Latest news with #MrsGuru
The Herald
14-06-2025
- Climate
- The Herald
Correct call makes for a winter-wonderland experience in Nieu Bethesda
We had already planned and booked our midwinter break for the end of July, in the hope of experiencing some decent snow, when Facebook was suddenly abuzz with forecasts of 30cm of snow. Mrs Guru gave me that puppy dog look and subtly suggested a night or two in Nieu Bethesda, one of her favourite small towns. Besides, she said, there was still so much she wanted to see in Nieu Bethesda, and the people were so friendly there. As all husbands know, a happy wife is a happy life, so I was not going to upset her and gave her the go-ahead to book, after consulting with an ex-colleague on his views as to the chances of snow. We left home on Sunday morning, warm clothes packed, a flask of coffee and some snacks for the road. I don't know why I always get so hungry on road trips. Heading north towards Graaff-Reinet, we saw some amazing cumulus-type clouds, which just had cold heavy air written all over them. I took this as a sure sign of moisture and cold, the main ingredients needed for snow. After relating this to Mrs Guru, she asked if I was trying to convince myself or her that the models were right. At that stage, I was not overly concerned, as seeing those beautiful cloud formations made the trip worthwhile, even if we did not see any snow. Stopping every 10 minutes to take photos, turned a three-hour trip into an almost five-hour trip. After a nice cosy supper and a few glasses of wine, it was off to bed to dream about waking up to a winter wonderland. During the night, we heard heavy rain and on our previous visit, a long-time resident and farmer told me that it does not snow when it rains in that area. Disappointment started to set in. The next morning, I was woken up by a very excited Mrs Guru shouting, 'It's snowing, come look.' Sure enough, the snow was falling but was melting as it hit the ground. It did, however, settle on our vehicle and the surrounding plants. Off to the local Village Inn and after a hearty breakfast, the owner told us that the snow was laying thick on her father's farm, just outside town. We did not delay and in 4x4 mode it was on the road, taking it extremely slowly. The further we went, the heavier the snowfall became, turning the countryside into the winter wonderland we had hoped to experience. We were so excited we were speechless. Once again stopping every few metres to take reels and reels of photos. When we got to the farm, we did not venture further up the mountain as it did not look too safe. There was no way I was going to get stuck in the middle of nowhere in those temperatures. Besides, we only had two litres of Old Brown Sherry in the car, and we would not survive the cold on that. So, we took the 8km trek back to the village and encountered a bunch of 'Crazy Daisies' (as I christened them) along the way en route to the farm/guest house. They were part of a group on the 100km Nieu-Bethesda Camino, walking about 23km a day. That is gruelling by any standard, but in the snow, well either very brave or crazy comes to my mind. I take my hat off to them. Then approaching the village, we noted that the snow on the side of the road started to get slushy as it was starting to melt. An hour later, looking back to the once snow-covered mountains around the village, there was hardly any sign of significant snow. While on our jaunt I was able to build a snow angle (snowman) and get to pelt Mrs Guru with a grapefruit-sized snowball. We were like children. Another tick off our proverbial bucket list. We have been lucky to have experienced snow, our recent trip to Founders Lodge with an awesome two game drives and enjoying fish and chips on the beach at Paternoster. All in the space of just more than a year. My advice to anyone who wants to have a snow experience is that you must be there before the snow begins. Most of these events only last a few hours at best, so if you want to travel after the snow has fallen, it will be too late. It's like fishing or playing Lotto. You cannot catch a fish without a line in the water or win the Lotto without a ticket. Watch the forecast and then take the chance. We were unlucky two years ago, but this time around it was well worth it. This week in history: 1965 Heavy stock losses in the Cradock and Maclear regions. Dam Levels 69% slightly down from previous weeks 69.46%. Impofu down to 51.93% Weather Safety Tips: Once again, we read about another vehicle washed away on a low water bridge resulting in numerous fatalities. Avoid low water bridges were there is fast running water in times of flooding.
The Herald
31-05-2025
- Climate
- The Herald
The berg wind brain-teaser
On a recent early morning broadcast, Daron Mann highlighted that he was always confused with the dynamics and principles of berg winds. He could never understand the concept that hot air rises but descending air heats up. Needless to say, a few minutes was not enough to explain the concept to him. If his teacher could not help him understand this concept, he barked up the wrong tree by asking me to explain it. Imparting knowledge to others must be one of my weakest traits. This is possibly because throughout my career I have had to learn most things for myself. This is from the days that they shipped the first real computers to the Weather Office, through to correspondence courses at Technikon RSA and the like. I understand concepts but often battle to explain them in a way that others understand. Mrs Guru has realised this after leaving the cooking industry and joining me in the weather industry. It's not easy to explain Excel to somebody that insists that a printed copy is still King. I am sitting with a dilemma of teaching an old dog new tricks. I must say, she has excelled quickly in Excel (couldn't resist the pun) and is well past beginner's level in a very short time. Back to Daron's dilemma and going back to basics, the biggest driver of weather is temperature, and more specifically the sun's uneven heating of the earth's surface. Thus, his question is important in obtaining a better understanding of weather. This is why climate change experts are most concerned about global warming as it effects all aspects of weather. This can be seen by the effects of El Nino on weather in different parts of the globe. Yes, it is true that hot air rises, but the statement should rather read that air that is less dense than its surroundings will rise. This can be seen in a body of water where air bubbles rise to the surface no matter what the temperature of the air or water is. This is because air is less dense than water. We might then ask why hot air is less dense and the simple answer is — because its molecules move faster and spread out, occupying more space. The opposite is true with cold air. Essentially then, because of its density in comparison to its surroundings, a hot air parcel will rise to the top of a cooler air environment. Now how does air heat when it descends? Basically, air within an area of high-pressure generally descends. This downward motion is associated with convergence in the upper atmosphere. In other words, the coming together of air at a height of about 5 to 10km above mean sea level. This action forces the air below it downwards, thus causing it to warm. Naturally, this limits the amount and depth of clouds, thus high-pressure systems are mostly associated with fair weather. Ridging highs are another subject entirely on their own and we would not want to confuse Daron too much on this one. Then why does it get colder the higher one goes up in the atmosphere? The simplest answer is that you are further away from the heater, which is the surface of the earth. Also, the higher one goes, the thinner the air and the lower the pressure. Essentially this means that the air molecules have less energy and the overall temperature drops. Thinner air is the reason why additional oxygen is essential when climbing Mount Everest. I know that many will argue using the plight and flight of Icarus in Greek mythology. He was the son of Daedalus, who crafted the wings for both as a means of escape from imprisonment. As the story goes, the wax holding the wings together melted when he flew too close to the sun. This is a lesson of the dangers of over self-confidence and overreaching one's limits, using an analogy, rather than a solid scientific fact. This week in history: 1981: Flood in Plettenberg Bay, just months after severe floods in Nelson Mandela Bay Dam levels 69.79%, slightly down from previous week's 70.24%. Impofu down to 52.30% Weather safety tips: If you have no water to douse a fire, use sand to smother it and deprive it of oxygen. Now on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter: WEATHER GURU Email: info@ with feedback or requests The Herald
