British weather – Page 2

On this day in history….5th December 1952

On this day in history : 5th December 1952 – ‘The Great Smog’…. A terrible killer fog descends on London and causes the death of thousands of Londoners….

A high pressure weather system had stalled over the South of England, causing a ‘temperature inversion’ – meaning the cold air at ground level becomes trapped by a layer of warmer air at a higher level…. A thick fog had formed – and with no breeze to disperse it – was unable to escape…. It was soon to turn a sickly yellowy-brown colour, as it filled with sulphur pollutants and soot, mainly from the many coal fires as people tried to keep their houses warm in the cold snap…. Smoke from factories and fumes from vehicles also contributed….

Nelson’s Column during the Great Smog – N T Stobbs CC BY-SA 2.0

Londoners were used to ‘pea-soupers’ – but this was like nothing before…. Visibility was so poor that the transport system (other than the underground) ground to a halt…. Even the ambulance service stopped…. School children were kept home, sporting events called-off…. The smog seeped into buildings….theatre performances were cancelled and cinemas closed as people were unable to see the screens…. Criminals had a field day, as looting, bag snatches and burglaries became epidemic….

But by far the worse impact the fog was to have was on people’s health…. Most at risk were the young, elderly and those with respiratory problems – heavy smokers were particularly vulnerable…. It is estimated 4,000 died during the period and immediate aftermath – although experts claim the number to be more like 8,000 lives lost due to the smog – the most common causes of death being pneumonia and bronchitis…. Well into the summer of 1953 the death rate remained well above normal levels…. With that taken into consideration the final smog-related death toll could amount to as high as 12,000…. A further 100,000 are estimated to have been made ill….25,000 Londoners claimed sickness benefit during the period….

The smog finally lifted on Tuesday the 9th of December, the sulphurous cloud drifting out over the North Sea…. A government investigation resulted in the Clean Air Act of 1956 being passed by Parliament – authorising authorities to set up smoke-free zones and the restriction of burning coal in urban areas….

The Great Smog of 1952 is recorded as the tenth deadliest disaster ever to have hit Britain….

British History, Uncategorized

On this day in history….27th November 1703

On this day in history : 27th November 1703 – The Great Storm of 1703 wreaks havoc across Southern Britain…. Hurricane strength winds and flooding kill between 10,000 and 30,000 people – hundreds of ships are lost….

Unusual weather had begun a couple of weeks before with strong winds from the Atlantic battering Wales and the South of England…. But the really serious damage began to occur on the 26th of November, with winds reaching over 80mph….

Coastal towns such as Bristol, Plymouth, Portsmouth and Cowes were devastated…. The Eddystone lighthouse, off of Plymouth, was felled and all those inside killed…. 300 Royal Navy ships anchored off the South Coast were lost, with 8,000 crew on board them…. 1,000 seamen died on the Goodwin Sands alone….

Destruction of the first Eddystone lighthouse in the Great Storm – Robert Chambers – Public domain

5,000 homes along the River Thames were destroyed as huge waves were sent up the river…. 2,000 chimney stacks were lost in London – the lead roofing blown from Westminster Abbey…. 400 windmills were destroyed when wind blew their sails so fast that their wooden gears burst into flames…. 4,000 oak trees were lost in the New Forest…. Hundreds drowned in floods on the Somerset Levels – a ship was found 15 miles inland….

The storm of 1703 inspired Daniel Defoe’s first published book ‘The Storm’ – as he had witnessed it….describing it as an “Army of Terror in its furious march”….

British History

On this day in history….11th February 1895

On this day in history : 11th February 1895 – The lowest UK temperature on record ~ minus 27.2 degrees Celsius ~ is recorded at Braemar in Aberdeenshire….

Nearly a century later, on the 10th of January 1982, the record was equalled – again in Braemar but accompanied by Altnaharra in Sutherland too…. The coldest temperature ever recorded in England was on the 11th of January 1982 in Newport, Shropshire at a very chilly -26.1°C…. Whereas the highest ever temperature was 38.5°C, at Faversham, Kent on the 10th of August 2003….

We British do love to talk about the weather…. In fact, on average we discuss it at least once every six hours….and 70% of us check the forecast on a daily basis…. Actually, contrary to worldwide belief, our weather is not that bad – it’s usually temperate…. It’s just that when extreme conditions do come along, we are unprepared and ill-equipped. Here’s the problem….it’s unpredictable – where else can you experience all four seasons in one day…?

It is hardly surprising our weather behaves so unpredictably….we are a nation where war is constantly raging – a clashing of the fronts. Being a group of islands we are battered by winds from all directions….

Artic Maritime from the North – cold;

Polar Continental, North East – cold and dry;

Polar Maritime, North West – cold and damp;

Tropical continental, South East – warm and dry;

Tropical Maritime, South West – warm and wet….

No wonder our weather gets confused…!

