Red wind warning for NE coast
- Thread starter FinesseChris
- Start date
Sandy
Well-known member
It is almost December, high winds happen every year. Now we name episodes of high wind all of a sudden it is newsworthy.
franksingleton
Well-known member
Well, yes, but the Met Office has a responsibility to warn of severe weather. Not everyone is as switched on as we sailors. It was quite right to issue amber warnings. I have to wonder if someone else - local councils, perhaps, are worried about damage caused by debris in the sea. The Met Office would normally warn of structural damage, trees being uprooted and falling branches. Seaborne debris causing damage to property and life is new. My guess is that someone else has seen the possibility for danger and has seriously considered the need for warnings.
dunedin
Well-known member
The NNE direction can be very troublesome for many of the Scottish East coast harbours, which can and does result in destruction of parts of harbour walls and worse
Sandy
Well-known member
Having spent my childhood on Hoy and the west coast of Scotland, areas where we were acutely aware of weather. Now living near Exeter I know several people who either work or have worked for the Met Office. I understand that the Met Office provides far more detailed forecasts, at a cost, to public bodies - how I miss the days when you could ring the local duty forecaster. I quite like the idea of named storms, but to date nobody has answered my question why will the same weather have either a red or amber warning.
boomerangben
Well-known member
Isn’t red an indication of threat to life, whatever part of the risk spectrum actually refers to? I guess higher population densities means a higher risk of death?
TiggerToo
Well-known member
My understanding is that the traffic light system is a relatively new invention. So you can't really compare the situation to several years ago.
BobnLesley
Well-known member
I think it depends on how far south the rough weather's coming, a bit like snow: 6" in the north of England or a foot of it in Scotland, Pah, who gives shirt; but a light dusting within the M25 makes it headline news and a threat to civilisation.
cherod
Well-known member
And well warned , very very windy in NE tonite , as wild for some time , ( “ windy “ currently showing 48 k , i can believe it ) definate risk to well being with parts of roofs and general debris being blown around , roads closed , marina very wild , dont know about colour warnings but “ windy “ has it at purple !!?
Sandy
Well-known member
F11, as currently forecast, 40 years ago is the same as today. The Amber/Red warnings are based on some unexplainable view of risk to something. I was asking somebody in the Met Office how it was worked out, the response was 'confused' at best. Perhaps I should ask the question again.
Baddox
Well-known member
It's already very windy here, the forecast has been updated since the one below, which says the wind strength will double from what it is now. The forecast for here is that the wind will reach over 60mph gusting over 80 at its strongest. I was interested to ride out the storm on our boat in a marina, but am having second thoughts.
ryanroberts
Well-known member
I really don't like 50kt gusts while up on the hard, much more disconcerting than when tied up to a pontoon
Blueboatman
Well-known member
Where I used to keep my boat the finger pontoons were laid out athwart the wind and the marina itself jutted out into the weather from the land .
In consequence a ‘mere’ 50kt blow was very hard on the short lines indeed and you could eat the salt in the air coming over the breakwaters . The poor boats were literally tethered and leaning over onto the pontoons instead of bow on with snubbers doing their thing .
Poor design/chasing occupancy profit I imagine
I would think that some of those French Biscay marinas must be very exposed too?
In consequence a ‘mere’ 50kt blow was very hard on the short lines indeed and you could eat the salt in the air coming over the breakwaters . The poor boats were literally tethered and leaning over onto the pontoons instead of bow on with snubbers doing their thing .
Poor design/chasing occupancy profit I imagine
I would think that some of those French Biscay marinas must be very exposed too?
Sybarite
Well-known member
It was perhaps unusual to hear that there would be gales in all sea areas, plus a good dose of violent storm force 11 s.
Sandy
Well-known member
Not according to the latest Met Office forecast
I agree it does happen once or twice a year and I don't see any sea state of phenomenal. It is always quite exciting when you hear that.
I have friends overwintering in Amble, who have made a tactical withdrawal to an AirBnB tonight and am rather glad I did not leave the boat in Peterhead over the winter.
