You could just about look straight at the sun this evening when it
was at an altitude of 6°. By the time it had fallen to 2½° it had
disappeared entirely yet there was no cloud to speak of. Just grey
murk. This, someone should tell the weather presenters, is haze -
atmospheric particulates in suspension. It's been like it all day -
dirty and yellowish and not a trace of Ci or Cs. What would they call
it, I wonder? No mention of it in any forecast, in fact, rather the
opposite, the strength of the sun being warned against, implying a
deep blue sky. Perhaps they now have no word for this phenomenon.

Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, Surrey.

On 23/05/12 22:04, Tudor Hughes wrote:
It's been like it all day -
dirty and yellowish and not a trace of Ci or Cs.

This is all we've had in Thanet since this 'heatwave' began. Not lovely.

On Thu, 24 May 2012, Simon Bennett wrote
On 23/05/12 22:04, Tudor Hughes wrote:
It's been like it all day -
dirty and yellowish and not a trace of Ci or Cs.

This is all we've had in Thanet since this 'heatwave' began. Not lovely.

Here in Blackheath it started off grey again but the sun was burning
through by 10 and this afternoon the sky has been a pale but real blue.
The cars are all covered with a thin layer of dust. Was it Sahara sand
in the air or pollution or what? It's jolly lovely now.


--
Kate B

PS nospam means nospam. But umra at cockaigne dot org dot uk will get through!

On 24/05/12 17:49, Kate Brown wrote:
On Thu, 24 May 2012, Simon Bennett wrote
On 23/05/12 22:04, Tudor Hughes wrote:
It's been like it all day -
dirty and yellowish and not a trace of Ci or Cs.

This is all we've had in Thanet since this 'heatwave' began. Not lovely.

Here in Blackheath it started off grey again but the sun was burning
through by 10 and this afternoon the sky has been a pale but real blue.
The cars are all covered with a thin layer of dust. Was it Sahara sand
in the air or pollution or what? It's jolly lovely now.



It is the wrong wind direction for Saharan sand. My guess would be
pollen. I have been suffering with hayfever this week.

On May 24, 11:24*pm, Adam Lea wrote:
On 24/05/12 17:49, Kate Brown wrote:

On Thu, 24 May 2012, Simon Bennett wrote
On 23/05/12 22:04, Tudor Hughes wrote:
It's been like it all day -
dirty and yellowish and not a trace of Ci or Cs.

This is all we've had in Thanet since this 'heatwave' began. Not lovely.

Here in Blackheath it started off grey again but the sun was burning
through by 10 and this afternoon the sky has been a pale but real blue.
The cars are all covered with a thin layer of dust. Was it Sahara sand
in the air or pollution or what? It's jolly lovely now.

It is the wrong wind direction for Saharan sand. My guess would be
pollen. I have been suffering with hayfever this week.

Surely there can't be that amount of pollen in the air. We'd
all be dead, or at least wish we were. My guess is that the haze is
simply dust of European origin. The particles are small enough to
selectively scatter the blue, giving the fiery red of the setting sun.

Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, Surrey.

On 25/05/2012 02:48, Tudor Hughes wrote:
On May 24, 11:24 pm, Adam wrote:
On 24/05/12 17:49, Kate Brown wrote:

On Thu, 24 May 2012, Simon Bennett wrote
On 23/05/12 22:04, Tudor Hughes wrote:
It's been like it all day -
dirty and yellowish and not a trace of Ci or Cs.

This is all we've had in Thanet since this 'heatwave' began. Not lovely.

Here in Blackheath it started off grey again but the sun was burning
through by 10 and this afternoon the sky has been a pale but real blue.
The cars are all covered with a thin layer of dust. Was it Sahara sand
in the air or pollution or what? It's jolly lovely now.

It is the wrong wind direction for Saharan sand. My guess would be
pollen. I have been suffering with hayfever this week.

Surely there can't be that amount of pollen in the air. We'd
all be dead, or at least wish we were. My guess is that the haze is
simply dust of European origin. The particles are small enough to
selectively scatter the blue, giving the fiery red of the setting sun.

Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, Surrey.

.... can't comment on your situation further east, but for several days
now (at least 7), deposits of pollen hereabouts have been prodigious -
even covering cars underneath car-port cover (mine for example) that
haven't been moved in that time. We've all been suffering throaty/raspy
coughs too - what sort of pollen I wouldn't like to say, but after a
heavily delayed start, the trees have burst into activity with the
dramatic rise in temperature and sunlight levels.

The 'milkiness' in the sky though - that, as Tudor says, is surely
ex-industrial/ploughed farmland haze, perhaps with some from further
away (North Africa?) - but I haven't looked at any trajectories or
dust-storm reports.

Martin.


--
West Moors / East Dorset
Lat: 50deg 49.25'N, Long: 01deg 53.05'W
Height (amsl): 17 m (56 feet)
COL category: C1 overall

On 25/05/12 02:48, Tudor Hughes wrote:
On May 24, 11:24 pm, Adam wrote:
On 24/05/12 17:49, Kate Brown wrote:

On Thu, 24 May 2012, Simon Bennett wrote
On 23/05/12 22:04, Tudor Hughes wrote:
It's been like it all day -
dirty and yellowish and not a trace of Ci or Cs.

