Kev2012
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Article: Whatever the Weather
2007 has seen catastrophic weather anomalies happen right throughout the world, but arguably the UK has been worst hit of all. For parts of the country winter flooding is a regular occurrence, but seeing some of the worst flooding in the country’s history in summer has left us all stunned. May and June combined gave the country its wettest period since 1760, and the weather didn’t improve as summer progressed. July saw more wet-records broken. In Egbaston, Birmingham, 62mm of rain fell in 24hours, the highest ever in a single day in July! And in Tewksbury and Gloucester billions of pounds of damage was done and tap water supplies cut off as the river Severn burst its banks in spectacular and devastating fashion. It does seem ironic that in periods of flooding water supplies were the most noticeable domestic amenity to be affected, but even water treatment plants couldn’t escape the rising waters. Yet it was Tewksbury Abbey that perhaps offered the most poignant image of the whole summer, water breached the famous abbey for the first time in 247 years.
(photos copyright of Martin Dale & the BBC respectively)
But why the sudden change? Over the past few years the picture was entirely different. We are now starting September 2007, and as yet our summer hasn’t produced anything like what we would have liked, hoped or even expected if recent history is anything to go by. In fact all it has offered most of the country is heartache, misery and in some cases, tragedy. We have not had any sustained sunshine to bask in, a few days here and a few days there, but nothing like what we have become accustomed to. In June 2005 temperatures hit 33 degrees Celsius in parts of the UK, in 2006 records were smashed as Wisley, Surrey, recorded temperatures as high as 36.5 degrees Celsius, a temperature that matched what Tamanrasset, which is in the Sahara desert, was experiencing at the same time! And parts of the UK resembled the Sahara as droughts forced hosepipe bans and even got government debating whether water should be “rationed” in certain areas of the country. Many dams were less than half full coming out of winter, a time when they should be brimming. In fact Rainfall over the 2005/2006 winter months were the lowest since 1920/1921. Only twelve months ago temperatures were hitting record highs as water supplies hit new lows, now, the sun has gone and monsoon-like rains have come, filling our dams, lakes and rivers to such an extent that many can’t hold back the flow.
(photo copyright of BBC)
But the fact of the matter is, weather extremities seem to becoming more regular occurrences, whichever way the pendulum swings it does so with added gusto. This makes weather harder to predict and our seasons are becoming more erratic the further we get into the 21st century. Who knows what 2008 will bring, or even the remainder of 2007. One thing is for sure summer 2008 with come rain or shine, or should that statement now read “come flooding or droughts”?
Copyright of Kevin Martin 2007
Published in the Mid Wales Journal 28th July 2007
Post Edited By Kev2012, Sep/4/2007, 3:55 pm
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Sep/3/2007, 3:04 pm
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