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Thursday 17 December 2009

What Does A Cold Snap Prove?

Among all the other excuses offered up by those flailing around trying to discredit the Climate Change science is the idea that, well, it can’t be true because it’s cold right now.

And it’s complete baloney. It’s cold right now because, well, it’s mid December – the weather in the UK tends to get cold this time of the year – and we’ve got an established north easterly airflow. This latter means that the wind is blowing off a cold continental land mass, and given a little encouragement will start dumping a moderate covering of snow over the eastern side of the UK.

Should the prevailing wind move round to the south west, or preferably a little more towards a plain southerly, all will change, especially if that wind originates in north Africa or out in mid Atlantic. Then, temperatures will rise, and if anything falls from the sky, it will be rain.

Problem is, getting from established very cold weather to something milder often has a transition period involving more of that snow. Hmm, guess what we have forecast for next Monday?

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