Local Forecasts, History & Records
There are a huge variety of clouds that can be used to forecast the weather. From high whispy Cirrus to low dark threatening Cumulonimbus, and everything in between. No two cloudscapes are the same.
May 2023 starts in showery mood May 2023 started in a showery mood on 1st, with heavy rain and a sharp drop in temperature just after lunch. The thermometer dropped from 15.4 degC at 13:31 to 9.8 degC just an hour later. On 9th there were some very heavy showers, especially around mid-day, yielding 8.6mm in total for the day. …
The following was observed just after the passage of a very potent shower on 6th February 2022. The ‘cows udder’ appearance of Mammatus Cloud is due to intense updraughts in the base of the cloud, effectively throwing precipitation back upwards, against gravity. They can be intensely turbulent, and aircraft are best advised to avoid them if they are on a …
There was a lot of hot but turbulent weather early in July 2021 which spawned some thunderstorms and funnel clouds in places. Funnel clouds and tornadoes are rare in the North of England. This shot was taken over Darlington on 10th July. Technically this was not a tornado, as it didn’t touch down on the ground, but it was spectacular …
Most of us see clouds every day, but only very occasionally will you be lucky enough to spot one of these 7 particularly rare types – some of which can only be seen in very specific circumstances or locations. But what is the rarest cloud type? Noctilucent clouds Noctilucent Clouds are one of the rarest and most beautiful of all …
Noctilucent Clouds over Durham City, June 17th/18th 2019 by Mike Ridley Photography Some of you eagle-eyed skywatchers will have noticed a ghostly glow in the sky on the way back from the pub in recent days. Was it real? Was it just an illusion caused by too much Gin? No, what you saw was real and is called ‘Noctilucence’. It …
The report above appeared in the Northern Echo newspaper on 29th May 2019. The axis of funnel clouds may be vertical, inclined (as seen here), or sometimes long and sinuous. In the UK it is usually tens of metres in diamater (not huge). It is much rarer for funnel clouds to touch the ground and that is when they become …
The sky turned red over Durham tonight as the sun dipped toward the horizon. No words needed really, it speaks for itself. Sunset over Gilesgate, Durham in October 2018 Latest Cloud Posts
“Southern Ireland was battered by gales, but the strange weather that hit the british mainland was unlike anything i’ve ever experienced. At 2pm in the afternoon, the sky had a strange orange hue, and it was dark – REALLY dark. The streetlights were on and cars were driving with full headlights. It was almost completely still, but a smoky smell …
A fantastic display of nacreous (mother of pearl) clouds occured across NE England in February 2016. These photos were taken above Durham Cathedral and Castle at about 7:15am. These clouds are also known as Polar Stratospheric Clouds Nacreous Clouds are quite rare. They can glow very brightly due to iridescence and are much higher than other tropospheric clouds, a …
This incredible Shelf Cloud, looking like an alien spacecraft from the film “Independence Day” came in over Durham in July 2015. Although it looked very threatening, on this occasion not much rain fell from it. It’s the best example I’ve seen of a Shelf Cloud in the UK. On 1st July 2015, the temperature hit 30 degC in Durham, …
Tomato Soup Cloud An amazing sunset over Co. Durham. This one was taken from Newton Aycliffe, but could be seen widely. It looked as if someone had poured Tomato Soup into the clouds. The sun is below the horizon, but the clouds are high enough that the sun shines on the bottom of them, illuminating them from below. Latest Cloud …