View across the Outer Harbour of Stornoway

Sunday 15 March 2015

Monday 9 March

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10:10 Pouring with rain and rising winds. Should peak at 60 mph, gusting to 80 mph, this evening. Ferry went out at 7 am, and won't be back until this storm is over.
Notice that there will be a 48 mbar jump in barometric pressure over the 24 hours from 6pm on Monday (978 mbar) to 6pm on Tuesday (1026 mbar). Think that should adequately serve to explain the storm we are about to experience.

12:00 Easterly winds veering south during the morning in Stornoway (low pressure to our south!), with spells of rain. Winds reported force 5 (20 mph), but we're due far worse.

14:20 A sign of things to come - Malin Head reporting 53 mph gusting to 74 mph. Metrically speaking, this is 85 to 118 km/h. Barometer dropping like a stone - 5 mbar/hour at the airport. Winds at North Dell now heading for 70 mph. Buses cancelled tonight, schools in the Southern Isles closed (early). Hatches battened down - here comes the storm. Anemometer is flying: 80 mph in North Dell, and we haven't even begun to approach the peak of this storm.
 
16:46 Blowing at 89 mph in South Uist, that's 142 km/h for the imperially challenged.

18:30 An 8 mbar pressure gradient across 45 miles of sea. Aultbea reporting 987 mbar, whereas Stornoway has 979 mbar. Still wondering why we're having a storm??

19:30 Winds have abated since reaching a peak around 4pm, but still a full gale blowing. And still a chance, once the low pressure centre moves off, of the 60 mph stormforce winds that are currently strafing the Uists. Barometer has started to rise from a low of about 977 mbar in Ness. Expecting resumption of stormforce conditions.

21:30 As the westerly winds jump back up to severe gale force, Broad Bay is providing shelter to fishing boats and a cargo ship. Although we'll get a reprieve tomorrow, Wednesday will see another severe gale, as will Thursday into Friday. The Atlantic has certainly got the conveyor belt going! Stormforce winds 56 mph, gusting to 77 mph, at Stornoway airport at 9.20pm. Lights flickering, but thus far kept power.

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