Peter Gibbs
@petergibbs
Lived in Antarctica for two years. Chair of BBC Gardeners' Question Time. Weatherman. Conservation volunteer. Fellow RMetS and RGS.
NOAA Terra satellite view of Wales, showing northward-drifting smoke from numerous wildfires as temperatures exceeded 30C again. Three prominent streaks perpendicular to the smoke trails are most likely partial contrails left by aircraft flying through an area of slightly moister air at altitude.
The output from my solar panels had a little 'tail' after 6pm each day this week - until yesterday #eclipse
It was rather lovely to see so many people turning out for a natural event
I measured less than 2C drop in the eclipse in Texas two years ago under a high elevation sun although there was partial cloud cover, so I suspect with such a low sun and only partial eclipse it will be considerably lower.
Not a stile, but I'm sure @lakesstiles.bsky.social will appreciate this footpath tunnel under the grounds of the Danesfield Hotel grounds in Bucks., especially the prism-like glass shards forming the panes of the two skylights. Not to be navigated in sunglasses.
This steel lifting bridge in Amsterdam is being constantly sprayed with water pumped from the canal below to stop it expanding and jamming in the heat. A routine summer requirement these days apparently.
The drought is really starting to bite now. This poor clustered bellflower was looking decidedly dehydrated #wildflowerhour
This is what it looks like from underneath. I suspect it's elevated wildfire smoke
It's a Bittersweet #Wildflowerhour this evening. As in, Solanum dulcamara for #ClimbingPlants
Couldn't resist growing spuds for the first time in years. Charlotte (left) have done really well, from just 4 tubers in a 1.2m x 0.4m space. Heritage variety Violet Queen not so good but I'm sure the taste will make up for lack of quantity.
Well that's a new one. Seems that all the charger cables on the EV charge units at Peterborough services have been chopped off and nicked! Unbelievable. Hefty lumps of copper I suppose.
Big thunderstorm-shaped hole in aircraft movements over northern France
Explosive CB development over the Netherlands this evening - zero to 40,000ft in around 20 minutes. Picture near Rotterdam, taken from news feed.
I'm reliably informed that 42mm of rain was recorded in the Richmond Park raingauge from this cluster of overnight thunderstorms. There's a lot of available moisture in the current airmass over southern England!
Very impressive mesoscale convective system (big thunderstorm) developing like a huge mushroom cloud over Bristol/Bath area
I was at an event this morning marking 50 years on from the 1976 heatwave, where a forecast of a likely 2056 heatwave was presented, along with expert speakers on the resulting impacts. 9 consecutive days of 40C+, peak of 45C. Feels like that might be optimistic.
I've just come from an event this morning where a forecast was presented for how a heatwave in 2056 would look. A 9-day run of over 40C. Peak 45C. Middle Eastern temperatures in the UK. And today we already see the impact that a heatwave in our current, cooler climate has on our lives.
I was a teenager when the June high temperature record was set back in the Summer of 1976. 50 years on and I'll see it smashed by as much as four degrees. This is not normal.