Weather in NW Europe

[Sarongman]

Well, today is Australia Day, first light 5am and raining. I see Google has a themed opening page here! The remains of a tropical cyclone is making it's way down the coast bringing, in some parts, 600mm of rain and flooding. I am still tossing up whether to go to the Allora Heritage weekwnd, though it might be a quagmire.

[couyalair]

From what I have heard, you're in serious need of rain. I hope it cools things down and quenches your fires.

Here in southern Spain, seeing snow in the mountain tops makes us feel cold, shivering with barely more than 12-13° c.

Martin

[Kirbstone]

My heart bleeds for you Martin. We share a boathouse with Univ.Coll. Dublin which has a squad of 20 young bloods back from a 10-day training camp in Seville, not a million miles from you. They're all looking disgustingly fit and TANNED!!, so even the weak Winter Sun in Andalucia has its noticeable effect on pallid Northern skin.

Interesting the sort of funds the UCD Boat Club has at its disposal nowadays. A far cry from when I rowed for them in the early 60s.

In 1999 we sent a squad of oldies to the World Masters' Rowing at Seville in September and got a serious grilling from the weather. Our successes were all from races in the early morning. Later in the day it got too hot for us pallid Irish.

Right now we have temps a dizzying 7 or 8 degrees, having been sub-zero for more than a week. Not bad, really, & no snow TG.

T.

[crfriend]

Right now we have temps a dizzying 7 or 8 degrees, having been sub-zero for more than a week. Not bad, really, & no snow TG.

That might as well be the ruddy tropics. The night before last it dropped to -3 F (we'll call it -20C) and last night to 1 (-17C). We've lost several chickens in the past two days, and I departed for work this morning in heavy tights, a heavy petticoat, a heavy skirt, long-sleeved shirt, wool waistcoat, a fleece jacket with windbreaker over that, knit hat and gloves -- and I was still cold on the drive to work!

By contrast, my study, with all its computing gear, is a quite comfortable 80 (F) at the moment -- with the steam radiator turned off. I like it in my study; I have my machines, good music, and when I need beer it's a short walk downstairs to grab one from the 'fridge.

As Randy Travis once sang:

As long as old men sit n' talk about the weather/
As long as old women sit n' talk about old men/
If you wonder how long I'll be faithful/
Well, just listen to how this song ends/
I'm gonna love you forever and ever, forever and ever, Amen!

I think it's in our DNA. (And, no, I am not talking about Digital Network Architecture (for once).)

[Kirbstone]

At the moment we have our grandchild no. 7 resident, who is just 10 months old, so we are heating our house more than usual. Nowhere near 80 degrees F, though. That level of internal heat would drive my MM out into the grounds, probably me too.
A million years ago when I was growing up we had American neighbours renting a house beside us on a short stay basis. We got friendly and visited each other &c. We were amused that they kept their whole house so hot that they went around in shirt sleeves while indoors. That was in the 50's. I can attest that even now, that is not the norm for us frigid Northerners.

My Office, on the other hand is set up to cosset patients who often need to be there quite static for up to 3 hours at a stretch, so the place is well heated, has one VERY comfy adjustable chair in it (guess which one!), three stools, 2 computer-driven flat screens, all my gyzmos including ceiling-mounted operating microscope also hooked up to the flatscreen in front of the patient, a kneehole desk & chair, a hi-fi system and a small door leading through to the back kitchen where we clean & sterilise instruments &c & I make myself some lunch!

T.

[crfriend]

At the moment we have our grandchild no. 7 resident, who is just 10 months old, so we are heating our house more than usual. Nowhere near 80 degrees F, though. That level of internal heat would drive my MM out into the grounds, probably me too.

We don't keep the entire house at that temperature; we'd go bust if we tried. This is a small room which I've been exiled to that also happens to have my computers and most of the comms gear in it, and that's what generates all the heat. I'd love to be able to share that with the rest of the house just to get it out of my study, but I haven't figured out a way to do that yet that won't also give our several cats access to the machines.

Tom, that place sounds quite comfortable for a dentist's practice -- quite unlike some of the places I've been in!

[couyalair]

Don't let your heart bleed too much, Kirbstone; back to beautiful blue sky again today; out and about in denim skirt and no coat.

...American neighbours renting a house ... they kept their whole house so hot that they went around in shirt sleeves while indoors.

Those wasteful Northamericans!
I remember suffocating with overheated rooms in winter in N Carolina, 40 years ago, when petroleum was given away free with your breakfast cereals. How amazed I was when we visited friends in a wooden house with walls a very few inches thick. Insulation? Never heard of it! They just kept the heating on full blast, day and night.

Martin

[skirtyscot]

... a small room which I've been exiled to that also happens to have my computers and most of the comms gear in it, and that's what generates all the heat. I'd love to be able to share that with the rest of the house just to get it out of my study, but I haven't figured out a way to do that yet that won't also give our several cats access to the machines.

Could you instal an extractor fan that vents into another room? High up, where the cats can't get near it. Or vent into a duct (outside if need be) which goes into whichever room needs the heat most?

[crfriend]

Could you instal an extractor fan that vents into another room? High up, where the cats can't get near it.

This is what I am leaning towards, but the house is about 90 years old which means no "sheet-rock" -- this old house is classic lath and horsehair-plaster which makes such mods rather more arduous than in modern structures.

There's also the matter of summer, and that's going to be me stumping up for an electrician to plumb in a circuit large enough to handle the A/C needs in 90+ degree outside heat (plus solar gain; I'm on the south side of the house).

