Storm Ciarán

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

This is an early heads up.

Models have consistently been bringing in a deep low pressure for sometime over Wed/Thurs. As is often the case, details are yet to be nailed down, but some of the models are producing some severe gusts - southern coastal winds of up to 90mph and more widespread inland winds of around 60mph. With storms, comes rain too unfortunately. A wobble in the track could take them further north or, keep it all in France. Exactly when and where the low pressure develops will make a big difference in the outcome. More details to follow.

If the storm is named, it will be Storm Ciaran. At that point I'll ask MNHQ to change the title appropriately.

We’ve removed an old conservatory and single block extension on the east side of the house to be replaced, so the gap to the main house is currently boarded up. I think in all honesty it might be better than the shoddy conservatory that was up before.

By the time we get into tomorrow evening according to the forecast the weather at Gatwick should be relatively benign compared with earlier in the day, i.e. still a bit windy but more aligned with the runway, chance of heavy showers - so probably bumpy.

I think the bigger problem might be disruption to the timing of your flight if the aircraft/crew gets caught up in delays earlier in the day.

(I'm aware I've done a few posts along the lines of the above, I'm only trying to help provide vaguely informed info for those that might need it but I'll stop if it's boring the pants off too many people).

Greetings neighbour! Seems we’re currently stranded between the two orange zones.

Thank you. Will keep checking in. Flying with a nervous teen and trying not to show I’m bricking it 😂.

Or as my friend discovered on the Camino, the rain in Spain falls mainly on the pilgrims.

@Bubbles254 yes, I'm expecting to be woken in the early hours by 3 panicking collies

I'm really sorry that I'm making you more nervous. Good about the power lines.

We've had a do not travel on trains before 9am in north Kent. Luckily I'm not in work tmrw. Hope everyone stays safe
(Thanks to oybk and others for keeping us informed. It helps for planning as I've certainly changed my day tmrw)

Surely there only one hardcore kitty on this thread 😺

@icewoman tips from a hurricane zone dweller

much prep is done at start of season, then a bunch more as we see the storm coming in a few days so these tips are adapted to U.K and to things moving fast. It’s too late now to trim branches and clear drains, might still be time to bring inside anything outside that can become a projectile like garden ornaments and tools. Park car away from trees if you can, sheltered by a wall from storm direction

AS STORM COMES IN

Get inside, stay inside and make sure all windows and doors are tightly shut. Wind can get inside and blow off the roof. Keep interior doors closed as well so if there is wind ingress, via one window you can try to avoid it getting further into the house and increasing the pressure. Brace outside doors if there is a chance they will fly open. Do not go outside to look at the storm. During the eye it will temporarily go still then suddenly get wild again so stay in.

Put important docs in ziplock bag and stash in a backpack ready to go with essentials like meds, glasses, phone etc.

Take photos of the inside and outside of your home and car if safe to do so and upload to the cloud to use for insurance claims of damage.

Power usually goes out: if your freezer is full it will stay cold for 23 hours if the door stays closed, if your freezer is empty put plastic bottles of water in it, fill it up, but take a bit of water out of each bottle as it expands when freezing and may burst.

We make cook frozen pizza and wrap it in foil and stick in the fridge to eat later when the power goes out.

charge everything now, phones, iPads etc and have torches handy

Drains may back up. Put plugs in sinks. Don’t flush the loo much. We usually lose water too so we turn off water and power and fill the bathtub for washing/flushing. Put some containers of clean water in the fridge to drink - empty wine bottles and recyclables are fine filled with tap water

pressure headaches from low pressure are a thing, for pets as well as people. Be extra kind to pets and keep them in. Don’t walk dogs in storms.

After the storm.

Power lines may be down, and be hidden in flood water. Do not walk or drive in flood waters, ever. Tune into local radio for safety updates. Wait for the all clear.
Take photos of damage, cautiously. Assume power restoration may take days. If you have a BBQ or gas camping stove, use that - outside.
Storms are really exhausting and stressful so give yourself grace in the aftermath and eat extra biscuits.

Good luck

thank you @tropicaltailwind very interesting and helpful.

It looks like a sting jet may be present in the storm after all. Hopefully this will have dissipated before it reaches NW France.
For more information about them: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/learn-about/weather/types-of-weather/wind/sting-jet

We have go bags ready. Carriers for the cats etc

Latest jersey met is gusts of 103mph.

Builder here, Drills charged, slate ripper shapened, roof ladders ready to go, all common tile types in neat piles in the yard, frsh invoice pad on the clipboard.

Busy tomorrow!

We have also been told to be prepared for power cuts even though our cables are undergroud, our substations are not

Not in Cornwall but I follow Kernow weather on Facebook. They're great with the explanations and have put up some scary looking weather maps today.
They're also are updating almost hourly.
Might be worth a look if you're Cornwall way on.
Just checked the Pentewan webcam. Absolutely wild weather.
Stay safe everyone.

Thank you for that @tropicaltailwind. I was wondering about internal doors. We can't close the bedroom or bathroom doors as the cat will just howl and scratch at them all night (no matter what side of them he's on!) but we can close kitchen and lounge doors tight.

Bathroom doesn't have a window anyway, so at least the 3 windows in the flat will all be isolated from each other by a closed door.

@tropicaltailwind what excellent advice. I am reminded of when some southern state in the US (Texas?) had unexpected snow, power cuts, and freezing temperatures. Lots of people from the Northern states posted lots of good advice on things like how to keep warm if the power goes off and you've no fuel. Of course, they routinely had to know all that stuff to live through the Northern Winters, so it was second nature to them. The Southern states had never had to face anything like that before.

Possibly a question in bad taste but - which airports are likely to remain open, although very windy, and roughly when? Thanks to MN (of course!) I am a FlightRadar24 nerd, and would love to "see" a go-around on FR24 in real time

Yikes - setting for MPH. Hoping all stay safe.

I'm the same, I didn't know to close doors and windows, in fact I think I've been told in the past that opening windows reduces force on them, but anyway, have gone round and closed them all now, and all internal doors except the ones HRH puss requires to remain open

I'm impressed!

Wind is picking up here, raining hard too.

where are you?

@SequentialAnalyst For future ref; keep an eye on Jersey and Guernsey weather forecasts for fog or high wind (not so high that they close them both mind you!). Go-arounds are reasonably common. I've been on one in Jersey where we'd actually been wheels on the ground for 5 or 6 seconds and then up and off again, and a number of attempted and aborted lands.

I've been in an aborted landing and it took my ears days to recover