Storms

[Lurker]

How is everyone faring?
Getting a bit blowy here but the forecast says that we will get off comparatively lightly.

 

[marineboy]

I’m a bit apprehensive, and hate these storms ever since Arwen several years ago. I remember lying in bed in the early hours hearing tremendous crashing and banging, and got up to find a number of tiles had blown off my back dormer and onto the car parked in the yard. In a panic I ran out and moved the car into the street to avoid further damage - if I’d been thinking straight I wouldn’t have done it, could have been killed if another gust had dislodged some more tiles.

 

[SamQ aka Ah! Q!]

I’m a bit apprehensive, and hate these storms ever since Arwen several years ago. I remember lying in bed in the early hours hearing tremendous crashing and banging.....

Seconded. I'm just a bit north of you and Arwen (97mph at Brizlee Wood) was noisy, dangerous and destructive. I had a covered veranda torn off - while I was standing under it. One of the 10"×4" cross pieces was driven over a foot into the lawn behind me. I could have been skewered.
I had 11 holes in my roof from flying debris and like you, had to move mine, and my neighbour's cars as about a quarter tonne of débris landed perilously close to both.

 

[duke]

Wow, are the strong winds common?

 

[RogerS]

We lost power at midday….advised it should be restored by 4pm…..which came and went…fair enough ..it is was it is and those guys are brilliant. So I did the Saturday shop . Came back around 4pm and the update was 1.pm tomorrow. Eek. 300 properties…overhead wires…..decided to drive to the town to find a restaurant….but passing through SWMBO spotted that the pub had power…..which it didn’t earlier ‘cos I popped in …as you do.. They must have a generator says I. Wonder if they’re cooking food. 180 degrees turn……Yes!

Power on one side of the road….the pub’s

Fabulous evening…..superb food …good company…result.

Then drove home to see all the lights on ……result…great evening and we can see to go to bed.

10/10 the leccy guys

 

[marineboy]

Seconded. I'm just a bit north of you and Arwen (97mph at Brizlee Wood) was noisy, dangerous and destructive. I had a covered veranda torn off - while I was standing under it. One of the 10"×4" cross pieces was driven over a foot into the lawn behind me. I could have been skewered.
I had 11 holes in my roof from flying debris and like you, had to move mine, and my neighbour's cars as about a quarter tonne of débris landed perilously close to both.

Sam, I remember seeing the photos you posted here at the time and thinking I got off lightly.

 

[SamQ aka Ah! Q!]

Wow, are the strong winds common?

Yes, in winter, Scott. But, not at the intensity Arwen presented: 93mph on the ridge line above the Aln valley was an official Met Office figure. The farm on the valley floor , about 0.5miles from me, recorded 103mph, unofficially. I think the local topography (I live at the top of a small hill, with no trees for a windbreak) and the aspect, led to me getting the full force on my property.
Loads of trees came down, including several venerable yews in the cemetery, the custodians were letting people know they were giving that lumber away as they had nowhere to store it!
P.S. the winter gales are increasing in frequency and intensity as global warming messes with established weather patterns. Britain, on the edge of the Atlantic, bears the brunt of any really deep depression.

 

[Woodbloke]

Britain, on the edge of the Atlantic, bears the brunt of any really deep depression.

What makes our weather even more 'interesting' is that there are apparently (so I heard) four weather systems that meet in and around the UK. Not sure if that's true, but a snippet I picked up somewhere that lodged in the back of me head (as they do) - Rob

 

[Malc2098]

We're registered with the National Grid and they supply up to date emails of what's happening in our area. They also supply locations of warm spaces for our area, too, somewhere for the older generation to go and keep warm if there's a power outage.

This link is helpful, too.

 

[Lons]

There's hardly a breath of wind here this morning but the calm before the storm looking at the forecast.
I have a couple of 12v batteries and string of LED lights, camping stove and kettle, torch etc just in case. No wind up radio though.

 

[SamQ aka Ah! Q!]

What makes our weather even more 'interesting' is that there are apparently (so I heard) four weather systems that meet in and around the UK.

I think you are referring to a diagram in Eric Langmuir's classical text, Rob. Can't remember the exact title (book is in the loft) but it was daily reading for me in the eighties, preparing for my Mountain Leader exam.
He talks about "Returning Polar Maritime" etc as part of about 6 major air flows subsidiary to the Jet Stream.
It made understanding (and almost predicting) our weather much easier.

 

[SamQ aka Ah! Q!]

 

[Alf]

Was plenty windy down here, although a big lump of granite does a good job of sheltering us from the nor'west. But the noise; you don't escape the noise. Or the power lines getting hit. So a power cut from 06.30 to almost 15.00, and then some blips on and off right up until 06.00 this morning. Still windy though, but now with extra rain. Yay.

 

[RogerS]

We're registered with the National Grid and they supply up to date emails of what's happening in our area. They also supply locations of warm spaces for our area, too, somewhere for the older generation to go and keep warm if there's a power outage.

This link is helpful, too.

Useful link, thank you, Malc. I've contacted National Grid webteam and suggested they consider having an alternative website in black and white or a simpler one with less detail. Trying to use my mobile as a mobile hotspot proved very challenging in our area of dodgy signal.

 

[Lurker]

We lost power at midday….advised it should be restored by 4pm…..

This pushed me into sorting out our backup plans for when we get power cuts.
Bought a small rechargeable camping lamp and also a power bank. Both fairly cheap versions from amazon.

 

[JamesHow]

It was windy from mid day till now but it's gone quiet and still now! Mist have passed. W. Yorkshire

 

[RogerS]

I think that if I was rewiring a house these days, I would put in a dedicated circuit with clearly marked or coloured sockets that could allow key items such as computer, router etc, microwave from a chunky battery backup inverter

 

[thetyreman]

my neighbour is having a bathroom replaced, they left the old bathroom parts outside, not far outside my bedroom window, last night was awful for noise, there was no attempt at all to stop anything from flying out into the road, the wind has been strong enough to almost rip apart a couple of fence panels, they are on their last legs.

 

[JamesHow]

my neighbour is having a bathroom replaced, they left the old bathroom parts outside, not far outside my bedroom window, last night was awful for noise, there was no attempt at all to stop anything from flying out into the road, the wind has been strong enough to almost rip apart a couple of fence panels, they are on their last legs.

A fence company's dream weekend I think!

 

[RogerS]

....., they are on their last legs.

Have they seen a doctor ?

 

[Doug71]

A fence company's dream weekend I think!

My neighbour is going to come back from his holidays to find a lot of his fence missing, I kept having to nip out and pick sections of it up off the road. Its even snapped one of his 6"x6" gateposts so that and one half of his pair of gates is just laid on his drive.