.... half-way through the month (approx.) and once again (as last
month/July), although the overall mean temperature [based on Hurn
data] is well above average, it's only because the *night*-time values
are heavily +ve (+1.8/w.r.t. 1971-2000), with the *day*-time maxima
running at -0.4degC.

At the same point in July, the 'split' was numerically exactly the
same +1.8min/-0.4max.

As of this morning, 6 out of 15 nights have had a local minima no
lower than 15°C.

Martin.


--
Martin Rowley
West Moors, East Dorset (UK): 17m (56ft) amsl
Lat: 50.82N Long: 01.88W
NGR: SU 082 023

Are the British Isles getting cloudier I wonder?
This would be consistent with GW and increasing specific humidity due to
warmer oceans.

Will
--

"Martin Rowley" wrote in message
...
... half-way through the month (approx.) and once again (as last
month/July), although the overall mean temperature [based on Hurn data] is
well above average, it's only because the *night*-time values are heavily
+ve (+1.8/w.r.t. 1971-2000), with the *day*-time maxima running
at -0.4degC.

At the same point in July, the 'split' was numerically exactly the same
+1.8min/-0.4max.

As of this morning, 6 out of 15 nights have had a local minima no lower
than 15°C.

Martin.


--
Martin Rowley
West Moors, East Dorset (UK): 17m (56ft) amsl
Lat: 50.82N Long: 01.88W
NGR: SU 082 023

"Will Hand" wrote in message
news
Are the British Isles getting cloudier I wonder?
This would be consistent with GW and increasing specific humidity
due to warmer oceans.


.... interesting thought: certainly *by day*, the sunshine is
struggling again this month (as last). Whether anyone's done a
specific analysis as to total (overnight) cloud cover in recent times
I'm not sure. Sort of thing we outstation forecasters used to do at
airfields ....

Martin.


--
Martin Rowley
West Moors, East Dorset (UK): 17m (56ft) amsl
Lat: 50.82N Long: 01.88W
NGR: SU 082 023

On 15 Aug, 12:12, "Martin Rowley"
wrote:
"Will Hand" wrote in message

news
Are the British Isles getting cloudier I wonder?
This would be consistent with GW and increasing specific humidity
due to warmer oceans.

... interesting thought: certainly *by day*, the sunshine is
struggling again this month (as last). Whether anyone's done a
specific analysis as to total (overnight) cloud cover in recent times
I'm not sure. Sort of thing we outstation forecasters used to do at
airfields ....

Martin.

--
Martin Rowley
West Moors, East Dorset (UK): 17m (56ft) amsl
Lat: 50.82N * Long: 01.88W
NGR: SU 082 023

Not the generally the case in the far SW this year (though it was more
so last. )

In fact anomlies a-

month Av Max Av Min
Jan +0.1 -1.2 (some exceptionally cold nights)
Feb +0.3 -0.6
Mar +1.1 -0.1
April +0.7 +0.3
May +0.8 +0.8
June +0.8 +0.4
July -1.1 +0.4
Aug +0.3 +0.3 (so far - rising rapidly)
Average +0.4 0.0

In fact there have been a number of notably cold nights this year,
including earlier this month.

(1971-2000 norms base on the old Penzance station until 1990, and then
mine. My current site is very close to the old official site.
Virtually the same alt & distance from the sea)

It is true to say that during the recent 'humid' spell, Penzance has
seen a good deal of sunshine whilst areas more exposed to the SW have
not, and therefore the maxima have been lower (though still a good
deal higher than last year!)

Graham
Penzance

Will Hand wrote:

Are the British Isles getting cloudier I wonder?
This would be consistent with GW and increasing specific humidity due to
warmer oceans.

Could also be explained by the cold pool to the west. A similar pattern in
july 71(?) led to an odd combination of cold, cyclonic, dry and dull
weather. As I recall, UK was covered with Sc most of the month.

--
Graham P Davis, Bracknell, Berks., UK. E-mail: newsman not newsboy
"I wear the cheese. It does not wear me."

Martin Rowley wrote:
... half-way through the month (approx.) and once again (as last
month/July), although the overall mean temperature [based on Hurn
data] is well above average, it's only because the *night*-time values
are heavily +ve (+1.8/w.r.t. 1971-2000), with the *day*-time maxima
running at -0.4degC.

At the same point in July, the 'split' was numerically exactly the
same +1.8min/-0.4max.

As of this morning, 6 out of 15 nights have had a local minima no
lower than 15°C.

