Scotland - Weather Chat - Spring 2016 Onwards

[skifreak]

I'm going to a wee village outside Estepona to meet up with family for a week on 7th October, fantastic week likely in the Highlands. 

[Hairy Celt]

Another seasonal, non-weather item...

This is definitely late this year, blackcurrants should be finished before the en d of July. However it's a good crop this year so no complaints.  Slugs, snails and Cabbage Whites have been taking advantage though and decimating (or worse) the greens.

 

 

[Hairy Celt]

https://www.littletoller.co.uk/shop/books/little-toller/snow/

An eraly Xmas present for someone?

[Hairy Celt]

more culinary delights...   

 

[Hairy Celt]

Ms HC comes in to see about a quick trot to the lighthouse, and all of a sudden the sky goes black and B-B-BOOOM!! How about in the morning then?

[Stuart]

3 minutes ago, Hairy Celt said:

Ms HC comes in to see about a quick trot to the lighthouse, and all of a sudden the sky goes black and B-B-BOOOM!! How about in the morning then?

 

 

I had some thunder as well

[Richard Taylor]

seems to be plenty lightning returns being plotted towards the NW and heading E into the Moray Firth 

[Northernlights]

4 minutes ago, Richard Taylor said:

seems to be plenty lightning returns being plotted towards the NW and heading E into the Moray Firth 

Yes in just the last 20 minutes its become stormy with lots of lighning and thunder over the Firth.Getting very dark now.  Young Mr. Northernlights came in from roguing wild oats promptly.

[Hairy Celt]

We went out anyway and escaped all but a brief drenching.  It was pretty good watching the lightening flashing all round the firth, although I felt a touch exposed on the beach when it got closer!

Edited August 7, 2016 by Hairy Celt

[Hairy Celt]

Bright and very breezy now, it seems a long, long time since a blow like this. April? Not long in some ways but the weather plays havoc with stretchy time perception...

So the cats respond by lounging by sunny windows rather than out in their favourite garden spots.

Late morning edit: some strong gusts now - medium-sized trees getting a good thrashing where exposed...

Edited August 7, 2016 by Hairy Celt

[AuroraStorm]

Forked lightning so good yesterday it fried Farmer Northernlights' broadband! He's currently struggling through an unplanned internet detox (with extensive family support/long suffering ) until Messrs BT get into action.

[NUT]

Some seriously intense bursts of rain rolling through

[Hairy Celt]

4 hours ago, AuroraStorm said:

Forked lightning so good yesterday it fried Farmer Northernlights' broadband! He's currently struggling through an unplanned internet detox (with extensive family support/long suffering ) until Messrs BT get into action.

Well that's Karma. I hope it's just the BB that's fried, nothing else too vital.  The lightening did look pretty good over NL's way yesterday evening - big flickerings in the clouds.

[Northernlights]

On 07/08/2016 at 18:28, AuroraStorm said:

Forked lightning so good yesterday it fried Farmer Northernlights' broadband! He's currently struggling through an unplanned internet detox (with extensive family support/long suffering ) until Messrs BT get into action.

Back online at neighbours. No phone line therefore no broadband. Calm cool morning.

Was the loudest bang on Saturday night I have heard for a while,    Rooms were all an intense blue for a few seconds  Unusual direction and time to get storms from as usually breed over the Cairngorms and then  traditionally track down the  Findhorn valley to Forres  in mid afternoon. Very convinced that climate is changing after the 20th of July storms.

High winds of the last two days have helped to start ripening the green barley but don"t need any more till after harvest.Probably mid September

 

 

Too slow tuning off wi-fi and answer phone but tellys all disconnected in time.Have circuit breakers on fridge, freezer and shower and they all tripped and did their job Out yesterday to get more circuit breakers   and new answer phone. Just waiting for BT to sort the line.

[Northernlights]

Putting hay away tonight fine cool evening  for the job already down to 7c

 

[Hairy Celt]

2 hours ago, Northernlights said:

Putting hay away tonight fine cool evening  for the job already down to 7c

 

Yes, we went for a stroll late this evening and I felt quite chilled in shorts...

Earlier I watched the sunset through a recessed skylight that I'm repainting!

Youngest HC turned 18 today (so also got his AH results on the day he assumes responsibility) and commented on the weather, 'it's dry for my birthday again!' Unfortunately he was working this evening....

Edited August 9, 2016 by Hairy Celt

[Hairy Celt]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-37033063

Guess who's chosen the next two three days for a short break at Mallaig?  I'm not happy, in fact I'm quite sad, look at the rainfall totals, HC.  Will take some reading material

Edited August 10, 2016 by Hairy Celt

[Northernlights]

Still no phone line at home and BT say it will now be Friday before it is fixed. Dry cool start to the day at 2c so thought I would cut domestic grasses since  they have not been done for over two weeks.

