The Great British Long Jump

The Long Jump 2011

2011-10-04T07:40:00.000+01:00

October started with glorious weather for The Grass Roots Meet and perhaps a Long Jump flight? Who knows. Pilots traditionally keep their cards close to their chest.

Daily weather info is posted on the main website HERE.

One week left to send in your entry.

2011-09-23T13:11:00.000+01:00

Only 1 week left to send in your entry ( not that I am too strict).
So let me know your details and start borrowing tanks.

A N D.... have a look at the new website. LINK

There's still lots to add, but the basics are there.

And the winner is.....

2011-07-14T16:19:00.002+01:00

GARY DAVIES won the 2010 Long Jump flying with Alan Gray in a Cameron Z120.
They flew for 5 hours and covered 140 miles from Hungerford to Norfolk.

Second place goes to Richard Penney and Spencer Craze who flew their Ultramagic M90 with 132 miles in 6hours 30 mins from Nottinghamshire to to Berkshire on 24 October.

The only other report received was from Long Jump stalwart Richard Parry who flew on 17 October in a Cameron N90 from Chalford to Minchinhampton. About 5km. But it was a memorable day and he flew alongside Dave Bareford’s son Dominic perform his solo flight.

Richard blames his comparative lack of traditional Long Jump adventurous spirit on his recent competition flying all over the world. See his report HERE!!

Here is Gary's report....

The Great British Long Jump 2010

Well here we are again back doing the long jump! After last year’s cock up with the mileage I sent my GPS to Lindsay Muir for an accurate distance LOL.

So Adrian Waters, Steve Drawbridge and Mark Omega and I set out early to Folly Farm, Hungerford in the lovely Cotswolds. We had an ordinary journey down with all the usual stops, Adrian’s breakfast parlour at the bikers’ favourite pull in. (Silverstone)

We met Pete Bish at the field to let us in. Adrian bought himself an air band radio – not sure what he was going to use it for!

We set up the balloon, Oh Zenith what a work horse she is! She never lets us down. Alan Gray was my passenger for the flight (he’s top crew man and chief navigator).

Our take off had fantastic conditions, blue sky, good upper wind and good direction.

After 20 minutes we were crossing between Brize Norton and Benson airport squeezing through without them noticing. Time for a coffee and sugar rush, Alan was doing really well on the navigation, we were roughly using 55 litres an hour – less as we got lighter. We then travelled to Cranfield where we spoke to a very busy airport that day and were pleased that we called and stayed at 4,500ft until we passed.

The fluffy clouds had arrived by this time and were getting a bit menacing with black areas spreading. Alan said, ‘I will keep an eye out for them.’ I just said, ‘Look the other way and don’t worry!’

So onwards and upwards to Bedfordshire, Peterborough then over our patch Wisbech. Then we tried to get more left to go up to Coningsby however the southerly winds didn’t kick in as forecast so we decided to take the height with right and went across the east coast so covering Kings Lynn then Sandringham, couldn’t see her Majesty waving in the grounds. The sea looks awfully close “much” said Alan “please don’t go left when we come down”.

We started our descent over Sedgefield, Norfolk and luckily stayed on track for Brancaster love the candy floss there! We had around 12 to 13 knots on landing in a great stubble field along the main road between Docking and Ringstead and couldn’t find a landowner for love or money.

We had a brilliant day 5 hours in my lovely balloon with great company, direction and retrieve that I was so pleased I was not involved with!

Adrian can tell that story.

Regards, Gary.

Results.

2010-11-07T13:07:00.000Z

Please send in your results asap. Download HERE.

And then send in your reports with all the pictures, stories, lies, truths that you can muster.

Traditionally, we have a presentation lunch near the end of November but this year I helping Anthony Smith with his RAFT!! Click HERE

The container leaves on 11th and we fly out to meet it on Montgolfier Day.

So what do people think? Since I have only received 2 results so far and one report, I wonder if there's time to arrange something before I leave?

Thoughts please to robin@gasballoon.com

Thanks,
Robin.

Day 31 - cloudy with rain

2010-10-31T07:06:00.000Z

Cloudy with rain at times for much of England and Wales, with perhaps a few brighter intervals at times in an easterly breeze. Dry in Northern Ireland and Scotland however, after morning fog clears, with Scotland seeing some bright periods.

Day 30 - see below

2010-10-30T09:03:00.000+01:00

Sunshine with occasional showers for most, particularly in western parts, with some perhaps turning thundery at times. More persistent rain and strong winds should arrive in the far southwest towards the evening, with gales in the far north easing later.

Day 29 - strong southerlies

2010-10-29T04:50:00.000+01:00

Today looks set to see some very wet weather developing over parts of Ireland and western Scotland for a time and the risk of rain will spread to many areas during the day with south-eastern parts probably staying dry until dusk. This changeable and mild theme then continues through the weekend and into next week.

Day 28 - wet & windy...again.

2010-10-28T07:02:00.001+01:00

A deep area of low pressure passing close to northwest Britain today will bring some further wet weather to western parts as well as some strong winds. However, with the winds continuing to come in from a south or south-westerly direction it will remain on the mild side.

A waving cold front is lying across western districts today and will bring outbreaks of rain at times to many parts of Scotland, Ireland, Wales and western parts of England. The rain is likely to intensify as we go through the day, with some particularly heavy bursts expected over Ireland and southwest Scotland at times. Southwest Scotland is our main area of concern, and we have a Weather Watch out for the possibility of some very wet conditions developing here later on. Meanwhile, for much of the rest of England it will be a mostly dry day with some bright spells and just the odd shower around before some more persistent rain pushes in from the southwest later this afternoon. It will be windy in many areas again, but mild once more.

The rain continues to move northeast tonight, clearing most areas by the early hours of Saturday. Many places will then become clearer, but a scattering of showers can be expected around western and southern coasts. Saturday will then be a brighter day for many parts with sunny spells, but further showers are likely around windward coasts where they will be heavy at times. Later in the day, the next area of rain will push into the far southwest, and this rain will affect south-western areas on Saturday night, before extending to other southern districts on Sunday, although weakening by then. It will be drier and brighter towards the north though, and by Monday many places look like enjoying a dry and bright day before wet and windy weather arrives in the west later.

Day 27 - rain

2010-10-27T04:16:00.000+01:00

Tuesday night was mild and windy night for many parts, with another band of rain coming in from the west. The rain will move east so that by early Wednesday it lies across southern and eastern areas with clearer spells and showers following elsewhere. The heaviest and most frequent of the showers will be towards northwest Scotland where it will be windy with a risk of gales. Once the rain leaves south-eastern areas on Wednesday morning, many places will be dry with some sunny spells. However, showers, sometimes heavy and prolonged, will affect many north-western regions and it will remain pretty windy.

The mild and unsettled theme then continues through to the end of the week, with some very wet and very windy weather likely towards the north and west at times whilst southern and eastern areas see the best of any drier and brighter weather.

Day 26 - rain and wind.

2010-10-26T05:42:00.000+01:00

Cloudy with occasional rain and strong to gale force southwesterly winds. Some of the rain is likely to be heavy at times, especially in the north. Feeling less cold.

Day 25 - Frosty start. High pressure

2010-10-25T07:34:00.000+01:00

Crisp, cold and frosty first thing with a few fog patches. Otherwise, mainly dry and sunny with light winds, but becoming cloudier in Northern Ireland and western Scotland with a chance of rain by evening.

Day 24 - frosty start

2010-10-24T09:29:00.001+01:00

It is a cold and sunny start to the day across much of Britain and Ireland with a widespread frost to start the day for many. Eastern coastal districts have escaped the frost thanks to a northerly breeze and a few showers, and temperatures also remained a little higher around other coastal areas thanks to the relatively warm sea temperatures.

For the most part today will be fine and sunny if rather on the chilly side. The showers across eastern England and northeast Scotland will keep going for much of the time but even here there will be plenty of drier and sunnier spells in between. Temperatures will be a touch below normal despite the sunshine, and it will feel rather chilly when exposed to that northerly wind in the east.

Clear skies tonight will mean that temperatures will take a big fall and a widespread frost is expected for many parts. In rural spots this frost will become quite sharp, with minimums of -5C or below likely in some northern areas, and some patchy fog may well form too. The new working week will start off on a very cold note then, but it will be fine and sunny apart from the odd lingering shower close to the east coast. Many places will remain fine again on Monday, but later in the day freshening winds, thickening cloud and rain will arrive over Ireland.

This marks a change to a more unsettled outlook as we go through the coming week, but it will turn a milder. Rain will cross the country at times, accompanied by fresh to strong winds too, but with sunshine and showers in between.

Day 23 - thundery showers in SE

2010-10-23T07:02:00.000+01:00

Early rain clearing the far southeast before a day of sunshine and occasionally thundery showers for many. Drier than of late in Scotland. Feeling cold with winds becoming northerly.

Day 22 - Wet in the west, sunny in the east.

2010-10-22T08:16:00.001+01:00

Day 21 - Frosty start

2010-10-21T09:31:00.000+01:00

A frosty start over southern and central parts of the UK, with sunny periods and a few showers to follow, especially across Wales and southwest England. Outbreaks of rain are expected across parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland. Feeling milder.

Day 20 - cold northerlies. Good for channel flight?

2010-10-20T07:49:00.001+01:00

Today will start off cold and sunny for many, with showers continuing to affect windward coasts. Most of the showers will become confined to the far east of England by the end of the day with many places staying fine and dry. However, cloud and showery rain - with snow over the hills - will be moving into northwest Scotland later on Wednesday, with this spreading to other areas on Thursday and Friday before some potentially very unsettled conditions develop over the weekend.

Day 19 - Bright start with showers later.

2010-10-19T07:03:00.000+01:00

Beginning bright and sunny inland with showers over exposed northern and western coasts. The showers, sometimes heavy and wintry in the north, affect most parts during the day. Windy and feeling cold.

Day 18 - Wet in Scotland, drier & brighter elsewhere.

2010-10-18T07:58:00.000+01:00

Showers will affect Scotland throughout the day, becoming persistent in some parts by the afternoon. Drier and brighter at first in other parts of the United Kingdom but with outbreaks of rain spreading from the northwest. Windy in the north.

Day 17 - Colder

2010-10-17T08:16:00.001+01:00

Sunday dawns fine and chilly across many areas and will then be a fine and sunny day across much of England and Wales. Scotland and Ireland will be cloudier with some showery rain around, which will spread into northwest England by late afternoon. The cloud and showers are associated with a weather front that will move across the rest of the country during Sunday night and Monday, introducing a colder north-westerly wind which will bring a mixture of sunny spells and blustery showers to many areas. Some southern parts will stay mainly dry whilst the showers across the mountains of Scotland will begin to turn increasingly wintry by Tuesday.

Happy landings to One Man Meet Pilots.

Day 16 - Dry & bright, breezy in SE.

