The Times - UK (2020-12-03)

the times | Thursday December 3 2020 1GM 67

We a t h e r

Channel Islands

NORTH

SEA

CHANNEL

IRISH

SEA

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

Aberdeen

Glasgow Edinburgh

Carlisle

Newcastle

York

Manchester

Liverpool

Hull

Llandudno

Shrewsbury Nottingham

Sheffield

Norwich

Cambridge

Oxford

Bristol

Swansea

Cardiff

Plymouth

Exeter

Southampton

Brighton

London

Londonderry

Belfast

Galway

Dublin

Cork

Birmingham

CELTIC

SEA

Orkney Shetland

30330303030333303

Sunday

4

4

6

4

Aberdeen

Aberporth

Anglesey

Aviemore

Barnstaple

Bedford

Belfast

Birmingham

Bournemouth

Bridlington

Bristol

Camborne

Cardiff

Edinburgh

Eskdalemuir

Glasgow

Hereford

Herstmonceux

Ipswich

Isle of Man

Isle of Wight

Jersey

Keswick

Kinloss

Leeds

Lerwick

Leuchars

Lincoln

Liverpool

London

Lyneham

Manchester

Margate

Milford Haven

Newcastle

Nottingham

Orkney

Oxford

Plymouth

Portland

Scilly, St Mary’s

Shoreham

Shrewsbury

Snowdonia

Southend

South Uist

Stornoway

Tiree

Whitehaven

Wick

Yeovilton

Around Britain

Key: b=bright, c=cloud, d=drizzle, pc=partly cloudy

du=dull, f=fair, fg=fog, h=hail, m=mist, r=rain,

sh=showers, sl=sleet, sn=snow, s=sun, t=thunder

*=previous day **=data not available

Temp C Rain mm Sun hr*

midday yesterday 24 hrs to 5pm yesterday

Noon today

7 S 0.4 1.6

9 PC 0.4 0.0

9 PC 0.6 0.0

4 SH 1.8 0.0

11 PC 0.4 **

5 DU 0.0 **

6 PC 0.2 0.0

7 C 0.2 **

6 DU 0.0 4.7

6 PC 0.0 **

8 DU 0.2 3.0

10 R 0.6 1.2

10 DU 0.0 2.7

7 PC 0.2 0.2

6 DU 2.0 0.4

6 PC 3.4 0.0

8 DU 0.0 **

5 C 0.0 4.9

4 PC 0.0 5.7

8 PC 0.2 0.1

6 PC 0.0 **

10 B 0.4 4.6

7 PC 1.2 **

6 SH 0.2 1.5

6 PC 0.0 **

6 SH 4.4 0.2

7 S 0.0 0.4

6 D 0.0 5.7

9 C 1.4 **

6 C 0.0 4.9

5 DU 0.2 5.3

8 C 1.2 2.2

6 C 0.0 4.3

10 PC 0.0 **

7 S 0.0 **

7 DU 0.0 6.1

6 S 2.2 0.2

6 DU 0.2 **

10 D 0.2 **

10 DU 0.0 **

10 DU 0.2 **

5 C 0.2 4.5

8 D 0.8 2.8

7 B 1.0 **

5 C 0.0 5.9

5 PC 2.6 **

4 PC 2.6 0.0

6 PC 2.4 0.0

7 PC 0.2 0.4

5 S 0.4 **

8 DU 0.2 3.8

The world

All readings local midday yesterday

Alicante

Amsterdam

Athens

Auckland

Bahrain

Bangkok

Barbados

Barcelona

Beijing

Beirut

Belgrade

Berlin

Bermuda

Bordeaux

Brussels

Bucharest

Budapest

Buenos Aires

Cairo

Calcutta

Canberra

Cape Town

Chicago

Copenhagen

Corfu

Delhi

Dubai

Dublin

Faro

Florence

Frankfurt

Geneva

Gibraltar

Helsinki

Hong Kong

Honolulu

Istanbul

Jerusalem

Johannesburg

Kuala Lumpur

Kyiv

Lanzarote

Las Palmas

Lima

Lisbon

Los Angeles

Luxor

Madeira

Madrid

Mallorca

Malaga

Malta

Melbourne

Mexico City

Miami

Milan

Mombasa

Montreal

Moscow

Mumbai

Munich

Nairobi

Naples

New Orleans

New York

Nice

Nicosia

Oslo

Paris

Perth

Prague

Reykjavik

Riga

Rio de Janeiro

Riyadh

Rome

San Francisco

Santiago

São Paulo

Seoul

Seychelles

Singapore

St Petersburg

Stockholm

Sydney

Tel Aviv

Tenerife

Tokyo

Vancouver

Venice

Vienna

Warsaw

Washington

Zurich

18 PC

6 B

13 B

21 S

27 PC

2 9 B

30 PC

13 PC

