It's a wild wind the west wind...

Panjandrum · Post by **Panjandrum** » 11 Jan 2005, 19:14

... but is it worse at night?
I am convinced that storms are stormier at night. Herself thinks I am imagining it but it's decades since she was learning meteorology (five minutes to spell that).
Anyone have any reliable source to quote supporting either of us?
Oh yes, and by the way, the howling gales are on their way past my window moving your direction, right now.
PJ

dan.2cv · Post by **dan.2cv** » 11 Jan 2005, 19:43

Hmmmm, could it just be the lack of ambient noise at night makes the wind sound all the more loud?
Or it could be that all that daylight isn't in the way to slow the gusts down?
My money's on the latter.
I was so pleased with myself being organised on the weekend when I serviced my car and had a plastic container to put all the nuts and bolts in as opposed to dotting them around in various receptacles of the engine and headlights, So imagine how pi**ed I was when the bloody thing blew down the road and I ended up chasing it like an demented housewife. (Why does it always blow that little bit further when you get right on top of it?) Much to the amusement of the little brats next door.

beezer · Post by **beezer** » 11 Jan 2005, 19:46

A saying in Orkney is 'the west wind goes to bed at night'. When I was at navigation school (in Orkney) we were told why. The sea does not change temperature by more than a few degrees but the land does. As the land warms up the air is warmed with it and this rises to bring the cooler air off the sea rushing in (sun is moving westward so cooler air is to the west). This is the wind. At night the land cools down and no rising warm air so no west wind.
Made sense to me anyway.

oilyspanner · Post by **oilyspanner** » 11 Jan 2005, 23:28

Currently worrying about my boat, 100 MPH gusts there, I too was told by an old seadog about the wind going to bed at night but the strongest winds I have encountered have been at night.A few years ago walking out of the college gates a £20 note blew past me, I chased it for a mile, weaving into the traffic, it finally flew onto a railway line, I have been in training ever since!
Stewart

Stuart McB · Post by **Stuart McB** » 12 Jan 2005, 00:10

beezer you beat me to the answer. I was going to say that.

Panjandrum · Post by **Panjandrum** » 12 Jan 2005, 06:03

My own pet theory is that EVERYTHING seems worse in the wee small hours and it is all to do with the dark and ghoulies and ghosties, nothing to do with metererouldnlyggy or fissics.
Mind you, the nightmare storm of 1953 did it's worst in the dark. Anyone out there remember that one? It killed my favourite uncle - the one who always bought the 6d ice creams.
PJ

bxbodger · Post by **bxbodger** » 12 Jan 2005, 17:41

On a local level at the seaside its the old offshore/onshore breeze lesson from school. Nationaly, our prevailing winds are westerly/south westerly.
They can seem worse if you have trees outside your window, as I have, along with assorted wind chimes, garden lanterns, and airborne kids plastic garden tat.
You hear it more at night beacause its otherwise quiet-no TV, radio, kids racket,etc or, then again, it could be the wail of the banshee, the howl of the wolf of death.................