What's the longest cloudy spell you can remember

[DeepThought]

As I stared out the window at yet another day of stratus clouds, wondering if I'm at risk of developing rickets and considering taking up knitting as a hobby; I got to thinking, what's the longest run of cloudy nights you have experienced since taking up stargazing?

I'm feeling hard done by after just a week without seeing the sky, but how bad can it get?

Cheers

[Itabot]

Nearly every day since buying my scope last April, the only good thing is my kit is as new condition......getting a little fed up!

[DirkSteele]

Err.....2012.

[SHUTTLE ATLANTIS]

mmm last year , but this year catching it up maybe a new hobby is needed (clouds) bet i start studying them and then they will

disapear

[DeepThought]

maybe a new hobby is needed

Radio astronomy perhaps?

[Stargazer_00]

In answer to the question posed by the topic title my answer is:

"The current one"

I personally don't care to remember anything other than how long I have currently waited for the clouds to clear. If I remembered anything else I'd probably realise the folly and sell up and get a different hobby

[glowjet]

I am afraid the one big accessory you do need with Astronomy in the UK, is Patience and lots of it, but there is one sure thing about cloud, there is not a lot we can do about it, no matter how long it lasts for

John.

[SamAndrew]

Nearly every day since buying my scope last April, the only good thing is my kit is as new condition......getting a little fed up!

yep we had a very dry spell up till April 2012;

I remember the forecasters in March predicting mega droughts and saying we'd need twice the average rainfall in April to prevent a drought; well we did get twice the average rainfall! and it's been wet and cloudy ever since! and the few clear nights we've had the transparency has been poor

It'll clear up eventually! fingers crossed for SGL8

[Paul M]

It's very unfortunate that the big high pressure currently dominating our weather is full of cloud. It's set to stay with us for a while yet and I'm hoping that when it becomes more centred on the UK over the week end it will close off the supply of cloud coming from the east and brighten up or clear up, as is your wont

Fingers crossed!!

[tibbz2]

To be honest probably the one at the moment, simply because I never used to notice or care that much!

[SteveNickolls]

Hi DeepThought,

Your miseries are shared by us all.

While not specifically recording every night of cloud my observing log for last year includes a specific note-

"22.7.2012 Almost a month since clear skies. It’s still rather light until quite late to observe but I thought I would record for posterity that we have had almost incessant rain and cloud since June. At least 3 clear nights are now forecast since the Jet Stream moved back North."

Always make the most of every clear night because it can be ages until the next. I find beer helps the time along.

Cheers,

Steve

[kirkster501]

Hopefully this weather the last few weeks will put paid to the theory, often mentioned here, that cold winter weather equals blue skies and frosty clear. Does it heck !!

[Phil Fargaze]

Another vote for `at the moment` from me!

[DeepThought]

I suppose the beauty of being British is that at least I get to indulge regularly in our nation's favourite pass time...

... Moaning about the weather.

Well, that and binge drinking of course.

[Double Kick Drum]

This one!

Cloud, cloud, cloud occasionally broken up by spells of rain or snow.

[JonDoe]

When i first decided to get a telescope i wondered why so many people where selling them on Ebay, most being hardly used, like new, well 4 months down the line i have my answer.

my first love is photography and im seriously thinking of investing all my spare time and money in that.

[foundaplanet]

Hopefully this weather the last few weeks will put paid to the theory, often mentioned here, that cold winter weather equals blue skies and frosty clear. Does it heck !!

Ha, It's a bit like people saying saying how they look forwards to the summer.. that is also in the imagination I feel, 1976 has stuck forever in the memory as we do not get sunny summers!

Edit; at best we get 2-3 weeks of decent weather sometime during the Spring and a couple of weeks around the beginning of Autumn. Anything else it seems is just luck of the draw.

[OutThereSomewhere]

The jet stream blockage last summer gets my vote. The only redeeming factor was that it played up in summer rather than winter, although I'm sure a lot would disagree.

[Welrod50]

' What's the longest cloudy spell you can remember '

This one

[E621Keith]

This one wins by a significant margin

[Double Kick Drum]

There is a saying "the grass is always greener".

This is true because has rained so much this past year. I don't expect 1976 every year but we have had a run of average to poor summers since 2007 and last year's was atrocious. We are owed a couple of good years. C'mon! Please!

[stevetynant]

Believe it or not, the longest consecutive period of nights we have had on which you could not have observed in 2013, at least in s Wales, is only 8 days and we're on day six today so expecting a break in the clouds any time.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

[DeepThought]

my first love is photography and im seriously thinking of investing all my spare time and money in that.

Well I'm not quite ready to knock it on the head just yet, but I'm certainly giving careful thought to any additional kit for the time being.

[Peter Drew]

If it's any consolation, it's pouring with rain here in Tenerife today!

[jimbooz]

Up until a month ago I never looked at the clouds. Now I'm forever poking my head out the back door in anticipation. I am also starting to develop a degree of antipathy towards the BBC Weather website which has consistently predicted partly cloudy skies over the last week in Derbyshire then changed its mind to cloudy at the last minute.

However, it is now saying tonight is going to be clear. The telescope is already in the garage and I know what I'm going to look at.

I hope I haven't given tonight the commentators curse!

Clear skies

Jim