2010-10-16T07:44:00.001+01:00

Today will start off dry and bright with sunny spells for many, and whilst this pattern will continue for much of the day, there will be a few showers affecting eastern areas as the winds go north-easterly for a time. A cold night is expected tonight with clear skies and light winds for many, but cloudier weather will move into the northwest, bringing a little rain with it. This cloud and rain will spread south-eastwards on Sunday, but much of southern Britain should enjoy a fine day before the cloud arrives by the evening.

Day 15 - Scattered showers

2010-10-15T07:13:00.000+01:00

Subtle changes today, as the northerly wind picks up a bit, bringing a band of showery rain southwards. The increase in wind will allow for a few more sunny spells to break through in between the showers although it will remain on the cool side. The weekend sees many areas having a dry day with some bright spells on Saturday, but with a few showers in the southeast, then by Sunday the winds will freshen up in the north, bringing rain with them, and that marks the start of the change that's expected next week.

Day 14 - Cool northerlies

2010-10-14T07:52:00.001+01:00

A dry, cool and cloudy day for the majority, with perhaps the odd spot of drizzle at times. The best sunny periods are likely towards the south of the UK, though perhaps some brightness too in southern Scotland later.

Day 13 - cooler & cloudier

2010-10-13T06:48:00.001+01:00

Largely dry but cloudier and cool for many, with the best of any brightness across southwest England and Wales. Drizzle still possible in northern and eastern parts of the UK.
~ ~ ~
An area of high pressure is the dominating feature at the start of the period and this is expected to drift southwards as the week goes on.

This results in brisk easterly winds over southern areas gradually easing, while cloud amounts increase generally across the country as the weather system becomes slow-moving and gathers extra moisture.

Daytime temperatuers will gradually fall under this cloudy regime, but overnight frost and fog are only likely where cloud clears for any length of time.

High pressure is expected to finally give way at the end of the week and over the weekend, with stronger winds and outberaks of rain spreading south to all parts.

Day 12 - cooler & cloudier

2010-10-12T08:48:00.000+01:00

Conditions remain mostly settled across Britain and Ireland today but there will be a lot more in the way of cloud around than there was yesterday making for a disappointingly cool day compared to recent days.

Cloud has spread in from the North Sea overnight across much of Scotland and England, with patchy mist and low cloud also to be found over parts of Wales and Ireland. The thickest of the cloud is across north-eastern areas where it is producing some patchy drizzle at times and this will continue on and off for much of the day. There are some sunny spells around however, mainly across southern and western areas, and these may become somewhat more widespread during the day with western areas enjoying a pleasant afternoon whilst it remains rather cloudy across eastern parts. Temperatures generally will be cooler than recently, especially under the cloud cover, but it will still feel quite warm in any sunny spells.

The cloud in the east will flood back west tonight, and will cover most areas by Wednesday morning with a generally misty and murky night developing. Some light rain and drizzle will also affect north-eastern areas too so it will end up rather damp here. Then for tomorrow it will be a dull start for many parts, and whilst many areas will remain cloudy, some sunny spells will again develop over some south-western areas. Very little then looks like changing through to the end of the week, so it will remain very quiet for several days yet.

Day 11 - breezy

2010-10-11T07:24:00.001+01:00

Mostly dull to start with some fog, especially Northern Ireland. Clearer in southeast and locally the west. Cloud and fog clearing through the morning to leave a sunny afternoon for most, however the northeast remaining overcast. Breezy in the south.

The weekend saw temperatures reaching 22C in some sunnier parts of the UK, the result of warm air being drawn up from southern Europe at the end of the week.
Not all areas were so lucky. A dank, grey chill hung along many North Sea coasts of Scotland and England and with that cooler air poised to move southwards, lingering memories of summer warmth will be replaced by damp autumn coolness.

Monday 11 October 2010 to Sunday 17 October 2010

Cooler and cloudier

An area of high pressure is the dominating feature at the start of the period and this is expected to drift southwards as the week goes on.
This results in brisk easterly winds over southern areas gradually easing, while cloud amounts increase generally across the country as the weather system becomes slow-moving and gathers extra moisture.
Daytime temperatuers will gradually fall under this cloudy regime, but overnight frost and fog are only likely where cloud clears for any length of time.
High pressure is expected to finally give way at the end of the week and over the weekend, with stronger winds and outberaks of rain spreading south to all parts.

Monday 18 October 2010 to Sunday 24 October 2010

Increasing chance of rain

The week is expected to start on a changeable note, especially for the north and east, with the best of the sunshine across the south and west.
By the end of the period, the generally changeable theme is expected to continue, with occasional rain or showers, but some drier and brighter intervals as well.
Daytime and overnight temperatures will be around or just below average by the end of the week. However, there is an increasing risk of ground frost across more southern and western parts later, especially given any clear skies overnight.

Monday 25 October 2010 to Saturday 6 November 2010

Unsettled weather moving south

Generally changeable at first, especially in the north, but a ridge of high pressure is expected to maintain more settled weather in the south for a time.
This is likely to swap round later in the period as the weather settles down in the north, while becoming more changeable further south with rain at times.
Temperatures will remain generally a little below average with a continuing risk of frost overnight.

Day 10 - More settled.

2010-10-10T07:01:00.001+01:00

High pressure is centred to the north of Scotland today and keeps us fine and settled with Atlantic weather systems being kept at bay. Winds are coming in from an east or north-easterly direction today, and are bringing in somewhat drier air so we are expecting more sunshine to develop today than what was the case yesterday, especially in eastern areas.

It has been another dull and misty start across many areas, but clearer skies have already spread in across East Anglia and southeast England, and these clearer skies will extend to many other areas during today. The only exceptions are likely to be across northern and eastern Scotland along with northeast England where it will remain dull and misty with some drizzle around, whilst it will also be cloudier over Ireland for much of the day. With the sunshine it will be another warm day, although not as warm as recently with that breeze blowing.

Another dry night follows with that cloud in the northeast tending to become more widespread once again, although southern and western areas may remain mostly clear. The winds will keep up, but it will be a cooler night, especially across western areas. The new week then starts off in a similar way with dry conditions prevailing and early cloud tending to burn back to the east coasts of Scotland and England to leave plenty of sunshine. High pressure is then set to dominate for most of the upcoming week keeping the quiet spell of weather going.

Day 9 - warm & breezy

2010-10-09T07:14:00.002+01:00

The US gas balloon race has just started - live tracking HERE.

On the face of it weather conditions for today don't look particularly inspiring with many places waking up to a misty and murky start with widespread low cloud having formed overnight. It will improve in many areas however, and some places will end up enjoying another fine and very warm afternoon.

There are already a few sunny spells around, especially close to western coasts, and these will tend to become more widespread during the day. However, many eastern and north-eastern areas will remain rather dull and misty for much of the day thanks to those brisk east/southeast winds coming in from off the North Sea. It will be another warm day despite the wind, with highest temperatures again reaching 23C (73F) in the best of the sunshine.

Virtually everywhere will stay dry apart from the odd patch of drizzle, but a little rain may affect the far southwest of Ireland and southwest England at times, and this risk continues through tonight too. For many though it will be another dry and mild night with widespread mist and low cloud forming again. One exception may be the far southeast as some drier easterly winds bring in clearer skies in later in the night. This brings the prospect of a sunnier day in many areas on Sunday although cloud will continue to plague north-eastern coasts and parts of Ireland.

The rather quiet and settled theme continues well into next week with variable amounts of cloud drifting around. It will also turn a touch cooler as we begin to draw in some cooler air from the northeast, but on the whole it will remain generally pleasant.

Finally, for the motor racing fans amongst you. The qualifying for this weekend's Japanese Formula 1 Grand Prix was postponed earlier this morning due to torrential rain in Suzuka, but the good news is that a drier day is expected on Sunday ready for qualifying and race day all in one!

Channel flight - GAS

2010-10-08T12:10:00.001+01:00

Tracker HERE.

When Benoit Pelard returned to France after the Gordon Bennett, he wanted to sleep for a week.
BUT... he had been dreaming of commemorating Marvingt's flight for 2 years and his son woke him up and said "Papa - the weather's perfect!"

So on thursday night, he took off in his gas balloon from Nancy in France and landed in Kent on friday afternoon.... 1 mile from my Mum !!!!!

She went out and found him. he gave her a big bag of sweets. She gave him a kiss.

In 1901 Mademoiselle Marvingt had her first ride in a balloon. Over the
years her interest in and affection for balloon flight grew, and while
...she continued to amass awards in nearly every field of athletic
endeavor, she knew in 1901 that "my greatest adventure, my biggest
achievement will come in a balloon." She was right. At 11 a.m. on
October 26, 1909 in Nancy, surrounded by a huge crowd, Mile. Marvingt
and an aeronaut named Emile Gamier stepped into the basket of a
hydrogen-filled balloon. They disappeared through the clouds to begin
the first attempt by a woman to cross the English Channel by balloon.

"The balloon held 900 cubic meters of hydrogen," she recalls. "It was called
The Shooting Star and was the very last word in balloons. I'll never
forget the trip as long as I live."

The Marvingt-Garnier balloon was virtually unnavigable. When The
Shooting Star took off from Nancy a rope connected to the ground tilted
the gasbag and released pounds of precious hydrogen.
The balloon sailed north from Nancy at an altitude of 1,000 feet over the German border, past the Krupp factories at Essen,
past dazzled schoolchildren and peasants. Because of the hydrogen lost
at take-off, the balloon wouldn't rise higher than 1,200 feet. Near Essen the wind shifted suddenly and carried the craft northwest over Holland toward Amsterdam. "We were in the clouds most of the time," said Mademoiselle Marvingt, "but we thought after we reached Amsterdam
that the most dangerous part of the trip was over. We knew we were
losing altitude, but we knew that the Channel winds would sweep us over
to England before nightfall."
The wind did carry the balloon off the Continent and over the
Channel. But the temperature dropped to below freezing, and the basket
began to rise and fall dangerously close to the waves. Before Marvingt
and Gamier were five miles offshore they found themselves in the middle
of a snowstorm.
Marie threw out the last of the ballast, but still the balloon
wouldn't rise more than 100 feet above the waves, often dipping until
the basket actually was in the water.
Night came, and the balloon continued bobbing into the choppy
Channel. "My overcoat and wool stockings were no help," Marvingt said.
"I was freezing. Besides that, we couldn't tell which way we were
heading."
After battling the storm for five hours, the balloon suddenly
lifted and rose through the clouds. Two miles distant Marie saw a light.
It was the English coast. The balloon started to lose altitude and was
headed toward the cliffs on the coast when an updraft caught it and
lifted the pair over the top.
"It was still dark," Marie said. "We let out most of the
hydrogen and put down in a pasture half a mile from the coast [near
Southwold]. We barely had the energy to climb out of the basket. The
next day we took a train to London, where we were treated as heroes."

