Not showing much on the rainfall radar, we have been affected by
persistent drizzly rain for much of the day, keeping everything
thoroughly wet and miserable but probably not adding much more than 1
or 2 mm to the rainfall figures. This drizzle seems to be coming up
the Gloucestershire Gap (as distinct from the Cheshire Gap).

It's the sort of drizzle that (totally unscientific) wets you more
than a tropical downpour, as my mother would say. Must be due to
number of droplets per cubic metre, which always seems to at its
greatest in these situations.

Martin

JPG wrote:
Not showing much on the rainfall radar, we have been affected by
persistent drizzly rain for much of the day, keeping everything
thoroughly wet and miserable but probably not adding much more than 1
or 2 mm to the rainfall figures. This drizzle seems to be coming up
the Gloucestershire Gap (as distinct from the Cheshire Gap).

It's the sort of drizzle that (totally unscientific) wets you more
than a tropical downpour, as my mother would say. Must be due to
number of droplets per cubic metre, which always seems to at its
greatest in these situations.

Martin

Same sort of weather here in Wolverhampton for much of Friday.

Joe

It's the sort of drizzle that (totally unscientific) wets you more
than a tropical downpour, as my mother would say. Must be due to
number of droplets per cubic metre, which always seems to at its
greatest in these situations.


If you go out in a drizzle, the droplets are so small and light they are
stopped by the slightest thing, so they stay totally on the outside of your
clothing, sometimes it seems barely touching it. Equally, your hair is no
wetter than if you'd sprayed it as the barber might do. Yet if you go out in
heavy rain the large drops bash straight through your clothing and hair,
soaking you in no time. So why does this nonsensical bit of folklore about
drizzle being wetter than heavy rain still persist? It's something I was
brought up with and still hear, but simple observation totally contradicts it.
It's just complete ********!

Tudor Hughes

In uk.sci.weather on Fri, 17 Sep 2004 at 21:27:11, JPG wrote :
Not showing much on the rainfall radar, we have been affected by
persistent drizzly rain for much of the day, keeping everything
thoroughly wet and miserable but probably not adding much more than 1
or 2 mm to the rainfall figures. This drizzle seems to be coming up
the Gloucestershire Gap (as distinct from the Cheshire Gap).

What 'Gloucestershire gap'?
--
Paul Hyett, Cheltenham

In message , JPG
writes
Not showing much on the rainfall radar, we have been affected by
persistent drizzly rain for much of the day, keeping everything
thoroughly wet and miserable but probably not adding much more than 1
or 2 mm to the rainfall figures. This drizzle seems to be coming up
the Gloucestershire Gap (as distinct from the Cheshire Gap).

Actually Martin, the drizzle/rain wasn't as innocuous as it looked
because in all it dumped 11mm on Coventry, 7mm of it after 0800hr.

I can personally vouch for its ability to soak anyone out in it however!
--
Steve Jackson,
Bablake Weather Station,
Coventry, UK
http://www.netlink.co.uk/users/bws

TudorHgh wrote:
It's the sort of drizzle that (totally unscientific) wets you more
than a tropical downpour, as my mother would say. Must be due to
number of droplets per cubic metre, which always seems to at its
greatest in these situations.



If you go out in a drizzle, the droplets are so small and light they are
stopped by the slightest thing, so they stay totally on the outside of your
clothing, sometimes it seems barely touching it. Equally, your hair is no
wetter than if you'd sprayed it as the barber might do. Yet if you go out in
heavy rain the large drops bash straight through your clothing and hair,
soaking you in no time. So why does this nonsensical bit of folklore about
drizzle being wetter than heavy rain still persist? It's something I was
brought up with and still hear, but simple observation totally contradicts it.
It's just complete ********!

Tudor Hughes

I agreed with you Tudor, rationally very heavy/heavy rain will wet a
person more than drizzle.

Obviously what has to be answered is why do people perceive that
drizzle is wetter than heavy rain?

Could it do with the amount of raindrops per sq ft. Are there more rain
drops per sq ft in drizzle than heavy rain?

Therefore people will perceive that drizzle is wetter than heavy rain?

Joe
Wolverhampton

On 18 Sep 2004 00:44:20 GMT, (TudorHgh) wrote:

It's the sort of drizzle that (totally unscientific) wets you more
than a tropical downpour, as my mother would say. Must be due to
number of droplets per cubic metre, which always seems to at its
greatest in these situations.


If you go out in a drizzle, the droplets are so small and light they are
stopped by the slightest thing, so they stay totally on the outside of your
clothing, sometimes it seems barely touching it. Equally, your hair is no
wetter than if you'd sprayed it as the barber might do.

Glad to hear you've still got hair, Tudor, unlike some of us!

Yet if you go out in
heavy rain the large drops bash straight through your clothing and hair,
soaking you in no time. So why does this nonsensical bit of folklore about
drizzle being wetter than heavy rain still persist? It's something I was
brought up with and still hear, but simple observation totally contradicts it.
It's just complete ********!

I agree, but it may be something to do with the fact that we are more
inclined to go out in light rain or drizzle and get wet. During a
very heavy downpour we would tend to shelter or not go out at all.

Martin


Tudor Hughes

On Sat, 18 Sep 2004 09:12:40 +0100, Steve Jackson
wrote:

In message , JPG
writes
Not showing much on the rainfall radar, we have been affected by
persistent drizzly rain for much of the day, keeping everything
thoroughly wet and miserable but probably not adding much more than 1
or 2 mm to the rainfall figures. This drizzle seems to be coming up
the Gloucestershire Gap (as distinct from the Cheshire Gap).

Actually Martin, the drizzle/rain wasn't as innocuous as it looked
because in all it dumped 11mm on Coventry, 7mm of it after 0800hr.

I can personally vouch for its ability to soak anyone out in it however!

You'd think a rate of 1mm an hour or so would show on the radar, but
only the "heavier" busts seemed to show up.

As for the Gloucestershire gap to answer Paul, returning polar
maritimes in Winter often show a line of showers up the Severn Valley
towards the W Midlands, much like the Cheshire gap - I've even known
snow showers creep up there at times when the air is particularly
cold.

The northern Cotswolds, Lickey and Clent Hills do not seem to present
much of a barrier to weather from the SW via the Bristol Channel.

Martin

On Sat, 18 Sep 2004 10:42:45 +0100, JPG wrote:

On Sat, 18 Sep 2004 09:12:40 +0100, Steve Jackson
wrote:

In message , JPG
writes


I can personally vouch for its ability to soak anyone out in it however!

You'd think a rate of 1mm an hour or so would show on the radar, but
only the "heavier" busts seemed to show up.



Oops, I meant "heavier" bursts. Freudian slip maybe, to follow on
from my comments on the Jordan barometer.

Also I've picked up a bit of TV weatherperson-speak - apologies.

JPG

In article ,
JPG writes:
You'd think a rate of 1mm an hour or so would show on the radar, but
only the "heavier" busts seemed to show up.

A new rainfall intensity scale? A-cup, B-cup, C-cup and D-cup?
--
John Hall "He crams with cans of poisoned meat
The subjects of the King,
And when they die by thousands G.K.Chesterton:
Why, he laughs like anything." from "Song Against Grocers"