Just a break from recent themes to note today as turning into a nice spring day. This is noteworthy for the year so far as it has mainly either been cold, or wet, or both.
However today felt like spring. A day for walking in the park or just going into the garden. The coming week seems to be set fair so here's welcoming the arrival of spring (at least for now !).
Showing posts with label weather. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weather. Show all posts
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Friday, July 27, 2007
Here comes the sun ?
Forecast for the rest of the summer, courtesy of the Met Office:
Issued 24 July 2007
Forecast for the remainder of Summer 2007
The forecast update below is based on latest indications for the remainder of summer (i.e. until the end of August).
Temperature
Near average temperatures are likely to continue for the rest of July. However, during August there are signs of a change of weather type, with an indication that most regions will experience some periods with above average temperatures.
Precipitation
Above-average rainfall is likely to continue in most regions for the rest of July and at first in August. For the remainder of August current indicators favour a trend to drier-than-normal conditions for most of the UK.
Forecast for the remainder of Summer 2007
The forecast update below is based on latest indications for the remainder of summer (i.e. until the end of August).
Temperature
Near average temperatures are likely to continue for the rest of July. However, during August there are signs of a change of weather type, with an indication that most regions will experience some periods with above average temperatures.
Precipitation
Above-average rainfall is likely to continue in most regions for the rest of July and at first in August. For the remainder of August current indicators favour a trend to drier-than-normal conditions for most of the UK.
Could be an end to the rain and floods.....
Monday, July 23, 2007
A Gloucestershire Lesson
Tewkesbury, once surrounded by fields is a temporary islandIt is raining in London tonight, as it has done on many nights since May.
Whichever way you cut the statistics this has been a wet summer, as in there has been above average rainfall. However London has not been dramatically wet in the way of Yorkshire and now Western England. Last Friday saw some localised flooding but nothing that hadn't cleared by the next day.
In contrast the flooding in Gloucestershire and some other western counties has been on almost biblical proportions http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/gloucestershire/6912271.stm. The town of Tewkesbury (pronounced Chooksbury by the real locals !) has been an island since Friday.
The County Town, Gloucester has been beseiged for days by the River Severn and even elegant Cheltenham has suffered water shortages as the supply becomes polluted and swamped by rain water. It is one of the great ironies that in this flood there has been such a great shortage of drinking water.
I should declare an interest in Gloucestershire. I lived for 3 years very near to Tewkesbury and for a further 5 years in the City of Gloucester itself. Many of my childhood memories are from that county. Although moving to Kent and subsequently London was seen as "progress" by my Father and subsequently me, I look back in fondness on this County and its people.
In many ways a county like Gloucestershire is far closer to the essence of England than modern London will ever be. I say that in a totally positive way. It is often the little things like the manners of other people that are noticeable. In Gloucestershire you would not be surprised to be let out at a junction by another motorist while in London you would worry about the motives of the rare "friendly motorist". The pace of life is slower but the quality of life (except in flood days) is arguably higher.
One school friend I remain in touch with is in the Gloucestershire police and is doubtless working hard today. He is married to a teacher and they have two children. Such a family in London would struggle to find somewhere to live that was affordable. While Gloucestershire is subject to rising property prices as elsewhere it is still possible for public servants to afford nice houses and send their children to schools where the education is good and generally free of violence.
In short, life can be good in Gloucestershire. That is not to say I am completely blinded by rose-tinted spectacles. The downside of such areas can sometimes be a paroachial attitude. Gloucester is not immune to the horrors that affect the rest of the world and towards the end of my days in Gloucester it came to light that the City had been home to a horrific married couple of serial killers, the Wests. Their grim record was one of the worst in England's history.
Despite such abberations Gloucestershire is generally a gentler, more polite place than London.
In Tewkesbury in the mid-80s we used to go shopping from our village. From what I remember the parking restrictions were few and those that did exist were enforced by reasonable wardens who were always willing to "give 5 minutes". Imagine trying that in London !
