Oh for the lovely, fresh-smelling rain we used to have on hot, summer days. Now, we seem to have violent, torrential rain for days on end.
I just wonder if there has ever been any summer to compare with this one just gone. So much constant, torrential rain and colder temperatures which meant it couldn't even be described as monsoon conditions. I did get a bit sunburnt the other day which was a surprise in late September. Better late than never, I suppose.

Wow, So many replies that Im not quite sure where to start, but I really do appreciate all your posts. Im not savvy enough to multi quote, so please bear with me while I try and answer them one at a time.

Moley

Hi Jane. Have you been reading the Daily Excess again !?

The very highest peaks in The Cairngorms may, may just see some sleet or snow this week, but thats not too unusual. Rest assured, here in London and The South East we will be spared.

It looks like a typical unsettled Autumnal spell for the week ahead in our region, and I think daytime temperatures will continue to fall as the week progresses, but again, thats normal for this time of the year as the days shorten and the sun sinks lower in the sky.

Its likely to be a mix of sunshine and showers, and quite breezy for much of the week.

Im still intrigued by Nadine though ( The weather system I hasten to add ! ). Latest reports suggest that she has now regained strength out in the Atlantic, and is back to full Hurricane status. I make that some 20-21 days since she first formed, which is coming pretty close to a record for a storm of this type. Thankfully she continues to stagger around in the Atlantic moving hither and thither, without once making landfall....anywhere.

Thanks for reading and posting x. Moley

Interesting report and thanks for that SOT. My first instinct is to say you experienced a straight line wind and storm downburst. BUT, there were several reports from Northern Ireland ( and elsewhere in the UK ) of funnel clouds and tornados during last weeks stormy weather.

If by any chance you could tell me the exact location, date and approximate time I can pass this very usefull information on to the folk who investigate these things. They are able to take radar grabs, and a whole lot more information, and look into it. Information like this is invaluable.

Just as a side note........funnel clouds and tornados are a lot more common in this country than most people realise. Per square mile we get more of them than almost any other country in the world. Thankfully ours are usually a lot weaker than those which hit the USA.

Thanks for reading and posting. Keep those reports coming please. Moley

Thanks for your posts Jon and Marian. I will try and reply to each seperately if I can.

First of all Jon, I wouldn't go so far as to say the weather is no different from how its always been, because the weather and the climate is forever changing. Always has and always will, but you are absolutely correct in saying there have always been extreme weather events, even in the UK. Many of them well documented as a few quick google searches will reveal.

I tend to agree about the political agenda, but perhaps thats for a different topic ? I just want to talk about the weather here !

Thanks as always for reading and posting. Moley

Edited by Moley: Jon. I sincerely hope that didn't sound rude. It wasn't intended that way at all

Hi Marian and I really appreciate your posts, and everyone elses who reads mine and/or replies.

As I sit here now typing at this unearthly hour I have the front door open listening to the rain falling outside. Looking at the radars there could be quite a bit more heading our way overnight.

I agree this summer has been pretty dismal, and the last decent summer was in 2006 if I recall correctly. Its difficult to compare records, and whilst they are available on the internet it takes a lot of searching to find and collate them all.

Regarding temperatures this summer, it may suprise you know that they were about average, but thats more due to the cloudy nights which held temperatures up, rather than sunny days.

September last year was an exceptional month.....with temperatures reaching almost 30c ( 86f ). I think they reached similar levels in the first couple of days of October as well. Thats not going to happen this year. I do like the Autumn season though, and will hopefully be going to the South Coast later this week to marvel at the scenery and enjoy some firework displays in Eastbourne and Hastings.

Thank you all for reading and posting.

Moley

**UPDATED TUESDAY OCTOBER 2ND 2012 @ 17:25 Hours**

There are some very heavy showers currently incoming for London and parts of The South East.

I haven't had time to get the link yet but its worth mentioning the Met Office have issued alerts for very heavy rain for our region from Thursday and beyond. Its worth keeping an eye on local forecasts, especially towards the latter end of this week.

Moley


Edited by Moley to include the alerts issued by the Met Office for London and The South East for Thursday, Friday and Saturday:

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weat ... ionName=se

Moley

You would think that with all the attention I pay to the weather I would have planned my journey down to the South Coast a little better wouldn't you ?

With a bit more thought and planning I could have made the 100 mile journey in bright sunshine on Thursday afternoon. That was the sensible option, but I was the height of indecision and delayed it. Since then it hasn't stopped raining and now the wind is picking up noticably. I suspect the M25 and A21 will be somewhat 'testing' by the time I finally head off around lunchtime today.

The forecast for this weekend is for more of the same in London and The South East, with blustery showers and longer spells of rain for most of us, particularly along Southern Coastal counties. There goes the bonfire and firework procession and display in Eastbourne this Saturday then, hopefully it will improve in time for the Hastings event next weekend.

Further afield it looks as though Tropical Storm/Hurricane Nadine has finally run out of steam some 23 days after she first formed out in The Atlantic. I believe that puts her in the top 5 longest lasting Atlantic Tropical Storm Systems, and remarkably she didn't make landfall at all in that time, though the outer bands did impact The Azores on a couple of occasions. Tropical Storm Oscar is now forming not far from where Nadine finally gave up. What a merry dance she led the forecasters, with the NHC ( National Hurricane Centre ) issuing 88 advisories during that time.

So.....I will sign off for now by wishing you all a good weekend whatever the weather, and as always, thanks for reading and posting.

Moley

M25 certainly blowy this morning, take care.

_________________
Lets be careful out there !

Will do and thanks Kremmen. Fellow weather watchers on the South Coast have just reported trees down and roads littered with debris in East Sussex. A squall front swept through London just after 6am this morning and the rain was horizontal for a while. Im going to delay my drive until about midday. Be careful out there.

Moley