[Sarongman]

Just an update from the other end of this spinning ball. There is no easy way to Brisbane today, with the main highway closed on the range , due to mudslides. The coastal highway is cut by floodwater in many places and the wind is whipping up surfable waves in Moreton Bay. And, according to the weathermen, thworst is still to come either this afternoon, or later tonight. There has been a succession of tornadoes around Bundaberg (Look, you Americans, we put up with Mucko's (with the "golden arches") & Chucky Chicken (with the ol' Colonel), but don't import your weather here too ) The emergency radio is advising people to stay indoors if at all possible and, if on the road, don't try to cross flooded roads. Just heard that the Sunshine Coast airport is closed and the Brisbane one may close soon. We've had it easy here with 210 points of rain overnight and a strong wind, but still have power and, from the appliance clocks still being on, no blackouts overnight. I have a huge amount of admiration and sympathy for the maintenance crews who have to go out in atrocious weather to keep people in power. Whole districts are without power on the coast, and the State Emergency Service is busy with sandbags for rising creeks, and tarpaulins for unroofed houses. You wouldn't think a dead cyclone could be such a nuisance!

A quick edit and update, over 8000 homes are without power in the greater Brisbane area and 100 crews are busy trying to restore same. nearly the same number is out up the Bundaberg area; bear in mind that is not nearly so closely settled. Some areas will be without power for a number of days. Therer are now storm surge warnings in the Bay area and evacuations are being planned. I'm going back to bed with a book!!

[crfriend]

Just an update from the other end of this spinning ball. There is no easy way to Brisbane today, with the main highway closed on the range , due to mudslides. The coastal highway is cut by floodwater in many places and the wind is whipping up surfable waves in Moreton Bay.

How'd you come through it? The worst should be over by now; that's the nice thing (if such a thing can be said) about most cyclonic storms is that they tend to not stick around for long.

(Look, you Americans, we put up with Mucko's (with the "golden arches") & Chucky Chicken (with the ol' Colonel), but don't import your weather here too )

Them's fightin' words, sir! (Personally I'd rather have tornadoes than Kentucky Fried Chicken, but that's because I'm grease-averse; the last time I had commercial fried chicken I oozed for three days.)

I've finally sat down and started doing data-conversion on the past five years of weather observations from the local aerodrome some six miles distant and 400 feet higher than here, and in rectifying presentation problems prior to importing the data into a proper RDB found some interesting things that I'd managed to forget -- like several 100+ gusts of wind over the past few years including one claimed at 164 knots (I discounted the one of 256 knots as an error) and quite a few over 50. And this does not count the tornado we had roll though a couple of years ago.

[Sarongman]

How'd you come through it? The worst should be over by now;

We have come through, up here with minimal damage, however I got up this morning to no power. Even though I have solar, the "smart meter" cuts off the panels, so as to keep maintenance crews safe--there's alot to be said for stand alone, or battery hybrid systems! I therefore went out to Warwick, 22km away for breakfast. When I got in, the water was scraping the underside of the bridge and the police were closely monitoring the situation. (Note that the normal water level is about 20 feet below the bridge deck.) I had breakfast and made a quick exit for home where I grabbed the camera and set out to catch the peak flood level, fter fielding a few phone calls. On my return, the road was cut, so I parked and took a few photos. This is about 5 feet less than the "big one" of 2011, where the petrol station shown was trashed, with all window glass ripped out. Of course they'll have a big clean out and will have to flush out their underground tanks, but, at least they won;t have to rebuild! The weather front is now on the New South Wales coast and creating havoc there. In picture No.2, imagine the water at the bottom of the road sign; that was the 2011 height.

128 (640x480).jpg

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[Sarongman]

Just some statistics re. the previous post. The water kept rising in Warwick, peaking at 7.5 metres which nearly equalled the 2011 mark of 7.9metres. The bridge was still closed at 8 am while the Council crews ascertain the conditions and clear debris fron the roadway. Two years ago, the flood tore the bitumen from both approaches, so that is, again, a definte possibility. The reason for our flood was 17 inches of rain in the hills where the headwaters are for both the Condamine (our river) and the Clarence which heads down into New South Wales---Grafton is in for a near record flood and some towns are cut off.

Bundaberg is still in for a record flood, and the hospital has been evacuated. helicopters had to be used to get people off their rooftops. They were warned, but chose to ignore the warnings . The Mary River peaked last night, at 20 metres. Not a record, but close. Because of the very dry conditions previously, I think the ground took up a great deal of water before runoff began.

The system is now heading out to sea in a south easterly direction. Jack, you'd better put your pot plants out for a drink soon!

[Kirbstone]

Gosh Sarongman, You do have a lot of weather-related problems thrown at you in Oz. After months of hot drought and bush fires to have such a storm & flood again so soon after the last one! Thanks for the pix.

After the recent thaw here it has rained a lot and our inland navigation systems are dangerous in places. However, loss of life is extremely rare with us, probably the most common being due to falling trees. I am due to compete in a 'Head of the River' rowing event next Saturday on a lovely 5Km stretch of the Shannon above Limerick (O'Brien's Bridge), but the flooding forecast makes the entire event doubtful, so we're awaiting bulletins nearer the time......

Rs Flooded lock near Ballinasloe.jpg

Meanwhile, out on our S.W. coast conditions for a windsurfing competition in Kerry could be described as 'lively' with waves up to 8 meters high!

Surfing extreme.jpg

T.

[Sarongman]

Thanks for those piccies kirbstone, That windsurfer looks due for some severe gravel rash if Dingle is all shingle

I've heard that the New England area of the U.S. is in for some very heavy snow and that it will cause some disruptions ( a euphemism for chaos). How are Carl & Sapphire, and any others in it's path, faring? Keep us informed.