Monday notes

After a sunny start, clouds have rushed in from the west, and a few spots of rain have fallen. It is also feeling cold, and the mercury is at 7C - a few degrees warmer than yesterday, when it didn't rise above 5C. Winter is here early.

I'm watching a tropical cyclone in the Bay of Bengal which will wreak havoc when it reaches land. The forecast is only for 48 to 72 hours, which sees Sidr heading north towards Bangladesh. By the middle of this week, winds will exceed 100 mph, and heaven help anyone in its way when it does make landfall. Apart from the waves, whipped up by the force of the wind, there will also be a tidal surge on account of the low atmospheric pressure in the storm's centre. Bangladesh is a low lying place, prone to flooding at the best of times.

Last week's storm in the North Sea has headed across Europe and to batter the Black Sea, leading to an oil tanker breaking in two and sinking. Several other ships, in the narrows between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov got into difficulties. It is suggested that the tanker was designed for river travel (the River Volga drains into the Sea of Azov) and would not be able to withstand a severe storm.