The Great British Weather Debate

[Ian]

Yesterday, for a couple of hours, the Orme was right at the centre of the Low Pressure system.  We stood at the top and watched the clouds circling around us - moving right to left wherever we looked. Very similar to being in the eye of a hurricane; utterly still and some sunshine.

[DaveR]

Thick fog in Llandudno early on Thursday morning last week, here are a few photos:

[Nemesis]

  Good pics Dave.

[Fester]

I was on a plane from Egypt on Friday morning, which somehow managed to land at MCR in the thickest fog I have ever seen.

It was the most frightening landing I have ever had, and I've had many hundreds of them.

I picked my car up at 2am and set off with visibility down to only a few feet.  I assumed the fog would lift soon and that I could speed up a bit towards Chester....but NO!

It was like that for my entire (slow) journey, and if I had known that, I would have checked in to a hotel.
Much of the M56 and A55 are not even lit, it was a real ordeal, and I have felt tired ever since.

People were overtaking me at approx 50 mph, which seemed crazy, as you really could not see what you were driving in to.
Mrs Fester was terrified all the way home!
When I came over Penrhyn Hill, I could not see the 'Welcome' sign, but I was mightily pleased to get home.
I have never known such thick fog expand over such a massive area.

[Michael]

  Driving wise fog is the only thing I am frightened of. Snow, ice, floods, flat tyres ,no brakes, no lights I  can cope with.

[Yorkie]

I have never known such thick fog expand over such a massive area.

You obviously never experienced the dreadful London Smogs that we had in the  40's and 50's.  Easier for you to Google it than for me to write a book here!   ZXZ

[Ian]

I was on a plane from Egypt on Friday morning, which somehow managed to land at MCR in the thickest fog I have ever seen.

Manchester is a Cat III enabled airport, so the plane would have landed itself. Happened to us, once.  Usually, the pilot tells the passenger - after the landing :-)

[Nemesis]

In the mid-50s we had such smog that cars were getting lost on roundabouts and people started wearing masks if they had to walk anywhere.

[Fester]

I was on a plane from Egypt on Friday morning, which somehow managed to land at MCR in the thickest fog I have ever seen.

Manchester is a Cat III enabled airport, so the plane would have landed itself. Happened to us, once.  Usually, the pilot tells the passenger - after the landing :-)

So, perhaps we should do away with all pilots now, and maybe less Malaysians would go missing?  I'm being serious.

[Ian]

So, perhaps we should do away with all pilots now, and maybe less Malaysians would go missing?  I'm being serious.

It's certainly true that a modern Jet airliner can fly itself.  Most do, in fact, apart from Take-off and Landing and, as you found out, in dense fog they're far better than humans.  But the airline industry prefers to keep humans at the controls for those situations in which things happen abruptly and of which the computers have no previous experience.

Planes operate in three dimensions, with no tracks to keep them on course, so if something untoward does happen then it's useful to have a real human in a position where they can think outside of the box, as it were. Good examples are where the fuel lines become clogged, such as the landing in Heathrow a couple of years ago, and the pilot wasn't able to reach the runway before the fuel gave out. They investigated that to death, but didn't find the answer until one of the researchers with military flying experience wondered if it was due to extreme cold followed by sudden heat - exactly what happens on landing. An automated aircraft might have killed everyone on board whereas the BA pilots managed to save everyone by breaking a few rules.

And don't forget there's no such thing as bug-free computer code...

[Ian]

If anyone wants to escape the heat and humidity which arrives overnight and during tomorrow, the coolest place around will be Holyhead. Stay away from Wrexham :-)))

[Ian]

From the Met office, issued today at 1200:

"The remains of hurricane Bertha, west of the Bay of Biscay on Saturday morning, now possess the characteristics of a mid-latitude depression, albeit with very warm air wrapped up within it. This feature is expected to move towards the UK before deepening on Saturday night and Sunday morning. There is increasing confidence that this depression will affect the UK, though with very large uncertainty remaining over the track and intensity.

There is the potential for rainfall totals of more than 50 mm in places and coastal gusts of over 60 mph, along with large waves. The locations affected are very dependent on the track of the low but the heaviest rainfall is thought most likely around and to the northwest of the low centre whilst the strongest winds are most likely around the southern flank of the low."

It seems we'll escape the worst, if we're lucky, as the system seems destined to track up the NE coast.

[Fester]

As if you didn't know, Storm force winds are forecast for tonight and for the next 2 days.
The worst of it starts at 5am on Wednesday!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-30400150

I was driving home from Caernarfon this afternoon, and the buffetting my car was getting was pretty bad, some of the worst I have experienced.
Overtaking high-sided vehicles was particularly scary!

[Nemesis]

Agreed Fester. I drove to Bangor about 3ish and it was horrendous, the heavy vehicles were all over the place and our small car was well buffeted by them. So much so that when we were ready to return we decided to take the longer inland route via Bethesda and Capel Curig. OMG there was so much rain and wind that the water was actually blowing up from the road. Not an experience I want to repeat in a rush.!

[Yorkie]

I was driving home from Caernarfon this afternoon, and the buffetting my car was getting was pretty bad, some of the worst I have experienced.
Overtaking high-sided vehicles was particularly scary!

Those 2CV's are all the same!   L0L

Thanks for the warning, anyway!