Len Wood wrote:
On Jan 25, 4:31 pm, Nicholas wrote:
I have just seen it advertised by Channel 4 that they are showing a
programme called Britain's Big Freeze tonight at 8pm. Channel 4 did
exactly the same thing last year despite last winter been only
slightly below average temperatures.
I think they are exaggering this winter a bit, even though it has
been cold, where I live has escaped most of the snow although many
other parts of the country haven't.
It should be worth watching and recording. However. if it is a
similar programme to last year it may not be worth recording as I
think Channel 4 exaggerated last year's winter.

Nicholas

Quite a good programme with some nice pics from previous severe
winters.

Alex Hill was raising the excuse for dodgy seasonal forecasts on
probabilities. Nice cop out. Of little interest to the public of
course. Perhaps they should only issue a forecast in that case, if the
probabilty is going to be greater than 80% for warm/cold , or wet/dry.

I have another gripe:
Sarah Davies (Met Office) churned out the old chestnut:
'Britian is kept warm most winters because we have the Gulf
Stream....so for our latitude we are quite mild compared with the rest
of the world'.
Mostly untrue.

Britain is kept warm because we are downwind of the relatively warm N.
Atlantic. Labrador at the same lat. on other side of the ocean is
downwind of the cold N. American continent.
It is the prevailing westerly winds that keep us warm. The Gulf Stream
plays only a small part in comparison.

But surely we are considerably warmer due to the Gulf Stream/
North Atlantic Drift (call it what you will) due to those westerly
winds blowing over it than if those winds didn't have such a warm
current to pass over?
I'm wondering about coastal British Columbia, the latitude
equivalent of the UK on the western side of North America.
Oceanic westerly winds yes, but no eqivalent warm current
to the North Altantic Drift. I'm sure this area isignificantly cooler
than the UK.
--
Col

Bolton, Lancashire
160m asl