I don't think I could have realised how special the place was back then. Tewkesbury with its timbered buildings and ancient abbey, Gloucester where we lived next to the huge Cathedral. Suburban London is so functional and repetive in contrast to these towns of character and variety.
I am not going against London but I do remember all that life in an essentially a rural county had to offer. The frustrations were fewer and tended to consist of Combine Harvesters trundling down the roads. ! Farmers are important in Gloucestershire and they are some of those suffering most in these floods.
The Prime Minister visited Gloucester today and it made me smile to see how the local paper, the Gloucester Citizen, covered the story:
PRIME Minister Gordon Brown flew into Gloucester by helicopter today at 7.35am. Mr Brown flew over Tewkesbury and Gloucester before landing at the Waterwells police headquarters for a meeting with Chief Constable Tim Brain and other crisis team leaders. A total of 48,000 homes in Gloucester are without power after the Castlemeads power station was shut down. Postcodes affected include: GL1-7, 10, 17, 50, 51 and 52. More than 150,000 homes are without water but bowsers (mobile water tanks) are stationed throughout the county. People are advised to boil the bowser water before consumption. Cheltenham has an estimated 20 hours of water left. Residents are urged to use it sparingly and not panic as this will mean supplies will run out much more quickly. Meanwhile an urgent appeal has been launched for builders merchants to supply "dumpy bags" (large sandbags.) Any merchant who can help is asked to call 01452 753292 and ask for Nigel.
I'm sure the Evening Standard wouldn't be so unfazed enough to mention the Prime Minister and the phone number of a man collecting sandbags in the same article !
In terms of lessons on global warming, I remain sceptical. Up until now the run of dry summers when hose pipe bans came into force was blamed on global warming. Now floods are blamed on it too. In reality this has all happened before, famously in 1947 and before that.
This excellent article from the Times give a history of Britain's floods and remind us that Britain generally has been a wet country ! http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article2120684.ece
The one lesson I would take is that nature in all its forms is a huge and powerful force that can swamp us all. I remember 2 years ago when New Orleans was hit by Hurricane Katrina. America haters from the North London liberals and others marvelled how the world's superpower could be reduced to such a state by a hurricane.
This piece from the Guardian was typical:
Blaming Bush:
LeaderSaturday September 3, 2005The Guardian
Hurricane Katrina has cruelly demonstrated the awesome power of nature and the havoc it can wreak on the proudest efforts of humankind. It has also exposed the United States government, and George Bush at the head of it, to charges of badly mishandling what looks like being one of the country's worst ever natural disasters. Unlike what happened after the September 11 terrorist attacks, partisan warfare has already broken out over the waterlogged catastrophe that is New Orleans and the battered coast of Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama. This is a crisis in full spate - as shown by shocking images of bodies floating in putrid water and desperate refugees scrabbling to catch supplies dropped by helicopter. America is the richest and most powerful country on earth. But its citizens, begging for food, water and help, are suffering agonies more familiar from Sudan and Niger. The worst of the third world has come to the Big Easy.
What the Guardian will be unlikely to point out is now huge swathes of England have been reduced to hunting for bottled water and coping without electricity in a similar way to the residents of New Orleans did 2 years ago. Back then George Bush was at fault but now it is the English weather. Helicopters buzz around the sky picking up who they can find. The general lack of looting may reflect well on the people of Gloucestershire and beyond but the state of Gloucestershire is remarkably similar to post-Katrina in its waterlogged landscape. Thankfully there was no ferocious wind and loss of life in all the recent floods has been amazingly light. However it is a reminder that all nations can be victims of nature and in this case no hurricane just simple rain.
Whichever way you cut the statistics this has been a wet summer, as in there has been above average rainfall. However London has not been dramatically wet in the way of Yorkshire and now Western England. Last Friday saw some localised flooding but nothing that hadn't cleared by the next day.
