So, following on from my latest blog on transport, I came across an article relating to Top Gear on the internet.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/blog/2009/aug/03/clarkson-hints-top-gear-over?commentpage=1
Some very, er, revealing comments here!
[quote]If only it could be removed this programme has probably caused more deaths on our roads than any other with its glamourisation of fast cars and speed over everything else.Why not introduce a weekly crash analysis slot into the show if it mu
The move from Exeter to UEA has proved surprisingly non-problematic. I thought I would really miss the Met Office considering how much I loved it there, but UEA is also pretty good, so I feel like I've settled back in at UEA. It's good to know of different places that are all very good to live near and work at (Leeds University is another example).
As for the weather, my views on how July 2009 went are decidedly mixed. I certainly go along with the general consensus that it went downhill a
As a non-driver who studies climate science and takes a strong interest in environmentalism, rather contrarily I'm also a bit of a petrolhead.
I like motor racing (especially Formula One), have been quad biking in the past, enjoy motor racing games on the computer, and like "sporty" style cars (the ones with rapid acceleration/brakes, rapid cornering and stiff suspensions to make for a ride more akin to being on a rollercoaster instead of gliding along polished glass). I am also a big fan of
Reading through Summer Model Discussion threads... sometimes I wonder what it would take to abolish the air of negativity in there!
Hot and sunny for at least a week won't do, people complain that it's too hot.
Modestly warm, dry and sunny (or cloudy) for at least a week won't do, people complain that it's too boring.
Anything less than either of those two won't do, because people complain that we aren't having a summer and pray for a prolonged settled spell (hence "at least a week" in the
The CASE period at the Met Office is up, so after a bit of an emotional last day, have now returned to UEA- and strangely am living in exactly the same place as before!
However late next week features a chess tournament up at Leeds University which should also be interesting.
As for the upcoming weather, next week looks like being my "cup of tea" with sun, showers and thunderstorms, although the longer-range outlook, towards next weekend, looks, er, "Pretty Awful" lol!
An updated version of my "Winter Snow Events" analysis will be uploaded to N-W over the coming few weeks, based on a wider range of sources and overall casting the net much wider. There has been considerable "inflation" in the values for each season as a result, the average "snow score" has increased from the low 20s into the low 30s.
Some brief (provisional) details to get the ball rolling:
[list]* The winters prior to 1988 have been upgraded relative to the 1990s and 2000s (as I missed
This is a slightly controversial topic that used to be referenced quite frequently by Philip Eden- how does one define "showers"? The dictionary typically tells us that a shower is a brief fall of precipitation, whereas most meteorologists use the term "shower" to refer to convective precipitation.
I don't agree with Philip Eden's assertion that a shower should be termed a brief fall of light rain and that a brief, torrential fall is a "cloudburst" (it has to be said, I rarely disagree with
Thanks to everyone who gave me birthday wishes. I had a pretty good day- celebrated in style at the Met Office, and had some good messages on here and on Facebook- I got a subscription to Chess magazine as well for my birthday (I've subscribed to it before but had stopped- but given my record at the MetO, 8 wins 4 draws 0 losses, it was appropriate to restart).
I'm getting quite excited about the upcoming week's weather. It may end up a bit humid for my liking, but otherwise as far as I'm c
Is this phrase catching on? There is an excellent site from Reading University's Meteorology department documenting the daily weather going back to the late 1990s:
[url="http://www.met.rdg.ac.uk/~brugge/"]http://www.met.rdg.ac.uk/~brugge/[/url]
...and in its summary for the 3rd February it says the following:
[quote]Overnight into the 3rd snow fell mainly in E areas of England and Scotland although some falls were reported in Ireland, SW England, the Channel islands and other places. To th
On this occasion I was priveleged to be at the centre of where all the weather action was happening. In East Exeter by the Met Office, a set of localised but very intense convective cells targetted the area giving over an hour of thunder and lightning around 8-9am. Although the rate of lightning was not outstandingly high (about 20 strikes over that period) most of the thunder and lightning was right overhead, making it very dramatic. But even more remarkable was the rainfall- it was torrenti
Why is it that all of the ills of society are blamed on working mothers? "Too many mothers are in work and not looking after the children, so children can't always rely upon Mum being there." say the masses. "We need to bring a return to the traditional family where the father goes out to work and the mother stays at home and looks after the children."
Some suggest that we should have one parent stay at home irrespective of gender, but that would lead to the same result, as the mother is st
I've complained quite a bit about the BBC recently, particularly re. their weather forecasts and dumbing down of documentaries. So, to balance the books, it's only fair that I give them credit when they do a good job.
One example is the Formula One coverage. I think this has shown a definite improvement over the ITV coverage. The online coverage is more comprehensive, while the TV coverage is far more objective- there seems to be far less bias towards the British drivers than there was on
I wonder where I would appear in a typical assessment of "climate change believer" vs "climate sceptic". I certainly appear more towards the "believer" end in the climate change discussion threads, but on the other hand I remain sceptical about the ability of computer models to predict the future (they have improved a lot in recent years and will probably continue to get better, but even so, there are all kinds of areas where they could go wrong).
