View across the Outer Harbour of Stornoway

Saturday 5 May 2012

Hurricane update - 5 May

This is usually a quiet time on the tropical cyclone front, but something is brewing in Indonesia. Tropical disturbance 94S is located near 4.5S 126.2E, to the east of the Indonesian island of Celebes (see map below), and looks set to become a rare phenomenon: a late season cyclone, and in Indonesia.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center is monitoring this system as it slowly gathers strength from the warm waters of the Banda Sea (the red marker "A" on the map); water temperatures are more than 30C / 86F out there. The Indonesian weather service will be issuing regional warnings, once 94S is declared a tropical cyclone. This is likely to happen in the early hours of Monday. The storm will be named Bakung, Indonesian for Daffodil. As per usual, JTWC will also issue warnings.



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Saturday 5 May

As I type this, a fairly bright afternoon has deteriorated with sleet, hail and rain showers rattling through. It remains cold, although not as penetrating as yesterday. Went out for an amble through town before the showers commenced, but there was not much doing - although I did not go into the town's centre.

I am pleased that mainland football team Ross County have completed their season with 24 matches unbeaten. They finished their last game of the season with a 5-3 victory over Dumfries side Queen of the South - who will be relegated from the First to the Second Division next season. Ross County have already been promoted to the Scottish Premier League.