Dave Bullock

I thought this may be of interest to the forum. You can zoom in and see lightning density information for the last 6 years down to county level in UK and district level in places like the US. Vaisala Lightning 2016-2021 INTERACTIVE-LIGHTNING-MAP.VAISALA.COM Vaisala's interactive global lightning density map display

I hope this is of interest to you all Vaisala Lightning 2016-2020 INTERACTIVE-LIGHTNING-MAP.VAISALA.COM Vaisala Lightning 2016-2020 Cheers, Dave

There are a few other local authorities that make some of their roadside station information available but sometimes it can take a fair bit of searching about. Perth and Kinross, Cumbria, Durham and North Yorkshire are a few that come to mind.

I'm saying that on the roadside weather station network the lowest temperature I've seen this morning is -22.8C. This isn't the same as the official weather station network you mention. The set up is completely different at these locations and specifically tailored to measuring road and roadside conditions. For example the temperature and humidity sensors are mounted around 3m above the ground. However the sensors on the stations are professional or reference grade and are rigorously maintained to ensure the data reported is accurate

I work for Vaisala here in the UK and have the ability to see data from the 1100 or so roadside weather stations around the UK and Ireland. The lowest value I've seen this morning was from a station just to the west of Tillyfourie in Aberdeenshire where -22.8C was reported at 0630. Unfortunately there are no stations in Braemar, the closest one being just to the east of the village at Crathie, where -19.2C was reported at 0700.

Not the most salubrious of webcam locations but it may be interesting to watch in the next few minutes https://go.walsall.gov.uk/bins/find_household_waste_recycling_centres_tips/merchants_household_waste_recycling_centre

Here's a good site to look at the current situation across the whole of the ROI. https://www.tiitraffic.ie/cams/

Yes, I was ! Woken with a start at just after 0030 by a very loud and prolonged peal of thunder here in Newquay. There were a further 3 flashes and bangs over the next few minutes but at increasing distance. A look at some of the lightning reporting sites indicated that the first strike was probably no more than a 150m from the house so no wonder it was loud. There was a brief accompanying period of rain, big drops but with no intensity, but this also stopped after 5 minutes or so. As well as the proximity of the first strike the most surprising thing was the fact there was a storm in the first place. Even when sitting outside at 11pm, other than a few stray clouds, there was no indication of anything like this happening !

I was stood right underneath that cell for about three hours in the thunder and lightning attempting to keep the floodwater out of the house. In all my years of weather watching this was the heaviest most prolonged downpour I can remember. Fortunately it moved away just in time as the water was within 2cm or so of getting inside, but there are numerous reports of less lucky persons homes being flooded in the area. Hopefully a dry night will allow the flooding around the house and in the garden to completely subside and a dry day tomorrow will give the chance to clear up. Spectacular but scary too.

Looks very similar to here. I'm 6 foot 3 and the drifts I posted photos of earlier were above my head.

Some great drifts here this morning. Here's some from just along the road from me on Bosty Lane where the snow has been blown across the Aldridge School playing fields.

Forecast guidance I've seen, issued just before 1pm for the western midlands counties indicates things will to start to pep up from around 1400 from the south, with a core period of snowfall across the region between 1600 and 2100. Between 5 and 10 cm is forecast in the south, 4 to 8cm further north. This is, of course, still subject to amendment and change.

And here in the last 5 minutes or so.

A few cms here in Aldridge but with a decent amount of drifting especially just up the road from me on Longwood Lane and Beacon Road. Hopefully more later. My springer loves the snow too !

I work for Vaisala, who some of you may have heard of with regard to weather sensors and systems, in their Birmingham office. I get to see a lot of data, particularly related to road weather, and can say that this cold spell is exceptional both in intensity and extent and especially for this time of the year. It is comparable to anything I've seen in the last 30 years in this line of work. At 1100 this morning only 6 of the 1200 or so road weather stations I can view data from in the UK and ROI were above 0C, and these were, with one exception, right on the NE coast. Nowhere in Cornwall was warmer than -2.5C and a station within a few km of Land's End was reporting -4C. I was in Finland yesterday, where at 8am it was -24C, but it felt no colder than the dog walk I went on here first thing this morning !

A little more intensity again now, looking forward to the dog walk later !

And slightly heavier here in Aldridge now too.

I was working at home in Aldridge yesterday and was 'perfectly' placed under the storms and downpours that affected parts of the West Midlands. There was thunder within a couple of km in the mid afternoon but the main feature was the constant deluge for something like four hours which, even by recent standards, was notable for the impact it had on flooding of roads, fields and watercourses in what seemed like a very localised area ( for various reasons I had to drive around Pelsall, Lichfield and Walsall in the evening where there was less flooding apparent). Fortunately there were no reports of impact on properties, and other than some still flooded fields and streams in full spate everything just seems its normal soggy self this morning.

Yes, and Exeter HQ too I think, although as I work for Vaisala rather than the UKMO I'm not absolutely certain !

There have been a number of tweaks and new iterations over the years so it may not have been an option a few years ago. There is an updated version being pushed out now for the new RS41 sonde which, for example, means it takes less time to load the carousels and in launch preparation.

Also the autosonde is designed to check the surface wind speed before it starts to fill the balloon, if that speed exceeds 25m/s then the sounding is aborted. It is still possible for the launch to take place under the guidance of the remote controller once the winds have returned to acceptable levels.

Hi, sondes can be launched in winds of up to 20m/s without a wind cover and 25m/s with the cover added to the AS14 unit. Dave