WEATHER 2009 !

[Lynne Scratch Perry]

A repeat of 03 would be most welcome though!

Without 'sunstroke' for me though...

Edited June 9, 2009 by Lynne Scratch Perry

[eFestivals]

it's no so much the rain during the fest that's important, but the amount of rain in the run-up to the fest.

Last year there was little rain in the few weeks before. So despite a lot of rain on Thursday night/Friday (into the afternoon), and the ground starting to look like it was screwed, it changed from mud to nicely firm by Saturday morning.

Contrast that with the two previous fests, where it tipped it down in the run up, meaning that even a small amount of rain during the fest screwed the ground for the rest of the fest.

This year we're having a dry run-up to the fest, so the ground will be dry, meaning that it'll soak up any rain during the fest quite well. And so it won't be a horror no matter what the weather does.

[chief_scrutter]

it's no so much the rain during the fest that's important, but the amount of rain in the run-up to the fest.

Last year there was little rain in the few weeks before. So despite a lot of rain on Thursday night/Friday (into the afternoon), and the ground starting to look like it was screwed, it changed from mud to nicely firm by Saturday morning.

Contrast that with the two previous fests, where it tipped it down in the run up, meaning that even a small amount of rain during the fest screwed the ground for the rest of the fest.

This year we're having a dry run-up to the fest, so the ground will be dry, meaning that it'll soak up any rain during the fest quite well. And so it won't be a horror no matter what the weather does.

[Bexxxxx]

it's no so much the rain during the fest that's important, but the amount of rain in the run-up to the fest.

Last year there was little rain in the few weeks before. So despite a lot of rain on Thursday night/Friday (into the afternoon), and the ground starting to look like it was screwed, it changed from mud to nicely firm by Saturday morning.

Contrast that with the two previous fests, where it tipped it down in the run up, meaning that even a small amount of rain during the fest screwed the ground for the rest of the fest.

This year we're having a dry run-up to the fest, so the ground will be dry, meaning that it'll soak up any rain during the fest quite well. And so it won't be a horror no matter what the weather does.

[halvin]

Can anyone remember how big last year's weather thread got?

[Ricochet]

Can anyone remember how big last year's weather thread got?

[IGNITE77]

it's no so much the rain during the fest that's important, but the amount of rain in the run-up to the fest.

Last year there was little rain in the few weeks before. So despite a lot of rain on Thursday night/Friday (into the afternoon), and the ground starting to look like it was screwed, it changed from mud to nicely firm by Saturday morning.

Contrast that with the two previous fests, where it tipped it down in the run up, meaning that even a small amount of rain during the fest screwed the ground for the rest of the fest.

This year we're having a dry run-up to the fest, so the ground will be dry, meaning that it'll soak up any rain during the fest quite well. And so it won't be a horror no matter what the weather does.

[Pinhead]

Yes, it does make a lot of difference what the run up weather has been like. Seem to remember one year when it all got fairly muddy even though it actually didn't rain hardly during the festi, but it had tipped it down literally the day before. Was it '99? Not sure.

Given that its the Somerset Levels, still bogland up until comparatively recent drainage programmes dating back over the last few hundred years, its saturation matters when it comes to conditions when covered in 177K people. Combined with that special Pilton Clay - the consistency of which I have yet to see equalled anywhere else I have visited in the country, which stains clothes it touches for years after, and you have a very effective moisture sponge in the festival valley. Its still arguably one of the best drained areas however, with all the investment Eavis has put in over the years since the '90s

[ThomThomDrum]

Wasn't in this factor that caused the problems in 2005?

It was so dry that the ground couldn't saok anything up hence all the ridiculous flooding.

[Aphex's twin]

it's no so much the rain during the fest that's important, but the amount of rain in the run-up to the fest.

Last year there was little rain in the few weeks before. So despite a lot of rain on Thursday night/Friday (into the afternoon), and the ground starting to look like it was screwed, it changed from mud to nicely firm by Saturday morning.

Contrast that with the two previous fests, where it tipped it down in the run up, meaning that even a small amount of rain during the fest screwed the ground for the rest of the fest.

This year we're having a dry run-up to the fest, so the ground will be dry, meaning that it'll soak up any rain during the fest quite well. And so it won't be a horror no matter what the weather does.

[eFestivals]

Wasn't in this factor that caused the problems in 2005?

It was so dry that the ground couldn't saok anything up hence all the ridiculous flooding.

nope - the ground had been waterlogged in the run-up.

[Pinhead]

Hmm, yes and no I would think. Yes, flooding due to sheer volume of rain and it getting caught with no-where to go (though the Pennards flooding that year was caused by a blocked culvert in the old railway embankment - now cleared if I remember rightly). However, the water will run off into the local streams and rivers that cross the site more easily with drier ground - if memory serves, the flooding subsided quite quickly in 2005 and the site was dry again by the Sunday.