As per usual, while most of those with stron
There seems to be a common process when changes are proposed or go ahead. Firstly, the masses tend to be resistant to change (whether for good or bad or in between) and mass OTT over-reactions break out. Then we get the proponents latching onto the few people who support the changes, while dismissing everyone else with comments like "get used to it, it's the future". And then, in the long run, everybody does "get used to it"- regardless of whether the change is for better, worse or in between
I think there is a lot wrong with the current generation of BBC weather forecasts, but it's no good just sitting whining non-constructively. Here's a list of changes that I would like to see in the forecasts:
[b]Presentation/Format[/b]
I suggest less emphasis on the current day's weather. Just a brief outline perhaps, briefly mentioning any significant events, then straight into the forecast. Also, we don't need that tour of Britain for 8am, it takes up valuable forecast time covering t
Still five and a half months for things to change, but so far I have to give the Met Office a big thumbs up- seems a very good place to work, and I've been having a good time there. It isn't particularly difficult to find fellow weather enthusiasts, as might be expected. I'd been concerned that my social life might suffer, but in fact the MetO has a wide range of social outlets associated with its sports facilities, and thus so far it's been fine socially as well.
The climate down here in E
So today was my last day for a while at the Climatic Research Unit at UEA. It feels strange, as normally in this kind of situation I'm leaving a place potentially forever, but on this occasion it's only for six months, and then I'm back again for at least another year and a third (depending on when I get the PhD finished!)
The intervening period, after the Christmas break in Geordieland, will be spent at the Met Office in Exeter. It will be quite a significant change in environment, so thou
On cold-related deaths, I argue that they should not be cited as a reason why people should prefer mild.
Cold-related deaths reduce when, in isolation, we have a winter that is mild relative to the average for recent years. But when we have a succession of mild winters, people get used to a milder average, and less prepared for a given degree of cold than before. Thus, in the short term milder winters mean less deaths, but in the long term they do not.
Interestingly it's similar with s
[url="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7755641.stm"]http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7755641.stm[/url]
I would not take that survey as gospel simply because three of its four indices only reflect the breakdown of so-called [i]family[/i] communities (marriages, people living in rented accommodation, being in it for less than a year). The one about living alone is a more complete, but still far from foolproof, measure of loneliness.
This is strongly reflected in its point about increased student
Here's an exploration of various possibilities on issues relating to religions and spirituality. I have some clear-cut beliefs on this, but as you will see, plenty of areas where I believe that the truth could be anything across a wide range of possibilities.
First of all, I don't think there is a god of the kind that the Bible described, that created the world in six days, Adam and Eve etc. There are far too many contradictions, far too many scientific discoveries re. evolution that cannot
After complaining that Norwich missed out on the remarkable October event (when even Cleadon got some excitement- lying hail overnight 30/31 October) could we be in for a spell where I make up for it big-time?
Ever since I first came to Norwich, one of the things I most wanted to see was a full-on northerly outbreak from the Arctic in November, knowing very well that Norfolk lies right in the firing line of the showers drifting down the North Sea, and that the strong contrast between cold air
I didn't get my weather records until today, so no post in the October stats thread.
In any case, Cleadon's stats for October 2008, with deviation from estimated 1971-2000 averages:
Mean Max: 13.3 (+0.2)
Mean Min: 6.0 (-1.0)
Mean Temp: 9.6 (-0.5)
Highest max: 18.8 (10th)
Lowest max: 6.1 (28th)
Highest min: 11.6 (20th)
Lowest min: -1.6 (30th)
Air frosts: 2
Days of thunder: 0
Days of sleet or snow: 0
Days of fog: 0
Days of hail: 3
Precipitation 32mm (57%)
This was
I was pleased to see Obama get into power even though I have doubts about some of his policies. The alternatives were a continuation of the current status quo in the USA- economic liberalism and social conservatism- and in particular trying to shore up holes in the economy in the short term only to suffer greater in the long term. And I can't stand social conservative policies, so Sarah Palin was never an attractive proposition as far as I was concerned. For once, the USA are prepared to try
I have to say I've been very impressed with the recent changes to the N-W charts in the datacentre. Until recently, I have to admit, I tended to prefer the Wetterzentrale versions, but recently the team has been implementing changes to give the N-W versions the advantages that the WZ versions have.
I particularly like the Northern Hemisphere orientation that in my view is better than the one at WZ- finally our set of charts are looking professional!
And incidentally, some very tasty synop
Well, although there's been a pleasing absence of it on this forum this year, I see that the "ban fireworks except public displays" brigade are out in earnest among the population.
[Disclaimer: I do not subscribe to the views below, by the way!]
Viewing the world from the eyes of the Authoritarian, while we're on with it, we can also:
[list]
[*]Ban pleasure driving because of a few boy racers,
[*]Incrementally force a slow but sure reduction of traffic speeds as close to zero as we can ge
