Storm "Jorge"

with 70 mph wind and torrential rain, is due to arrive today.
We seem to have had a new storm blowing in from 
the Atlantic every weekend since Christmas.
This is very bad news for those communities, north of us, 
which have been under water for two or more weeks already.

Yesterday was the calm before the storm

The storm in question is "Ciara" which is forecast to engulf the entire UK on Sunday and Monday.

This is scene on the River Tamar, as I write, on Saturday afternoon.

But here is the scene at the Fish Market in Sutton Harbour, where a large number of  fishing boats are safely battened down to shelter until "Ciara" moves on.

Here is the weather forecast for Sunday and Monday.

Storm Bound

Winter Storm "Atiyah" blew in from the Atlantic overnight, as forecast,

and it looks as if the high winds will be with us for the next three or four days.

CLICK HERE

To see the forecast for wind speeds and wave heights etc. 

The calm before the storm

I took this photo on Saturday afternoon looking from Plymouth Hoe on to Plymouth Sound.

All is quite calm but it is clear that a storm is brewing.

The next Atlantic Storm, (named Atiyah by the Irish Meteorological Service),

hit our shores during the night and is forecast to batter us all day today and through the night into Monday morning.

Ex Tropical Storm Sebastien arrived yesterday

By the end of the afternoon its presence was certainly beginning to be felt.

Stormy Weather

The skies have darkened, the wind is rising, thunder storms are in the offing;

much of the local fishing fleet is securely tied up and virtually none of the yachts in the marinas 

have any plans to set out for the next 36 hours.

Many major events  planned for this weekend around the coasts of Devon and Cornwall,

 were forced to cancel yesterday in the light of the weather forecast.

The latest Atlantic Storm "Diana" arrived yesterday

and is scheduled to be with us for another few days.

Depending on its direction when it hits the North Cornwall coast, this narrow, cobbled alley 

in Padstow, will probably funnel the wind and increase its apparent speed.

When you live facing out to the Atlantic Ocean

You can see the next storm coming at you.

I was down in Vigo on the Atlantic coast of Spain recently,

Weather wise it is just like home. You can see it coming.

 

A Gathering Storm

The calm after the storm.

A time to assess the damage and tidy up the wreckage.

Once more we have been very lucky.

This weekend we were forecast to be battered by the full force of 'Storm Brian', 

another fierce storm roaring in from the Atlantic Ocean.

But once more we didn't catch the full force which some other places did along the coast.

 Of course we had high winds and rain but not the ferocity that was expected.

 

On Monday we had a lucky escape as Hurricane Ophelia passed us by.

 In the days leading up to last Monday, everyone in the South West Peninsula of England and along the the South West of Ireland, had been carefully studying the projected track of the Atlantic Hurricane Ophelia as it raced towards us.

In the event it hit Ireland with its full force and we, in Plymouth,  experienced no more than a normal autumnal storm.

But our thoughts are  with the people of Ireland, where three people died as a result of the storm, thousands of homes are without power, and damage to property will amount to millions of Euros.

The Three Musketeers

A wet and windy weekend

The sequence of high winds and heavy rain goes on and on.

and Plymouth Hoe and the Waterfront are almost deserted.

This small vessel is sheltering inside the breakwater, in Plymouth Sound. 

Stormy Weather

The forecast for the coming weekend 

warns that we might be in the path of the first "named" storm of the winter, 

coming in from the Atlantic.

Two seasons in one day

The day dawned clear and still and the morning warmed into a perfect Indian Summer's day.

But by mid afternoon it looked as if our Indian Summer was rapidly coming to an end
as the storm clouds rolled in.

Stormbound in Padstow harbour.

Yesterday the coastlines of Devon and Cornwall was battered once again.

The high winds, combined with very high tides, created some extremely dangerous sea conditions.

The morning after the night before.

During the night of Easter Sunday into Monday, the most recent Atlantic Storm, "Katie",

passed over the city as it raced up the English Channel. 

Gusts of over 100 miles per hour were recorded on exposed headlands,

but by morning there was barely a breeze as people walked along the waterfront.

Owners are still dealing with the damage from the last big blow.

The main problem seems to be the large hole near the bow.

Clearing all the debris that came racing down the river Tamar is going to take ages.

Safely alongside in Padstow Harbour,

as the first major storm of the season, "Abigail", 

moved in from the Atlantic.