[eFestivals]

Yes, it does make a lot of difference what the run up weather has been like. Seem to remember one year when it all got fairly muddy even though it actually didn't rain hardly during the festi, but it had tipped it down literally the day before. Was it '99? Not sure.

Given that its the Somerset Levels, still bogland up until comparatively recent drainage programmes dating back over the last few hundred years, its saturation matters when it comes to conditions when covered in 177K people. Combined with that special Pilton Clay - the consistency of which I have yet to see equalled anywhere else I have visited in the country, which stains clothes it touches for years after, and you have a very effective moisture sponge in the festival valley. Its still arguably one of the best drained areas however, with all the investment Eavis has put in over the years since the '90s

what you say about the clay is essentially wrong - it acts a a poor sponge (compared to other soils), and not a good one.

This is why the weather beforehand is important, cos when it's dry it does work reasonably well as a sponge, but far less so when wet, because the water can't get thru it quickly enough as it would do on more absorbent soils.

You can test this theory with a small puddle, first putting some unbaked clay (wet or dry) in to it to see it absorbs little, and then some general non-clay soil to see it soaks up far better.

[Aphex's twin]

That may be going a bit far.

[ThomThomDrum]

Well heres a quote from William of Walworth.............and he does tend to know & remember a thing or two about weather!

The annoying thing about 2005 was that there WAS a lot of dry/warm weather in the weeks preceding the festival, so no churning up from vehicle movements during installation/set up. Then when we arrived, it was still hot and sunny and dry, with ground conditions almost perfect.

/index.php?showtopic=72500&mode=threaded&pid=1559825">http://www.efestivals.co.uk/forums/index.p...amp;pid=1559825

So was it dry or wet before 2005s fest............I remember it being dry

[Pinhead]

what you say about the clay is essentially wrong - it acts a a poor sponge (compared to other soils), and not a good one.

This is why the weather beforehand is important, cos when it's dry it does work reasonably well as a sponge, but far less so when wet, because the water can't get thru it quickly enough as it would do on more absorbent soils.

You can test this theory with a small puddle, first putting some unbaked clay (wet or dry) in to it to see it absorbs little, and then some general non-clay soil to see it soaks up far better.

[Pinhead]

It was definately dry before 2005 - the mega-storm arrived the Thursday night / Friday morning amidst extremely humid and hazy conditions if I recall.

[deschwah]

no soil would cope with the effect of a 1:100 year storm which is what happened in 2005.. even the most technically avanced drainage systems are designed to a fraction of what came down that day

the soil is good at Glasto and it has memory.. trust the earth

[eFestivals]

It was definately dry before 2005 - the mega-storm arrived the Thursday night / Friday morning amidst extremely humid and hazy conditions if I recall.

ahhh, yeah, you're of course right.

Rain of that sort of amount is always going to cause problems, but that was not any usual amount of rain, and it's unlikely to fall like that again on Worthy Farm at any time of summer for perhaps centuries.

[kohoutec]

It was certainly very hot and dry in the immediate run up to the festival but I can't remember what it was like in the weeks leading up to it.

This weather station report shows June as having the highest rainfall in 2005, but as we all know the majority of that fell in a few hours on that fateful Friday morning May doesn't look that bad.

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/sta...oviltondata.txt (Can't believe I looked this up! Where's the geek smiley?)

[eFestivals]

God I hope the weather improves soon.

it will - it's now essentially going to be dry all the way up to the start of the fest.

[sdaveak47]

All i know is that clay helps create mud with the consistancy of chewing gum

[Pinhead]

ahhh, yeah, you're of course right.

Rain of that sort of amount is always going to cause problems, but that was not any usual amount of rain, and it's unlikely to fall like that again on Worthy Farm at any time of summer for perhaps centuries.

[rabid]

When it hit, it was like being caught inside a tornado, wind and rain lashing the tent

[Mr Ploppy]

Right then, time for a major chunk of positivity!!!!

On Merseyside, the weather forecast was for rain today, chance of precipitation 70% and a temperature of 9degreesC.

That was the forecast as of yesterday and today it has not really changed. As of about 9am this morning, the sky above my house was dark and grey as you can see below...

The sky has looked 'rainy' all day and afternoon so far... but as of now 3pm... I look up and can see significant breaks in those dark clouds and this is an actual shot from a few minutes ago!!!

My point is this... no rain at all in my area so far today even though forecost and at the most I can see patches of 'little fluffy clouds' and blue sky!

Yeah, it may rain later, but for a 6 hour time period to see somre blue sky appear when the forecoast was so miserable then I aint complaining.

My point - DONT WORRY! Our sky is a fickle beast and will go its own way.

MrPloppy