....do people think this type of weather is here for every winter?......
Impossible to say!.
Climatology and
Meteorology are two separate sciences, although very closely related. Even hardened sceptics accept that the climate is becoming warmer, but the meteorologists are still uncertain as to how that warming will effect the weather. We can add to this the unpredictability of the two most influencial components of the British weather, the flow-rate of the Atlantic Conveyor (Gulf Stream) and the wanderings of the high altitude Jet Stream.
From
'The Independent' ten years ago:
"According to Dr David Viner, a senior research scientist at the climatic research unit (CRU) of the University of East Anglia, within a few years winter snowfall will become "a very rare and exciting event".
"Children just aren't going to know what snow is," he said.
David Parker, at the Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research in Berkshire, says ultimately, British children could have only virtual experience of snow. Via the internet, they might wonder at polar scenes - or eventually "feel" virtual cold.
Clearly, they were wrong, and that's what happens when climatologists encroach upon the meteorologists territory. My own concerns are not about the severity of recent Winters, but the length, and this one is going to be depressingly long. There is an old saying which goes something like:
"If November ice can stand a duck, the rest of the Winter will be mud and muck" (There is no historical evidence to support this.
)
Winter tyres.
These can give around ten times more grip on ice, snow or wet roads compared to normal tyres. Those who follow Grand Prix racing will know of the different rubber compounds used in the tyres. The reason we don't use Winter tyres is simple, we're lazy!. We would much rather wait for somebody to clear the snow away than do something about it ourselves.
So, what does the future hold?.
There was a brilliant program on the telly a few years ago. Scientists discovered clear evidence from Polar ice cores, that the transition from 'normal' weather to a mini ice-age can be as short as eight years. Is that the way we are going now?.
All the best
Bob
