On Aug 22, 7:27 pm, "Col" wrote:
"John Hall" wrote in message

...

In article om,
writes:
Maybe I was wrong about Dorset yesterday... it appears that the
adjacent counties of Hampshire and Dorset (never mind Devon) are
either side of a line dividing near-continuous sunshine from gloom
(yesterday) or heavy showers (today). I'd have expected a more gradual
transition from east to west, with Hampshire a bit more settled and
Dorset and Devon a little less.

I can remember something similar about 20 years ago at just this time of
year. I had to travel from Surrey to Torquay by train
(Guildford-Reading-Newton Abbot-Torquay). Surrey was under thick
stratus, but by the time I reached Reading there had been an abrupt
clearance and the sky was clear of cloud, as it was for the rest of the
journey

You should try travelling over the Pennines west to east.
Quite often I would find find cloud in the west but broken
cloud and sunny conditions to the east. Sometimes the cloud
would pile up to the very ridge of the hills then dissapate
on the eastern side, a very natural dividing line for weather!

--
Col

Bolton, Lancashire
160m asl

No significant hills between Hamsphire and Dorset though... but
several (admittedly none as high as the Pennines) between Hampshire
and the North Sea . Horrible stratus has returned this morning
(strangely after a clear start), think I preferred yesterday's
showers...

Nick