Weather

[ICGenie]

2011 wasn't so much "a few showers" as "torrential downpours on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday." None of that please - "a few showers" leaves me nervous!

[William of Walworth]

I agree, talk of 'showers' are nerve inducing, Remember those 'showers' on the Thursday night of 2005 after a very hot start broke down?

At this (quite early) stage, it's now looking like those of us heading for Bearded Theory next weekend (w/e of Sat 18th May) might have to take one for the bigger June team, immediate May forecasts looking pretty unsettled just now

If we have to endure that, and I can see possibilities of M word conditions, lets hope it's a matter of 'getting it out of the way'

Latest posts on the general 'Summer 2013' thread on NW forums (keep an eye on that one too folks) still showing a fair few positive signals for June though. For now!

Edited May 9, 2013 by William of Walworth

[JoeyT]

Having visited the farm on Monday there are a few fields which have been grass seeded so they could do with some rain.

The weather is on our side

[northernseoul]

Glastonbury must be close if the Weather Thread is already under way!

I have also had a pretty varied experience at Glastonbury - 2007 was my first (& first ever festival) and was a baptism of fire (well, just a normal baptism I guess under lots and lots of water). Had a few years off and went again in 2010 which was just unreal - but if I am being picky, was almost too hot. 2011 was an odd one as it was horrible to begin with and I remember the tweets that went viral of "pictures live from Pilton" on the Tuesday before the festival where it was already a bog but were taken a few years earlier. Saying that, I nearly had sunstroke on the Sunday! Crazy!

I just hope for dryness - nothing else matters. 2010 would be glorious but just overcast & warm will be more than enough. Looking forward to the rollercoaster of weather reports over the next few weeks!

[Trebor]

A very small part of me thinks maybe, just maybe, we'll get similar weather to 2010 or 2009, but on the whole I'm too cynical. Only missed a couple of years since 97 and have pretty much given up on the English summer. Yet I still got excited about the return of Jackone's updates!

[William of Walworth]

I've had quarrels before with those who say that 2010 was too hot. Safe to say each to their own on that, festivaldeb (my partner) doesn't like anything above about 22C so the 27C or 28C that we had later in the fest in 2010 was definitely too much for her.

Well 22C and lots of sun (or even 50/50 sun and white cloud) I'd be highly happy with, but in late June, when the sun's at its highest should it come out, the odds would be on for a higher daytime maximum if we get settled, High Pressure dominated conditions. A forecast containing those is what the rain and mud averse dream of ...

To me 'too hot' is a price well worth paying ... and 27C is no problem for me personally. Just one thought of 2007, by some distance my most horrific Glastonbury** in 16 of them, is enough to confirm that in my mind.

**1997 and 1998 werenlt a barrel of laughs either, but 2007 was worse because it started pretty bad, then went even further downhill and got to its very worst the later in you got, in 2007 (remember Sunday night????).

As opposed to drying up later as in most other muddy years.

You can shelter from the heat, but you can far less easily shelter from the mud ...

And Dry = SIT DOWNABLE.

Mud not.

Edited May 9, 2013 by William of Walworth

[William of Walworth]

Also banned : Anyone hoping for a 'few showers' to 'damp down the dust'

Wish for 'a few showers' and with a zillion people on site, you risk a mudbath!

Maximum dust rules, and in hot Glastonburies, there's occasional water spraying trucks going round to damp down the hard paths anyway. Controlled showers.

Edited May 9, 2013 by William of Walworth

[Trebor]

Yep, I was at 97, 98 and 07 and 07 was by far the worst. I skipped 08 as I was so sick of the mud.

I've had quarrels before with those who say that 2010 was too hot. Safe to say each to their own on that, festivaldeb (my partner) doesn't like anything above about 22C so the 27C or 28C that we had later in the fest in 2010 was definitely too much for her.

Well 22C and lots of sun (or even 50/50 sun and white cloud) I'd be highly happy with, but in late June, when the sun's at its highest should it come out, the odds would be on for a higher daytime maximum if we get settled, High Pressure dominated conditions. A forecast containing those is what the rain and mud averse dream of ...

To me 'too hot' is a price well worth paying ... and 27C is no problem for me personally. Just one thought of 2007, by some distance my most horrific Glastonbury** in 16 of them, is enough to confirm that in my mind.

**1997 and 1998 werenlt a barrel of laughs either, but 2007 was worse because it started pretty bad, then went even further downhill and got to its very worst the later in you got, in 2007 (remember Sunday night????).

As opposed to drying up later as in most other muddy years.

You can shelter from the heat, but you can far less easily shelter from the mud ...

And Dry = SIT DOWNABLE.

Mud not.

[William of Walworth]

Incidentally if the current unsettled forecasts for the next week or so are a worry, even this here seasoned pessimist/weather worrier is saying : people should reassure themselves.

Still plenty of time for conditions to improve

(Or for bad ones to get stuck into a longlasting groove, as last year. But we're not allowed to be thinking about that. Yet!)