2 S

2 1 PC

3 S

1 S

23 SH

9 B

6 C

1 DU

1 S

26 S

22 S

25 S

24 S

22 S

0 PC

5 DU

16 R

24 S

28 S

6 PC

18 S

8 B

2 B

4 B

19 PC

3 B

2 1 PC

2 7 PC

6 B

21 S

2 4 PC

3 1 PC

-1 D

23 PC

2 4 PC

18 DU

17 PC

20 S

23 S

19 PC

10 PC

11 R

19 S

18 PC

18 S

22 B

** **

1 SL

27 SH

10 B

• 5 PC
  33 S
  -2 DU

  ---

  
  

  15 B
  9 S

  
  

  ---

  
  

  12 PC
  2 2 PC
  0 R
  8 B
  27 S

  
  


• 1 B
  -2 C


• 3 S
  30 PC
  2 0 S
  12 R
  14 S
  29 S
  27 B
  5 S
  30 PC
  29 B
  0 PC
  2 S
  2 2 B
  21 S
  23 PC
  9 R
  6 PC
  2 PC
  -2 B


• 2 B

  ---

  
  

  1 B

  
  

The Times weather er r r rrrrrrrrrr

page is provided

by Weatherquestt

Five days ahead

Chilly and unsettled over

the next few days with

spells of rain, turning

wintry at times

Today Wet and cloudy in England and Wales. Bright spells and wintry showers elsewhere. Max 8C (46F), min -8C (18F)

Tides

Tidal predictions.

Heights in metres

Today Ht Ht

Aberdeen

Avonmouth

Belfast

Cardiff

Devonport

Dover

Dublin

Falmouth

Greenock

Harwich

Holyhead

Hull

Leith

Liverpool

London Bridge

Lowestoft

Milford Haven

Morecambe

Newhaven

Newquay

Oban

Penzance

Portsmouth

Shoreham

Southampton

Swansea

Tees

Weymouth

0 2:44 4.1 14:55 4.1

0 8:38 12.3 21: 00 12. 0

0 0:15 3.3 12:40 3. 6

0 8:23 11. 6 20:4 6 11. 3

0 7:13 5.3 1 9 :33 5.1

0 0:08 6 .4 12:19 6 .3

00 :52 3.8 13:1 0 3. 9

06 :45 4.9 19:02 4.7

0 1:52 3.4 13:57 3.7

0 0:53 3.9 13:13 3. 9

1 1:50 5.4 --:-- --

0 7:47 7. 0 19 :54 7.1

0 4:05 5.2 1 6 :18 5.2

00 :2 9 8.8 12:44 8. 9

0 3:09 6 .7 15:28 6. 9

1 1:02 2.4 23:17 2.5

0 7:3 6 6 .7 19:57 6 .5

0 0:30 8.8 12:44 8. 9

0 0:21 6.4 12:30 6.4

06 :27 6 .7 18:48 6 .5

0 6:58 3.8 19:24 3.7

06 :02 5 .3 18:20 5 .1

0 0:49 4.5 12:58 4.5

0 0:24 6 .0 12:33 6. 0

0 0:18 4.4 12:29 4.5

0 7:45 8.9 20:07 8. 6

05 :02 5 .0 17:17 5 .1

0 7: 5 8 2.1 20:22 1.8

Synoptic situation

A broad trough of low pressure

situated over the British

Isles will lead to an unsettled

day for many places, with

fronts bringing showery rain

to southern areas, moving

northwards overnight, turning

to snow in parts of Scotland

and northern England. Cold

with sunny spells and wintry

showers through today in

northern and western areas.

Highs and lows

24 hrs to 5pm yesterday

Warmest: St. Mary’s,

Isles of Scilly, 11.5C

Coldest: Cairngorm, -3.5C

Wettest: Achnagart,

Inverness-shire, 13.8mm

Sunniest: Dundrennan, 5.1hrs*

Sun and moon

For Greenwich

Sun rises:

Sun sets:

Moon rises:

Moon sets:

Third quarter: December 8

Hours of darkness

Aberdeen

Belfast

Birmingham

Cardiff

Exeter

Glasgow

Liverpool

London

Manchester

Newcastle

Norwich

Penzance

Sheffi eld

16 :00-07: 58

16 :31-07:5 7

16 :2 6 -07:3 0

16 :3 6 -07:3 0

16 :40-07:2 8

16 :1 6 -07:5 8

16 :25-07:3 9

16 :23-07:1 8

16 :22-07:3 6

16 :11-07:4 2

16 :12-07:1 8

16 :51-07:3 3

16:1 9 -07:3 3

General situation: Cloudy and wet over dd

England and Wales. Brighter elsewhere

but with the chance of wintry showers.