In contrast the flooding in Gloucestershire and some other western counties has been on almost biblical proportions http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/gloucestershire/6912271.stm. The town of Tewkesbury (pronounced Chooksbury by the real locals !) has been an island since Friday.
The County Town, Gloucester has been beseiged for days by the River Severn and even elegant Cheltenham has suffered water shortages as the supply becomes polluted and swamped by rain water. It is one of the great ironies that in this flood there has been such a great shortage of drinking water.
I should declare an interest in Gloucestershire. I lived for 3 years very near to Tewkesbury and for a further 5 years in the City of Gloucester itself. Many of my childhood memories are from that county. Although moving to Kent and subsequently London was seen as "progress" by my Father and subsequently me, I look back in fondness on this County and its people.
In many ways a county like Gloucestershire is far closer to the essence of England than modern London will ever be. I say that in a totally positive way. It is often the little things like the manners of other people that are noticeable. In Gloucestershire you would not be surprised to be let out at a junction by another motorist while in London you would worry about the motives of the rare "friendly motorist". The pace of life is slower but the quality of life (except in flood days) is arguably higher.
One school friend I remain in touch with is in the Gloucestershire police and is doubtless working hard today. He is married to a teacher and they have two children. Such a family in London would struggle to find somewhere to live that was affordable. While Gloucestershire is subject to rising property prices as elsewhere it is still possible for public servants to afford nice houses and send their children to schools where the education is good and generally free of violence.
In short, life can be good in Gloucestershire. That is not to say I am completely blinded by rose-tinted spectacles. The downside of such areas can sometimes be a paroachial attitude. Gloucester is not immune to the horrors that affect the rest of the world and towards the end of my days in Gloucester it came to light that the City had been home to a horrific married couple of serial killers, the Wests. Their grim record was one of the worst in England's history.
Despite such abberations Gloucestershire is generally a gentler, more polite place than London.
In Tewkesbury in the mid-80s we used to go shopping from our village. From what I remember the parking restrictions were few and those that did exist were enforced by reasonable wardens who were always willing to "give 5 minutes". Imagine trying that in London !
I don't think I could have realised how special the place was back then. Tewkesbury with its timbered buildings and ancient abbey, Gloucester where we lived next to the huge Cathedral. Suburban London is so functional and repetive in contrast to these towns of character and variety.
I am not going against London but I do remember all that life in an essentially a rural county had to offer. The frustrations were fewer and tended to consist of Combine Harvesters trundling down the roads. ! Farmers are important in Gloucestershire and they are some of those suffering most in these floods.
The Prime Minister visited Gloucester today and it made me smile to see how the local paper, the Gloucester Citizen, covered the story:
PRIME Minister Gordon Brown flew into Gloucester by helicopter today at 7.35am. Mr Brown flew over Tewkesbury and Gloucester before landing at the Waterwells police headquarters for a meeting with Chief Constable Tim Brain and other crisis team leaders. A total of 48,000 homes in Gloucester are without power after the Castlemeads power station was shut down. Postcodes affected include: GL1-7, 10, 17, 50, 51 and 52. More than 150,000 homes are without water but bowsers (mobile water tanks) are stationed throughout the county. People are advised to boil the bowser water before consumption. Cheltenham has an estimated 20 hours of water left. Residents are urged to use it sparingly and not panic as this will mean supplies will run out much more quickly. Meanwhile an urgent appeal has been launched for builders merchants to supply "dumpy bags" (large sandbags.) Any merchant who can help is asked to call 01452 753292 and ask for Nigel.
I'm sure the Evening Standard wouldn't be so unfazed enough to mention the Prime Minister and the phone number of a man collecting sandbags in the same article !
In terms of lessons on global warming, I remain sceptical. Up until now the run of dry summers when hose pipe bans came into force was blamed on global warming. Now floods are blamed on it too. In reality this has all happened before, famously in 1947 and before that.