Day 8 - strong easterlies

2010-10-08T07:46:00.002+01:00

A warm south-easterly flow covers much of Britain and Ireland today thanks to a warm front having moved northwards overnight bringing a little rain with it in places. It does mean it has been a rather cloudy and murky start to the day, but as the day wears on we should see some sunshine breaking through.

The best of the sunshine is likely to be towards southern and western areas, although the far southwest of England and Ireland is likely to stay cloudier with a little showery rain at times. There will also be a little rain or drizzle across parts of eastern Scotland and northeast England too, but elsewhere should become mainly dry with the skies brightening. The highest temperatures will be found where the best of the sunshine appears, with maximums of 22C (72F) likely over parts of southern or western England this afternoon.

A quiet night follows with mist and low cloud forming in many areas. Some light rain or drizzle will still be affecting north-eastern coasts and this may extend a little further inland during the night. Saturday will start off rather cloudy again in many areas, but sunny spells will again break through and it will turn warm over central, southern and western areas of England and Wales with temperatures perhaps reaching 23C (73F) despite the brisk south-easterly winds.

These winds tend to back towards more of an easterly direction during Sunday and Monday, and will become quite strong across southern counties. This means that whilst many areas will remain mostly fine, if rather cloudy at times, it will begin to turn a touch cooler as we start to lose the warm feed from the southeast.

Day 7 - Dry, sunny

2010-10-07T07:23:00.001+01:00

It is a quiet start to the day across much of Britain and Ireland as high pressure to the east begins to exerts its influence on our weather. There are some fog patches around this morning, but these should clear quite quickly and then many places will enjoy a reasonably fine day.

It will stay dry all day for much of the country, but cloudier skies will bring the odd shower to parts of Scotland and Ireland, and then this afternoon an area of cloud coming up from the south will move into southern parts of England. This cloud will thicken enough to bring some mainly light rain into southern counties by this evening, with the cloud and patchy rain then moving northwards tonight to affect much of England, Wales and Ireland. It will also turn rather misty as well, but at least the cloud will keep it on the mild side. Meanwhile, Scotland will see the clearest of the skies overnight, but even here it will tend to cloud up by morning.

Friday will start off on a generally cloudy note with limited brighter spells to be found. There will still be some showery light rain around, mainly towards exposed eastern coasts as the east/southeast winds pick up, and over the far southwest of Ireland and England. Elsewhere should see brighter skies develop as we go through the day, and where the sunshine breaks through it will feel warm as temperatures rise into the low twenties in some southern counties.

This sort of theme then continues through the weekend with high pressure to the north of Scotland meaning brisk east/southeast winds across the country keeping many places dry and quite warm in the sunshine, but rain may affect the far southwest from time to time.

Day 6 - Wet

2010-10-06T08:44:00.002+01:00

Handy animated wind chart for next 60 hours HERE

Sunshine and showers for the west during the morning, some possibly turning thundery. Further east, persistent and sometimes heavy rain should clear by lunchtime. Most areas will see sunshine later, but perhaps cloudier with blustery showers the north and west.

It may not seem like it this morning, but today will mark the start of a change as weather conditions begin to settle down with high pressure taking over for many areas by the weekend.

To start with though it is a pretty damp start to the day across much of England and southeast Scotland after rain moved in from the southwest overnight. It is a drier picture across northern and western Scotland, Wales and Ireland with some sunny spells, but there are some showers affecting western coastal areas. The more persistent rain this morning will clear away to the east to leave a mixture of sunny spells and showers across many parts, and some of those showers may be on the heavy side although they should generally ease away this evening. Temperatures will be close to normal, and feeling pleasant enough in any sunshine later on.

A dry and fine night will follow with clear spells and some fog patches forming, although a little more cloud with the odd shower may affect western areas. This means that Thursday will start off fine, and for many it will remain dry with sunny spells. However, a freshening south/south-easterly breeze will bring cloud into southern counties later in the day and perhaps a little rain in places too. This cloud will head further north, so that by Friday there will be more cloud around, and some rain may affect the far southwest. The risk of rain then continues through into the weekend over the far southwest, but for many it will be mainly dry and fine with south-easterly winds, and it will turn quite warm for a time too.

Day 5 - cloudy with gales in NW

2010-10-05T06:54:00.001+01:00

Cloudy with rain at times in southern and eastern parts of the UK. Brighter conditions elsewhere with scattered showers, especially in northern and western parts, often heavy and occasionally thundery. Very windy in northwestern UK. Feeling warm in the sunshine.

Tonight

Rain clearing southeast England before midnight with widespread, occasionally thundery rain or showers continuing in western Britain. Further rain moves into the southeast by dawn. Remaining windy in northwestern Britain.

Wednesday

Rain in southeast England clearing into the North Sea. Brighter elsewhere with scattered showers in northern and western UK. Intermittent rain in central and western Scotland. Windy in northwest UK.

Outlook for Thursday to Saturday

Generally dry and often bright, with occasional showers in the west. Cloudier on Saturday with light rain in the north. Strengthening winds becoming easterly by Saturday.

Day 4 - variable winds

2010-10-04T08:08:00.001+01:00

A foggy start for central and some southwestern areas, clearing to leave a dry day for many with some sunshine. Light intermittent rain in southeastern England will clear during the afternoon. Blustery rain moves into the far west later.

Tonight

Intermittent light rain spreading across the UK, becoming occasionally heavy in Scotland. Heavy showers for western coasts and Northern Ireland. Strong southerly winds for Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Tuesday

Unsettled, with rain at times in the southeast of the UK. Brighter conditions with scattered showers further north and west. Remaining windy with a risk of gales near northwestern coasts.

Outlook for Wednesday to Friday

Rain clearing southeastwards on Wednesday with further showers for parts for England and Wales. Mostly dry on Thursday before rain approaches from the west on Friday. Fresh to strong winds.

Day 3 - very windy in the south

2010-10-03T08:20:00.002+01:00

Rain for most, locally heavy, initially strong winds.

Today: Persistent and heavy rain pushes into the southwest, spreading northeastwards to all parts during the day, clearing late afternoon. Further rain across the southeast of England later in the day.

Day 2 - calmer, colder, rain later.

2010-10-02T08:14:00.001+01:00

Most parts of the UK will have a dry, bright morning but become cloudier by the afternoon. Occasionally heavy showers spread into Scotland, northwestern England, western Wales and Northern Ireland with persistent, heavy rain spreading into southern England by evening.

Day 1 - wet and windy

2010-10-01T08:25:00.007+01:00

Terrific wind direction but a wee bit strong & blustery today and WET.

Click HERE for BBC appraisal of week to come.

Summary

The ups and downs of autumn

It seemed last week as if the weather couldn't make up its mind. The temperature hit 25C in southeast England midweek, before northerly winds swept the warmth away. The overnight low of -4C at Tulloch Bridge in the Scottish Highlands on Saturday then made it the coldest September night in Scotland since 1993.
Cold weather seems less likely as we head into October, with Atlantic weather systems set to be the dominant influence. Expect rain at times and Autumn gales.

Monday 27 September 2010 to Sunday 3 October 2010

Warmer, wetter and windier

The week starts fairly quietly, as the transition from the cold north/northeasterly influence to a more westerly one begins.
The first weather system to push in from the west is hesitant, but quite active, and the combination of heavy rain and slow movement is a recipe for some large totals.
Later in the week things get more vigorous, as a developing jet stream provides the energy for more developed areas of low pressure.
Strong winds are likely, particularly towards the northwest of the UK, with gales and perhaps even severe gales in exposed coastal and upland areas during the weekend.

Monday 4 October 2010 to Sunday 10 October 2010

Changeable weather continues

Into the new week it should remain unsettled and autumnal, with bands of rain separated by sunny spells and scattered showers.
Further windy conditions are also likely, with the exposed western coasts of England and Wales joining Scotland in potentially seeing gales at times.
Temperatures for the whole period should be near normal by day, with relatively mild conditions overnight leading to a lower risk of frost.

Monday 11 October 2010 to Sunday 24 October 2010

Turbulent times

Unsettled throughout, with periods of wind and rain at times, but also some drier and brighter intervals. Northwestern areas are likely to see above average amounts of rainfall, with the rest of the UK around average.
It is expected to be generally mild throughout, with the southwest likely to see the warmest weather, although it will also be somewhat duller here with more cloud.
Other areas should see average temperature and sunshine amounts.

Click on images for larger size.

The Long Jump

2010-09-30T10:56:00.008+01:00

Traditionally, today is the deadline for entries, so scroll down a few pages for entry details .

Balloonists everywhere are thinking about Richard Abruzzo and Carol Rymer-Davis. They were one of 20 entrants in the Gordon Bennett Balloon Race who launched from Bristol at midnight on saturday and flew south across the Channel towards Brest.
Good weather blessed their route across France, out across the Bay of Biscay and east towards the Pyrenees.
By the end of sunday they had been flying nearly 40 hours and were faced with the decision whether or not to venture out over the Mediterranean Sea. After a night at -13°C it's easy to see why 14 balloons landed safely in daylight and enjoyed reunions with their gallant ground crews who had been following their pilots wondering where on earth they would end up.
The six leading balloons opened up a whole new chapter in this race as they carefully timed their approach to Italian airspace after sunrise to avoid disqualification. With judicious juggling of altitude they all succeeded with the leading Swiss balloon managing to clear it monday night and the other five hanging back until tuesday morning.
France 2 landed in Italy as Swiss 2 raced ahead to land on the beach of the Black sea in Romania 2434 km from Bristol.
The other four teams spent Tuesday night crossing the Adriatic and on into Montenegro, Serbia, Croatia and Serbia Herzegovina where GER 2 landed.
The weather was beginning to change and after GER 1 landed on the edge of the competition area in Romania, GBR 3 landed in Croatia.
USA 2 meanwhile was still over the Adriatic battling with thunderstorms. Their tracker shows variable heights and directions as they bravely fought the very weather that all balloonists fear.
After their tracker stopped transmitting and calls by vhf and phone were not answered a full scale search was started.
Balloon crews are beginning to arrive back in Bristol with wonderful stories of a classic Gordon Bennett Race - the first time it's been held in Britain since its inception in 1906 - but everybody's thoughts are with Richard and Carol.

American news report HERE.
A few of my pictures from the launch HERE.

Click on any image for larger size.

Final positions....

Richard and Carol launching on saturday night.

GB race - day 1.

2010-09-26T07:06:00.002+01:00

The weather Gods were kind and we sent the pilots up into a clear cold sky to the sound of their country's national anthem. Some pics HERE. (More will follow once I've had some kip.)

Check our website 'teams' page HERE and click on their own blogs for up to date pics and stories.
Video of Hempy's take off HERE.

At 6am the balloons were well out to sea flying towards France.

Gordon Bennett Balloon Race

2010-09-24T09:38:00.000+01:00

Here are trajectories for 2, 5 and 10 thousand feet from Bristol if they launch on saturday evening as planned.
My money's on Kiev.