E Anglia, Midlands, London, Cen S Eng,

SE Eng, SW Eng, Wales, Channel Is,

Cen N Eng, NE Eng, NW Eng: Dry in the

east to start, but rain in the west will

becomebecome more widespread heavy at more widespread, heavy at

times, falling as sleet or snow over the

Welsh hills. Some bright spells in the

southwest later. Light southerly winds,

strong on the east coast. Maximum

8 C (46F), minimum -1C (30F).

Lake District, NE Eng, IoM: A fairly

cloudy day with frequent showers,

wintry on the hills. Some brightness

in the east. Light southerly winds,

turning easterly later. Maximum

3 C (37F), minimum -2C (28F).

NE Scotland, Moray Firth, Aberdeen,

EdinburghEdinburgh & Dundee SW Scotland & Dundee, SW Scotland,

Borders: A few sleet or snow showers

in the south, but generally dry and cold

with sunny spells. Light to moderate

southwesterly winds. Maximum

2C (36F), minimum -4C (25F).

Cen Highland, NW Scotland, Glasgow,

Argyll, N Isles: A bitterly cold day

with frequent wintry showers in the

west, more isolated farther east. Light

winds, varying in direction. Maximum

1 C (34F), minimum -8C (18F).

Republic of Ireland, N Ireland: Cloudy

withwith early rain in the south Brighter early rain in the south. Brighter

later, but with rain or sleet showers

in the north and west. Light southerly

winds, turning more northwesterly

later in the day. Maximum 5C (41F),

minimum -3C (27F).

Tomorrow

5

3

3

3

Saturday

5

5

6

5

6

5

6

6

Tuesday

6

6

5

8

133

ict NE Eng IoM

255 353

202

oooo

2

131

0

144

neyney Sh

1313131111313111313131311131131313131313131311313131333333333333333333333333333333333333333

101010

5

5

3

4

1

2

• 2

22

33 3

7

5

6

7

2

3

4

3

1

8

r

ih

L

k

F

95

86

77

68

59

50

41

32

23

14

5

C

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

• 5


• 10


• 15

Wind speedWddppee

(mph)

Temperature

28 (degrees C)

3434

Sea stateSSaa aaee

Calm Cl

Slight

Moderate

Rough

Flood alerts and warnings

At 17:00 on Wednesday there were no

fl ood alerts or warnings in England,

Wales or Scotland.

For further information andupdates

in England visit fl ood-warning-

information.service.gov.uk, for Wales

naturalresources.wales/fl ooding and

for Scotland SEPA.org.ukk

Cold front

Warm front

Occluded front

Trough

LOWLOWLOWLOWLOWLOWLOLOOOWOOOOOOOOOWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWW

HHIGHHHHHHH

HIGHHIGHGGHHHHHHHHHHH

HIGHHIGHIGHHIGHHIGHHIGHIIGHIGIIGHIGHIGIGHIGHIIIGIGHIIGIGIGIGIGIGIGIGIGHIGHIIIGIIIGIGIIGIGHIGGHGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHGHGGGHGGGGHGHGGGGGHGGGGGGGGGGHGGGGGHGGGGGGGGHGHHHHHHH

1104010401041040104011041110401040110401040111111104010401040104011104011040104011040104011040104110400400404040404444444040444040444000000000000000000000000000

1101010101010110101010100480048048000048000400004800000480480000040000000048040448888

103210321032103103103211032111032000030000000000000000000000003

10321032103210321032103210310311103200032032032032003003200032032032003232322222

103210321032033232

1102410241024102410241024110241024102410241021021021024102410211111024111111110002402400240022424224

1024020240024024242444444

101610110110110161010000010000000000000100000000000000001

101610161016101610161016101601666666

101011010101100000008008000000000000080008000000008000000000000000000800000000008008000008

1100810081008100811110100811100810081100080808888888

10001000100010001000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

99999999999999999299299299299299999999299999929999992929999299299929292929929929299292999299999999929999929929292929992222222222222

989984984984989999849898998989989989898989999998998989988888888888888884444444

Staying unsettled with low pressure

situated close by, bringing showers or

longer spells of rain in places.longer spells offrarrainn ininplapces.

