Tuesday 8 May

Overcast and latterly very wet. Not much wind and the rainclouds are taking their time moving southwest. I can see brightness away east, but it's chucking it down in Stornoway.



I just read that all air ambulances (pictured above at Stornoway on 24 June 2006) have been grounded after a potential fault in the rotorblades was discovered. Although the Civil Aviation Authority has not ordered the grounding, the manufacturer of the helicopters has voluntarily taken the decision. The work of the choppers will be taken over by Coastguard helicopters and normal aeroplanes. The air ambulances are normally very busy around Scotland, recovering victims of road traffic accidents and many other incidents. The Coastguard helicopters tend to be busy around coasts and hills.

Next Tuesday, 15th May, will see the commencement of the Eastern Pacific hurricane season. Storms commonly affect the western coastline of Mexico, from Baja California and further east towards El Salvador. In recent years, quite a few high-category hurricanes have occurred in the basin, which stretches all the way to the 140th degree longitude west. Landfalls in Mexico tend to cause problems with flooding, land- and mudslides. The North Atlantic season commences on 1st June. At present, the first tropical wave of the season is yet to appear, although activity near the west African coast seems to suggest we're not far off that occurrence.