This excellent article from the Times give a history of Britain's floods and remind us that Britain generally has been a wet country ! http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article2120684.ece
The one lesson I would take is that nature in all its forms is a huge and powerful force that can swamp us all. I remember 2 years ago when New Orleans was hit by Hurricane Katrina. America haters from the North London liberals and others marvelled how the world's superpower could be reduced to such a state by a hurricane.
This piece from the Guardian was typical:
Blaming Bush:
LeaderSaturday September 3, 2005The Guardian
Hurricane Katrina has cruelly demonstrated the awesome power of nature and the havoc it can wreak on the proudest efforts of humankind. It has also exposed the United States government, and George Bush at the head of it, to charges of badly mishandling what looks like being one of the country's worst ever natural disasters. Unlike what happened after the September 11 terrorist attacks, partisan warfare has already broken out over the waterlogged catastrophe that is New Orleans and the battered coast of Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama. This is a crisis in full spate - as shown by shocking images of bodies floating in putrid water and desperate refugees scrabbling to catch supplies dropped by helicopter. America is the richest and most powerful country on earth. But its citizens, begging for food, water and help, are suffering agonies more familiar from Sudan and Niger. The worst of the third world has come to the Big Easy.
What the Guardian will be unlikely to point out is now huge swathes of England have been reduced to hunting for bottled water and coping without electricity in a similar way to the residents of New Orleans did 2 years ago. Back then George Bush was at fault but now it is the English weather. Helicopters buzz around the sky picking up who they can find. The general lack of looting may reflect well on the people of Gloucestershire and beyond but the state of Gloucestershire is remarkably similar to post-Katrina in its waterlogged landscape. Thankfully there was no ferocious wind and loss of life in all the recent floods has been amazingly light. However it is a reminder that all nations can be victims of nature and in this case no hurricane just simple rain.
A cottage in Gloucestershire pokes from beneath the floods
I am sorry to see Gloucester and beyond suffering so now. I only hope the floods end soon and I have no doubt that Gloucestershire will recover and continue to be great place to live full of a friendly and civilised people.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Summer in the City
This was the scene at London Bridge station at lunchtime today. A year ago it was 36 C at this time- now we have monsoons. No flooding in our area but others have been less fortunate.....
I changed trains at London Bridge and was confronted with a near wall of water when I got off the train. In my haste to reach covered I slipped over on the platform which was very slippery. Received a cheerful "Are you alright mate ?" from a fellow passenger. Fortunately I was !
I'm no cameraman but note the water coming out of the drain on the platform in the second clip. It was very wet !
I changed trains at London Bridge and was confronted with a near wall of water when I got off the train. In my haste to reach covered I slipped over on the platform which was very slippery. Received a cheerful "Are you alright mate ?" from a fellow passenger. Fortunately I was !
I'm no cameraman but note the water coming out of the drain on the platform in the second clip. It was very wet !
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Soaking June
Despite my sarcastic comments on the Met Office's geographical knowledge earlier, I am probably in quite a small minority of people who regularly view their website ! The London Met Office is probably one of the strongest weather centres in the world. I am not sure how many other countries offer careers in weather !
What their site does show is June has been a rather wet month. This week saw floods in Northern Ireland, Yorkshire, the Midlands and Essex.
However aside from the obvious areas for summer storms such as the Caribbean, Southern USA and India, I have read of heavy rain and floods in places as diverse as Malta, Istanbul, Germany, Oman (particularly bad), Iran and Australia.
Where did the expression "Flaming June" come from ? This has to be one of the soggiest Junes for a long time. Wimbledon is only a week away so maybe the rain will last until then, giving Cliff Richard a chance to do some of his traditional Wimbledon sing songs !
For anyone really looking for summer sun and heat I can recommend Ukraine as my Mother-in-law informs us that temperatures have been approaching 38 C (100 F) for the last few weeks.
