"Everyone asks 'is it down to global warming?'.
But in a warming world we would expect summers to be hotter and drier.
We haven't really had that.
It's been down to the jet stream."
HEAD SCRATCHING RAIN REASON
In a normal summer the jet stream is usually much further north, often over Iceland.
We are not sure why the jet stream is not over Iceland.
We have been scratching our heads.
Far cleverer people than me do not really know why it's here.
It may be just one of those things."
'Don't expect a sudden heatwave'
BBC, Jul 26, 2007
Sun-lovers should not build up hopes that the UK will see a late heatwave, according to BBC weather forecaster Darren Bett. After scrutinising different weather models used in France, Germany and the US he has found no evidence to suggest an Indian summer is on its way. The best he could say was that the weather could settle down in the UK over the next few weeks with a slight improvement for the south. He also said another extreme rain event was unlikely given the UK has seen two in quick succession, but could not rule it out.
Severe floods have hit areas such as Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire since Friday. In June, people in South Yorkshire, East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire were among those struck by extreme flooding. It means the UK could have already had its dose of sun for the year - in April. He said: "Don't expect a heatwave. Don't expect it to dry off all of a sudden and the temperature to go mad.
"There are signs next week that pressure is starting to build and the jet stream will move further north. "But it's still got a long way to go and only southern areas will see the benefit. "We can't really be confident there's going to be a massive improvement. There's no indication there's going to be an Indian summer. "There were a lot of people joking in April that the hot weather we had then was our summer. Well, let's hope April wasn't our summer and it does improve in August."
The summer washout is being caused by the position of the jet stream, a ribbon of fast-moving air 35,000ft above the UK. The stream steers depressions, areas of low pressure which bring rain. In a normal summer the jet stream is usually much further north, often over Iceland.
Forecasters are at a loss to explain why the jet stream has ended up much further south than usual."You can find that July and August can be the wettest months of the year through local storms," Darren Bett said. "While we have lots of rain it has not been from solely local storms. It has been down to the jet stream and areas of low pressure.
"We are not sure why the jet stream is not over Iceland. We have been scratching our heads. "Far cleverer people than me do not really know why it's here. It may be just one of those things."
He said the weather patterns did not suggest the position of the jet stream was down to global warming. "Everyone asks 'is it down to global warming?' but we can't talk about events in isolation.
"In a warming world we would expect summers to be hotter and drier but with more extreme rainfall events. "They would be down to storms triggered by higher temperatures. "We haven't really had that. It's been down to the jet stream. The mechanisms at play don't seem quite right for it to be global warming. "We have not seen anything to suggest the position of the jet stream is down to global warming."
Thames bursts & floods Parliament (new movie based on book 'Flood'). This Is London, Jul 29, 2007
The Houses of Parliament lie half submerged after the Thames breaks its banks. Where once were London's streets and parks, now there is just one vast waterway. London after the latest rain? Relax - it's only a movie, and this is an image from new film, Flood, about what happens when a colossal tidal surge overwhelms the Thames Barrier. Starring Robert Carlyle, Tom Courtenay and David Suchet, the film is based on a novel by Richard Doyle. The book imagines how events might unfold when a raging storm coincides with heavy seas. Torrents of water pour into the city and the lives of millions of Londoners are put at risk. Carlyle plays a marine engineer, Rob, who with his exwife Sam (Jessalyn Gilsig) and father Leonard (Courtenay) has only hours to save the city. The book - published in 2003 - describes how thousands die and millions are left homeless. According to Mr Doyle, it is not a question of whether such a disaster could befall the city, but when. He believes that the Thames Barrier is obsolete and should be replaced by a larger one at Tilbury. However, the Environment Agency dismissed it as nonsense, saying: "It may make for a good read but it is not good science." The film's producers, Justin Bodle and Peter McAleese, said they had tried to beat the big Hollywood disaster movies at their own game - but with a distinctly British approach.
More rain & higher bills coming. Guardian, Jul 28, 2007
Flood-hit regions in central and southern England are braced for yet more severe weather, with forecasters warning of heavy rain over the next 24 hours. Persistent downpours are expected across south Wales and into England. The Met Office released the early warning as the Environment Agency (EA) said water bills would have to rise to pay for flood-proofing towns and cities. Baroness Young, the head of the EA, told the Daily Telegraph millions of pounds must be spent on improving drainage and protecting infrastructure, such as electricity substations and water plants. She said: "Bills are going to have to go up, both because of draught and floods. "You either pay upstream to prevent, or you pay downstream to mop up but you've got to pay. Climate change is coming home to roost."
'Don't expect a sudden heatwave'. BBC, Jul 26, 2007
Flood spells crisis for farming (food shortages & raised prices). BBC, Jul 28, 2007
UK floods damage feed & food crops (vegetable crops 60% destroyed) & UK flood won't hit wider economy (good for home repair business). ReedBus/FXNews Jul 26, 2007
FARMS FEELING FOOD FIGHT and DUCKSPEAKING FOOD FIGURERS
UK flooding worst in history (rivers 20-ft higher than normal) & EU heatwave sizzling forests & farms (Austria, Greece, Italy, Hungary, Romania, Croatia, Slovakia, Bulgaria). Express/WashPost, Jul 23, 2007
China pollution hitting America (causing weather chaos). WallStreetJournal, Jul 23, 2007
WHOLE WORLD IN THEIR HANDS? and KYOTO = KILL YOUR TOMORROWS and ENVIRONMENTALISM is ANIMALISM is COMMUNISM
USSR USES WEAPONIZED WEATHER and WEATHER & FOOD CONTROL
14.Scientific Experimentation and 5.Pyramidal New World Order and 22.Doublethink and 9.Keeping Masses Down and 15.Life in Oceania and 11.Ministry of Plenty (Starvation)
Jackie Jura
~ an independent researcher monitoring local, national and international events ~
website: www.orwelltoday.com & email: orwelltoday@orwelltoday.com
email: orwelltoday@gmail.com
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