Time to keep an eye on the weather again. Never easy to predict, but after such a hot spell it should come as no surprise that thunderstorms are probably on the way.
Already unplugged in anticipation but my gear is always unplugged if not going to be used, have never got the âleave on 24/7â theory even less so now with energy costs
Audiophile focused Weather forecasting who would of thought? :0)
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Slept through most of it.
Is it just me, or have all these so called âweather warningsâ become a little sensationalist⌠do you thinks itâs partly about driving web hits and advertising or organisations trying to justify themselves.
What is wrong with weather forecasting and advising âŚ.we donât need to be warned unless there are extreme events like hurricanes with winds above 80 mph, or temperatures above 40 degrees C, or continuous heavy rain for many sequential days⌠everything else we are used to⌠and we know it can normally be impacting⌠that is what weather doesâŚ
Weather in the British Isles is normally changeable, ⌠but seemingly increasingly weather which is not typically British, ie long periods of benign settled weather,is the weather that seems not to attract so called âweather warningsâ.
It all seems to dumb down the validity of such warnings⌠ie I have now started to ignore so called weather âwarningsâ ⌠they have regrettably become meaningless and cliched. Itâs another example perhaps of the increased distancing of people from nature.
BTW for what itâs worth If there is local cloud to ground lightning forecast unless I am at home I switch off equipment. Then if at home itâs only if the time between thunder crash and lightning gets within a few seconds I unplug⌠and if there is a very local lightning strike (instantaneous flash and bang) and I hear that fizzing sound immediately afterwards⌠I know I have probably done the right thing. Last time that happened my Hi-Fi was safe, but part of my home Ethernet network was zapped.
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I donât believe it is just you Simon. I think it is in part down to the short attention span many now exhibit. That means sensational weatherâŚor other events have to be conveyed in a manner to get any attention. On the weather front, I check three forecasts daily, just to time being outside, whether it be the garden or out with the dog. Rarely do the three align; why I remain ignorant. My previous hound, the one pictured used to be just a little unsettled about an hour before rain, no doubt noticing the changing atmospheric pressure. Indeed parallels on news front, I read two papers most mornings, few do and it is noticeable, even on some forum threads events which appear to catch peps out, have in some small way, been mentioned in the papers weeks or months previously. Examples would be covid, which was a tiny report in the January, two months before it became big news, similarly logistics / supply issues and price pressures. The fact that the tragedy of Ukrainian rarely makes any headlines, despite its very significant ongoing impact is only another example.
ps perhaps wider interests throw your underlying comment into perspective - your excellent camera posts - I only dabble, suggest depth to any interest, rather than being taken by a headline.
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Simon, just seen your edit regarding ethernet. Perhaps you can suggest any precautions - I am long time fully wired throughout the house + WAPs for control points?
To be honest I canât think of any other than unplugging your cables from switches and unplugging your xDSL or DOCSIS broadband router⌠the former is probably rather extreme⌠and I donât bother. When part of my home network got zapped it looked like a surge pulse came along my data line, took out my xDSL broadband router, then took out devices connected to the switch points on the broadband router⌠including a connected Cisco 2960 switch and my iMac connected to that Cisco switchâŚ. I suspect if I had disconnected my broadband router it would have prevented this.
Sensitive commercial settings use building shielding and other methods to limit the lightning EMP. Not sure how practical that is for a residential setup.
Shielded Ethernet cables where they are properly earthed may help⌠but not got any personal experience with that providing a remedy.
PS thanks for your kind words regarding images.
Thank you, while I believe you are by the coast, being close to the centre of England, the weather here rarely catches the extremes being seen, except when the whole country is affected. I will bear your comments in mind.
I have a Ron Smith rig on the chimney, tv and radio rigged by the late RS himself, which is likely to catch any localised issues. Incidentally I just mentioned your excellent FM comments, on a NAT02 thread, regarding the digitalising of stages of FM transmission. Your excellent comments on a number of these issues are very much appreciated. I read many threads, even if I rarely venture beyond making comments on the beta threads.
Weâll put it in a firmware update as a feature request and get it to play a recorded message in a scary voice on loop till you unplug.
âWarning owner, shutdown now, lightning approaching, Warning owner, shutâŚâ
I agree, I suspect a lot of it from the met office side is down to ass covering, nobody wants to be the next Michael Fish. On the media side of things, fear is a powerful currency - it creates headlines and more importantly, since everything has moved online, generates hits and ultimately sells more advertising. Itâs no different over here in Ireland or anywhere else Iâd imagine.
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I agree that many forecasts are someone sensationalised these days, adding to the ever expanding media-driven list of crises.
Often the best forecast is looking out the window, reading the clouds, sunrises and sunsets and knowing your wind directions. As Simon eluded, many are removed from nature these days and donât understand such basic things.
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Yep mines off⌠nothing yet in Norwich tho
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I am on the north Norfolk coast at the moment and have had massive storms since about 5am
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I have NEVER unplugged my equipment in any weather in over forty years.
Is this unusual, and am I asking for trouble?
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I donât know how often in the past weâve planned activities on holiday based around the forecast which is often completely wrong - as you say I now simply tend to look out of the window!
For me in the UK the Apple Weather app always seems to contradict BBC Weather for the same region which I find quite surprising.
Iâve heard them!
No to unusual. I donât turn mine off and now have lived in a frequent storm area for 10 years. I have fitted a lightning surge protector but fortunately it hasnât been operationally tested yet.
The risk assessment has to be the chance of being hit against the cost of such a hit. Iâd rather sit and listen to my music in a storm than sit in silence.
I agree that there is some excessive sensationalist forecasting of weather, as with many issues. The images I posted are not forecasts though, they are real time images of actual lightning strikes. To my mind they are helpful when making an informed decision about whether or not you need to unplug your expensive hifi, or anything else. The fact that they indicate the direction of travel of lightning activity helps as you can see what is approaching you and possibly unplug before itâs too late. Equally, Iâve used it in the past to decide when to reconnect, or even to decide that there is no need to unplug if I can see that the lightning is moving away from my location.