Martin.



I think this summer will be remembered for it's high humidity. Nearly
every night in July and this month, I have to have a fan on me to go to
sleep. Even in the daytime the slightest work and I sweat buckets.

Joe Egginton
Wolverhampton
175m asl

On Aug 15, 12:52*pm, Graham P Davis wrote:
Will Hand wrote:
Are the British Isles getting cloudier I wonder?
This would be consistent with GW and increasing specific humidity due to
warmer oceans.

Could also be explained by the cold pool to the west. A similar pattern in
july 71(?) led to an odd combination of cold, cyclonic, dry and dull
weather. As I recall, UK was covered with Sc most of the month.

--
Graham P Davis, Bracknell, Berks., UK. *E-mail: newsman not newsboy
"I wear the cheese. It does not wear me."

I'm pretty certain that was 1972 which I remember as a
strange cool dry and cloudy summer.

Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, Surrey.

On 15 Aug, 15:07, Tudor Hughes wrote:
On Aug 15, 12:52*pm, Graham P Davis wrote:

Will Hand wrote:
Are the British Isles getting cloudier I wonder?
This would be consistent with GW and increasing specific humidity due to
warmer oceans.

Could also be explained by the cold pool to the west. A similar pattern in
july 71(?) led to an odd combination of cold, cyclonic, dry and dull
weather. As I recall, UK was covered with Sc most of the month.

--
Graham P Davis, Bracknell, Berks., UK. *E-mail: newsman not newsboy
"I wear the cheese. It does not wear me."

* * * * *I'm pretty certain that was 1972 which I remember as a
strange cool dry and cloudy summer.

Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, Surrey.

Yes, I think it was '72, wasn't that the year of the icebergs? I
remember June was particularly cool, with the temperature struggling
to exceed 15C.

I think recent 'cold pool' is simply down to the relatively stormy
conditions in mid Atlantic during late July in particular. It seems to
be shrinking now. The SST of west Cornwall is close to 18C, marginally
above normal, and the temperature at the buoys off the north Cornwall
coast are around 2C higher than at the same time last year. (Which
isn't saying much). .

Graham
Penzance

Graham Easterling wrote:

I think recent 'cold pool' is simply down to the relatively stormy
conditions in mid Atlantic during late July in particular. It seems to
be shrinking now. The SST of west Cornwall is close to 18C, marginally
above normal, and the temperature at the buoys off the north Cornwall
coast are around 2C higher than at the same time last year. (Which
isn't saying much). .

As the cold pool predated the July storms I think you might have the chicken
and egg the wrong way about. ;-)

It's more likely that the July storms were caused by the SST pattern - the
warm water south of 40N 40W providing the energy and the contrast with the
cold water to the north directing the storms towards the UK.

--
Graham P Davis, Bracknell, Berks., UK. E-mail: newsman not newsboy
"I wear the cheese. It does not wear me."

On Aug 15, 3:25*pm, Graham P Davis wrote:
Graham Easterling wrote:
I think recent 'cold pool' is simply down to the relatively stormy
conditions in mid Atlantic during late July in particular. It seems to
be shrinking now. The SST of west Cornwall is close to 18C, marginally
above normal, and the temperature at the buoys off the north Cornwall
coast are around 2C higher than at the same time last year. (Which
isn't saying much). .

As the cold pool predated the July storms I think you might have the chicken
and egg the wrong way about. ;-) *

It's more likely that the July storms were caused by the SST pattern - the
warm water south of 40N 40W providing the energy and the contrast with the
cold water to the north directing the storms towards the UK.

--
Graham P Davis, Bracknell, Berks., UK. *E-mail: newsman not newsboy
"I wear the cheese. It does not wear me."

Mention of 1972 reminded me of the Great Salinity Anomaly of the
1970s. This was a pool of cold fresh water which floated around in the
GIN (Greenland, Iceland and Norwegian) Seas. That originated in the
Fram Strait to the east of Greenland, but according to Belkin et al
1998
[See: http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=2390088 ]
there were others in the 1980s & 90s originating to the west of
Greenland.

My explanation for these features is that the fresh water from the
summer sea ice melt gets trapped as a shallow layer floating under the
ice. When the ice dam at the edge of the ice sheet breaks, this fresh
water then flows out. IMHO, the dam in the Fram Strait broke in the
1970s and in the Nares Strait early this year.

Does anyone know if the current cold anomaly is also fresh?

Cheers, Alastair.