Soon be October!

2010-09-15T18:53:00.000+01:00

The Rules

LONG JUMP rules. ( Click here for 1984 original!)

1. Any pilot may enter with any balloon.
2. The winner is the pilot who flies the longest straight line distance within the British Isles during the month of October. ( For Long Jump purposes this region includes the British mainland, Ireland, and every island in British or Irish Waters.)
3. Intermediate landings are not permitted.
4. The judge’s decisions are final.
5. The entry fee is fifty pounds - cheques payable to The Great British Long Jump must reach the judge before 30 September - address below. (All the entry fees go towards administrative costs, the printing and binding of reports, commemorative mugs and prizes, as well as the cash prize to the winner.)
6. The competition starts just after midnight on the morning of October 1 and closes at dusk on 31 October.
7. Each entrant shall send a flight report to the judge before November 7. These reports will bound and distributed at the Survivors’ Lunch, ( and some of their contents may be used in AEROSTAT.) They should each accompany the completed pro-forma which solicits crucial information, with the actual reports being elaboration of each flights’ most memorable and believable happenings.
8. The winners of the Frog and the Flea, these trophies kindly donated by Cameron Balloons, will be announced at the Survivors’ Lunch to be held on Sunday 28 November 2010 probably at Booker airfield. All jumpers and crews are invited to attend. (Details nearer the time.)
9. Each entrant shall receive a commemorative mug, an ‘appropriate’ prize, a bound copy of the reports and the opportunity to applaud the winner as he/she receives the trophy for longest distance flown and a handsome cheque.
10. The Frog will be awarded to the outright winner who flew the longest distance. The Flea will be awarded to the pilot who either flew furthest in a small balloon (generally less than 100,000cu.ft) or who did exceedingly well in some other fashion and therefore merits second place on the winners’ podium.

Address to send £50 entry cheque…..

Robin Batchelor
The Great British Long Jump
The Old Candle Factory
THAME
Oxon
OX9 3BH.

Good luck to all!

Robin.

New winners! Happy Christmas.

2009-12-24T08:56:00.005Z

After carefully checking final grid refences, I can now announce the new winners of the 2009 Long Jump.

Effectively, 1st and 2nd change places so congratulations to Ian Warrington and Andy Austin for a well-earned victory.

Their report tells their story......

BRUMMIE BUMMER
Here we go again – 3rd time lucky? Err I think probably not…..
I was most surprised that Mr Warrington was keen to put up with me again after a years worth of ribbing about getting stuck in a basket with me for seven hours last year!
First challenge, the envelope we normally use had been sold. I should have purchased it with hindsight but our friends from EASA are not making multiple envelope ownership very easy are they! Problem soon resolved and we are fully kitted out with a borrowed120 envelope and a Mode S transponder. Have to find out how to use it some time. We must be in with a good chance then?
After the usual constant exchange of text messages and emails we had decided on our date – Saturday 17th October, a north easterly wind with a planned route from somewhere around Whitby and landing on the One Man Meet launch field, worth a try 
Crew? Ian had managed to fool John Friend that it was a good idea to drive all day long across the length of the country – for a third time! My wife Jane however has got wise to this energy sapping experience and so I asked a chap at work, who only met me two weeks earlier, LOL. Russ Marron turned out to be a great asset with a photographic mind for the UK road network. A complete ballooning virgin and luckily, very gullible. We were all set.
Up at just after 3 a.m. we booted off up the A1. Launch field? I normally go for the OS map and look for a caravan site, North Yorks is obviously not popular with caravanners as there are not that many. I like places that are windswept and interesting. We had to be satisfied with a 50% success rate. I did find a picnic area that looked good. Google Earth further confirmed this as a fair choice, only a few hundred yards from the North Sea coast bbrrrrr. Just before dawn and shortly before we arrived in what felt like the back end of beyond, we tested the wind conditions in the traditional manner by stopping in a lay-by for a pee. I can confirm it was cold with a light northerly breeze! Ian kept mithering on, that the further East past Middlesborough we went, the windier the forecast. Fancy that on a nor’easterly!
Having set the Auto Doris to take us straight to the field, we drove straight in to find a local “gentleman” with a greyhound. He was able to confirm it was common land and that he felt we would be OK. He was so disinterested, we could have told him we were about to detonate a nuclear bomb and he’d just have said, “over there by the big trees would be the best place”.
With 8 cylinders, including the inflation tank, it was a tight squeeze and Ian was more concerned that he couldn’t wedge his mega bag of supplies into a suitable gap. With the wind gusting around 12 knots, he was panicking that we might not have time to throw in the provisions. Just as we were about to go hot, Russ on the mouth, pointed inside the balloon. What could this total novice, possibly know that 2 pilots with well over 1000hours of experience hadn’t seen! The red line not attached Russ? Yeah, we always do it that way. Blush!
Stand it up, ditch cylinder, chuck in supplies. Twenty five minutes and we were gone, in a mass of adrenaline, given our proximity to the coast and the great unknown.
We soon settled into the exact same track that had been forecast at speeds varying between 35 & 40kts. It was looking pretty good with enough gas to go for 8 hours and approximately enough land to last just over 300 miles. The only excess weight we were carrying was Ian’s picnic for 12, which had been omitted from the load calculation. I reckon we had enough food to last for a long weekend in South Wales which is where we may have ended up

We quickly climbed to nearly 10,000ft over the North Yorkshire Moors. Within no time, we passed Castle Howard to the East and then over York. We were quickly heading towards the dreaded controlled airspace at a rate of knots, our track had remained consistent and we had easily avoided the Manchester zone. East Midlands and Birmingham remained between us and the relative freedom of Shropshire.
The fuel consumption was as expected but the food rations were disappearing at a frightening rate, would we have enough to complete the flight? Thankfully Ian’s wife, Denise, had helpfully labelled the “beaker for pee” which was an improvement on the barely adequate diameter of the bottles we had last year. All was well…
As we came towards the first controlled airspace we called East Midlands, well beforehand. They were very helpful and friendly, we listened carefully and complied with the instructions given and descended to the recommended height. At this point we took a small but significant turn to the right, no problem I remember thinking it just means we will be heading well to the north of Birmingham.
We crossed over the beautiful Peak District well to the North of Derby and took another step change in altitude, in order to comply with airspace. This time we kicked left and lost a significant amount of speed, down to a very sedate 8kts. It now looked like we would be heading into the northern part of Birmingham’s zone and take longer than ideal, to clear there airspace.
We said goodbye and thank you to East Midlands as we transferred to Birmingham ATC. These guys were strictly business and had us on our toes, changing squawk codes etc etc. It quickly became apparent that the height parameters that we had to stay within, were steering us straight towards Birmingham City centre and the airport just beyond. To make matters worse the cloud was building above and the thickest we’d seen all flight.
A conversation followed with ATC, who made it very clear that we must abort the flight and land. We did this very quickly, as were fortunate to have picked a day with friendly wind conditions on the ground, allowing a very civilised landing by long jump standards. We had landed with about 40% flying time and available gas left. What was worse, we hadn’t even started on the pork pies, let alone the traditional chocolate bars. What a Brummer!
We had completed a very enjoyable and safe flight and to be fair had landed relatively close to home. The lesson learned for me was, that with all the steerage options we had available to us we could easily have guided the balloon either side of Birmingham however the prescriptive altitudes we were operating within, had made the job impossible. How far would we have got? We will never know.
The question remains, will we be mad enough to try again and will our trusty crew once again be mad enough to join us?
Some numbers and stuff;
Pilots; Andy Austin and Ian Warrington
Crew; John Friend and Russ Marron (who had never seen a balloon up close before)
The Windbag; G-BZBL LBL120. Many thanks to Martin Collinson for the loan of the kit
Flight; Loftus - Pipehill nr Lichfield
Distance claimed; 137 statute miles.
Duration; 5 hours 7 minutes
Propane used (excluding inflation); Approx 250 litres
Casualties; Pilots pride X 2
Enjoyment; Immeasurable

There's 3 sorts of people....

2009-12-04T09:42:00.002Z

There's 3 sorts of people - those who can count, and those who can't count.
I am wading through grid references points, OS maps, google maps and gps tracks.
I never thought The Great British Long Jump would ever come to this but it seems the 1st and 2nd placed results are much closer than I thought.
Thanks to more than one eagle-eyed reader!

Watch this space.........

Long Jump 2009 - Results.

2009-11-29T16:34:00.006Z

Congratulations to Gary Davies and Scott Cooper for winning the Frog Trophy given to the pilot who achieves the greatest distance - 155 miles in 3 hours 40 minutes from Bristol to Norfolk.
They prudently landed early with 150 litres of fuel remaining after radioing ahead and learning the winds!

Click on the images to see bigger version.

Here is the winner's report....
The Great British Long Jump 2009
25th October 2009

Take off Point - West of Thombury
Landing Point – East Of Isleham Village

I had toyed with the actual idea (NOT) of doing the GBLT this year as it’s a great experience to do. As I have a very busy schedule! Hey ho. No we are doing it, we will find the time!

So I chose the date by considering the weather and wind direction on the 25th October.
The crew consisted of Alan Gray, who is a great navigator, but best of all a superb all rounder. I was so pleased he was with us. Scott Copper who was on board with myself, although he has recently passed his fixed wing licence, he has also developed a passion for ballooning.

Tom Gouder very kindly helped me get a suitable field to take off from, and also let me borrow 4 of his tank straps. (Oh bugger six bottles and only eight tank straps, that isn’t enough.) Bless him we had to drag him out of his job at the Co-operative just as he was icing the fingers in the bakery.

We eventually got in to the field at 9.45am and began to set up, I must say in record breaking time. Just as we started to cold inflate, Alan turned around and shouted “Gary that’s a big black cloud coming of the Bristol Channel, looks like it is gong to rain”. And Oh my god it!! Only 2 inches of rain on the envelope However it did wash off all the cow pats and mud stains from some of our previous flights. So after the passing storm we got inflated and took off like a champagne cork!. Stocked up with sausage rolls, doughnuts and crisps for our journey.

Scott was our chief navigator and RT guru. As he a lot more experience in that field from piloting his plane.

Our first crossing was North West of Kemble Aerodrome. I said to Scott, we will keep under 2,500ft for a bit as cloud base was a little low at this point as it was coming off the Bristol Channel, however we had still had 28nts. I would like to say all the air traffic controllers we spoke to were very pleasant and helpful. Me, Zenith and Scott managed to skirt round all the boundaries, by changing heights to get steerage, (which was great).

Our next crossing was Braze Norton; we could see the plane etc and at this point we was tracking towards Chipping Norten. Our speed had increased to 33nts, which was great and the clouds were dissipating, Time for a Snack and Wee

Next port of call was North West of Milton Keynes. Just before we flew over we had a call from Alan Turner, who is a Long Jump extraordinaire too! Wishing us luck, saying we had a good day for it. Thought to myself we haven’t landed yet.

