Stormy Weather

[BBMmk2]

That's all we can do Marthe, really, at our own local areas. Globally, it's up to envoiremental agencies, goverments and other national organisations to organise it all, or not?

Another wild wet and windy evening/night but looking at the next few days, for my area, at least, doesn't look at all bad?

[Serial_Apologist]

Not sure if anyone is keeping up to date with Brummie Simon’s musing but as to the “polar vortex” he has quite a rant which includes “These are not record breaking temperatures (yet), and such a polar vortex is not unusual, unheard of, unprecedented, unparalleled etc.. Oh, and if you see an interview where someone says it's 'the worst in living memory', you can bet your frozen bottom dollar that 'living memory' is no longer than around 5-years! Sorry to get the soap-box out twice in one day, but why is it that such rubbish would not dare rear it's head in astronomy, yet meteorology seems fair game?
I don’t know enough about weather over there (marthe will) as to if the current low temps in the US are therefore normal or not but what I saw on the news today looks pretty severe.

And also, re the UK storms he says “As one expects, there are starting to be a few alarming 'claims' emerging about the high seas and flooding which has occurred in recent days around the west and south of the UK. Understandably people in those locations, some of whom have had homes flooded, are worried about whether this is a trend and if further flooding can be expected over the coming years.

And this highlights the irresponsibility of those who are claiming a direct link from this event to the effects of anthropogenic global warming (AGW). Such claims as 'we can expect more than this' come from ill-informed publicity seekers who have a personal or political agenda of their own”
I wonder what S_A thinks about his views .....

Anyway, on topic, not rainy today, over 10°, quite windy, so a normal January day here.

Actually Anna, I can't help thinking that its more and more Simon's political agenda that seems to be casting the first stones. I have heard from people who work or have worked in the meteorological industry that it can be a pretty reactionary sort of workplace. Simon does seem to fit a certain character type - beyond which one would be right to accuse me of getting personal, though it would be nice if he occasionally admitted getting his predictions wrong or miss-timing them...

[Serial_Apologist]

That's all we can do Marthe, really, at our own local areas. Globally, it's up to envoiremental agencies, goverments and other national organisations to organise it all, or not?

Another wild wet and windy evening/night but looking at the next few days, for my area, at least, doesn't look at all bad?

I think the main thing is that what is happening with the weather in America is attracting attention because it is part of a widespread recognition that severe weather events worldwide are becoming much more commonplace than they were, say, 20 years ago.

[Anna]

Actually Anna, I can't help thinking that its more and more Simon's political agenda that seems to be casting the first stones. I have heard from people who work or have worked in the meteorological industry that it can be a pretty reactionary sort of workplace. Simon does seem to fit a certain character type - beyond which one would be right to accuse me of getting personal, though it would be nice if he occasionally admitted getting his predictions wrong or miss-timing them...

Gosh, we all know what Jesus said about casting the first stones don't we? It was about prostitution. Aha, so the meteorologiical industry is reactionary and radical? That actually sounds quite exciting, Simon as some kind of balaclava clad climate change naysayer ......... no, sorry, cannot continue with this fantasy!! He's too chubby, wears a fleece, owns a labrador and a house in West Wales!!

[Serial_Apologist]

Gosh, we all know what Jesus said about casting the first stones don't we? It was about prostitution. Aha, so the meteorologiical industry is reactionary and radical? That actually sounds quite exciting, Simon as some kind of balaclava clad climate change naysayer ......... no, sorry, cannot continue with this fantasy!! He's too chubby, wears a fleece, owns a labrador and a house in West Wales!!

I think you were away when Simon showed us all the moustache and beard he tried to grow for a week to raise monies for a charity! Subjected to close-ups of said growth, we were!

[Anna]

I think you were away when Simon showed us all the moustache and beard he tried to grow for a week to raise monies for a charity! Subjected to close-ups of said growth, we were!

Oh Dear, and here was I about to prepare dinner ...............

[Petrushka]

Not sure if anyone is keeping up to date with Brummie Simon’s musing but as to the “polar vortex” he has quite a rant which includes “These are not record breaking temperatures (yet), and such a polar vortex is not unusual, unheard of, unprecedented, unparalleled etc.. Oh, and if you see an interview where someone says it's 'the worst in living memory', you can bet your frozen bottom dollar that 'living memory' is no longer than around 5-years! Sorry to get the soap-box out twice in one day, but why is it that such rubbish would not dare rear it's head in astronomy, yet meteorology seems fair game?
I don’t know enough about weather over there (marthe will) as to if the current low temps in the US are therefore normal or not but what I saw on the news today looks pretty severe.

