THE Isle of Man is in for another frosty spell of weather this weekend with driving conditions expected to be difficult on icy roads, particularly in the mornings.
Drivers are being advised not to use their vehicles in the early morning this weekend unless absolutely necessary and to leave shopping trips until later in the day when temperatures will be higher.
Black ice, especially in sheltered areas, is the major problem and has caused a number of road accidents this week with some roads occasionally being closed whilst damaged vehicles are removed. In addition, there was the rare weather phenomenon today (Thursday) of a thick covering of freezing mist covering the east and north eastern coasts of the Island, stretching as far inland as Sulby and Union Mills.
The official advice to drivers from the Emergency Services Joint Control Room (ESJCR) is to “drive to the road conditions” and to “drive carefully”.
The 5-day weather forecast from the Ronaldsway Met Office suggests that temperatures will remain around zero and below for the next few days, dropping as low as -4 and possibly lower in sheltered areas. However, no snow is forecast.
The moon has been a fantastic sight in the Manx sky all this week. One of our photographs was taken of the full moon last night (Wednesday). Lots of constellations were also clearly visible, including Orion (south west) and The Plough (north). The next new moon is on February 3rd and the next full moon on February 18th.
The moon is very bright in the night sky this week, so photography results will be affected by the brightness of the moonlight. However, the moonlight can also add some stunning effects. If you are taking a shot of the moon with a long lens then the exposure changes dramatically from taking pictures of the stars. A sturdy tripod is essential.
For a picture of the moon when it’s so bright the exposure should be as short as1/200th second at f11 and possibly higher as the moon really is quite a bright object. ISO settings can around 500 or even lower, but again you will need to experiment before finding the one which gives the best results. The faster the shutter speed the better, to avoid camera shake.
isleofman.com will be out and about taking photographs this weekend. If you have any pictures we would be delighted to publish them. Please send to . . . newsroom@isleofman.com
Friday January 21:
Weather: Sunny spells but with overnight frosts
Wind: Variable 5 -10
Visibility: Good
Min: -4 to Zero Max: 6
Comments: Icy patches
Saturday January 22:
Weather: Dry sometimes cloudy
Wind: Northerly 10
Visibility: Good
-Min: 1 Max: 7
Sunday January 23:
Weather: Sunny intervals
Wind: Northerly 10 to 15
Visibility: Good
Min: -1 Max: 7
Monday January 24:
Weather: Sunny spells
Wind: Northwest 10 to 15
Visibility: Good
Min: -1 Max: 7
All photographs: Bill Dale www.isleofmanphotos.com