Here is June's archive to date from the Met Office including todays's news of Swedish snow :
Snow follows heatwave in Sweden
17 Jun 2007Snows close South American highway
17 Jun 2007Storms prompt flooding in Houston
15 Jun 2007Monsoon lightning kills 21
15 Jun 2007China floods result in 76 deaths
15 Jun 2007Lightning causes garden fire
15 Jun 2007Rain lashes US state
16 Jun 2007Heavy snow surprises observers
16 Jun 2007Thousands affected by Kenyan floods
14 Jun 2007Temperatures above average in Ireland
14 Jun 2007One dead after US thunderstorm
14 Jun 2007Drought leads to food shortage
14 Jun 2007Contaminated water threat follows flood
13 Jun 2007Pakistan heatwave set to continue
13 Jun 2007Monsoon rains intensifying
13 Jun 2007Canadians warned of heat hazard
13 Jun 2007Oklahoma hit by flooding
13 Jun 2007Tropical storm forms in Pacific
13 Jun 2007Cold weather creates livestock hazard
12 Jun 2007Three dead after Swiss storm
12 Jun 2007Heat 'could lead to food poisoning'
12 Jun 2007Thousands affected by floods
12 Jun 2007Locals die in Indian heatwave
12 Jun 200723 die in Iranian cyclone
12 Jun 2007Rain prompts Bangladesh landslides
11 Jun 2007Australian storm causes evacuations
11 Jun 2007Man dies in Ohio thunderstorms
11 Jun 2007German storm results in 27 injuries
11 Jun 2007Dozens die in Chinese floods
11 Jun 2007Teen killed after lightning strike
11 Jun 2007New Zealand endures wintry blizzard
10 Jun 2007Three die in Chinese flood
10 Jun 2007Istanbul hit by flooding
08 Jun 2007Temperatures soar in Indian city
08 Jun 2007Storm system affects US states
08 Jun 2007Storm lashes Australian state
08 Jun 2007Locals evacuate storm-hit village
09 Jun 2007Norwegians enjoy heatwave
09 Jun 2007Downpour hits Australian state
07 Jun 200712 die in Oman cyclone
07 Jun 2007Storm disrupts South African roads
07 Jun 2007Water use restricted to stave off drought
07 Jun 2007Storms lash Canadian province
06 Jun 2007Extended rainfall hits Queensland
06 Jun 2007Malaysian homes flooded out
06 Jun 2007Farmers 'face worst drought in 125 years'
06 Jun 2007Motorists warned in bad weather
06 Jun 2007Millions short of drinking water
06 Jun 2007Surprise rain brings flooding (Malta)
06 JunFive die in Chinese lightning strike
05 Jun 2007Bulgarian village flooded
05 Jun 2007Canada prepares for floods
05 Jun 2007Seven die in heavy rains
05 Jun 2007Cyclone approaches Oman
05 Jun 2007Kuala Lumpur hit by floods
04 Jun 2007Farmers concerned over Bhutan heat
04 Jun 2007Five die in Ghanaian floods
04 Jun 200737 die in Indian heatwave
04 Jun 2007Ski season starts on time
04 Jun 2007Floods follow heavy rain
04 Jun 200729 die in Bangladesh heatwave
03 Jun 2007Drought hits Florida water supplies
03 Jun 2007Melbourne temperatures break records
01 Jun 2007Toddler dies from heat exposure (UAE)
01 Jun 2007Man dies after lightning strike
01 Jun 2007Farmers ordered not to go on fields
01 Jun 2007Indian heatwave continues
02 Jun 2007Severe hailstorms hit China
What their site does show is June has been a rather wet month. This week saw floods in Northern Ireland, Yorkshire, the Midlands and Essex.
However aside from the obvious areas for summer storms such as the Caribbean, Southern USA and India, I have read of heavy rain and floods in places as diverse as Malta, Istanbul, Germany, Oman (particularly bad), Iran and Australia.
