The Weather Thread

[Pal Joey]

Apparently it's one of the most talked about subjects on the planet after sport, food and sex.

Whether you're a zealous global warming (or freezing) believer or a climate change sceptic - we all know this:

Hardly a day goes by without some weather record being broken somewhere in the world it seems.

A volcano erupting, an earthquake of monumental force, massive flooding, tremendous snow blizzards, sudden hailstorms, howling hurricanes, out-of-control fires engulfing large areas. It's a wild, wild earth that's for sure. Peaceful one day; a mess the next.

I'm sitting here on the other side of the world at 02:25 am typing this with my big fan on (it's been going non-stop for the last 2 or 3 days) and I've just checked the thermometer. 30 deg C or 86 deg F. At 2:30 in the morning? No wonder I can't sleep.

It's the same from Melbourne, Adelaide to Perth and even hotter in the Pilbara/Kimberleys. For the first time yesterday, 9/10 of continent was either dark red (35-45) or purple (45+) on the weather maps. I know it's like this in the Middle East during summer but they don't have the fuel to burn - scrub and trees, which have bulked up in the record rain periods (winter/spring) and are now in a tinderbox state.

Cyclone 'Yasi' is approaching Townsville-Ayr. A high level category cyclone 4 with 220-280km/h winds, 200-300mm of rainfall and storm surges. They are airlifting hundreds of pets (dogs & cats mainly) out of the area tomorrow - bound for Brisbane, which itself is barely functioning normally after the recent floods. People too of course. It must be such a harrowing experience to pack what you can, batten down the hatches...then head to higher, safer ground. I really feel for those people who are in that situation.

One thing we are quickly learning is the amazing capability of technology to disseminate information very quickly - almost in real time now. News alerts, mobile alerts and even twitter can get warnings out to thousnads, even millions of people and allow them some time to prepare or get out of the way of a incoming weather disaster. In the past, it was often too late - after the event had occured.

I don't want to freak people out - just have a space somewhere where folks can recount their near misses and share some personal experiences they've had with The Weather. (i.e. winter in the UK or US...wherever)

Any survival tips and ways of minimising damage to property or harm to oneself would be appreciated.

[LondonJonnyO]

I've been in an aircraft which was struck by lightening during flight at 35,000 feet or so.

Not much you can do about that... just watch the cabin go blue, see the stewardesses Poopie themselves, and carry on drinking whatever was in your glass.

[Pal Joey]

yeah JonnyO, nothing you can do.

I've done a bit of flying and been through a few hair raising experiences.

I'm often amazed how some people howl whilst others just give a knowing smirk. Always seems to happen near the equator where the air is charged or just has holes in it where the plane can drop a few thousand feet without warning.

A funny one I remember was way back in '79...London to Budapest on a Tupelov 134. As the stewardess handed me the goulash, I saw a crack in the plastic covering near the window - and all these steel levers moving. A 'poor man's 727' I thought :606laugh:

[LondonJonnyO]

I've had some highly entertaining ones in planes myself as well.

I fly out of a little airfield near me that also has a private hire international service.

Little cessna coming on final... big king air following it... I was behind in the circuit and the radio message from the tower was "Get that Flip thing off the runway you idiot! Look behind you!"

Cessna wobbled as the pilot looked over his shoulder and then veered right into a ditch. I laughed so hard I had to go-around.

[Pal Joey]

How's the weather near you?

Things are sort of back to normal here - or just below average now according to the weathergirl.

[eirebilly]

I have flown Aeroflot over Russia twice. Thats enough to put you off flying for a bit.

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