The Weather

[Montreal Wanderer]

My University holds it Convocation(s) in a very large tent erected on campus. This allows graduations to take place even when the weather doesn't cooperate. At yesterday's Arts convocation there was a heavy rainstorm and the tent partially collapsed. It was evacuated and the graduates with their friends and relations in all their finery got a little wet. As always happens there was someone with a video camera around.

[Lord Kangana]

If you read the Express (yes, yes I know) you could be forgiven for thinking that the end of the world is nigh....

http://www.express.co.uk/news/nature/48 ... ge-Britain" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You could quite easily get a full house in hyperbole bingo within about three lines. No wonder Ukip is doing so well.

[Bruce Rioja]

If you read the Express (yes, yes I know) you could be forgiven for thinking that the end of the world is nigh....

http://www.express.co.uk/news/nature/48 ... ge-Britain" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You could quite easily get a full house in hyperbole bingo within about three lines. No wonder Ukip is doing so well.

The Met Office are nothing other than a collection of the most professionally egregious wankers on earth. They couldn't even tell you what it's doing outside right now. Tossers.

[Lord Kangana]

That as maybe, but it takes a particular kind of newspaper to slip in:

The UK is about to be rocked by the most frenzied and chaotic start to summer EVER as monsoons and tornadoes rage in.

Within 2 lines.

[Bruce Rioja]

That as maybe, but it takes a particular kind of newspaper to slip in:

The UK is about to be rocked by the most frenzied and chaotic start to summer EVER as monsoons and tornadoes rage in.

Within 2 lines.

It does. It does.

[Lord Kangana]

Silly me, they managed it within the first 2 words a couple of months ago...

http://www.express.co.uk/news/nature/45 ... er-Britain" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Tell me daddy, how did you survive the apocalypse?

[BWFC_Insane]

The reality is there might be some thunderstorms and some heavy rain somewhere....... Doesn't sound as exciting as "golf size hailstones and monsoons ripping the very fabric of the UK apart" though.

Perhaps they can somehow blame immigration for the rainy weather. Or perhaps it is somehow a sign about how Diana actually did die?

[Prufrock]

I don't know weather (boom) to laugh or cry.

Cry at the intellectual dishonesty which is so common in the tabloid press now that it barely stands out.

We get this , "Ice stones the 'size of cricket balls' will cause devastation across the country" from this quote, "It is possible we could see hailstones the size of cricket balls".

But then we also get this, "The resulting carnage will trigger tornadoes and fierce winds, enormous hailstorms and potentially DEADLY lightning strikes." . I'm not sure lightening even needs an adjective, people are pretty aware it's not something you want to meddle with, but even if you do give it one, and even if you do go for the prosaic 'deadly', 'deadly' is a word rarely in need of capitalisation; it draws the eye.

[Montreal Wanderer]

I don't know weather (boom) to laugh or cry.

Cry at the intellectual dishonesty which is so common in the tabloid press now that it barely stands out.

We get this , "Ice stones the 'size of cricket balls' will cause devastation across the country" from this quote, "It is possible we could see hailstones the size of cricket balls".

But then we also get this, "The resulting carnage will trigger tornadoes and fierce winds, enormous hailstorms and potentially DEADLY lightning strikes." . I'm not sure lightening even needs an adjective, people are pretty aware it's not something you want to meddle with, but even if you do give it one, and even if you do go for the prosaic 'deadly', 'deadly' is a word rarely in need of capitalisation; it draws the eye.

The largest ever recorded hailstone was in 1958 now considered to be 142 grams and 2.5 inches in diameter.

The record-breaking hailstone weighed 190g (6.7oz) and measured 6.35cm (2.5in) in diameter, heavier and larger than a cricket ball (although some reports say the actual weight was 142g - which is still a record)

I also note about a cricket ball:

A cricket ball has a diameter of 7 centimetres; the circumference is between 224 and 229 millimetres, and weighs between 156 and 163 grams.

This is larger and heavier than the largest hailstone. If you start seeing a number of them the size of cricket balls, the apocalypse may be near!

[Dujon]

If that's the normal standard (sorry) of the Express, LK, I'm surprised that it still has readers. Poor phraseology and sensationalism all wrapped into one highly misleading article. I doubt that I could have done such a good job myself. Congratulations Mr Rao.

Surely various parts of the UK receive falls of 25.4mm or more in a day reasonably often? That's only an inch (100 points) for heaven's sake!