This is all we've had in Thanet since this 'heatwave' began. Not lovely.

Here in Blackheath it started off grey again but the sun was burning
through by 10 and this afternoon the sky has been a pale but real blue.
The cars are all covered with a thin layer of dust. Was it Sahara sand
in the air or pollution or what? It's jolly lovely now.

It is the wrong wind direction for Saharan sand. My guess would be
pollen. I have been suffering with hayfever this week.

Surely there can't be that amount of pollen in the air. We'd
all be dead, or at least wish we were. My guess is that the haze is
simply dust of European origin. The particles are small enough to
selectively scatter the blue, giving the fiery red of the setting sun.

Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, Surrey.

I was referring to the dust deposits, not the haze.

On May 25, 7:50*am, Martin Rowley
wrote:
On 25/05/2012 02:48, Tudor Hughes wrote:





On May 24, 11:24 pm, Adam *wrote:
On 24/05/12 17:49, Kate Brown wrote:

On Thu, 24 May 2012, Simon Bennett wrote
On 23/05/12 22:04, Tudor Hughes wrote:
It's been like it all day -
dirty and yellowish and not a trace of Ci or Cs.

This is all we've had in Thanet since this 'heatwave' began. Not lovely.

Here in Blackheath it started off grey again but the sun was burning
through by 10 and this afternoon the sky has been a pale but real blue.
The cars are all covered with a thin layer of dust. Was it Sahara sand
in the air or pollution or what? It's jolly lovely now.

It is the wrong wind direction for Saharan sand. My guess would be
pollen. I have been suffering with hayfever this week.

* * * *Surely there can't be that amount of pollen in the air. *We'd
all be dead, or at least wish we were. *My guess is that the haze is
simply dust of European origin. *The particles are small enough to
selectively scatter the blue, giving the fiery red of the setting sun.

Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, Surrey.

... can't comment on your situation further east, but for several days
now (at least 7), deposits of pollen hereabouts have been prodigious -
even covering cars underneath car-port cover (mine for example) that
haven't been moved in that time. We've all been suffering throaty/raspy
coughs too - what sort of pollen I wouldn't like to say, but after a
heavily delayed start, the trees have burst into activity with the
dramatic rise in temperature and sunlight levels.

The 'milkiness' in the sky though - that, as Tudor says, is surely
ex-industrial/ploughed farmland haze, perhaps with some from further
away (North Africa?) - but I haven't looked at any trajectories or
dust-storm reports.

Martin.

--
West Moors / East Dorset
Lat: 50deg 49.25'N, Long: 01deg 53.05'W
Height (amsl): 17 m (56 feet)
COL category: C1 overall- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I wouldn't have decribed the sky as milky in the way that I
have seen it after some major Saharan dust incursions. It was more
brown-grey, especially near the horizon and the sun appeared
yellowish, especially on Wednesday when it went in and out behind some
small high Cu. This implies small particles whereas Saharan dust
seems to be rather larger and scatters visible wavelengths fairly
uniformly, like cloud or fog droplets.
There is less haze today and the horizon actually has some
blue in it though the colour is rather washed out.

Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, Surrey, 556 ft.

On 25/05/2012 15:58, Tudor Hughes wrote:
I wouldn't have decribed the sky as milky in the way that I
have seen it after some major Saharan dust incursions. It was more
brown-grey, especially near the horizon and the sun appeared
yellowish, especially on Wednesday when it went in and out behind some
small high Cu. This implies small particles whereas Saharan dust
seems to be rather larger and scatters visible wavelengths fairly
uniformly, like cloud or fog droplets.


.... yesterday and the previous day 'milky' was the most apt description;
no 'brown' haze seen here.

Sky much 'cleaner' today.

Martin.


--
West Moors / East Dorset
Lat: 50deg 49.25'N, Long: 01deg 53.05'W
Height (amsl): 17 m (56 feet)
COL category: C1 overall

On May 25, 8:11*am, Adam Lea wrote:
On 25/05/12 02:48, Tudor Hughes wrote:

On May 24, 11:24 pm, Adam *wrote:
On 24/05/12 17:49, Kate Brown wrote:

On Thu, 24 May 2012, Simon Bennett wrote
On 23/05/12 22:04, Tudor Hughes wrote:
It's been like it all day -
dirty and yellowish and not a trace of Ci or Cs.

This is all we've had in Thanet since this 'heatwave' began. Not lovely.

Here in Blackheath it started off grey again but the sun was burning
through by 10 and this afternoon the sky has been a pale but real blue.
The cars are all covered with a thin layer of dust. Was it Sahara sand
in the air or pollution or what? It's jolly lovely now.

It is the wrong wind direction for Saharan sand. My guess would be
pollen. I have been suffering with hayfever this week.

* * * *Surely there can't be that amount of pollen in the air. *We'd
all be dead, or at least wish we were. *My guess is that the haze is
simply dust of European origin. *The particles are small enough to
selectively scatter the blue, giving the fiery red of the setting sun.

* I was referring to the dust deposits, not the haze.

April is when most pollen hits the skies locally. It is when the tree
flowers turn the tops of ponds murky with algaes.

Might it have been Mexican ash from Popcatepetl?

That could have come over with Alberto or ~fredo or whateve its called.