By Paul Homewood
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/dec/20/uk-snow-global-warming
OK, I cheated!
This was what Moonbat had to say back in 2010. But, as we know, he still holds the same views, that the latest cold spell is all the fault of global warming, melting ice caps, blah blah.
I have not seen any actual snowfall data this morning for the worst affected areas in the South West, but the Met Office were predicting 30 to 50 cm in their weather warnings yesterday, with much less away from the hills and moors.
Paul Gundersen, chief meteorologist at the Met Office said: “Whilst initially the snow will be patchy in nature, will turn heavier and more persistent through the afternoon and evening and it will become very windy. 10-20 cm of snow is to settle widely across the red warning area with 30-50 cm possible over the hills and moors.
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/news/releases/2018/storm-emma-red-warning
The Telegraph today also notes:
Up to 50cm (19in) of snow could yet fall over parts of Dartmoor, Exmoor and south east Wales, forecasters said
suggesting that the snow totals have not yet reached the top of the range.
Yesterday I spotted Channel 5 advertising a special programme on the weather, in which they described the snowfall as “unprecedented”.
Given the apocalyptic way in which this week’s weather has been treated, how unusual has it been?
By coincidence, the Met Office blog ran a piece on Feb 16th about the blizzards 40 years previously:
Blizzards devastated the South West 40 years ago
It is the 40th anniversary of the start of what was one of the worst blizzards to have affected the United Kingdom in the last 100 years. It affected South West England and south Wales for five days from 15th to 19th February 1978 before milder weather edged in bringing a general thaw.
The cold air initially moved into the UK from the east around the 7th, and was further enhanced by a cold pool of air moving in from central Europe between the 10th and 14th .
The weather set up, with a huge contrast in air-masses either side of a weather front, led to considerable snowfall for the South West on the 15th and 16th and this was followed on the 18th and 19th by an unusually severe blizzard which extended to south Wales.
Snow accumulated to depths of about 60cm in places on Dartmoor and Exmoor and to 85cm at Nettlecombe (Bird’s Hill) in Somerset, but drifts of at least 6m were reported over a wide area which included Dorset and Wiltshire.
The exceptional weather cut communications and caused severe hardship, and although milder weather soon reached the south-west, several towns and villages were isolated by snowdrifts for some days and it was reported that there was still snow on the ground in early July.
Snow depths at 9am on 20th February:
Devon, Somerset, and Devon
85cm Nettlecombe, Birds Hill
60cm Princetown Prison
39cm Bovey Tracey Yarner Wood
38cm Crewkerne
40cm Winfrith (near Dorchester)
30cm Poole
South Wales:
39cm Rhoose
38cm Bridgend
Those figures would suggest they had much more snow in 1978.
It will be noted that the meteorological set up was very similar to this week, with high pressure pulling in cold winds from the east meeting a low pressure system in the south west.
The Met Office report for the month noted that most of the snow fell on the 18th/19th, so would be of a similar duration to Storm Emma.
The blizzard had also been preceded by heavy falls further north, again mirroring this week’s events.
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/learning/library/archive-hidden-treasures/monthly-weather-report-1970s
Extreme snowfall events, such as this week’s are still comparatively rare in England, but have regularly happened in the past. There is certainly no justification in playing the global warming card.
What about temperatures?
CET mean temperature dropped to –3.6C on the 28th, and yesterday was at –3.5C.
Looking back through the record, temperatures like that in February are pretty commonplace. Even so, Wednesday was the coldest February day since 1991.
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/hadobs/hadcet/data/download.html
Looking at March temperatures, yesterday was the coldest March day since 1965, and 5th coldest on record.
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/hadobs/hadcet/data/download.html
I have long been pointing out that the run of mild winters we have had in recent years have been notable for the relative absence of really cold spells, rather rising temperatures across the board.
This week proves that the cold weather has not gone away.
Sorry, George, but that white stuff outside is not what global warming looks like!
via NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT
March 2, 2018 at 08:24AM
Iowa Climate Science Education 