There is a popular assumption that if you move to higher latitudes
(toward the poles) you can escape the heat, and that by moving to
lower latitudes (toward the equator) you can escape the cold.

The equation is simple. But is it real? If it was, then the most
northerly capital, Reykjavík, would also be the coldest...at least
until they establish a country on Antarctica. Yes, it appears that
latitude is slacking off and failing to keep temperatures in line.

This was brought home to me when preparing for a radio interview in
Dublin, Ireland. February had just roiled in and I was sitting back
comfortably in my good old Ottawa weather, scraping icicles off my
toes. I was giddy with excitement over our warm spell, which it was
reaching a high of minus-5 (that's about 20-degrees American). I
always ask questions the day before an interview, to learn a bit about
my audience, so I asked the producer, "So what's the weather forecast
in Dublin?" asked.

"Oh it's horrible," she told me. "People are bracing for a deep winter
freeze that's supposed to hit tonight. It might even get as cold as
minus-5!"

This blew me away, that the folks in Dublin would be worried about the
thermometer dips as low as ours spikes high. After all, isn't Dublin
about the same latitude as Ottawa?

I whipped out my trusty atlas. We live almost exactly on the 45th
parallel. If we lived exactly on it, we would have to share our bed
with a cow and a dozen chickens across the road - that's how close we
are.

I turned the pages to find Ireland. Could I have been mistaken? Is
Dublin really quite south of us? No, it turns out that Dublin lies at
the 53rd parallel. Hey! They should

http://www.dontplayplay.com/html/Hum...929/25512.html

It's right enough, there is a public conception that latitude controls the
weather. I used to live in Aberdeen and people down south would say "it
must be cold up there in the winter". Well, I've also lived in Southend,
Essex and I would say the winter temperatures in those two places are about
the same despite the latitude difference. I'd be interested to know just
what the January mean temps are.

Ian Bingham.
Inchmarlo, Aberdeenshire.


wrote in message
...
There is a popular assumption that if you move to higher latitudes
(toward the poles) you can escape the heat, and that by moving to
lower latitudes (toward the equator) you can escape the cold.

The equation is simple. But is it real? If it was, then the most
northerly capital, Reykjavík, would also be the coldest...at least
until they establish a country on Antarctica. Yes, it appears that
latitude is slacking off and failing to keep temperatures in line.

This was brought home to me when preparing for a radio interview in
Dublin, Ireland. February had just roiled in and I was sitting back
comfortably in my good old Ottawa weather, scraping icicles off my
toes. I was giddy with excitement over our warm spell, which it was
reaching a high of minus-5 (that's about 20-degrees American). I
always ask questions the day before an interview, to learn a bit about
my audience, so I asked the producer, "So what's the weather forecast
in Dublin?" asked.

"Oh it's horrible," she told me. "People are bracing for a deep winter
freeze that's supposed to hit tonight. It might even get as cold as
minus-5!"

This blew me away, that the folks in Dublin would be worried about the
thermometer dips as low as ours spikes high. After all, isn't Dublin
about the same latitude as Ottawa?

I whipped out my trusty atlas. We live almost exactly on the 45th
parallel. If we lived exactly on it, we would have to share our bed
with a cow and a dozen chickens across the road - that's how close we
are.

I turned the pages to find Ireland. Could I have been mistaken? Is
Dublin really quite south of us? No, it turns out that Dublin lies at
the 53rd parallel. Hey! They should

http://www.dontplayplay.com/html/Hum...929/25512.html

I used to live in Aberdeen and people down south would say "it
must be cold up there in the winter". Well, I've also lived in Southend,
Essex and I would say the winter temperatures in those two places are about
the same despite the latitude difference.

Well, I stayed in Edinburgh many times over a few winters (1993 - 1996) and
I can definitely say that the climate there was a lot, lot colder than what
I had been used to in Worcester. When I used to drive back to Worcester
after a few weeks' stay, it was like driving back into the tropics!

When a NE wind blew in from the Forth it brought a new definition to
perishing.
________________
Nick G
Otter Valley, Devon
83 m amsl
http://www.ottervalley.co.uk

"Ian Bingham" wrote in message
...

I'd be interested to know just
what the January mean temps are.

Ian Bingham.
Inchmarlo, Aberdeenshire.

Have a poke around at
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/...ges/index.html

Tom

Well, I stayed in Edinburgh many times over a few winters
(1993 - 1996) and I can definitely say that the climate there
was a lot, lot colder than what I had been used to in
Worcester. When I used to drive back to Worcester after a few
weeks' stay, it was like driving back into the tropics!

I remember learning at school that in Great Britain it was
east-west which affected the temperature rather than
north-south. Worcester is on the west of the landmass, and
Edinburgh on the east, so it's hardly surprising that Edinburgh
feels colder than Worcester.

It would be more relevant to compare the perceived temperature
in Worcester with that in Glasgow.

Anne

Anne Burgess wrote:

Well, I stayed in Edinburgh many times over a few winters
(1993 - 1996) and I can definitely say that the climate there
was a lot, lot colder than what I had been used to in
Worcester. When I used to drive back to Worcester after a few
weeks' stay, it was like driving back into the tropics!

I remember learning at school that in Great Britain it was
east-west which affected the temperature rather than
north-south. Worcester is on the west of the landmass, and
Edinburgh on the east, so it's hardly surprising that Edinburgh
feels colder than Worcester.


I remember being taught that as well but only in part. I remember having to
reproduce the 41F isotherm for January and 72F for July in exams fifty
years ago. The 41F isotherm ran W-E through the Western Isles then south
down the spine of the country before turning east through the Thames
Estuary. The 72F isotherm ran E-W from the Severn to Thames Estuaries.

In other words, the E-W split applies in the winter but is N-S in summer.

I wonder whether my memory's playing tricks over the January value? Perhaps
it was 45F.

It would be more relevant to compare the perceived temperature
in Worcester with that in Glasgow.

Anne

--
Graham P Davis, Bracknell, Berks., UK. E-mail: newsman, not newsboy.
"What use is happiness? It can't buy you money." [Chic Murray, 1919-85]

In article ,
Graham P Davis writes:
I remember being taught that as well but only in part. I remember having to
reproduce the 41F isotherm for January and 72F for July in exams fifty
years ago. The 41F isotherm ran W-E through the Western Isles then south
down the spine of the country before turning east through the Thames
Estuary. The 72F isotherm ran E-W from the Severn to Thames Estuaries.

In other words, the E-W split applies in the winter but is N-S in summer.

I wonder whether my memory's playing tricks over the January value? Perhaps
it was 45F.

My memory suggests 39F (4C).
--
John Hall
"Banking was conceived in iniquity and born in sin"
attributed to Sir Josiah Stamp,
a former director of the Bank of England