On Mon, 20 Aug 2007 12:32:21 -0700, Colin Youngs
wrote:

... thus beating the "official" warmest place - Nottingham Watnall -
by 2.1 deg C. I must add you to my list.

Very kind, Colin, but I'm 'non-standard'.

--
Alan White
Mozilla Firefox and Forte Agent.
Twenty-eight miles NW of Glasgow, overlooking Lochs Long and Goil in Argyll, Scotland.
Webcam and weather:- http://windycroft.gt-britain.co.uk/weather

On Mon, 20 Aug 2007 12:32:21 -0700, Colin Youngs
wrote:

... thus beating the "official" warmest place - Nottingham Watnall -
by 2.1 deg C. I must add you to my list.

My reply last night was, I'm afraid, posted in haste and before I'd
absorbed yours. My apologies for that.

If I understand what you're saying, then my maximum of 20.8°C should be
discounted because it's significantly higher than the 'official'
maximum.

For a long time, several years, I've been suspecting that my Summer
'sunny afternoon' temperature maxima are too high. The only quick
comparison that I have with an official site is that at Glasgow Airport
(EGPF), 36km to the SE, where, when overcast, my temperatures have a
very good correlation but are always higher in the late afternoon in
sunny conditions. I put this down to two factors; the local topography
and the local aspect.

We're about halfway down a steepish slope which falls from c.170 metres
behind us to sea level in front of us in slightly less than 1 kilometre.

We face slightly north of west. For reference, the webcam faces due
west.

In simple terms, in the late afternoon we're a 'sun trap'. This is very
noticeable subjectively (it feels hot) and is reflected in the
temperature figures which usually peak between 16:00z and 17:00z. My
reference site, Glasgow Airport, is presumably on the level and is, of
course, a 'standard site' using MO approved kit.

So far as my kit is concerned, it's a Davis Weather Monitor II with the
temperature/humidity sensor mounted in a ventilated non-standard screen
positioned on the outside of a wooden upright which supports a sun deck.
The screen is just visible, bottom leftish on
http://windycroft.gt-britain.co.uk/P8280559.jpg The slope can be judged
from the fact that the floor of the sun deck is at ground level on the
right of the picture and falls away, out of shot, to the left.

By no stretch of the imagination can the readings from this site of
temperature, humidity, rainfall and pressure be compared with those of a
'standard' site. Even my cloud coverage descriptions are suspect because
only about 70% of the sky is visible, the hill blocking the view to the
NE round to SE.

This is a '.sci' newsgroup. Strictly speaking I shouldn't be posting any
'obs' at all because they don't stand up to scientific scrutiny.
However, if I don't post 'obs' then the weather in this bit of the UK
just goes unnoticed.

What do I do?

--
Alan White
Mozilla Firefox and Forte Agent.
Twenty-eight miles NW of Glasgow, overlooking Lochs Long and Goil in Argyll, Scotland.
Webcam and weather:- http://windycroft.gt-britain.co.uk/weather

On 21 août, 09:48, Alan White wrote:

On Mon, 20 Aug 2007 12:32:21 -0700, Colin Youngs
wrote:
... thus beating the "official" warmest place - Nottingham Watnall -
by 2.1 deg C. I must add you to my list.

If I understand what you're saying, then my maximum of 20.8°C should be
discounted because it's significantly higher than the 'official'
maximum.

Not at all. I was thinking - Here is another case where the
"official" list of extremes misses a significant aspect of the day's
weather. Sunshine in the west of Scotland on the satpics was
confirmed by your reports. As most other areas were fairly cloudy we
might have expected temperatures near the top end of the day's range
from the west of Scotland - but the "official" list had none.

If your exposure was more standard, perhaps you would still have
recorded one of the day's top maxima - just not so far in excess of
the others.

A similar situation has occurred today (Tuesday) as regards
rainfall. The radar clearly shows a small area of heavy rain moving
SW over Kent in the morning - hence Colin May's report of 38 mm in a
few hours. Even so, the highest total reported on the "official"
list was only 11 mm at Manston and Herstmonceux.

However, if I don't post 'obs' then the weather in this bit of the UK
just goes unnoticed.

Exactly !

What do I do?

Keep on posting as now and arousing the envy of the rest of us by
reminding us of the view from your window (via your webcam) !

Colin Youngs
Brussels

On Tue, 21 Aug 2007 17:01:53 -0700, Colin Youngs
wrote:

Not at all. I was thinking - Here is another case where the
"official" list of extremes misses a significant aspect of the day's
weather. Sunshine in the west of Scotland on the satpics was
confirmed by your reports. As most other areas were fairly cloudy we
might have expected temperatures near the top end of the day's range
from the west of Scotland - but the "official" list had none.


Sorry for the misunderstanding. I made my usual mistake of posting
before breakfast which is never a good thing.

If your exposure was more standard, perhaps you would still have
recorded one of the day's top maxima - just not so far in excess of
the others.


I tried two other thermometers in the screen yesterday. One read about
half a degree lower than the Davis, the other about a degree higher so
the Davis can't be too far out. Mind you, use one thermometer and you
know what the temperature is, use two and it's doubtful, use three and
you haven't a clue.

A similar situation has occurred today (Tuesday) as regards
rainfall. The radar clearly shows a small area of heavy rain moving
SW over Kent in the morning - hence Colin May's report of 38 mm in a
few hours. Even so, the highest total reported on the "official"
list was only 11 mm at Manston and Herstmonceux.

However, if I don't post 'obs' then the weather in this bit of the UK
just goes unnoticed.

Exactly !

What do I do?

Keep on posting as now and arousing the envy of the rest of us by
reminding us of the view from your window (via your webcam) !

Thanks, Colin, it looks as though today could be another 'scorcher'.

--
Alan White
Mozilla Firefox and Forte Agent.
Twenty-eight miles NW of Glasgow, overlooking Lochs Long and Goil in Argyll, Scotland.
Webcam and weather:- http://windycroft.gt-britain.co.uk/weather

"Alan White" wrote:
On Mon, 20 Aug 2007 12:32:21 -0700, Colin Youngs wrote:

... thus beating the "official" warmest place - Nottingham Watnall -
by 2.1 deg C. I must add you to my list.

Very kind, Colin, but I'm 'non-standard'.
--
The irony is that the "official" Watnall came up with an error
(reason unknown - the station is automated but there were
MO personnel until recently, and perhaps there still are). The
next warmest was, I believe, Bishopton with 18.6°C which
is the nearest official site to Alan's. We know from historical
data that sites along the sea lochs of western Scotland are
often very warm in northeasterlies and northerlies and
sometimes even northwesterlies, and Alan's figure is
entirely consistent with that.

Philip

On Wed, 22 Aug 2007 10:31:30 +0100, "Philip Eden"
philipATweatherHYPHENukDOTcom wrote:

The irony is that the "official" Watnall came up with an error
(reason unknown - the station is automated but there were
MO personnel until recently, and perhaps there still are). The
next warmest was, I believe, Bishopton with 18.6°C which
is the nearest official site to Alan's. We know from historical
data that sites along the sea lochs of western Scotland are
often very warm in northeasterlies and northerlies and
sometimes even northwesterlies, and Alan's figure is
entirely consistent with that.

Phew :-)

--
Alan White
Mozilla Firefox and Forte Agent.
Twenty-eight miles NW of Glasgow, overlooking Lochs Long and Goil in Argyll, Scotland.
Webcam and weather:- http://windycroft.gt-britain.co.uk/weather