Where did the expression "Flaming June" come from ? This has to be one of the soggiest Junes for a long time. Wimbledon is only a week away so maybe the rain will last until then, giving Cliff Richard a chance to do some of his traditional Wimbledon sing songs !
For anyone really looking for summer sun and heat I can recommend Ukraine as my Mother-in-law informs us that temperatures have been approaching 38 C (100 F) for the last few weeks.
Here is June's archive to date from the Met Office including todays's news of Swedish snow :
Snow follows heatwave in Sweden
17 Jun 2007Snows close South American highway
17 Jun 2007Storms prompt flooding in Houston
15 Jun 2007Monsoon lightning kills 21
15 Jun 2007China floods result in 76 deaths
15 Jun 2007Lightning causes garden fire
15 Jun 2007Rain lashes US state
16 Jun 2007Heavy snow surprises observers
16 Jun 2007Thousands affected by Kenyan floods
14 Jun 2007Temperatures above average in Ireland
14 Jun 2007One dead after US thunderstorm
14 Jun 2007Drought leads to food shortage
14 Jun 2007Contaminated water threat follows flood
13 Jun 2007Pakistan heatwave set to continue
13 Jun 2007Monsoon rains intensifying
13 Jun 2007Canadians warned of heat hazard
13 Jun 2007Oklahoma hit by flooding
13 Jun 2007Tropical storm forms in Pacific
13 Jun 2007Cold weather creates livestock hazard
12 Jun 2007Three dead after Swiss storm
12 Jun 2007Heat 'could lead to food poisoning'
12 Jun 2007Thousands affected by floods
12 Jun 2007Locals die in Indian heatwave
12 Jun 200723 die in Iranian cyclone
12 Jun 2007Rain prompts Bangladesh landslides
11 Jun 2007Australian storm causes evacuations
11 Jun 2007Man dies in Ohio thunderstorms
11 Jun 2007German storm results in 27 injuries
11 Jun 2007Dozens die in Chinese floods
11 Jun 2007Teen killed after lightning strike
11 Jun 2007New Zealand endures wintry blizzard
10 Jun 2007Three die in Chinese flood
10 Jun 2007Istanbul hit by flooding
08 Jun 2007Temperatures soar in Indian city
08 Jun 2007Storm system affects US states
08 Jun 2007Storm lashes Australian state
08 Jun 2007Locals evacuate storm-hit village
09 Jun 2007Norwegians enjoy heatwave
09 Jun 2007Downpour hits Australian state
07 Jun 200712 die in Oman cyclone
07 Jun 2007Storm disrupts South African roads
07 Jun 2007Water use restricted to stave off drought
07 Jun 2007Storms lash Canadian province
06 Jun 2007Extended rainfall hits Queensland
06 Jun 2007Malaysian homes flooded out
06 Jun 2007Farmers 'face worst drought in 125 years'
06 Jun 2007Motorists warned in bad weather
06 Jun 2007Millions short of drinking water
06 Jun 2007Surprise rain brings flooding (Malta)
06 JunFive die in Chinese lightning strike
05 Jun 2007Bulgarian village flooded
05 Jun 2007Canada prepares for floods
05 Jun 2007Seven die in heavy rains
05 Jun 2007Cyclone approaches Oman
05 Jun 2007Kuala Lumpur hit by floods
04 Jun 2007Farmers concerned over Bhutan heat
04 Jun 2007Five die in Ghanaian floods
04 Jun 200737 die in Indian heatwave
04 Jun 2007Ski season starts on time
04 Jun 2007Floods follow heavy rain
04 Jun 200729 die in Bangladesh heatwave
03 Jun 2007Drought hits Florida water supplies
03 Jun 2007Melbourne temperatures break records
01 Jun 2007Toddler dies from heat exposure (UAE)
01 Jun 2007Man dies after lightning strike
01 Jun 2007Farmers ordered not to go on fields
01 Jun 2007Indian heatwave continues
02 Jun 2007Severe hailstorms hit China
Monday, May 28, 2007
A city that is drier than Sydney or Rome ?