Scotty radioed up Cranfield to check the conditions and Airspace think he just liked talking to all the towers myself. They had spotted us hurtling across, by this time I mentioned coming down a bit to get a little more left. Well just say the tops of the trees were moving rather fast. I was very happy that I had both the safety harnesses on board.

We then climbed to 4,800 and achieved 44nts FAb! As we had every intention of reaching the east coast.

Bedford came up next, then Cambridge as we flew past Wyton, Scott had another chat, with yes, yet another tower and aircraft controller. The balloon was flying well and was very responsive and gas consumption was going very well. I also then ask Scott to radio Cambridgeshire TATC and ask about surface conditions, wind etc. They replied with 20nts, gusting to 28nts. (Christ, that is quick) and will no sign of it dropping.

One big thing for me was a fly by my building site out at Waterbeach. Took some great photo's

By this time I felt it was time to land, especially as we knew the area and there was no SA. Plus I knew that landing was going to be a hair raising experience, (well if I had any Ha Ha).

Scott Radioed Mildenhall ATC, the initially said we had to fly over them, but as we approached there airspace, they called us back and granted us permission we clear to go through or even land.

I told Scott to get his harness attached, as I did mine, we both checked everything as we prepared for our landing with butterflies in our stomachs.

I could see 3 large stubble fields approaching, with a bank of trees in the middle, I came low and I really couldn’t tell you the speed the GPS was showing us. So the first impact was in field one, not bad considering the wind was pushing us down, double burned but didn’t rip. Thought to myself, right got no breaks, use the trees. Straight thought 100ft trees, was a good break, told Scott to brace himself. Hit ground in second old corn field. Through some low hedges. Then a very long drag up filed 3, with everything intact. No Damage or loss of anything. As I ripped out the wind was getting up inside the balloon and pushing the shoot back up. But we got her down in the end,

After leaving Bristol after 3hrs and 40 mins and 150 litres of gas left. It was a relief to be on the deck having such a superb flight,

We got packed away and Alan was with us 15 minutes later. What a star!!! We were not able to find the owner of the land, as everyone we asked didn’t know who owned it. The Basket had actually landed on a public right of way. As a very nice man called Colin Woor informed us. Very glad he turned up as it did seem a bit remote.

So on reflection, the flight was not as far as we planned, but I am pleased we came down when we did. 155 miles in 3hrs and 40minutes, our average speed was 38nts.

It was a great experience again, just wish the wind hadn’t increased so much.

Just a little further would have been nice as we would have made Bacton near Cromer. An old holiday past time when I was a kid!!!

Crew - Alan Gray
Pilot - Gary Davies
Chief Rt – Navigator – Scott Copper
Rig - Cameron 120
Reg – G-CBMK
Fuel – 340 Litres
Fuel left – 150 litres
Duration – 3hrs 40 mins
Mileage – 155 Miles

Montgolfier Day

2009-11-21T14:52:00.003Z

A very happy Montgolfier Day to all my readers.

The annual prize-giving lunch will be held on Sunday 29th November at Booker Airfield, also known as Wycombe Airpark. LINK

The post code for satnavs is SL7 3DP

I'll get there about 11am - lunch drinks available throughout.
We'll start the announcements about 2pm, or after everyone has finished lunch.

I would be grateful if those planning to attend would let me know numbers, so I can tell the chef.

email.... robin *at* gasballoon.com

tel 07768 206100

I look forward to seeing you next sunday!

1st November.

2009-11-01T08:29:00.003Z

As darkness fell last night the competition drew to a close and it is somehow fitting that today's dreadful weather helps to announce that fact.

So now is the time to sit down and write your reports whilst still fresh in your minds.Then email/post them to me pronto so I can get them all printed and bound ready for the lunch.
Keep an eye on thise site for more news......

Day 31 - last chance.

2009-10-31T05:10:00.005Z

A pretty decent day is in prospect for much of Britain and Ireland today, especially when compared to what is heading our way for tomorrow. Low pressure is the main driver of our weather at the moment, but for most of us today, we will be in-between weather systems.

There is some residual cloud and patchy rain now clearing through East Anglia and southeast England, and then most places will see a dry day with sunny spells developing. There will be some showers feeding into the north and west of both Ireland and Scotland, and one or two of these may be on the heavy side as well. Temperatures generally still on the mild side, but not quite as mild as it has been, and with the sunshine it will feel very pleasant. This takes us into a generally fine evening for the trick 'n' treater's, although rain will quickly sweep into the southwest of England and Ireland as the next low begins to move in.

Things go downhill quickly tonight as that next weather system gets closer, and this is the one that has been causing us some concern. There has been a lot of divergence from the forecast models over the behaviour of this system, but they finally seem to be coming to agreement now. It is expected to track north-eastwards across Wales, central and northern England, bringing heavy rain with it. By the end of the night, much of England, Wales and Ireland will be very wet, with the rain also moving into Scotland by tomorrow morning. Winds aren't expected to be too much of a feature, although coastal gales may affect the south for a time. Our Weather Watch has more details.

The rain will continue to move northeast tomorrow, with brighter conditions and scattered heavy showers following into most of England, Wales and Ireland. For Scotland though it looks like being a thoroughly miserable day with the rain persisting. Winds will pick up in most places for a time as the low moves away, and it will start to feel colder as those winds veer westerly.

Day 30 - Unsettled weekend.

2009-10-30T06:56:00.003Z

All eyes are on the weekend weather as there is the potential for some really quite nasty weather to sweep in off the Atlantic on Sunday as a deepening low moves across the country. Confidence is still rather low over the exact track this system will take, which in turn will affect where the heaviest rain and strongest winds occur. As things stand at the moment, the low looks set to deepen quickly as it approaches Britain and Ireland, with a possible north-eastwards track across southern Ireland and then across northern England. This would bring the heaviest rainfall across central parts of Britain, with the strongest winds to the south and east of the low. We are monitoring developments closely, and it is likely that an Advanced Weather Warning will be issued later today once expected developments become clearer. Back to today, and the first signs of the big change to unsettled conditions are already evident over Ireland and western Scotland with outbreaks of heavy rain moving in for much of the day. Some rain will also affect parts of Wales and western England, but for many central and eastern areas it will be a dry day with a few sunny spells breaking through the cloud. It will still be mild or very mild everywhere, but freshening southerly winds will make it feel cooler. The rain continues to move eastwards tonight, tending to become lighter as it does so. Clearer conditions will follow into the west with a few showers, whilst eastern parts will probably remain dry until tomorrow morning. The rain will then slowly clear the southeast on Saturday to leave sunny spells and scattered showers, but the main attention by then will be focused on developments to the southwest...

Day 29 - Rather cloudy.

2009-10-29T07:44:00.001Z

The rather quiet theme to the weather continues today thanks to high pressure sitting to the east of the country. However, the first signs of changes are appearing as cloud and rain associated with Atlantic weather systems tries to move into western areas. With light winds, some mist and fog has formed overnight, particularly over central and eastern parts of Britain, and this may take a while to clear. In fact for some areas it may only lift into misty low cloud, resulting in rather a dull day. For many areas there will be a fair amount of cloud around today with sunshine at a premium. Whilst all parts will be mild today, the best of any sunshine will probably be found over Wales and southwest England, and here temperatures will reach around 18C. Some patchy rain is likely at times over Ireland and western Scotland as those weather fronts edge closer, but we're not expecting anything too significant or heavy to arrive until tomorrow. This means the quiet theme continues tonight, with some mist and fog forming in the east again, but freshening winds in the west will prevent this. Friday sees strengthening winds in the west, and a wet day is expected for Ireland and western Scotland. To the east it will be dry, if rather cloudy, for much of the day, but the rain will move eastwards across most parts by Friday night. However, with high pressure still to the east, it may be well into Saturday before the rain reaches the extreme east. One this system has finally pushed through, we are then watching some very unsettled conditions to sweep in by Sunday with heavy rain and severe gales developing...

Day 28 - Very mild.

2009-10-28T07:25:00.001Z

Click images for large size.

A very mild day lies ahead across all parts, perhaps even warm in places, as a south-westerly air stream coming up from a long way south affects Britain and Ireland.

Its a very mild start everywhere, with temperatures already in double figures for most. A band of rain crossed some parts overnight, and this means its a rather slow start to the day with a lot of cloud around, particularly across England and Wales. A lot of the cloud will begin to lift and break during the morning and by this afternoon most parts will be bright with some sunny spells. Temperatures will respond to this, with maximums of 19C or 20C likely in the southeast.

We'd recommend making the most of the very mild and dry weather, as big changes are on the horizon. Further very mild conditions with sunny spells are likely on Thursday and Friday, but rain will be gathering towards the west along with freshening winds. This heralds the big change to some very wet and windy weather moving in over the weekend with much cooler and more unsettled conditions taking over for next week.

Day 27 - Contrasts.

2009-10-27T08:13:00.000Z

Click images for large size.

A real mixed bag of weather across Britain and Ireland today with summer like conditions developing for some, whilst more traditional autumnal wind and rain affects other parts. Low pressure is centred out over the Atlantic, but its associated weather fronts are moving northwards across Britain. Meanwhile, with high pressure to the east, winds are now being drawn in from a southerly direction, bringing increasingly mild conditions with them as the air comes from the Canary Islands! Its a cloudy start to the day across many parts, and much of the north and west is wet with some heavy rain around. Brighter skies are already feeding into the south though, and as we go through the day these sunnier skies will make their way across many central and southern areas. Temperatures will respond to this, with highs of around 19C in places - well above normal for the end of October. It will be mild in the north too, despite the cloud and rain hanging around for much of the day. There will be some drier spells, but at the same time some of the rain will be heavy and persistent when it comes along. Another band of rain will move into Ireland later today, and this band of rain will move eastwards tonight and into tomorrow, weakening as it does so. This means a mild night ahead tonight for all parts, but with a lot of cloud around. Tomorrow see's the remains of that front clearing the east, with any light rain soon easing. This will leave a fair amount of cloud in its wake, with sunshine somewhat at a premium. It will still be very mild though, and this theme is set to continue through to the weekend...

Day 26 - Mild.

2009-10-26T06:09:00.001Z

Click images for large size.

We're now into the final week of October, and it looks set to be the mildest week of the month for many areas as very mild south-westerly winds set in. The reason for this will be thanks to high pressure to the east and low pressure to the west, leaving us caught in the middle. Today is set to be rather quiet across Britain and Ireland with lighter winds than over the weekend. Many parts will be dry with some sunny spells, but there will be a fair amount of cloud drifting around. A few light showers may break out in one or two places, but the greatest risk of rain comes across southwest England and Ireland as a weak weather system brings some light rain at times. This system is going to help drag up the very mild air from a long way south over the coming days as it moves northwards tonight and tomorrow. It will bring some quite heavy rain with it for a time across western and northern areas, along with brisk southerly winds. However, drier and brighter conditions will follow in from the south - reaching most parts by Wednesday - and in any sunshine (which many be limited by a lot of cloud) temperatures will easily make the high teens during the rest of the week.