Mistroma
Well-known member
Usual warning to avoid all travel unless you are a TV reporter. I watched a report from Stonehaven and the poor girl was out in pouring rain in the harbour. Locals were interviewed earlier and nowhere near the harbour.
I've just watched the latest report from Stonehaven and she seemed rather wet, but it wasn't raining. Careful examination showed water running down the side of one sleeve with some blowing around her arm and streaks across her body. Everything bone dry apart from her arm and streaks blown by the wind.
A cynic might say she'd been inside nice and warm until a few moments ago and then had a jug of water poured down one arm.
Ooops back to her for an update and she is thoroughly soaked again. I'm guessing it was recorded earlier.
If the next storm is blowing from the West she is guaranteed to pop up with a view of the railway line near Ardrossan. Always looks impressive with a train just happening to pass and being covered in spray.
I've just watched the latest report from Stonehaven and she seemed rather wet, but it wasn't raining. Careful examination showed water running down the side of one sleeve with some blowing around her arm and streaks across her body. Everything bone dry apart from her arm and streaks blown by the wind.
A cynic might say she'd been inside nice and warm until a few moments ago and then had a jug of water poured down one arm.
Ooops back to her for an update and she is thoroughly soaked again. I'm guessing it was recorded earlier.
If the next storm is blowing from the West she is guaranteed to pop up with a view of the railway line near Ardrossan. Always looks impressive with a train just happening to pass and being covered in spray.
franksingleton
Well-known member
It is, to some extent, a subjective judgement of severity. Red = severe damage with a threat to life.
franksingleton
Well-known member
I, too, remember the “good old days”. The Weather Centre concept was introduced in the 1950s. We had several “Weather shops“ in major cities. At the same time, most RAF stations had forecasters on site.They had enough time, between briefing aircrew, to respond to public enquiries - and were encouraged to do so by some station commanders wishing to have good relationships with the local, often farming, community. Weather Centres had manning problems, particularly in bad weather when they had insufficient staff but were over staffed much of the time.
Then the Met Office was under the MOD and it was becoming obvious in the late 70s/80s that the concept of such an extended free service was untenable. Continued cutbacks in funding led to the need for the Met Office to be cut back. Inevitably, that led to automation and centralisation.
Under the current situation, the Met Office has a limited requirement and budget to provide some free weather services. As far as marine services are concerned, the MCA has to have a budget to meet costs of shipping and inshore waters forecasts. Unfortunately, this does not extend to the free provision of GRIB and GRIB products as occurs in most other European countries. The CA has been trying to get the need recognised by the Met Office but, as far as I am aware, no success. I have written to the editor of Weather pointing out that the Met Office is out of step internationally. The magazine is the “popular” level journal of the Royal Met Society and goes to all members. Probably in vain, I am hoping that my letter might have some results in GRIB output provision.
PS. My usual finger trouble/incompetence! This was intended as a reply to Sandy.
Stemar
Well-known member
I did that one night when a storm was forecast. My first thought was to stay on my mooring, but decided that if something went wrong, I'd have seconds to start my engine before hitting something, and my engine took a few seconds to start at the best of times, so I decided to sit it out on the club pontoon, which had the added advantage that, if another boat on the pontoon had a problem, I could do something about it. Come the wind, I adjusted my lines and thought about taking a walk along the pontoon. Nope. The way that pontoon was leaping around, and the severe gusts meant I'd be taking my life in my hands. This with the wind blowing straight off the shore. Those boats were on their own - my life's worth more than a boat.
KenF
Member
Over 50 knots recorded in North Sea last night, watched it all on Ventusky, but best is Ship AS where you can get real time wind strength and direction by clicking on the arrow heads on the course line for a selected ship.
Also noted all flights from/to Aberdeen and later Newcastle diverted/cancelled according to Flightradar24 - brilliant these sites.
Looks like a Trimaran with fold in wings capsized in Lossiemouth according to the Aberdeen P & J.
Also noted all flights from/to Aberdeen and later Newcastle diverted/cancelled according to Flightradar24 - brilliant these sites.
Looks like a Trimaran with fold in wings capsized in Lossiemouth according to the Aberdeen P & J.