[Montreal Wanderer]

If that's the normal standard (sorry) of the Express, LK, I'm surprised that it still has readers. Poor phraseology and sensationalism all wrapped into one highly misleading article. I doubt that I could have done such a good job myself. Congratulations Mr Rao.

Surely various parts of the UK receive falls of 25.4mm or more in a day reasonably often? That's only an inch (100 points) for heaven's sake!

Not much indeed. Our one day record of rainfall was 489 mm at Ucluelet on the west coast of Vancouver Island (1967). Our wettest hour was 250 mm between 4:30 and 5:30 pm during that 1961 storm at Buffalo Gap, Saskatchewan.

[Dujon]

I concede that, Monty, but they are rather extreme. I was merely supporting LK's view of the article making superlatives out of what most people (I think) would consider normal.

Perhaps I'll pen an article bemoaning the lack of snow so far this winter where I live. Of course I won't mention that in the sixty-odd years that I've lived here or within 60Km of it - it has never snowed.

[Montreal Wanderer]

I concede that, Monty, but they are rather extreme. I was merely supporting LK's view of the article making superlatives out of what most people (I think) would consider normal.

Perhaps I'll pen an article bemoaning the lack of snow so far this winter where I live. Of course I won't mention that in the sixty-odd years that I've lived here or within 60Km of it - it has never snowed.

Rather extreme? I'll say! Our all time records and in places (Ucluelet and Buffalo Gap) of which I had never heard. In the similar period I have lived in Montreal it has never not snowed - we could write a joint article.

[TANGODANCER]

To anybody over fourteen, snow is fine on paintings and Christmas cards. In reality, once it's been down a day it's nothing but a soggy, slushy, nightmare that, in true British tradition stops all the railways when more than an inch falls and causes havoc on the roads and creates a million excuses for not getting to work. We just can't deal with it.

[TANGODANCER]

Right this minute, thunder, lightning, driving rain, hailstones and.....unbelievably, sunshine. It's really belting it down. Crazy stuff.

[Gravedigger]

Have a look at this. Zoom out to cover as much of the earth as you can. All those aeroplanes in the sky. Surely, apart from emissions, they provide a sort of shield between the Earth and Sun thus massive areas are left in semi shadow, and this is for most of the day. On the bright side it's warm and sunny in Norf Landan, though a little windy.

http://www.flightradar24.com/35.99,-70.09/2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Bruce Rioja]

Have a look at this. Zoom out to cover as much of the earth as you can. All those aeroplanes in the sky. Surely, apart from emissions, they provide a sort of shield between the Earth and Sun thus massive areas are left in semi shadow, and this is for most of the day. On the bright side it's warm and sunny in Norf Landan, though a little windy.

http://www.flightradar24.com/35.99,-70.09/2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That's absolutely incredible, GD. Cheers.

[Dujon]

It's a very interesting site, GD, one which I have used for a few years. If memory serves me correctly it only shows those 'craft with a certain type of transponder. Still 'n all it's quite impressive. When I first found it I'd walk out to my back balcony and announce to my audience - usually my cats - that the noise from above was merely QF101 (or such) on its way to Shanghai.

As far as the 'shadowing' is concerned you know better, my aeronautical friend. I have often wondered though as to the effect produced by the incredible number of tonnes of fuel being burned and the residue being dumped into the stratosphere. I have no data so I cannot offer any sort of explanation.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

It's a very interesting site, GD, one which I have used for a few years. If memory serves me correctly it only shows those 'craft with a certain type of transponder. Still 'n all it's quite impressive. When I first found it I'd walk out to my back balcony and announce to my audience - usually my cats - that the noise from above was merely QF101 (or such) on its way to Shanghai.

As far as the 'shadowing' is concerned you know better, my aeronautical friend. I have often wondered though as to the effect produced by the incredible number of tonnes of fuel being burned and the residue being dumped into the stratosphere. I have no data so I cannot offer any sort of explanation.

The fuel causes an increase in greenhouse gases. The contrails on the other hand reflect nearly as much sunlight back as to nearly balance out the fuel effect alone. There are other effects though that increase the negative impact, such as aircraft taking off and landing disrupt low level cloud formation.
After 9/11 climatologists had a field day when the USofA shut its airspace as they could study normal weather with no aircraft flights affecting the atmosphere. I'm sure there are studies available on the web (but I can't point you to them). I know that to their surprise there was a huge loss of albedo in the stratosphere.

[Little Green Man]

there was a huge loss of albedo

That'll be the epididymitis.