London apparently ! Strange to think on what must be one of the wettest, not to say coldest, bank holiday weekends for quite a while.
In London, at least, it has done very little except rain since Saturday. Of course it is welcome for gardens and farmers as April was very dry.
Anyway for anyone thinking about old stereotypes of the London and British climate, here is what Wikipedia has to say on the subject:
Parts of the United Kingdom are surprisingly dry (contrary to stereotype) - London receives less rain annually than Rome , Sydney or New York. In Eastern England it typically rains on about 1 day in 4 and slightly more in winter.
Rainfall amounts can vary greatly across the United Kingdom and generally the further west and the higher the elevation, the greater the rainfall. The Lake District is one of the wettest places in the UK with an average annual rainfall total that exceeds 2000 mm. The mountains of Wales, Scotland, the Pennines and the moors of the south west are also particularly wet. In contrast, the south, south east, East Anglia, Lincolnshire and the southern Midlands receive less than 700 mm of rain per year.
The counties of Essex and Cambridgeshire are amongst the driest in the British Isles, with an average annual rainfall of around 600 mm (24 inches), although it typically rains on around 90 days per year. In some years rainfall in Essex can be below 450 mm (18 inches) — less than the average annual rainfall in Jerusalem and Beirut. On average the driest part of the UK is that part of south Essex and North Kent closest to the Thames Estuary, which experience a semi-arid climate.
The main reasons for high number of rainy days in the UK are its mid-latitude position, its close proximity to the Atlantic ocean and the warm waters the North Atlantic Drift brings.
Most rainfall in the UK comes from North Atlantic depressions which roll into the UK throughout the year and are particularly frequent and intense in the autumn and winter. They can on occasions bring prolonged periods of heavy rain in the north and flooding is not rare.
Precipitation over the mountains of the north is especially high and are some of the wettest places in Europe with an average annual rainfall exceeding 60 inches (1,500 mm).
No doubt the sun will be shining tomorrow, as I head back to work.................
In London, at least, it has done very little except rain since Saturday. Of course it is welcome for gardens and farmers as April was very dry.
Anyway for anyone thinking about old stereotypes of the London and British climate, here is what Wikipedia has to say on the subject:
Parts of the United Kingdom are surprisingly dry (contrary to stereotype) - London receives less rain annually than Rome , Sydney or New York. In Eastern England it typically rains on about 1 day in 4 and slightly more in winter.
Rainfall amounts can vary greatly across the United Kingdom and generally the further west and the higher the elevation, the greater the rainfall. The Lake District is one of the wettest places in the UK with an average annual rainfall total that exceeds 2000 mm. The mountains of Wales, Scotland, the Pennines and the moors of the south west are also particularly wet. In contrast, the south, south east, East Anglia, Lincolnshire and the southern Midlands receive less than 700 mm of rain per year.
The counties of Essex and Cambridgeshire are amongst the driest in the British Isles, with an average annual rainfall of around 600 mm (24 inches), although it typically rains on around 90 days per year. In some years rainfall in Essex can be below 450 mm (18 inches) — less than the average annual rainfall in Jerusalem and Beirut. On average the driest part of the UK is that part of south Essex and North Kent closest to the Thames Estuary, which experience a semi-arid climate.
The main reasons for high number of rainy days in the UK are its mid-latitude position, its close proximity to the Atlantic ocean and the warm waters the North Atlantic Drift brings.
Most rainfall in the UK comes from North Atlantic depressions which roll into the UK throughout the year and are particularly frequent and intense in the autumn and winter. They can on occasions bring prolonged periods of heavy rain in the north and flooding is not rare.
Precipitation over the mountains of the north is especially high and are some of the wettest places in Europe with an average annual rainfall exceeding 60 inches (1,500 mm).
No doubt the sun will be shining tomorrow, as I head back to work.................
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