Britain lies at the edge of the Atlantic. Storms feed on the temperature difference between the Poles and the Equator. As the cold and warm air rush towards each other and meet, cyclones are formed…. Being at the end of the storm track we get the tail end of them – and sometimes there is a sting in that tail….

Life & Observations....

A very British storm in a teacup….

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Today I am going to talk about the weather – because I am British and that’s what we Brits do…. In fact, we are rather good at it, it is ingrained into us, we are obsessed with it…. We talk about it at least once every six hours, 70% of us check the weather forecast daily….

Why?

Actually, contrary to Worldwide belief, our weather is not that bad, it’s usually temperate…. It’s just that when extreme conditions do come along, we are unprepared and ill equipped. Here’s the problem : it is unpredictable…. Where else can you experience four seasons in one day….?

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It is hardly surprising our weather behaves so unpredictably…. We are a nation where war is constantly raging – a clashing of the fronts…. Being a group of islands we are battered by winds from all directions:-

Artic Maritime from the North – cold ;
Polar Continental, North East – cold and dry ;
Polar Maritime, North West – cold and damp ;
Tropical Continental, South East – warm and dry ;
Tropical Maritime, South West – warm and wet….

No wonder our weather gets confused!

Britain lies at the edge of the Atlantic. Storms feed on the temperature difference between the Poles and the Equator. As the cold and warm air rush towards each other and meet, cyclones are formed. Being at the end of the storm track, we get the tail end of them. Sometimes, there can be a sting in that tail….

Today, we are being warned to expect one of our rarer phenomenons, we have the possibility of ‘thundersnow’. This occurs when very cold air moves over a relatively warm sea, causing powerful upward air currents. Cumulonimbus clouds form, those that are associated with thunderstorms – if it is cold enough the clouds can produce snow….

We are all aware of the chaos snow can bring to this country ; schools shut, roads become impassable, trains stop running, airports close….

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Today a severe weather warning is in place, as is a public health alert for cold conditions…. Are we over reacting? Quite possibly – but we simply are not used to these extremes! A friend, who lives in Russia, recently told me they have been experiencing temperatures of -35 degrees centigrade. As a Brit, I cannot get my head around that! I find it impossible to imagine what that must be like – that really is extreme! It is no wonder why the rest of the World finds our weather obsession amusing…. All this fuss over a few degrees below freezing and a bit of the white stuff….but it’s just not normal for us!!

It’s the same when the mercury shoots up the other way….we can’t do heat either. We run out of water and hose pipe bans are enforced. Torrential rain means too much water and we have flooding. High winds, we loose our power supplies….and so on….

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So, it is hardly surprising that we complain about our weather so much….but in the next breath we can be equally defensive….and nostalgic! We have a tendancy to look back on summers gone by – the ones of our childhood – filled with long, sunny days. Were they really that perfect? Or is it just that this is how we choose to remember them? The same for Christmas…. Each year we ask the question – “are we going to have a white one?” In reality, we have only had four true white Christmases in the last 51 years….! Ah, nostalgia….!

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Anybody who works outside will obviously have a vested interest in what the weather has in store for us….livelihoods depend on it. We have a very good weather forecasting service in this country – we have plenty of notice when severe weather is expected…. It becomes news worthy – the media feasts upon it and brings it to our attention, which makes us talk about it even more….and talking about the weather helps us to over come our social inhibitions….

How many times has a complete stranger asked you a weather related question, whilst at the same time stating the obvious? “Cold today, isn’t it?” It is an invitation to start a conversation – an ‘ice-breaker’ (no pun intended). Or it might be used to fill an awkward silence, perhaps it may divert away from an uncomfortable subject…. If we start to analyse this and look at social interaction on a deeper level, it brings us to the ‘Politeness Theory’. Developed in the 1970’s and 80’s by researchers at Stanford University, California, the Politeness Theory assumes politeness has ‘faces’ and we in turn have a ‘face’ (wants and needs) :

‘Positive face’ – the desire to be liked and admired, not to be ignored and to maintain a consistent self image.

‘Negative face’ – the desire not to be imposed upon, to protect personal space, be in control, make own decisions….

Britons tend to belong to the ‘negative face’ group; we will play safe when initiating conversation, choosing an unobstrusive topic (such as the weather), it maintains distance, doesn’t give too much away…. Ask a Brit how they are feeling and they will often answer “not bad”…. Ask an American the same question and being of ‘positive face’ you are likely to get a more direct and detailed reply…. The same goes for American ‘ice-breaking’ questions – they will probably entail a more personal enquiry…. “How old are you?” or “what do you do for a living?” This is why the British often find the Americans rude and too forward – where as we can come across as aloof and reserved. Neither side wishes to appear rude to the other – we just have different ways….different ‘faces’….

So, after just hearing the latest weather report on the radio, this Brit is going to go and dig out her snow boots….
That is if she is to believe all the media hype….
Cynicism – now there’s another truly British trait….

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