I am just beginning to wonder if there isn't an element of hyperbole
entering into the forecast presentations on BBC TV. The things I note
a

1. A tendency to pick out and highlight the very maximum temperatures,
even though the area they may cover might be a good deal less than the
UK as a whole. Thus cooler areas aren't really worth a mention as they
don't support the 'we're all doomed' scenario.

2. The whole country was now showing up as a gruesome red colour on the
1830 forecast despite the fact that some areas were clearly not going to
reach even 20C.

3. A possible bias towards the SE - granted population-wise the numbers
are greater, but there doesn't seem to be any caveat or report that e.g.
areas in the west may just be enjoying a normal Summer's day. Today on
the South Coast of Wales we hit a dizzying 23 and inland perhaps 25, but
then a moderate breeze kept even the hottest parts pretty comfortable.
Even if the temperatures are a bit higher than the last few Summers they
are nowhere near record breaking, and surely in line with a reasonable
Summer? Now when I was working the Grand Union a good few years ago and
the temperature hit 40 plus - THAT was interesting - but didn't really
trigger a panic attack.

I heard an interesting discussion about the way leaders have
historically reacted to difficult times, and I can't help but wondering
if we are all falling into a strange period where instead of simply
laying out the facts and ways of coping we seem to be creating a climate
of fear and panic with every little perturbation - could it be that we
are 'sexing up' the forecasts to suit a particular media agenda? Just a
thought.

James
--
James Brown