On Fri, 7 Nov 2003 12:26:53 -0000, "Philip Eden" philipATweatherHYPHENukDOTcom
wrote:


"david jordan" wrote in message
...
Could someone please explain to me why we are breaking records this
November?? surely we have had strong southerlies in Nov from the exact
same
location as they are blowing from now? so can anybody just explain why its
proving to be warmer this year than in any past events

But we're not. Not if you take a long view. Sure, some short period
records have gone, but that's bound to happen on a regular basis.

Yesterday's highest in the UK to hand was 18.8ºC at Northolt.
In the last 100 years 18ºC has been reached in 49 Novembers
somewhere in the UK, 19ºC in 19 Novembers, and 20ºC in
four, and 21ºC in two.

Even the heavily quoted Heathrow record yesterday was not
really unusual ... 18.4ºC beat the record of 18.3ºC set in
Nov.1984, there was an 18.2ºC in 1994, and 18.1ºC in 1996 and
an 18.0ºC in 1982. And the London Weather Centre had 19.2ºC
on 3rd November 1994.

There is a fairly obvious journalistic "spin" put on weather records as they
help to fill column inches when journos run out of Royal Family/sport type
stories.

Thank goodness we haven't yet picked up on the slightly ludicrous American habit
of having records for a specific date.

JPG




Philip Eden