Relativistic

A station a short drive from me (Writtle) hit 33C earlier, standing or moving around in the hot sunshine was quite unbearable. I don't welcome heat like this but I'm not usually one to say that it's unbearable, but today it really was. Can't wait for it to sod off and cool down, and hopefully it will go out with a bang (although that never seems to happen).

As is usual for this competition, I'll let my heart do the talking. 11.1C for me please.

Based on these estimates, the week-long period commencing on the 22nd would have a CET of 21.1C, and would make it one of the hottest August weeks on record. Only six years are able to match or beat this figure, those being 1893, 1911, 1975, 1995, 1997, and 2003. The hottest ever such period is tied between 5th-11th August 2003, and 3rd-9th August 1975, with CETs of 22.3C. If the forecast for the week commencing on the 22nd were to come off, it would be really quite remarkable given how late it is. The next warmest August week to start as late or later was 25th-31st August 1930, with a CET of 19.9C (miles behind!), followed closely by 22nd-28th 1955, and 23rd-29th 1990, both of which were 19.8C.

A latitudinal kilometre will look shorter in Scotland though because the viewpoint is more directly above the south, making Scotland much closer to the horizon (we're on a spherical surface) and thus appearing shorter. And as mentioned, a longitudinal kilometre will appear longer on a flat map of Scotland because of the distortion problems introduced when having to turn a spherical surface into a flat surface. It's an interesting point though, and I actually agree that the BBC should revert back to the old, flat-style map, as opposed to a curved map that is viewed inexplicably at an angle that favours the south. You're last point about the temperatures of inland locations is totally understandable.

Because Scotland is further north the flat map you have overlaid makes Scotland appear much wider than it actually is. The map the BBC use is supposed to make it look as if the British Isles sit on a curved spherical surface, which is exactly true of course. I think what's wrong is the angle; the BBC's map is being looked at from more directly above the south than the north, and so Scotland appears further away and therefore "shorter". I think the reason for being more centred over the south is probably due to the larger population that exists there, but I am surmising here.

Or maybe there are people on here who appreciate the current spell of weather more than any other kind in Summer? Many are extremely grateful not to be experiencing a repeat of 2006 or 1995.

Any need for that? Move somewhere else if you don't like it. This Summer feels so normal to me, even on the warm side. People are overreacting. I'm sick of the moaning on here, it's all so childish. Maybe I should take my own advice and get away from this thread.

Bang on really. I think this is down to the unusual spell of hotter, dryer Summer months (more so July and August) that occurred when a lot of people on here were growing up. Let's look at CET averages for July and August. July mean 1981-2010: 16.7C July mean 1951-1980: 15.9C July mean 1921-1950: 16.3C August mean 1981-2010: 16.4C August mean 1951-1980: 15.6C August mean 1921-1950: 15.9C Since 1980 we have seen 4 of the 10 warmest Julies ever (1983, 1995, 2006, 2013), including the two warmest (1983 and 2006). Since 1980 we have seen 4 of the 10 warmest Augusts ever (1990, 1995, 1997, 2003), including the two warmest (1995 and 1997). Now let's look at the EWP for England and Wales. July mean 1981-2010: 67.3mm July mean 1951-1980: 69.5mm July mean 1921-1950: 80.0mm August mean 1981-2010: 75.6mm August mean 1951-1980: 86.1mm August mean 1921-1950: 81.6mm Since 1980 we saw the 10th driest July ever (1999), and 3 of the 10 driest Augusts ever (1991, 1995, 2003), including the driest ever (1995). Clearly something changed in the period 1981-2010, and people's expectations changed. What we are seeing now may actually be much more "normal" for the UK.

That sounds utterly horrendous. My ideal Autumn would be September 1807, followed by October 1740, and then by November 1782.

The last time the days were this long I was seeing regular snow showers.

No, we don't, not permanently at least. The SO2 particles would take about a year to fall back down to the ground once released into the stratosphere, so very unlike CO2 which sticks around in the troposphere. Perhaps a good course of action to take would be this: - Decide on the safest timescale over which we would like to return the Arctic ice pack to a safe extent (the ideal extent would also have to be decided upon, e.g. a 7 000 000 km² September minimum). - Calculate the stratospheric SO2 concentration that would have to be maintained over said timescale to achieve the required extent. - Begin the process of dispersing SO2 into the stratosphere, until we reach the required concentration. - Maintain this concentration by matching the SO2 dispersion rate with the rate at which stratospheric SO2 falls to the ground. *** - Simply switch off the SO2 supply after the timescale is up, and allow the SO2 remaining in the stratosphere to steadily fall to the ground over the course of a year. *** At this point, we should spend a great deal of time on designing and implementing CO2 capture methods. The great thing about a "stratoshield" is just how cheap it is. A figure I read a while ago for implementation costs was as little as $250 million, far far cheaper than any of the alternatives. I will dig around for the figure to corroborate this.

