The Telegraph says “Thunder, lightening and gale force winds will lash most parts on Tuesday, forecasters warned, with temperatures dropping to around 64.4 degrees Fahrenheit (18 Celsius) in the south from last week’s high of 75.2F (24C).”

Wales isn’t mentioned in the Telegraphs weather story. They say forecasters predict the worst of the bad weather will affect “south-west England on Monday, pushing north-east across the country overnight. forecasters said.

“Scotland and the northeast will stay drier than the south until Tuesday, when the rain clouds will roll in, in bringing a mixture of sunny spells and heavy showers for the rest of the week.

“Gale force winds are expected across England and Scotland on Tuesday, with a risk of thunder and lightening strikes the following day.”

Indian Summer - Not Likely

Mountain biking up Moel Famau in the snow

Sand Blowing in Barmouth

Nant Ffrancon Pass North Wales after 3 Days of Solid Rain

Old Colwyn is once again witness to a good storm

The Swallow Falls near Betws y Coed in Full Flood

The Flooding of Llanfairfechan

A Bit of a Washout at Rhos-on-Sea near Colwyn Bay

Llandudno’s west shore, Penmaenmawr and Llanfairfechan beaches have failed water quality tests.

Keep Wales Tidy, which runs the award, said the sea had been affected by the rivers that drain into it.

Read the full story at BBC News on line.

They concluded the harsh winter and heavy snow was an example of hard to predict weather events, not a change in climate.

Full story here at the BBC Website

Full story here on Sky News

The station broadcasts weather data showing the current wind speed, wind direction, temperature, barometer, rainfall and other local weather information. It also displays some data history and shows graphs of current trends. One of our favourite features is the real time wind speed and direction dials on the ‘gauges’ page.

The station  output can be viewed at: http://northwalesweather.com/data

The Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory – Hurricane Research Division says this on their website:

“According to Dunn and Miller (1960), the first use of a proper name for a tropical cyclone was by an Australian forecaster early in the 20th century. He gave tropical cyclone names “after political figures whom he disliked. By properly naming a hurricane, the weatherman could publicly describe a politician (who perhaps was not too generous with weather-bureau appropriations) as ‘causing great distress’ or ‘wandering aimlessly about the Pacific”.

A YouTube video showing the latest news about “Gaston” and several other storms raging in the Mediterranean.

Here’s are some facts about Tropical Storms that you may not know:

• They usually manifest as wind cyclones and thunder.
• A tropical storm is classified in much the same way as a hurricane.
• The sustained wind speed is a determining factor. Wind speeds within a tropical storm must be between 39 and 73 mph (63 to 118 kph).  After that the storms are reclassified as:

In the Atlantic/Caribbean – the hurricane season is normally from June to November and averages 8-15 storms per season. This year the Met Office is predicting a record year of up to 20 storms.

If the storms develop into hurricanes or typhoons, they very often threaten the shores of the USA.

What’s the difference between a hurricane, typhoon, or tropical cyclone? There is no difference. Hurricanes and typhoons are regionally specific names for a severe tropical cyclone.

The best way to protect yourself  from hurricanes? Keep right away from the area or get out of the area basically. The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises tourists and visitors as follows:

By Roy Norry.

Sources:

the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Staying safe during tropical cyclones

the Met Office
Tropical cyclone facts.

the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory
How are tropical cyclones named?

North Wales gets its fair share of bad weather from coastal to mountainous, and in some areas such as Llyn Gwynant there are ‘micro weather systems’ that swirl around catching folks unawares.

Campsites around Snowdon, Tryfan, and other mountains tend to be prone to the more temperamental weather and if the heavens open in North Wales, you will likely need staying power and much more resilient camping gear.

Here are a few North Wales ‘bad weather’ video’s we found on YouTube for your amusement, horror and education.

Sept 2006 North Wales

Sept 2008 Colwyn Bay

March 2008 Colwyn Bay

June 2008 Shell Island

May 2008 Snowdonia

December 2007 Conwy Valley

May 2008 Just to show it’s not all bad weather in North Wales, take a look at
this amazing sunset at Colwyn Bay.

It should have been the height of summer, but was notable only for its low temperatures.

The UK has just endured its coldest August for 17 years, which was marked, say forecasters, by a complete absence of ‘hot days’.

The month also saw the lowest single-day August temperature for 23 years, with it falling to 55f (12.8c) in Edgbaston, Birmingham, last Thursday.

Read more: Daily Mail

It seems that August has not been Summer’s Last Gasp as was suggest in an earlier post on NorthWalesWeather.com  because according to Express.co.uk, Britain is expected to be hotter than Barcelona and southern France over the next month of September 2010.

“Temperatures will soar to a glorious 77F (25C), at least 10 degrees higher than average, forecasts Jonathan Powell of Positive Weather Solutions.

He even suggests holidaying in Britain as late as November because fine conditions are set to last. “Absolutely we will be having better weather in September than we’ve had in August,” he said.

“If you are not a sunseeker but are after pleasant, dry weather, then it may well be worth waiting until October or even November for your holiday.”