CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Commuting

"Severe weather warning"

(7354 posts)

  1. chdot
    Admin

    BBC4 now

    "

    Alok Jha investigates how meteorology became one the most important scientific endeavours of the modern age by charting the progress of computer-based forecasting through the characters who pioneered it. He reveals how American mathematician Jule Charney found a way to simplify weather for the early computers of the 1940s, and looks at how John Mason gambled the future of the Met Office on unproven technology in the early 1960s. Last in the series

    "

    Posted 7 years ago #
  2. chdot
    Admin

  3. jdanielp
    Member

    I left early to try and avoid the rain but was irritated to find that it started almost the moment I was setting out on the bike and then eased just as I arrived at work. Having said that, the rain was quite light and I was only slightly damp by the time I arrived. As I was locking up my bike the black clouds looming in from the west decided to break and it *really* started raining with thunder and lightning so I did make the best decision as it turns out.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  4. SRD
    Moderator

    @jdanielp - almost exactly my strategy and experience! have to say, in the soft, warm rain my strategy of rain cape, shorts and sandals was perfect. glad I got in when I did though. gosh it was dark right before the rain started.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  5. I were right about that saddle
    Member

  6. Stickman
    Member

    Some great forks right overhead now!

    Posted 7 years ago #
  7. chdot
    Admin

    "genius"

    Yes, how does it collect/record the info?

    Posted 7 years ago #
  8. wingpig
    Member

    It was barely drizzling for the school drop and barely drizzling until I got half-way along George Street, whereupon I went from dry to shoe-squelchingly saturated in ten seconds. Unfortunately there are no Metros in any recycling bins yet so I might have to make do with rubbish paper towels.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  9. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    It seems to be triangulating from listening stations that you can show in the tools menu.

    I guess a lightning strike is pretty easy to detect in radio frequencies!

    Posted 7 years ago #
  10. Klaxon
    Member

    @chdot the data comes from the blitzortung network for which you can build your own receiver http://en.blitzortung.org/cover_your_area.php

    Posted 7 years ago #
  11. Arellcat
    Moderator

    This is genius;

    That is my new favourite website.

    I was forecast watching last night and cloud watching this morning. My little weather station showed the air pressure had plummeted over the previous four hours, so I headed to work early, just as the drizzle arrived. Goodness me it got dark around 9am!

    Posted 7 years ago #
  12. Klaxon
    Member

    @Arrellcat for day to day use 'Raintoday' is good for judging what rain systems are up to and if you need a brolly

    http://www.raintoday.co.uk/mobile

    Posted 7 years ago #
  13. Been using that lightning site for a while now - really accurate for tracking and planning. Sadly slipped a bit too far east of Edinburgh Park for all but a few minor forks looking west.

    My strategy was "it's too warm for waterproofs, getting soaked by boil in the bag sweat defeats the purpose, I'm just gonna dress for summer" this morning. The rain was middling, which was lovely and cooling - arrived at work feeling fresher than the rest of this week (though I did, just, avoid the torrents).

    Posted 7 years ago #
  14. chdot
    Admin

    "few minor forks looking west"

    Likely to be more in an hour or so..

    Posted 7 years ago #
  15. neddie
    Member

    I think the data comes from 'home users' monitoring stations that measure low frequency radio for 'static'

    GPS is used to get the position of the station and provide an accurate clock. Then by triangulation across several stations (which could be 100s of miles away), they can provide a strike location.

    I'm not sure what the accuracy is, but given it's GPS based, I bet it would be to 10s of meters.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  16. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    That is my new favourite website.

    Second favourite, surely?

    Posted 7 years ago #
  17. chdot
    Admin

    "the data comes from the blitzortung network"

    @ Klaxon

    Thanks!

    Posted 7 years ago #
  18. jdanielp
    Member

    This is one of my favourite weather-related sites although the lightning tracker is pretty cool: earth

    Posted 7 years ago #
  19. paddyirish
    Member

    Left home about 8:20 and heard the first clap of thunder about 2 mins later. Rain started in earnest as I reached the hill above Cramond Brig. By the time I crossed the bridge on the A90 (2-3 mins later) it was crank deep with rivers flowing down the side of the road.

    No hope of having dry gear tonight.

    Got spoiled by seeing two cracking thunderstorms in Austria - lightning was bright enough to light up the entire mountain ranges and claps of thunder lasted ~30 seconds because of the echoes in the mountain valley. Sitting on the balcony with a grandstand view, kids asleep and a bottle of red was just perfect.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  20. dougal
    Member

    @jdanielp Oh that is VERY nice. Plus points for the "misery index". If I could personally calibrate the scale for local climate then I would know in advance just how miserable I would be before I even leave the house.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  21. chdot
    Admin

    "Likely to be more in an hour or so"

    Why do I pay ANY attention to weather forecasts!

    Posted 7 years ago #
  22. Frenchy
    Member

    Why do I pay ANY attention to weather forecasts!

    This one was right - I heard thunder around midday.

    Nevermind; can't read.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  23. jdanielp
    Member

    I sat outside to eat my lunch a little earlier. Lovely day!

    Posted 7 years ago #
  24. chrisfl
    Member

    I use http://forcast.io/ and was hoping to get children delivered on child minder before the heavy rain hit. However they were not fully compliant and we hit the canal just as the rain reached maximum, but I can chalk up a Gembo spot under of the bridges as I stopped to check that the stoker and passenger were fine.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  25. Arellcat
    Moderator

    There is one heck of a thunderstorm over Halesworth in Norfolk right now.

    https://www.lightningmaps.org/?lang=en#m=sat;r=0;t=3;s=15;o=0;b=0.00;n=0;z=11;d=8;dl=8;dc=0;y=52.3143;x=1.2772;

    Posted 7 years ago #
  26. chdot
    Admin

  27. Snowy
    Member

    Posted 7 years ago #
  28. chdot
    Admin

    "

    The rain looks set to move into the north of England as well as Scotland and Northern Ireland this afternoon and there could be heavy downpours in some areas of Scotland tomorrow, Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said.

    "

    https://inews.co.uk/essentials/news/august-downpours-wont-last-unseasonable-rainfall/

    Posted 7 years ago #
  29. chdot
    Admin

  30. chdot
    Admin

    "
    Forecasters said strong winds would develop from around 5pm on Saturday through into Sunday afternoon.

    A Met Officer spokesman said an area of low pressure currently developing over the north Atlantic was expected to hit the northern reaches of the UK in the coming days.

    But he said there “should well be some bright spells, particularly around Edinburgh and the Borders and up into Fife”.

    "

    http://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/high-winds-forcecasted-for-edinburgh-on-opening-weekend-of-festival-1-4195368

    Or - 'might be windy and maybe a bit wet, but we're not sure'.

    Posted 7 years ago #

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