Tuesday 4 December

A fairly bright day, but continuing to feel very cold in the north wind. There were a few showers about, which did not help the temperatures; only 5C as a high. Major problems were experienced by drivers, caught out by black ice. Frozen roads look deceptively like wet roads, and people were relying on their in-car temperature gauges. Thinking that 4C is OK, they found themselves off the road at Balallan in Lewis and Luskentyre in Harris.

I still prefer our cold snap to the 160 mph winds that were experienced in eastern Mindanao, Philippines over the past 24 hours. In spite of the category V typhoon, the death toll in the Philippines appears to be relatively low. Preparations seem to have prevented a major loss of life, which so often is the case in the country. The Philippines, on average, sees about 20 tropical cyclones annually. The season is winding down over there, as the southern hemisphere season is beginning.

Sunset was at 3.40pm today, but we were treated to a very colourful display in Stornoway.