AUTUMN 2003 - PART 5:
FRONTAL CLEARANCE (NOV 20) AND DRIZZLE!

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The middle of November 2003 saw some long-awaited rainfall over the southern UK via that most tedious of weather-systems, the long trailing front. Such fronts can stretch for hundreds of miles out into the Atlantic and little waves run eastwards along them towards us, which makes the front (plus cloud/rain) appear to move north, then back south, then back north and so on. This can go on for days which makes sunshine something of a commodity. On the afternoon of November 20th I walked the beach from Tywyn to Aberdyfi as the front finally moved away south for the last time.



The rain has moved off inland leaving high streaky cirrus
....



Some interesting patterns appeared in the cirrus-deck as the afternoon wore on...




...until the sun tried to break through. At the same time a jet-trail became visible, running straight across the sun, while strange chevron-stripes appeared in the cirrus. Although it was getting darker, the reason the periphery of this pic is so dark is because the camera compensated for the bright sunshine, creating a very dramatic effect.


Drizzle is defined as fairly uniform precipitation composed exclusively of fine drops with diameters less than 0.02" (0.5 mm) which are very close together. Drizzle appears to float while following air currents, although unlike fog droplets, it falls to the ground. It is associated with low blankets of cloud (stratus) and foggy conditions: in fact, the intensity of drizzle is based solely on visibility!

In late November, on a very claggy and drizzly day, I took the back-roads from Aberystwyth towards Bontgoch, to see if it was possible to capture the feeling of such weather. A tricky business helped here by some wildlife...



...and here by a few disillusioned sheep. The one in the background was visibly shivering! You can just make out the hillside beyond, through the clag! I came to the conclusion that drizzle is a very tricky subject indeed!



This isn't really a weatherpic but I thought I'd include it: late November at low tide on the Dyfi Estuary. The sands are constantly shifting, moved seaward by periodic autumn/winter floods and back the other way by incoming tidal flow.



The same spot in late December! Another attempt at drizzle photography!! Think I'll stick to storms....
 

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