Day 25 - showery

2009-10-25T07:38:00.002Z

Click images for large size.

The area of low pressure that brought yesterday's damp and breezy weather is now slowly drifting across Scotland before moving out into the North Sea later today. A ridge of high pressure is now building in from the west, bringing brighter conditions with it, with the blustery winds slowly easing down as we go through the day.

There is still plenty of showery rain across northern Britain this morning, along with a scattering of showers across western areas. Many southern and eastern parts are starting dry with sunny spells though, and as we go through the day there won't be a lot of change. The sunny spells will encourage temperatures to rise, with high's of around 17C in the southeast, a bit above normal. Even further north with the showers and wind it will be quite mild

Tonight will be dry for many, and remaining mild, before some rain moves into the southwest by dawn. This rain continues to affect southwest Britain on Monday, but for most it will be a dry and bright day with temperatures above normal.

This sets the tone for much of the rest of the week as high pressure dominates to the east of the country keeping Atlantic low pressure to the west. This means southerly winds will keep it very mild indeed, but there will be a lot of cloud and some rain around from time to time.

Day 24 - Wet with gales in the north. CLOCK CHANGE!

2009-10-24T08:36:00.001+01:00

Click images for large size.

A disappointing start to the weekend with a lot of cloud, mist and rain around across most of the country. However, brighter conditions now coming into the southwest will soon make their way across many central and southern areas, but the rain will hang around across parts of Scotland for much of the day.

The culprit is a fairly deep area of low pressure that's moving north-eastwards close to northwest Britain over the next 24 hours or so. This system will also bring some pretty strong winds to some north-western areas, with gales or severe gales likely for a time. The main concern will be the rainfall though, especially over those eastern areas of Scotland where so much rain fell during the week. All this is covered in our Severe Weather Warning.

Bright and breezy weather will reach much of Ireland, England and Wales this afternoon, with a scattering of showers, but for Northern Ireland and Scotland, further rain is likely and this will be on the heavy side too. This rain continues into tonight, with the heaviest and most persistent rain expected over southwest Scotland by this stage. Further south, it will be a breezy night with clear spells, and one or two showers around.

Sunday looks like being another breezy day in most places, with sunny spells and a few showers in the south whilst Scotland sees further outbreaks of rain from time to time, although these should begin to ease with time.

DON'T FORGET! British Summer Time (BST) ends tonight at 2am, and clocks go back 1 hour as we go back into Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) - an extra hour's sleep for many of us!

Day 23 - Some improvements.

2009-10-23T08:43:00.000+01:00

Click images for large size.

A lot of bright weather around today with some sunny spells as we have something of a rest bite from the unsettled conditions. However, it won't be completely dry as there will be a scattering of showers across Britain and Ireland.

Low pressure is still sat out in the Atlantic, and is busy preparing the next batch of wind and rain to throw across the country tomorrow, but for today it isn't looking too bad. There are a number of showers around this morning, mainly around southern and western coasts, whilst many inland areas are starting off misty with plenty of low cloud around. Meanwhile, towards Scotland, its a damp start to the day with some drizzly rain around - the remnants of the heavy rain of the last couple of days which brought over 3 inches of rain to some parts.

As we go through the morning, most places will see some sunny spells breaking through at times, but showers will break out - mainly from the Midlands northwards. A few will be on the heavy side, and with light winds they will be quite slow moving. It will be a mild day everywhere, with temperatures into the mid teens for many.

Later today, cloud will thicken towards southwest England and Ireland, and rain will move in by dusk as the next system begins to make inroads. The rain will really set in overnight and into the first half of Saturday across the southwest, before making its way north-eastwards across all parts during the day on Saturday - please see our weather warning for eastern Scotland where another large fall of rain is expected. It will also become very windy, with local gales, whilst brighter and showery conditions will follow the rain into the southwest by the afternoon. Sunday looks much brighter across central and southern parts, but Scotland will see more rain and very strong winds.

Day 22 - Showery in southwest.

2009-10-22T07:59:00.002+01:00

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The last of yesterday's rain is slowly clearing away from northeast England and eastern Scotland this morning, and should be clear of the mainland by early afternoon. Meanwhile, heavy and thundery showers towards the southwest will spread their way into other southern and western areas.

Low pressure centred over southwest Ireland continues to be the driving force of our weather, although it is filling slowly. There have been a number of heavy showers over Ireland, Wales and southwest England overnight, and these will ease their way further north and east today. With lighter winds, these showers aren't moving very quickly, and have the potential to give some quite large rainfall totals in places. Having said that, many central, eastern and northern areas will see a fair amount of dry and bright weather once this morning's rain has gone, with only a few scattered showers.

Showers will tend to die out over inland areas tonight, but the warm sea's will encourage them to keep going around some coastal areas with some further pretty heavy ones likely.

This takes us into a showery day on Friday, although there will be some sunny spells around, and then its all eyes towards the southwest as the next area of rain looks set to move in later in the day. Saturday isn't looking too good at the moment with plenty of rain and brisk winds around, but hopefully Sunday will see some sunshine breaking through between the showers.

Day 21 - Wet in the east.

2009-10-21T06:23:00.002+01:00

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A miserable day is in store for many eastern parts of England and Scotland today as the weather front that moved in from the west yesterday stalls across these areas. This means further outbreaks of rain are likely throughout the day, and some of this will be heavy at times too.

We have a Weather Watch out for eastern Scotland and northeast England, as there really could be some prolonged spells of rain today and tomorrow, with totals approaching or exceeding 50mm in parts by the end of tomorrow.

Meanwhile, for the rest of Britain and Ireland it will be a brighter picture with some decent sunny spells around. However, heavy showers towards the southwest will become more widespread over these parts during today, and there could be some hail, thunder and torrential downpours associated with these. Winds will be somewhat lighter here today, but fresh or strong south-easterly winds are likely towards eastern parts with that rain.

The rain continues in the northeast tonight, with further heavy falls and the totals adding up. Other areas will be drier, but heavy and thundery showers will continue towards the south and west.

Looking into tomorrow, and that rain will slowly clear away from the northeast, then we're into a mixture of sunshine and showers. This continues on Friday, before more wet and windy weather looks set to greet the weekend...

day 20 - Wind & rain.

2009-10-20T07:49:00.001+01:00

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The change in the weather is well and truly upon us now with wet and windy conditions having swept into western areas overnight, and this wet weather will continue to spread further east/northeast as we go through today.

Many central and eastern areas are starting dry, if cloudy, and there's a fair old breeze blowing out there too, but it does mean a much milder start than recent days. Much of Scotland and eastern England will then see a mainly dry day with a few sunny spells, but for many areas, that rain in the southwest will take over. As the rain moves through, this will allow Ireland and southwest England to brighten up by this afternoon, although a few showers will still be likely. Temperatures will be near to normal for many parts, but feeling cooler in those brisk southerly winds.

The rain does look like reaching eastern areas by tonight, but there is still a little uncertainty about how far east the rain gets as the front bringing the rain looks set to stall. The extreme southeast may stay dry, but patches of rain are likely throughout the night for many central and eastern parts, with clearer skies and scattered showers further west.

Looking ahead to tomorrow, and further rain is expected to move northwards across central and eastern areas of Britain with the front very slow moving over these areas by then, and the rain could be heavy at times. Western areas will see a mixture of sunshine and heavy showers, perhaps with thunder, whilst temperatures will be close to or a tad above normal with the winds slowly easing a touch.

Day 19 - Wind of change.

2009-10-19T07:52:00.001+01:00

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An increasing southerly breeze across the country today will indicate the end of the quiet spell of weather as high pressure slips away to the east, allowing an Atlantic low pressure to take over this week.

The low is a deep feature out over the Atlantic, but it is slow moving, and as high pressure builds over Scandinavia over the next few days, it doesn't look like the low will take over completely. Indeed, it's associated weather fronts may stall across the country - with some eastern areas managing to stay mainly dry for much of the upcoming week.

For many it is a milder start to the day than what we have seen over the weekend, with a fair amount of cloud around. The thickest of the cloud is towards the north and west, and this is where we are likely to find some patchy rain - especially across parts of Ireland and Scotland. The best of any brightness today will be towards southern and eastern areas, but even here the odd patch of rain cannot be ruled out.

The freshening southerly winds will herald the arrival of some heavy and persistent rainfall across Ireland by tonight, and this will only slowly drift eastwards. Many other areas will be dry and cloudy tonight, and with the breeze picking up everywhere, it will be a much milder night.

All eyes will then be on this band of rain over the next couple of days, and how much eastwards progress it will actually make. It looks like moving into western areas of England, Wales and Scotland during Tuesday, and perhaps into central areas by Wednesday, with brighter, showery conditions following into the west. Meanwhile, eastern areas may well remain mostly fair, if on the windy side.

Day 18 - cold in south, high pressure

2009-10-18T06:58:00.001+01:00

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Day 17 - High pressure.

2009-10-17T07:20:00.003+01:00

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A pretty nice day is on the cards across Britain and Ireland thanks to high pressure sitting slap bang over the country. Whilst many parts will see good spells of sunshine, some eastern areas will be plagued by cloud coming down from the north on a northerly wind.

That wind is still quite fresh across East Anglia and southeast England this morning, but will slowly ease down later today and tonight. Winds are much lighter elsewhere, and this has allowed some frost to develop overnight, so its a chilly start to the day. Not much will change today, with most places staying dry with sunny spells. The best of the sunshine will be across central and western areas, and this will help temperatures recover to near normal values.

Clear skies this evening will mean those temperatures will fall away sharply, with a widespread ground frost and some air frost forming. One exception will be much of Scotland and Ireland, as more cloud rolls in from the northwest, eventually bringing some rain with it. Combined with the freshening breeze, this will mean a milder night here.

So a cold start to Sunday across England and Wales, but this will mean a fine day is in store here again, with more in the way of sunshine across eastern districts. Further north, that cloud and rain will slowly edge south-eastwards across the rest of Scotland and Ireland, reaching northern England by the end of the day, with brighter conditions following into the north.

Looking ahead into next week, and its all change as a deep Atlantic low moves closer, bringing strong southerly winds and heavy rain in from the west, although eastern parts may well stay dry well into the week.

Day 16 - sunny skies sweeping south

2009-10-16T07:04:00.001+01:00

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A cold front sweeping southwards across Britain and Ireland today is bringing a change to much sunnier weather as clearer skies come down from the north.

Its a cloudy and damp start across central and southern areas this morning as that cold front passes through, with some light rain and drizzle in places. However, those sunny skies already across Scotland and northern England will continue to feed south with many areas seeing a fine afternoon. Cloud may hang on across much of Ireland and parts of southwest England though, whilst a fresh northerly wind in eastern areas of England will bring some patchy cloud in with it. Temperatures will be rather cooler than recently, especially close to the east coast where that northerly wind will be quite noticeable.

