and bright, winter will have another fight but if Candlemas Day be clouds and rain, winter is gone and will not come again.' Well, it is raining today but it would be a brave person who says that winter is over... There is no sign of any more heavy snow on the horizon, at least in the next two weeks, but of course it can snow in March and snow is more common at Easter than at Christmas. In the meantime, I can promise a drier and brighter day tomorrow with some sunshine but make the most of it, because there is more wet and windy weather on the way later this week. Some heavy rain is likely too with strong to severe gale force winds but nothing compared to what Cyclone Yasi will be unleashing on Northern Queensland shortly. Derek
Latest flood and weekend weather
Derek Brockway
We've had a respite from the heavy rain today but there is more to come this evening. The Met Office has issued a warning for southern counties from Swansea across to Cardiff, Monmouthshire and The Valleys. Another 15 to 20 mm of rain is likely with 30 to 40 mm on higher ground and given t...
