Dismal weather

davecooper

Any experts out there know why the weather has been so wet this Summer, especially in the North West. Is this the shape of things to come and should we just get used to it?
It has kept me off the bike quite a lot this year and it is starting to P**s me off.

shockedsoshocked

Just do what i'm doing and build a gym in your garage. I never have to leave my home again.

boybiker

Well
August isn't called the cruelest month for nothing, its a bit of a myth that the weather has ever been any good in August.

pneumatic

ShockedSoShocked wrote:

Just do what i'm doing and build a gym in your garage. I never have to leave my home again.

My garage got flooded out twice this summer! I'm not even going to be safe there!

Slow Downcp

Why should the wet weather keep you off the bike? Get a waterproof jacket and ride - I thought Northerners were supposed to be hard? :twisted:

Parsnip49

Stopped shaving about a week ago, leg warmers and winter booties came out today.

Its bloody depressing, Britain must have the greyest, shitey weather of any country on the planet.

davecooper

Slow Downcp wrote:

Why should the wet weather keep you off the bike? Get a waterproof jacket and ride - I thought Northerners were supposed to be hard? :twisted:

Unfortunately I am a Southerner living up North, not a real Northener. I don't actually have any real problem with riding in the rain as such, it is just that a lot of my riding is done on my commute and I feel really vulnerable on main roads in the wet. This isn't helped by the visibilty problem that comes from either rain on goggles or water running down your face if you do without them.

pliptrot

Well, I'm from the North and moved to Texas 5 years ago. This summer has yet again been one of 34'C and above daily since mid April.

I would kill for a cool shower and the chance to be cold.

Zendog1

The rain this year (and last) is down to the jet stream staying south of it's usual summer track. The jet stream both generates low pressure systems and transports them so if it points at us all summer what we get is one wet low after another. There is speculation that the just ending pacific La Nina (?) event is the cause of the stuck jet stream . If so (touch wood) there is a good chance of something better next year. Having said that I was brought up in the North West and from memory it's not that dry in an average year.
Cheers
Steve

GTi-R23

I love the cold weather and rain, builds character pedalling against an icy gale force wind and hail stones in your face

It is crap though, it feels like we haven't really had a summer for the last 2 years

janetthompson

I quite like riding in the rain - it's refreshing. Plus I get sunburnt easily even with the factor 25 on. What I don't like is motorists who seem to drive faster in the rain; rain is refreshing, puddlesplash is not!

I bought some booties last week because of all the rain and it's been dry since :? But heavy rain forecast tomorrow so fingers crossed I might get the chance to use them!

unclemalc

August, 'typically', has a fair amount of rain (I found this when doing research and had access to lots of Met Station data...). Because it is considered as the nain part of 'summer', along with July, if either or both are poor in terms of water out of the sky, then that 'summer' is remembered as a bad one. If, however, there is a distinct lack of water, even a drought, then that paticular summer is remembered as a good one.
As a kid in the 60s I can remember having to use calomine lotion seemingly all summer 'cos of sunburn from the beach (I was brought up in Southsea...) yet I can also remember many times waiting for a bus in the pouring rain, in a placcy mac ....
One year we even went home and lit the fire :shock:
Anyway, enough of this old-folks-stories time. YES, this sort of summer is the shape of things to come I'm afraid so get a decent rain jacket OR, if you're like me and sweat like an eejit when riding, just get wet....

st68

rains not good but its cleaning the bike after every ride thats the pain in the rse

unclemalc

Spot the sad git:
I LOVE cleaning the bike, but then its always looked 'out-of-the-box' anyway so cleaning it is no hardship.
I have seen some mounts that look like they've been left in a canal for a bit then left to 'dry 'in a filthy shed.... :shock:

OffTheBackAdam

Just to remind everyone of the Met Office's forecast for Summer 2008!
"A typical British summer
3 April 2008


The coming summer is expected to be a 'typical British summer', according to long-range forecasts issued today. Summer temperatures across the UK are more likely to be warmer than average and rainfall near or above average for the three months of summer.

However, the risk of exceptional rainfall on the same scale as the summer of last year remains a very low probability. The Met Office is continuing to work with the Environment Agency, SEPA and others across government to ensure that we are ready to meet the challenges that severe weather may present us at any time of the year."
REf: http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/corporate/pressoffice/2008/pr20080403.html
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