We live in a very exposed spot and so howling winds come with the territory

Discovered some really bad damage to fruit trees and other trees with the gales of Sunday to Monday One apple tree completely stripped  of half grown fruit.

Horse chesnut has lost half its leaves and most of the conkers . Runner beans stripped from their stakes.30% of the green  plums also stripped . This summer is turning into a real bad one.

One steading  roofing sheet has also been dislodged and broken but I kept one from the late sixties  when it was built in a shed so have a replacement for it!!!!

Going up to Grantown Show tomorrow so will be interesting to see if the trees are turning in Carrbridge after their frost last night.

 

[Hairy Celt]

Flood alerts are out for the west. We're in the east and it's been raining steadily since late morning...

[NUT]

Been raining for about 15 hours now here not torrential but not very nice

[101_North]

Another awful day in an awful jaffa cakes poor summer! 

Kids back to school next week so I'm hedging my bets on summer appearing about 8:45 next Wednesday morning! 

[BleakMidwinter]

Just sticking my head in to wave at you all from Englandshire - it's over 18 months since I left Embra but I'm still getting the hang of this here Shropshire weather... mostly the precip comes in from the NNW through the Cheshire Gap which is dead handy as our little flat has a 37-mile view to the NNW, all the way to the Berwyn hills of Wales, so I'm learning the various landmark ridges and hills and so on to know when Weather is incoming, although that doesn't help with SWerlies! 

The biggest problem with learning my new weather patterns is not having people like you lot - if I never told you when I lived in Embra how much I appreciated your helpfulness in explaining how weather works, then I jolly well should have done! 

It's weird down here - I have to water the little guerilla-gardening patch because it doesn't rain at all for weeks on end. Think it's about three weeks now since it rained more than 2-3 minutes of drizzle... 

Anyway - take care, and thanks again for all the help you generously give to meteoronumpties like me!

[carinthian]

On 10/08/2016 at 18:02, Northernlights said:

Still no phone line at home and BT say it will now be Friday before it is fixed. Dry cool start to the day at 2c so thought I would cut domestic grasses since  they have not been done for over two weeks.

We live in a very exposed spot and so howling winds come with the territory

Discovered some really bad damage to fruit trees and other trees with the gales of Sunday to Monday One apple tree completely stripped  of half grown fruit.

Horse chesnut has lost half its leaves and most of the conkers . Runner beans stripped from their stakes.30% of the green  plums also stripped . This summer is turning into a real bad one.

One steading  roofing sheet has also been dislodged and broken but I kept one from the late sixties  when it was built in a shed so have a replacement for it!!!!

Going up to Grantown Show tomorrow so will be interesting to see if the trees are turning in Carrbridge after their frost last night.

 

Hi Northern lights.I like reading your reports. Bad summer again for your region. Let's hope for a warmer and drier end to the summer. The local farmers around here are complaining about the wet cool summer in these parts with little pasture growth for the cattle grazing. This follows a run of very hot and dry summers, so a bit of a shock to the locals. I keep telling them its nothing that compares to the run of terrible summers you farmers in the far North of Scotland have had to endure. Keep the reports coming, love to read them and report back to the local farmers here and yes they are interested !

C

 

[skifreak]

Was in Orkney on Wednesday and stayed on the Hamnavoe overnight in Stromness, pretty good deal B&B for £57 for a cabin that sleeps 2, with complimentary evening snacks and refreshments in the onboard lounge. Decent day on Wednesday for a wonder around Stromness, then caught the bus through to Kirkwall. Monsoon conditions by the time I arrived back in Scrabster, but I doubt a smoother crossing of the Pentland Firth has ever been had, as well as light winds, tide must have been favourable as usually there's a fair swell even in light winds.

 

 

Edited August 12, 2016 by skifreak

[Northernlights]

7 hours ago, carinthian said:

Hi Northern lights.I like reading your reports. Bad summer again for your region. Let's hope for a warmer and drier end to the summer. The local farmers around here are complaining about the wet cool summer in these parts with little pasture growth for the cattle grazing. This follows a run of very hot and dry summers, so a bit of a shock to the locals. I keep telling them its nothing that compares to the run of terrible summers you farmers in the far North of Scotland have had to endure. Keep the reports coming, love to read them and report back to the local farmers here and yes they are interested !

C

 

Hi Carinthian.Thank you for the comments. Although its not been as cold as last summer it feels as if we have had just as much rain.Still making hay as harvest will be about three weeks later than average in spite of earlier ripening varities of barley.     Mid September seems probable and I just hope we get the "Indian " summer  weather we had last year at the end of September begining of October 2015.

It seems a dream thinking back to summer 2003 when harvest was done and dusted in the 80"s F by the 11th August and we had to bale straw in the evening dew as it was to dry and shiny  to revolve in the round balers during the heat of the day.

 

After a breezy drying day the rain has just started again,quite warm at 19c