The breeze and patchy cloud here will help to stop temperatures falling too low tonight, but for many central and western areas it will be a cold night with a widespread ground frost forming under those clear skies. This takes us into a fine and chilly start for the weekend and Saturday looks like being a fine day everywhere, although there will again be some of that cloud plaguing eastern areas.

Another chilly night on Saturday gives way to more cloud moving into northwest Scotland, as a weather front moves in. A little rain is likely here on Sunday, but for much of England and Wales it looks like being another nice day. Make the most of the fine weather this weekend though, as wet and windy weather looks set to move in from the west next week!

Day 15 - High pressure.

2009-10-15T05:06:00.001+01:00

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High pressure continues to sit close to north-western Britain and Ireland keeping conditions very much on the quiet side. However, weak weather fronts are still getting caught up under the high, bringing a lot of cloud to many areas, and with light winds this cloud isn’t going anywhere fast.

Some drier and colder continental air fed into southeast England late yesterday, bringing clearer skies overnight, and a rather chilly start to today. This is where the best of any sunshine is likely to be during today, with most other areas seeing a lot of cloud once again. The cloud will be thick enough to bring some mainly light rain to central, northern and western areas, whilst temperatures in most areas will be close to normal for mid-October.

Its still looking promising for a change to much sunnier conditions to spread south during tomorrow as a cold front bringing no more than a little light rain clears through, although it will be late in the day before the clearer weather reaches parts of southern England. The downside of the sunnier weather will be the clearer skies allowing temperatures to fall sharply overnight, with a widespread ground frost expected by Saturday morning in many areas as well as some patchy fog.

Looking ahead to the weekend, and Saturday is looking fine and dry for many, but by the time we get to Sunday some rain could arrive in the northwest as the high begins to weaken and slip away, heralding potentially changeable conditions for next week.

Day 14 - High pressure.

2009-10-14T07:49:00.001+01:00

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Its a difficult setup for forecasters at the moment as weak weather fronts get caught up in our area of high pressure, bringing cloudier skies to some areas, and even a little rain too, along with mild temperatures. Meanwhile, other places are seeing good spells of sunshine by day, but colder nights with some mist and fog forming.

To summarise today's weather simply would be to say that most areas will be dry with variable amounts of cloud and some sunny spells at times. However, its not quite that straight forward, as thicker cloud is bringing some light rain with it, notably across some central and eastern areas of Britain. With very light winds, nothing is moving very fast, so the weather you are waking up to could well be what you see for much of today. Most of the thicker cloud will be towards the north and east, whilst the best prospect of sunshine comes the further south and west that you are.

Not much changes tonight or tomorrow, with a fair amount of cloud keeping temperatures up tonight, but where those clear spells do occur, expect a chillier night with the risk of some fog patches. Many areas will be on the cloudy side tomorrow, with the risk of a little light rain almost anywhere.

A cold front coming south on Friday will bring more cloud and a little rain, but as it clears away then we are looking for much sunnier weather to come down from the north, albeit somewhat cooler. This then sets us up for the prospect of a fairly bright weekend, although nights will be cold.

Day 13 - all quiet.

2009-10-13T07:42:00.002+01:00

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We may be in mid-Autumn, a time when gales and heavy rain can sweep the country, but this year it is the exact opposite thanks to a large area of high pressure sitting over the country. The good news is that this high is going nowhere fast, the bad news is that it won't be wall to wall sunshine and warm temperatures.

There is one exception to the totally dry story, and that is the far north and northwest of Scotland, where Atlantic weather fronts are trying to push the high away...without much success. They are bringing a far amount of cloud, and some patchy rain at times, and this will continue from time to time over the next day or two. Winds are more noticeable here too, with a moderate south-westerly, but it will keep it on the mild side.

Elsewhere, its a chilly start to the day in places, and there is some patchy mist and fog around, along with a touch of ground frost in parts too. This should lift to leave a day of sunny spells, although many areas will probably become rather cloudy by this afternoon, whilst temperatures will be close to normal.

Despite pressure remaining high over the next few days, rather more in the way of cloud is expected to be drifting around, and there may also be some patchy light rain in places. However, there will still be some sunshine around, but that brings the mist and ground frost risk at night under the clearer slots.

Day 12 - more settled.

2009-10-12T06:50:00.001+01:00

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Another quiet autumnal spell of weather is on the cards over the coming days as a large area of high pressure settles itself over Britain and Ireland. There will be some day to day variations, but the main theme will be for a dry week with variable amounts of cloud and sunshine.

Pressure is rising strongly across all parts this morning giving a good indication of the developing high pressure cell. There is a northerly breeze blowing down the eastern coast of England, and this is blowing in the odd shower from off the North Sea, but for most parts it is a dry and chilly start to the new working week with a touch of ground frost in some northern regions. For many it will turn into a fine day with sunny spells, and temperatures ending up near normal for mid-October. However, cloud will move into northwest Scotland later on, and this will thicken up enough to bring some rain too.

This mainly patchy rain will continue into tonight across the north and northwest of Scotland, but clearer skies elsewhere will lead to some mist and fog forming, along with a touch of ground frost in rural areas.

This means a bright and chilly start for central and southern parts on Tuesday, but that cloud in the north will be slipping southwards, although much of the rain will have died out by then, leaving some patchy drizzle. For much of the rest of the week it will then be a case of chasing cloud amounts, with a fair amount of cloud expected to get caught up under the high. Any clear slots will allow some sunshine by day, but give chilly nights with a mist and fog risk.

Day 11 - mostly dry.

2009-10-11T07:28:00.003+01:00

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It's a cloudy start to the day for much of England, Wales and parts of Ireland as a weak frontal system brings some patchy rain this morning. This system has worked its way a little further northwards than anticipated, thus the disappointing start in many central and southern areas. Most of the rain is light and patchy though, but the odd sharper burst cannot be ruled out.

Further north, across northern England, Northern Ireland and Scotland it is a brighter start with some sunny spells, but across northeast Scotland there are some pretty heavy showers around this morning. Further showers are likely here today, whilst the brighter skies gradually make their way further south across Ireland, England and Wales. We can't promise in the way of sunshine for southern districts though with the cloudy skies likely to hang around well into tonight.

As skies clear for many other areas tonight, we are expecting a chilly night, and a widespread ground frost to develop across rural areas of northern Britain. One or two showers will run down the east coast as the winds go into the north, and these will continue into tomorrow. For most though, Monday will be a fine and sunny day, but cloud will move into the northwest during the afternoon.

Day 10 - improvements.

2009-10-10T07:44:00.002+01:00

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The changeable conditions of yesterday are now clearing away eastwards, and although low pressure will never be too far away this weekend, the weather for the majority of Britain and Ireland will be set fair.

It's a slow start to the day in places with patches of mist, fog and low cloud around, but these should lift and clear away during the morning allowing sunny spells to develop. It won't be completely dry though, as showers will affect northwest Scotland, and one or two light showers may break out elsewhere. With lighter winds today, it will feel a bit warmer in the sunshine, with temperatures close to normal. This means that it looks like a fine evening for the crucial World Cup qualifier between Ireland and Italy at Croke Park.

A few showers will continue in the north tonight, but many areas will be dry with clear spells. The area of rain that we were expecting to track across central and southern areas now looks like skirting the far southwest of England and Ireland only, and will mostly be on the light side.

This rain will continue at times across the far southwest on Sunday, but on the whole it will be another reasonable day for many parts with sunny spells. A few showers will affect northern and eastern areas with a moderate north-westerly breeze blowing, making it feel a little cooler.

Looking ahead into next week, and high pressure begins to take control bringing plenty of settled weather. There may be a few showers down eastern coasts on Monday thanks to a northerly breeze, and some rain may affect northern Scotland on Tuesday, but for most there will be plenty of dry weather with sunny spells once any overnight mist and fog clears.

Day 9 - Rain invading.

2009-10-09T08:30:00.000+01:00

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After a nice day yesterday, its not looking as good today as the changeable theme to our weather continues. Already this morning outbreaks of rain have moved in across Ireland and western Scotland as the next Atlantic weather system moves in.

Winds are also picking up ahead of this rain, a brisk south/south-easterly breeze making it feel rather cool. The rain will continue to make steady eastwards progress during today, and will turn out to be on the heavy side in places. This means that the fine and chilly start in eastern and southern areas this morning will soon be replaced by increasingly cloud, although it may be late afternoon before the rain reaches some eastern counties of England. At the same time, brighter skies will move in across Ireland during the afternoon with only a few scattered showers.

The rain will continue its eastward journey tonight, with clearer skies following to many areas by the morning. However, the rain may well take a while to clear the far north and east. Indeed, the far northeast of Scotland could remain rather cloudy and damp throughout Saturday, but for most parts it will be a drier and brighter day with only a few showers around - these mainly for the north and west.

More rain looks set to move across southern areas of Britain and Ireland during Saturday night and early Sunday with more showers for the north, and this is followed by brighter day on Sunday with cool north-westerly winds.

Plenty happening then, and you can keep up with the latest forecasts for your location on the site, and you can share your current weather conditions with our large gang of weather reporters in the reports section!

Day 8 - fine.

2009-10-08T07:58:00.001+01:00

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A glorious day lies ahead for much of Britain and Ireland today as a ridge of high pressure takes control. The fronts that brought so much rain to parts of southern Britain yesterday are now moving across mainland Europe.

Any early cloud and remaining light rain across southeast England this morning will soon move away, and then all areas will have a dry day with plenty of sunshine. There may be a few showers across the far northeast blown in on a brisk north-westerly wind, but even these will tend to ease away later today. The sunshine will help conditions to feel very pleasant with temperatures close to the seasonal norm.

These temperatures will fall away quickly tonight though under those clear skies. A widespread ground frost will form, especially in rural areas, and there may be a touch of air frost in places too. Later tonight, increasing cloud and breeze will help temperatures to rise again across Ireland and western Scotland in advance of the next weather system that's set to move in.

Looking ahead to tomorrow then, and it will be a fine but chilly start for many southern and eastern areas. However, cloud and rain will spread into many western areas, along with brisk winds. This rain will spread across the rest of the country during Friday night, leaving a mixture of sunshine and showers for the weekend, with some longer spells of rain in places too.

Day 7 - Wet in south, fine elsewhere.

2009-10-07T06:20:00.000+01:00

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Very much a north-south divide to the weather today across the country with the best of the weather to be found across much of central and northern Britain along with Ireland. Meanwhile, the frontal system that brought yesterday's rain across central and northern areas is now lying across southern areas, and looks like hanging around for the next 24 hours or so.

There has been some heavy rain overnight, notably over parts of Wales where the remnants of ex Tropical Storm Grace came through. This area of rain is now clearing through East Anglia and then all eyes will be towards the southwest as another area of rain looks set to move in later today. This area of rain looks like running along the English Channel coastline, bringing some locally heavy downpours in places. The rain then looks like persisting well into tonight as well, so bringing some very welcome relief for southeast England.

