Euro-whiff

[Cookie]

A foul smell detected in parts of England and Wales is being blamed on easterly winds bringing farming or industrial smells across the Channel.

Labelled "Euro-whiff" by the Met Office, the source of the smell - alternately described as sulphur and manure - is under investigation.

The Met Office said it had had hundreds of calls from the public looking for information about the odour.

The BBC News website has received over a thousand e-mails about the smell.

Readers have reported a range of sulphur and manure-like smells hanging over large parts of England and Wales.

'Stagnant air'

The Met Office's Sarah Holland said: "Basically, over the last few days, we've had fresh, strong winds from an easterly direction. As a result some of our air is coming from continental Europe."

People sniffing the 'Euro-whiff'

She added that while members of Met Office staff were trying to trace the exact source of the "apparent atmospheric aroma", the likely explanation was either agricultural or industrial works in western Europe.

"Normally, our winds are westerly, coming off the Atlantic Ocean, which bring little or no pollution with them."

B)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7354538.stm

[Bottesford]

That does make sense - and definitely this wind doesn't smell clean.

So not only is it cold, raw, windy and dull it's also bad for us and smells bad! Truly the worst kind of weather conditions imo.

[Cloudwatcher]

Coming from my neck of the woods I just assumed the smell was something Shell Stanlow was kicking out until I saw the news etc. Its a really horrible, heavy sulphur smell here , making me feel sick. Disgusting. This weather is really depressing as well, cloudy cold no rain- just dull and boring B)

[Nick F]

Can't say I've noticed it.

If these easterlies were happening 2-3 months earlier, then I'm sure we'd forgive the smell because of the snow showers it produced off the North Sea. Darn miserable day today here though, grey all day with temps not getting above single figures with a raw wind - felt like January.

[Cookie]

I take it easterlies are rare then?

[Nick F]

I take it easterlies are rare then?

What makes you think that?

Not as common as some other wind directions (i.e. SW, W, NW and N), but not rare.

I have heard stories before of easterlies bringing an acrid smell, due to the to the oil refineries at the Delta of the Rhine in Holland (especially Rotterdam) and also other heavy industries in Low countries, Germany, and even as far as Poland.

When we get SE'erlies in Kent, we get the outfall over the Dover Straits from the oil refineries and steel works at Dunkerque, Nern France :lol:

[Andy Bown]

Dad and I smelt 'country smells' yesterday evening but thought it was due to some over-zealous muck spreading on Salisbury Plain.

When the smell remained this morning I recalled reading about the stagnant smell from many years ago that was brought by Easterly winds (I think there's a thread about it in Historic Weather).*

It's still there to some extent this evening too, but I'm not sure if the showery rain has helped to disperse the smell or bring more of it to ground level :lol: .

*Here we go http://www.netweather.tv/forum/index.php?showtopic=46820

Edited April 18, 2008 by Andy Bown

[Cookie]

What makes you think that?

Not as common as some other wind directions (i.e. SW, W, NW and N), but not rare.

I have heard stories before of easterlies bringing an acrid smell, due to the to the oil refineries at the Delta of the Rhine in Holland (especially Rotterdam) and also other heavy industries in Low countries, Germany, and even as far as Poland.

When we get SE'erlies in Kent, we get the outfall over the Dover Straits from the oil refineries and steel works at Dunkerque, Nern France :lol:

yeah thats what I meant not as common sorry

[Snowyowl9]

Can`t say I`ve smelt anything out of the ordinary and I`ve just been out now after seeing this thread but it feels rather fresh out there it that wind. :lol:

[mackerel sky]

Didn't smell anything out of the ordinary here but it makes you wonder what the everyday stench must be like in northern Germany then under prevailing wind conditions. I remember the Norweigen's complaining about acid rain in the 80s and the most likely cause was ICI Teesside, with southern Norway getting the grot on a SWly, I'm ashamed to say, being a smogmonster myself and that.

[Weather-history]

.

When the smell remained this morning I recalled reading about the stagnant smell from many years ago that was brought by Easterly winds (I think there's a thread about it in Historic Weather).*

.

*Here we go http://www.netweather.tv/forum/index.php?showtopic=46820

That was actually an April fool's joke by me! :lol:

Edited April 18, 2008 by Mr_Data

[PersianPaladin]

Air smells okay here....not great, but not bad either. Probably because I'm in far northern england and the wind crosses more of a sea-track before getting to me.

[mackerel sky]

Air smells okay here....not great, but not bad either. Probably because I'm in far northern england and the wind crosses more of a sea-track before getting to me.

I used to love playing in the grey snow on a NEly in the winter after having picked up all the toxins from ICI Billingham and Wilton. It was a joy.

[Stargazer]

The smell was very obvious yesterday morning in Reading as I left for work, and still noticeable at work in Basingstoke. A fragrant mix of sewage and agriculture. I guess Reading gets particularly badly affected by smells on an easterly as the wind funnels up the Thames Valley.

[PB22]

Its a fairly common occurance when the wind comes from northern continental Europe here. Many, many easterly winds have a stench to them, although I've not noticed this particular one as much.

[Andy Bown]

That was actually an April fool's joke by me!

Shame it was posted after midday then .

[The PIT]

Haven't smelt anything perhaps it's normal for Sheffield air.

Anyway I think we should as a country sue Europe for breaching our human rights. We have a right not to have smelly air.

[Cookie]

so dose Europe get our bad smell normally?

[The PIT]

Nope because we smell of Roses.

[Thundersquall]

The smell was very noticeable in Bristol on Friday, and it was still detectable at 03:30 on Saturday morning as I was walking home after a night out.

By this morning it had all been rained out of the air. It was most definitely a manure-like smell over Bristol.

Edited April 19, 2008 by Thundersquall

[Turnedoutniceagain]

I live on a farm, what's all the fuss about ? I can't smell any differance at all <_<

[Evening thunder]

I havn't noticed anything down here at all infact the air was quite fresh yesterday. or perhaps its just the norm for Devon! lol

I wouldn't have thought Europe gets this smell all the time, just at certain times of year if its to do with agriculture or if the air stagnates in high pressure or an inversion, but im no expert and other people may know better than me.

We do of course usually have clean air coming off the Atlantic though.