Edited May 9, 2013 by William of Walworth

[William of Walworth]

Trebor : I was within that of skipping 2008 as well. For several weeks after G2007, I was saying : never again!

But later in the (weatherwise awful) summer of 2007 I met and got together with festivaldeb, at a different festival -- an ultra rare dry n sunny one that year. As we got to know each other she talked me out of the abandoning Glastonbury idea. Because of old boyfriend issues, she'd missed 2007 herself, in other words dodged a bullet (like we ALL did in 2012). But by now she was determined to come back again, and as she'd been at the early mudbath of 1985 as a teenager, and still come back again to several hot ones, she wasn't going to let a little thing like mud put her off. So of course I easily changed my mind. Things worked out especially well when she heard I had options/contacts to finally get a Glasto job at 2008, for the first time.

We've both been Info Crewing ever since and only 2011 has been properly muddy, and not all the time even then.

To think I missed 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1992 and 1993 (most of em scorchers) because horror stories from friends of the mud of 1985 put me off ... I was an idiot. Not making that mistake again!

[1waveydavey]

Im going to dangle my toe in to this one... I was at the scorchers in 90, 92 and 93, I also endured the wet 97 & 98, thankfully missed 2007 though. The recent run 2009, 2010 & 2011 were mostly pretty reasonable, 2010 was an absolute belter 2011 after we got Friday out of the way was pretty good as well I thought.

So, my unscientific, gut feeling for this year?

Im going for an OK weather, not a scorcher, not wet at all just average ok sort of weather.

Sue me if Im wrong ;-)

[Trebor]

To me 07 was also bad because the line-up wasn't good enough to keep my spirits up. People say it isn't about the line-up but it bloody is if it's pissing it down!

[William of Walworth]

I missed the Who because of the extreme Sunday mud in 2007. Then heard off people that they weren't all that anyway, but I still wish I'd been able to go and make up my own mind.

1waveydavey : I'd setttle for a repeat of either 2008 or 2009. Neither brilliant, weatherwise, but very far from terrible.

[MrPink]

2008 was great. I seem to remember it being wet on the wednesday, a bit wet on friday morning, but great after that.

Still, i'll bite your hand off right now for a 2010 repeat. no such thing as too hot. NFRNFC

[caroldecker]

Also banned : Anyone hoping for a 'few showers' to 'damp down the dust'

Wish for 'a few showers' and with a zillion people on site, you risk a mudbath!

Maximum dust rules, and in hot Glastonburies, there's occasional water spraying trucks going round to damp down the hard paths anyway. Controlled showers.

[Trebor]

I thought the weather of 09 was great really, could have been a hell of a lot worse!

[caroldecker]

I thought the weather of 09 was great really, could have been a hell of a lot worse!

[scaryclaireyfairy]

**1997 and 1998 werenlt a barrel of laughs either, but 2007 was worse because it started pretty bad, then went even further downhill and got to its very worst the later in you got, in 2007 (remember Sunday night????).

[northernseoul]

Anything but the weather today - cold, miserable drizzle!

[formed a band]

Surely we all know we wont know until about a week before and even then its not nailed on so draw a line under it and forget it

[hedgepeg]

it should at least be warmer by then. the rain will be like warm carling lager. possibly more drinkable than that.

Edited May 10, 2013 by hedgepeg

[Bigjonyr]

Positive hat on! If its cold the beer/cider tastes soo much better. If its warm sitting in the sun the beer/cider tastes soo much better. Is there a downside to weather???

[bluepork]

Jackone's added a new update over on Netweather. Still looking more positive than not at the moment. I'll say stick as it stands now.

http://forum.netweather.tv/topic/76531-glastonbury-wed-26-to-sun-30-june-2013/

[about]

"Washout fears for glasto..."

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4924008/Washout-fears-for-Glastonbury-F1-and-Wimbledon-as-Britain-braces-for-another-soggy-summer-to-follow-last-years.html

It is in the Sun so it has to be true right!!!!!!!!!.... they would never make it up....

[fur_q]

Th journalist seems to base the glastonbury being a 'washout' on o forecast for the next 4 weeks, it's true that the models show the jet steam will track south for the next couple of weeks. The models also show, at this stage that towards the beginning of June the jet stream will likely move back northwards which would give more settled and dryer weather.

ETA>

UK Outlook for Sunday 26 May 2013 to Sunday 9 Jun 2013:

Indications are that conditions are likely to still be quite unsettled at the start of the period, especially in the north, however it is set to gradually turn more settled. There will be rain and showers at times, with much of the UK likely to see around average rainfall amounts, however there will probably be a good deal of dry and bright weather as well, particularly later in the period. Temperatures are likely to remain cooler than average across the UK, although they should become closer to average later in the period. Given the time of year, with any prolonged sunshine it will feel pleasantly warm, especially away from the coasts.

Updated: 1235 on Sat 11 May 2013

Edited May 12, 2013 by fur_q