Max 6C, min n-4C-4C-4C-4C-4C-4C-4C-4C4C4C 444 4C4C4C4C 4 4C4CCC

Snow in northern Britain, turning to

rain later. Rain in eastern and some

central parts of England, perhapscentral parts offEngEngEngEngllaand, pe,prhaps

turning wintry ry iryry iry iy iy in places. By iy iy iyy in places. By iyyiyyyy in places. By iiiin pln plnnnnn plnn plnn pln pln plnplnn pln plnpln pln plnp plpllaaacacesacesaaceaacaaaacesacescescesceccescs. B. B... B. B. B. .B BBBrBBighter with

showers in ssouthwestersssssouthouthouthouthoutoutoutoutouthouthwesteoutououtouthouthwesteroututuututhutthhhhwwwestwewwwwwwwewewwwwwwwetteeernerereereeereeeeeeeerrnrn areareas.

Max 6C, mininn nnn -1Cn nnnnn -1Cn -1C-1C-1--1C-1C-1C-1C-1C-1C-1CCCCCCC

A generally unsettled day with spells

of rain in northern and western areas,

wintry over the high ground. Perhapswintry over theehighhighhighhighgrogund. Perhaps

drier insomme cee cecececentraceccccccencentraccecentral areacececececentral areaccentracentracecceceentraeentral areaentraeeentraentrantrantrantrantrannnntrantrantranntral arentrantrantral arentrantrantrantrantrantrantrantrannntrantral areantratraraaaaaalaaaaal aal all allllllarlarlarlarararararaaaraaaareaaaaaaaararrreeaeaeeeaseaeaeaeaeaeaeaeaeaaaaasas, but still

withthechaance of rain oaaaanancence ofnncencence of rainnce of rainnnnnce onncence of rainncencencnncennceofrncencencencencenncnnnnnnnce of rainnceccce ofcceccccccce of raincce ofccccceccceccece ofceeofeeeofraineof ooof ofofof of of oof rainof ffffffif ffrffffffrrnnnnn nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn n nnn oor sor soohhowers.

Max 7C, mininnnnnnnnn nn -4Cnnn n4Cnn4Cn-4C-4C-4C----4C-4C-4C--4-4C-4C-4C-4C-4C4C4CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

Cloudy with the chance of showers or

rain for many places. Some areas drier

with bright or sunny spells.with bright or ssunnyunnyunnyunnyyspeplls.

Max 6C, min n-3C-3C-3C-3C-3C-3C-3C-3C3C3C3C 3 3C3C3C 3 3C 3 3C 3 3C3CC

Cloudy with rain in Scotland, as well

as in parts of southern England.

Drier with bright spells and showersDrier with brighhht spt spt sp speeeells and showers

elsewhere.

Max 6C, minn n n -3C -3C-3C--3C----3C----3C--3C-3C-3C-3C-3C-3C-3C-3C-3C-3C--3C 333 3C 3333333333 3C 3 3C 3 CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

07 .4 6

1 5.5 3

1 8.1 7

1 1.2 6 Fri

I

t looked like something out of

The X-Files, a big hole that had

opened up in the clouds over

Shepton Mallet, Somerset, on

Monday (News, December 2).

This unearthly sight was a fallstreak

hole, also called a hole-punch cloud.

One case in Russia, in October

2009, caused headlines such as

“UFO hovers over Moscow”. But

fear not, these holes are simply

made by aircraft climbing up or

descending through a layer of cloud.

The clouds consist of supercooled

water droplets at about minus 15C,

but they remain liquid. As an

aircraft flies through the cloud, it

makes the air expand and cool, and

the cloud’s water droplets freeze into

tiny ice particles that tumble out of

the cloud leaving a large hole

behind. This explains why a hole in

the clouds is most likely to crop up

on flight paths near airports, where

aircraft are climbing upwards or

descending to land.

In some cases the ice crystals

tumbling out can be seen as delicate

white streaks falling from the hole,

hence the name fallstreak holes.

The falling ice can also create a

burst of rain or snow on the ground,

depending on the air temperature

below the cloud. In a study in 2011, a

fallstreak hole near Denver airport

in Colorado spread a narrow path of

thick snow on the ground roughly

20 miles long and 2.5 miles wide.

These clouds can often occur in

Britain and other parts of western

Europe, where supercooled clouds

are quite common.

An enchanting sight also appeared

on Tuesday over parts of England, as

small patches of high-altitude clouds

lined up in parallel rows, looking

like the ripples on a sandy beach

after the tide has gone out. This was

cirrocumulus undulatus, a beautiful

and fairly unusual cloud, its

stunning pattern driven by strong

winds blowing at different heights in

the atmosphere, with the rows of the

cloud lined up perpendicular to the

wind direction.

However, it’s best to watch out if

cirrocumulus appears in the western

sky because it is often a sign that

bad weather is on the way in the

next 15 to 36 hours.

Weather Eye

Paul Simons