And also, re the UK storms he says “As one expects, there are starting to be a few alarming 'claims' emerging about the high seas and flooding which has occurred in recent days around the west and south of the UK. Understandably people in those locations, some of whom have had homes flooded, are worried about whether this is a trend and if further flooding can be expected over the coming years.

And this highlights the irresponsibility of those who are claiming a direct link from this event to the effects of anthropogenic global warming (AGW). Such claims as 'we can expect more than this' come from ill-informed publicity seekers who have a personal or political agenda of their own”
I wonder what S_A thinks about his views .....

Anyway, on topic, not rainy today, over 10°, quite windy, so a normal January day here.

Actually, I think that Simon makes some very pertinent points here. One has to ask why the 'powers that be' (and that includes the BBC) seem so intent on frightening the living daylights out of everybody with exaggerated weather stories. It has been very noticeable recently how people have latched on to these stories and are themselves exaggerating the weather in a sheep-like way. While one does indeed feel for those caught up in floods etc in truth, the weather has been pretty normal for January with temperatures above normal. A bit of extra rainfall, maybe, but not really the deluge some would make out.

We were told about the fierce winters in Canada many years ago at school, I remember, and latterly from relatives who live there. While the temperatures talked about seem extremely cold they aren't unusual.

Let's face it, the 24 hour news culture is probably to blame for all of these scare stories rather than any conspiracy to keep the masses under control. They, like the newspapers, have too much time and space to fill and they learnt long ago that we are suckers for a good weather story.

[Richard Tarleton]

You speak from the safety of Staffordshire, P! The point about the recent/current event (and the recent North Sea surge) is that it is primarily coastal - through a conjunction of huge storms, exceptionally high spring tides and deep low pressure systems. Some of the worst hit places - not just the ones seen on the news, but coastal villages within an hour's drive of where I live - have suffered extensive devastation. The recent storms are not a bit normal, but the predictions and assumptions on which local government planning are based are that they will become increasingly frequent.

I have yet to hear a mention on any news bulletin, national or local, of the current round of Shoreline Management Plans (SMP2) which all local authorities (working in groups, in coastal cells) are producing or have produced. They anticipate precisely the type of event currently unfolding, with policies for every unit and micro-unit of coastline for the next hundred years, on a 0-25, 25-50 and 50-100 year timescale, with policies based around (broadly speaking) holding (or, rarely, advancing) the line, managed retreat and no intervention. The process upon which this work is based involves some of the nation's leading experts on coastal engineering, government bodies and NGOs (I worked on it for several years up to retirement), as well as public consultation.

The trouble is, these rational policies have then to be signed off by politicians who look no further ahead than the next election.

[amateur51]

You speak from the safety of Staffordshire, P! The point about the recent/current event (and the recent North Sea surge) is that it is primarily coastal - through a conjunction of huge storms, exceptionally high spring tides and deep low pressure systems. Some of the worst hit places - not just the ones seen on the news, but coastal villages within an hour's drive of where I live - have suffered extensive devastation. The recent storms are not a bit normal, but the predictions and assumptions on which local government planning are based are that they will become increasingly frequent.

I have yet to hear a mention on any news bulletin, national or local, of the current round of Shoreline Management Plans (SMP2) which all local authorities (working in groups, in coastal cells) are producing or have produced. They anticipate precisely the type of event currently unfolding, with policies for every unit and micro-unit of coastline for the next hundred years, on a 0-25, 25-50 and 50-100 year timescale, with policies based around (broadly speaking) holding (or, rarely, advancing) the line, managed retreat and no intervention. The process upon which this work is based involves some of the nation's leading experts on coastal engineering, government bodies and NGOs (I worked on it for several years up to retirement), as well as public consultation.

The trouble is, these rational policies have then to be signed off by politicians who look no further ahead than the next election.

many thanks for this insight, RT - It's good to read of the planning & expertise and galling to think that the politicians are so muddle-headed and capricious, blast them

[eighthobstruction]

Pardon....http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/we...-continue.html

[Richard Tarleton]

Re the Chesil Beach (last night's news bulletins), Old Fleet Church (see J Meade Faulkner, Mohuns, Moonfleet etc) was destroyed by a big storm, leaving just the chancel end, in, er, 1824. Big storms not a novelty, it's just their increasing frequency, erratic weather patterns, etc. etc.....

[BBMmk2]

A rather nice respite from the awful weather of late today, but I fear more wet stuff, on the way later today!! :(

[DracoM]

Amazing - a day of no wind and DRY and SUN!!!

[marthe]

Amazing - a day of no wind and DRY and SUN!!!

Ditto here in RI. Warming trend, as they say, late in the week.

[ahinton]

Amazing - a day of no wind and DRY and SUN!!!

It started that way here but was back to the usual rain, though less wind than of late, before mid-day.