Ionian weather

[jordanbasset]

I am aware and expect some rain, sometimes very heavy rain in the Ionian in the summer. But normally it is a couple of times a month. In the last three weeks we seem to have had torrential downpours, thunder/lightning every couple of days. Unless we are very unlucky and we have been moving at the wrong time

 

[vyv_cox]

Seems to be an unusual season everywhere. Southerlies in the Aegean in June definitely not normal, plus lots of thunderstorms in all sea areas every few days. We have had far too many light wind passages and not enough sailing.

 

[Mr Cassandra]

We were going to leave Ay Eufimia this morning, heading for Corinth, but saw a fierce storm approach from the south with small water spouts. Stayed put. It then turned out nice latter.

 

[sailaboutvic]

I am aware and expect some rain, sometimes very heavy rain in the Ionian in the summer. But normally it is a couple of times a month. In the last three weeks we seem to have had torrential downpours, thunder/lightning every couple of days. Unless we are very unlucky and we have been moving at the wrong time

Has you know N we having a very dry time here in the Aegean, with some great sailing to go with it , another day nearly over 30 nm to day and once again our engine haven't hardly got warm before going back to sleep .

 

[Hardmy]

This is only my 4th season in the Ionian, even we don't recognize the usual pattern. I've got my parents right now on Keffalonia, I'm in the office and just checked the weather forecast. No two say the same. An example:

Skiron:
Tu/Wed night with a peak at around 8am. 28 kts NE gusting 39 kts.
Wed/Thu night with a peak at around 5am. 24 kts NW gusting 28 kts.

Greek Meteo:
Tu/Wed night with a peak at around 6am. 13 kts SW
Wed/Thu night with a peak at around 9am. 30 kts W gusting 43 kts.

I'd say inside Sami harbour they would be fine (but not outside of the W quay). Has the panel an opinion about Ag. Nikolaos (Zakynthos) in those conditions? Thanks in advance!

 

[duncan99210]

I use pocket grib viewing the gfs model, which is usually accurate enough for my purposes. I've learnt that at in the Ionian in the summer, no matter what the wind forecast is, if the grib files are predicting rain it'll mean thunderstorms. Thunderstorms means weird winds with no real relationship to the forecast, even if you don't actually get a storm cell passing overhead. So today, in Preveza, the wind forecast was light southerlies and a good chance of rain. The winds gone from northerly to southerly to easterly and back to southerly. Strengths from next to nothing to 20+ knots. And rain, lots of rain and lightening. Same for thas next three days. After that, th forecast promises a return to normal services: no wind overnight, building to f4-5 from the northwest by mid afternoon before dying away in the evening. Hope it follows the forecast, as we're due in Gouvia early next week and I'd prefer not to have to sail through rain storms....

 

[Mistroma]

This is only my 4th season in the Ionian, even we don't recognize the usual pattern. I've got my parents right now on Keffalonia, I'm in the office and just checked the weather forecast. No two say the same. An example:

Skiron:
Tu/Wed night with a peak at around 8am. 28 kts NE gusting 39 kts.
Wed/Thu night with a peak at around 5am. 24 kts NW gusting 28 kts.

Greek Meteo:
Tu/Wed night with a peak at around 6am. 13 kts SW
Wed/Thu night with a peak at around 9am. 30 kts W gusting 43 kts.

I'd say inside Sami harbour they would be fine (but not outside of the W quay). Has the panel an opinion about Ag. Nikolaos (Zakynthos) in those conditions? Thanks in advance!

Skiron opewrf 2 day 4km has been better than most so far this year. Lost count of times it's said wind will get up from x to y knots or rain will start at a particular hour. It's been wrong several times as well but on those days most others forecasts seem equally bad. Wind is usually 20% more than forecast but timing is pretty good. I still look at GRIBs from different models but always try to get OpenSkiron openWRF 4km. I seem to remember it wasn't great in Balearics a couple of years back but seems better for Ionian.

Currently at anchor in Yithion and OpenSkiron said wind would change from 150 deg. to 111 deg. between 19:00 & 22:00 then rain would start around 02:00 and continue until 19:00 tomorrow. Direction changed on cue so won't be surprised if there's a deluge. Other models showed rain from 09:00 onwards, odd spot this morning but nice afterwards. GRIBs are all model based without human interpretation (till it reaches the recipient) but useful for general guidance. Not staying awake to see if rain turns on at exactly 02:00 (not that daft ) but pretty confident hatches need to be shut tonight even though sky is clear.

 

[TonyMS]

Agios Nikolaos is very uncomfortable, even dangerous, if the wind is F5 or more with any east in it. We've been there twice in such conditions (F6) and been safe because we had use of a strong lazyline to keep us off the quay. But getting ashore was a nightmare.

TonyMS

 

[jordanbasset]

It is still raining, although looking at the bright side not thunder and lightening I suppose

 

[duncan99210]

Not raining in Preveza just now but dark and threatening clouds. May bake bread rather than bothering to go ashore and get drenched.

 

[macd]

As said, the weather in the Med has been pretty unusual for months...since at least February, in fact. In central Italy, spring was about a month late. The reluctance to settle into a stable summer pattern is associated with the persistent path of a jet-stream along the Med corridor. It just refuses to budge. It's probably little consolation that the same factors are giving unusually agreeable conditions over the British Isles. FWIW, jet stream forecasts are suggesting greater normality by early July.

 

[Mistroma]

As said, the weather in the Med has been pretty unusual for months...since at least February, in fact. In central Italy, spring was about a month late. The reluctance to settle into a stable summer pattern is associated with the persistent path of a jet-stream along the Med corridor. It just refuses to budge. It's probably little consolation that the same factors are giving unusually agreeable conditions over the British Isles. FWIW, jet stream forecasts are suggesting greater normality by early July.

My wife mentioned the jet-stream thing this morning. Our home in Scotland will be warmer and drier for the next few days. She woke up this morning before 01:00 and told me the rain started here at 00:54, well worth closing up everything. Still torrential rain and you barely see the shore at times. Forecast is for more to come over the next day or so.

 

[KellysEye]

>Southerlies in the Aegean in June definitely not normal, plus lots of thunderstorms in all sea areas every few days.

Having chartered in the Pelopponese in June three depression tracks meet there giving southerly gales at any time, Sunsail closed it's base there after six months.

 

[Davy_S]

Several flights delayed at Kefalonia airport today, could not land due to thunderstorm.

 

[Mr Cassandra]

Several flights delayed at Kefalonia airport today, could not land due to thunderstorm.

Yes, we left Kefalonia yesterday morning It was blowing 3-4bf there, when we got to Messilongi it was an 8 with driving rain and sleet, viability was done to about 50 m and had difficulty finding the chanel in. Fine here at the moment but thunder storms on the way

 

[Irish Rover]

Sorry for hijacking the Ionian thread but don’t want to start a new one just for this. It’s raining heavily here in Kuşadası and forecast to continue for a few days with strong southerlies. In well over 20 years visiting and living here I’ve never seen rain this late in June and as said above southerlies are more than rareatthis time.. Forecast below.

 

[jordanbasset]

Rained most of yesterday afternoon and for a change it is raining again this morning, on the plus side it is cooler

 

[Irish Rover]

It’s raining here in the Aegean as well this morning and it actually feels cold - I’m reading in the Irish newspapers about a heatwave and water shortages.

 

[vyv_cox]

It seems the meltemi will arrive with a bang next week, force 6 NW for at least 5 days in the Dodecanese.

 

[jordanbasset]

It has stopped raining, hurrah