*** MEDIUM RISK OF THUNDERSTORMS TODAY - SATURDAY MAY 11TH 2013***

The ingredients are there for the possible development of isolated thunderstorms from about midday onwards. The MAIN risk area is probably just to the north of our region, say The Midlands and East Anglia, but London and the South East are included in the wider risk area.

Where a t/storm cell develops it could well become strong in nature ( not quite severe, but not too far from it !! ), producing hail and strong winds. There is a slight risk of funnel cloud/tornadic development.

Moley

Saturday May 11th 2013 @ 11:00 hrs.

Pretty much spot on there Kremm, but todays computer models are also programmed to spot a trend or weather pattern weeks ahead.

Try as I might, having looked at all the 'main players' model wise I'm struggling to see anything positive about the prospects for the UK in general, and London and The South East in particular between now and the end of May.

Moley

Just a very quick post from me tonight...TUESDAY MAY 14TH 2013 @ 17:55 hrs.

The Low Pressure system heading in from the South West of the UK is currently producing some very strong to gale force winds further west, and these are expected to affect London and The South East later tonight.

Whilst the winds SHOULD be lighter by the time they reach us, its advisable to secure any items of outdoor furniture etc before then.

Moley

All the outdoor office furniture was blown over

About time we had another fine spell


Where are we - 15th May - predict this one !!!!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-22536139

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Lets be careful out there !

Outdoor office furniture ??

Here in LBH we escaped the worst of last nights winds ( 38mph at Raf Northolt ) but parts of The South Coast and The English Channel recorded gusts of between 50 & 73mph, which is more akin to October than mid May.

As for your next 2 comments Kremm.....believe me I am trying !!

There are some very tentative signs that daytime temperatures MIGHT recover a bit by early next week. The maximum at Northolt was yet again below 10c ( 50f) today. It should be closer to 16-17c ( 61-63f ) at this time of year. Not a huge difference granted, but couple that with grey skies and a nagging wind and it doesn't feel too pleasant out.

The next couple of days look like continuing in a similar vein, but there are already some concerns for Sunday. Low Pressure heading up from the south could produce some very heavy rainfall for London and The South East according to the current computer models. All subject to change of course.

I am doing my best to keep up with developments and keep posting, and I thank all of you who keep reading, and of course posting.

Moley

Nature delivered another devastating reminder of its terrifying power to the town of Moore, Oklahoma yesterday for the 2nd time in 14 years. My keen interest in weather is tempered by the realisation of its sometimes awful consequences, and I hope I don't sound trite by offering my condolences to the folk affected.

Its another stark reminder that whilst we can try and predict it, the weather is way beyond our control.

It has long been an 'ambition' of mine to join one of the many UK storm chasing groups who head out to the USA at this time of year, and every year I follow their trips via the internet with live feeds and updates. I am relieved to hear that all the groups currently out there have reported they are safe.

There is a lot of debate on weather forums about whether such trips are ethical, but my take on it is that they are organised and run by professionals, and provide a huge amount of live data and information that ultimately assists the emergency services. They also assist in the rescue operations if they are in the vicinity, which some of them were yesterday.

Nature does what nature wants, all we can do is try and predict and prepare for it.

Moley

^^ Well that was my take on events elsewhere ( comments welcome as always ), but what are the prospects closer to home...IE: London and The South East ?

The first thing I noticed since waking up at 7am this morning ( Tuesday ) is that its actually got darker as the day goes on, to the point where I have to put my living room light on just to see the keyboard. Not only that, but the temperature has fallen from 15.9c at midnight to its current 12.3c at 1pm.

I feel as though I am in some kind of time warp, and planet earth is now rotating in reverse. Day is night/night is day. What is supposed to be Spring feels like Autumn, and the 4-5 hours of Summer last Sunday afternoon is a distant memory. Those on the South Coast didn't even have that luxury, it rained down there for much of the day.

Believe me I am trying to find a glimmer of hope amongst this gloom, but if the computer models are anything to go by.........there is none.

The rest of this week looks set to continue with the same old theme. Some occasional breaks in the cloud but temperatures still below average for the time of year, and if anything becoming colder by the end of the week. 10-12c ( 50-54f ) when we should reasonably expect 16-18c ( 61-64f ).

The outlook for the Bank Holiday weekend is not too promising either for our region, with the wind coming from a northerly direction, but we may see a little more in the way of sunshine as the weekend progresses. Head west and/or north if it's sunshine you are after.

Moley

Off topic but consider a Logitech Illuminated keyboard, superb piece of kit. I had the same issue in dark rooms and white on black keys.

Now back on topic - it's drizzling

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Lets be careful out there !

They're a lot of money (just looked at them on Amazon)

Might be cheaper to put the light on

It's just as cold today again but it's good dog walking weather (didn't get too hot or wet today)

^^ Thanks for the heads up on the keyboard Kremm but a bit beyond my means, though they are cheaper on E-Bay than Amazon Sunshine. I will stick with turning the lights on for now, but its been gloomy here yet again today ( Wednesday ).

The next two days look pretty dire to be honest as Low Pressure threatens to add rain to the grey blanket of cloud thats currently covering most, if not all of our region. There is a distinct possibility that maximum temperatures may not even reach double figures on Friday here in London and The South East. 8-10c ( 48-50f ). Add to that northerly winds and rain and I would say thats about as bad as it can get for late May, with the official start of Summer just 9 days away.

We should see a SLIGHT improvement over the rest of the Bank Holiday weekend, but nothing to warrant changing into shorts and t-shirts and piling on the sun cream. This is still on course to be one of the coldest May's on record, certainly up there in the top 10 in the last 100 years or so.

However.......whisper this, there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon....albeit possibly 10-14 days away. Watch this space.

Thanks as always for reading and posting. Moley