Meanwhile, most of Britain and Ireland will be dry today with plenty of sunshine, mainly from the Midlands northwards. There will be a few showers around across northern Scotland, and these will continue into tonight, along with that rain in the southeast. Meanwhile, under clear skies elsewhere, temperatures will fall sharply in many areas tonight, with a touch of frost likely in places.

Looking ahead, and Thursday will be mostly fine with plenty of sunshine after any remaining cloud and rain clears the southeast, and it will feel pleasant in the sun and with light winds. Friday will also be a decent day for many, but freshening winds, cloud and rain will move into western areas, heralding a rather changeable weekend.

Day 6 -WET

2009-10-06T07:56:00.001+01:00

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Some very wet weather is in store across some parts of Britain and Ireland today thanks to a number of weather fronts ganging up on us. Already this morning outbreaks of heavy rain are affecting parts of southwest England, Wales, northwest England and Ireland, whilst another band of rain is moving in across Scotland.

These two areas of rain will join forces today to form one main band of rain, probably ending up lying across southern and eastern Ireland, into northern England and parts of north Wales too. To the southeast of this, it will be a mostly cloudy day with some patchy rain around at times, and here it will be warm and humid with temperatures around 20C in places as we pull up a warm and moist air mass from the south. Meanwhile, skies will brighten across Scotland and Northern Ireland during the afternoon as the rain band slowly slips south, but here it will be much cooler with temperatures around 13C at best as colder winds come down from the north.

Attention is focused on this rain band as it does look like there will be some heavy rain at times as the system slowly sinks south. The rain will continue into tonight across Wales and central areas of England where it will be very mild, whilst clear skies to the north will allow temperatures to fall away here. What is giving us some concern, is the chance that the remnants of Tropical Storm Grace will get caught up in all this, potentially bringing some very heavy rain across some parts. We have a Weather Watch out for this, and will update later today once developments become clearer.

Day 5 - much calmer.

2009-10-05T06:13:00.000+01:00

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Looking at the synoptic charts today and it's a rather messy picture with weather fronts to the north, west and south of the UK. Meanwhile, a weak ridge lies across many areas, but it is fighting a losing battle against all those weather fronts that will slowly be taking over.

This means that it is a dry and chilly start for many areas, and there is a touch of frost in places too. However, there will be plenty of sunshine around too, especially over central areas. More cloud can be found towards the north, where a few scattered showers can be expected, and also over Ireland, where the cloud may be thick enough for a little rain later on today. Cloud is also thickening towards southern England as an area of rain is set to move northeast through the Channel, brushing southern coastal counties and southeast England. Temperatures everywhere won't be far from the norm, and it will feel pleasant enough in any sunshine.

The rain really gathers tonight in the southwest, becoming heavy in places. This rain will then move northeast across Wales, central, southern and northern parts of England. With another weather system towards the northwest of Scotland and Ireland, dry spells will become limited by the end of the night, with almost anywhere likely to see some rain at some point. This takes us into a unsettled Tuesday with rain or showers just about everywhere, and as we draw up some very warm and moist air from the southwest, some really quite heavy rain is likely in places. By the time we get to Wednesday, the heaviest rain is likely to be across southern and eastern England, with brighter and cooler weather to the north only slowly moving southwards - reaching most areas by Thursday.

Day 4 - calmer.

2009-10-04T05:37:00.000+01:00

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Winds yesterday across many areas gusted in excess of 45mph, with some places reporting gusts of around 70mph, so it was a very windy day but nothing too out of the ordinary for October really.

The good news is that its a much quieter story today with the low that brought the gales now moving across Scandinavia. Meanwhile, a weak ridge of high pressure is set to bring better day for many areas. The north-westerly breeze will blow a few showers in across some western parts, and across the far northeast of Scotland, but for many it will be a dry day. Whilst many parts will see some sunshine, there will be more in the way of cloud around across southern districts of England with a weather front hanging around close to the English Channel. Temperatures will be close to normal for most parts, and feeling warmer than yesterday, but they will fall away quite quickly this evening under clear skies. A ground frost can be expected across many rural areas, with a touch of air frost in a few places as well - most likely across central and northern areas.

This takes us into a chilly start to the new working week, and a fine Monday for many. However, cloud will be building to the south and west with some rain likely towards southern England and parts of Ireland by Monday afternoon. This then heralds some potentially very wet weather on Tuesday and Wednesday, but confidence is low at the moment over where will see the wettest conditions. We will of course keep you up-to-date.

Day 3 - gales in the north.

2009-10-03T07:23:00.000+01:00

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After a long quiet spell of weather, things are really going to change in the next 48 hours or so as a deepening low sweeps past the far north of Scotland, bringing with it plenty of wind and rain - especially for northern Britain.

The first signs of this change are already evident across parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England this morning as outbreaks of rain move in from the northwest. This is all associated with that developing low which currently sits to the south of Iceland. Further rain is expected throughout the day, with the rain becoming persistent and heavy towards north-western Scotland in particular. The winds will also gradually begin to freshen, with local gales in the northwest by this evening.

Further to the south, across much of England, Ireland and Wales it is a dry picture today, albeit increasingly cloudy. There will be a few sunny spells around, the best of these towards the southeast. Temperatures everywhere will be around normal, but feeling cool as those winds pick up.

The winds will really strengthen tonight and into tomorrow across many areas, with northern England and Scotland set to see westerly gales or severe gales develop with gusts of up to 70MPH likely. Please see our Weather Watch for more details - this will be updated during the day. Southern areas will remain dry tonight, but further heavy rain is likely over north-western Britain.

Saturday will be a very blustery day, with west/north-westerly winds remaining strong for all parts. Gales will continue across the north, with gusts to 70MPH likely across southern Scotland in particular. The rain in the north will move south-eastwards during the day, dying out as it does so, and then all areas will see bright spells and blustery showers - most of the showers across Scotland.

Sunday will be by far the better day of the weekend, with the winds easing and many places seeing a dry day with sunny spells as a ridge of high pressure moves across. Looking ahead to next week, and Monday will start dry and chilly for many, but milder, wetter and windier conditions will return from the southwest for many.

Day 2 - cloudy with patchy rain in north

2009-10-02T08:21:00.000+01:00

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A much cooler feel to the day today across most of Britain and Ireland as winds are now coming down from the north. The winds are mostly light for many, but towards northeast Scotland and down the eastern coastline of England they are quite brisk. The reason for the change to cooler conditions is a cold front that has been moving south overnight. This front is now crossing southern England, bringing little more than a band of cloud with it. So the cloud this morning across the south will move away quite readily, and then many areas will see sunny spells today. However, those winds are blowing a few showers in across north-eastern areas, and it will turn rather cloudy across much of Scotland by this afternoon with some showery rain - and even some snow over the tops of the mountains! Temperatures will be close to or just below normal for the start of October, with highs around the low to mid teens for many, but staying in single figures in the far north. All eyes are then focused towards the northwest of Scotland tonight as a deepening low winds itself up close to Iceland. This will bring increasingly damp conditions across many central and northern areas during tomorrow, with southern Britain remaining mostly dry with bright spells after a chilly start. During Friday night, heavy rain will sweep across the north, with gales developing too, and this is something we are watching carefully..

Day 1 - fresh northerly.

2009-10-01T07:18:00.000+01:00

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At long last, after a prolonged quiet spell of weather for many, changes are on the way, but not necessarily for the better. The weather front that has plagued much of Scotland so far this week is now on the move as it slips southwards across England, Wales and Ireland during the next 24 hours or so.

This front won't bring much in the way of rain with it however, just mostly light and patchy outbreaks. To the south, another dry day is likely, with a fair amount of cloud and limited spells of sunshine. Meanwhile, across Scotland it will be a much brighter picture with some welcome sunshine today, and just a few showers across the northeast. It will still be quite warm in the south, but much cooler air is coming into the north, with temperatures pegged back into the low teens at best across Scotland.

These temperatures will fall away tonight, with a touch of ground frost likely across much of central and northern Britain as skies clear. It will be cloudier and milder further south with a few light showers as that weather front continues to move through.

Early cloud in the south tomorrow will clear away, and then many areas will be cool and bright with good sunny spells. A few showers are likely in the northeast, and some of these could turn wintry over the highest ground for a time. Later in the day, cloud will begin to thicken towards the northwest, and this will be in advance of a developing low which will bring rain and strengthening winds for the end of the week and into the weekend. More on this tomorrow...

October approaches.

2009-09-29T21:04:00.000+01:00

The Rules

LONG JUMP rules. ( Click here for 1984 original!)

1. Any pilot may enter with any balloon.
2. The winner is the pilot who flies the longest straight line distance within the British Isles during the month of October. ( For Long Jump purposes this region includes the British mainland, Ireland, and every island in British or Irish Waters.)
3. Intermediate landings are not permitted.
4. The judge’s decisions are final.
5. The entry fee is fifty pounds - cheques payable to The Great British Long Jump must reach the judge before 30 September - address below. (All the entry fees go towards administrative costs, the printing and binding of reports, commemorative mugs and prizes, as well as the cash prize to the winner.)
6. The competition starts just after midnight on the morning of October 1 and closes at dusk on 31 October.
7. Each entrant shall send a flight report to the judge before November 7. These reports will bound and distributed at the Survivors’ Lunch, ( and some of their contents may be used in AEROSTAT.) They should each accompany the completed pro-forma which solicits crucial information, with the actual reports being elaboration of each flights’ most memorable and believable happenings.
8. The winners of the Frog and the Flea, these trophies kindly donated by Cameron Balloons, will be announced at the Survivors’ Lunch to be held on Sunday 22 November 2009 probably at Booker airfield. All jumpers and crews are invited to attend. (Details nearer the time.)
9. Each entrant shall receive a commemorative mug, an ‘appropriate’ prize, a bound copy of the reports and the opportunity to applaud the winner as he/she receives the trophy for longest distance flown and a handsome cheque.
10. The Frog will be awarded to the outright winner who flew the longest distance. The Flea will be awarded to the pilot who either flew furthest in a small balloon (generally less than 100,000cu.ft) or who did exceedingly well in some other fashion and therefore merits second place on the winners’ podium.

Address to send £50 entry cheque…..

Robin Batchelor
The Great British Long Jump
The Old Candle Factory
THAME
Oxon
OX9 3BH.

Good luck to all!

Robin.

The Great British Long Jump

2009-09-20T14:05:00.001+01:00

Autumn is upon us so out with the maps and start planning your Long Jump.
It's an opportunity to fly further/fly longer than you've ever done before.
Or you could test your skills against other entrants and try and fly the furthest during October 2009.

email me robin *at* gasballoon.com with your entry details.

Good luck!

Robin.

PS. Website being updated. Keep checking in.