Yes, some of us do enjoy the prospect of cool uppers and unseasonably cool weather. I am a huge fan. Why? Because it is becoming extremely rare these days to achieve record cold away from the Winter months (and even here I think our days are numbered). The final third of July 2015 was amazing for its exceptional coolness, and the very cold end to April this year was also a nice surprise. That's all we have had since July 2015. In the same time, we have seen record heat in July 2015 (hottest July day ever), one of the mildest Novembers ever recorded, the mildest December of all time, record mildness in January, record heat in May, and record heat in July just gone also. I was gutted to see that the "Arctic armageddon" that was being modelled earlier this month never really happened, because these things almost never do happen nowadays, especially in Summer. The coldest Summer of recent times, 2011, didn't even make the top 100 coldest on the CET. This is why I want unseasonable coolness, in the future it might not even be possible. It makes such spells much more meteorologically interesting when they do happen. Quite frankly, I'm bored of record heat.

Reading about Reading's meteorology course when I was deciding between meteorology, maths, and physics actually put me off! It was a good decision, I'm now doing theoretical physics and I absolutely love it. Having said that, I think if Reading still offered the meteorology and physics course when I was applying I would have gone for it, nowhere else offers it as far as I know. Back to Summer, and today was actually just how I like it. Walked a long way today, usually I'm used to coming home soaked in my own perspiration, but today was much more comfortable. Breezy, 17-19C, and no baking hot sunshine either. Perfect!

That's more like it! It's fine to disagree as long as you ask the right questions, raise the right points, and do so in a polite manor. Some people just want to slag each other off, rubbish ideas without adding much substance, or give pointless one liners. That's what I was alluding to when I mentioned "a lack of maturity".

The behaviour of some people on this thread makes me sad. Such a lack of maturity.

Is TORRO what you're looking for? http://www.torro.org.uk/extreme_info.php The coldest recorded August minima were all registered after the 20th, it would be impressive if we could challenge them at a much earlier stage of the month. AUGUST: - 4.5 23.9 Lagganlia (Highland) 21 Aug 1973 - 4.4 24.1 Grantown on Spey 21 Aug 1973 - 3.3 26 Inverdruie (Highland) 21 Aug 1973 - 3.4 25.9 Kinbrace (Highland) 25 Aug 1986

Another plume being modelled for Monday to Wednesday next week. On Wednesday we have a 99% full Moon. Assuming it occurs as forecast, that'll be another one to add to the list.

Odd, the addresses are different. Hopefully this should show max figures. http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/hadobs/hadcet/cet_info_max.html In response to Cheese (can't quote for some reason), June may not have been "good" in the opinions of many, but my point is that Summer 2016 as a whole, including June, hasn't been cool. Cloudy yes, but still warm.

The stats speak for themselves: CET Min: http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/hadobs/hadcet/cet_info_min.html CET Max: http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/hadobs/hadcet/cet_info_max.html Both appreciably above average, ergo a warm Summer.

It's been said before, but this Summer has not been cool, CET maxima and minima were above average in June and July. August has hitherto been going the same way.

Ah, how can I forget February 2012! The first two weeks were bitterly cold. This is reflected in the CET value, which was 0.0C to the 14th. The running CET figure (i.e. the CET figure up to that date) was sub -1C from the 2nd through to the 5th, and also on the 11th. The reason for this was an extension of the Siberian high well into western Europe, drawing raw, dry Siberian air over the UK. Here in Essex this resulted in numerous cold, clear and crisp days, with maxima below or just above freezing. On the night of the 4th and into the 5th we had a respectable snowfall, bringing 5" of level snow. Lying snow persisted for a over a week. The days of the 10th and the 11th, and the morning of the 12th were clear and cold, with overnight lows on the 11th and 12th reaching as low as -13C in the region. I also saw freezing rain on the 12th. The thaw arrived on the 14th/15th. This led onto the second half of February 2012. From the 15th onwards almost everyday reached double figures, more often than not in the low to mid teens. I have memories of sitting outside at school lunchtimes without a blazer on in the sunshine, in February! It was an incredibly mild (warm even) end to February, and of course this warmth lasted into March for another memorable month. It was a real shame because early on in the month the Met Office were suggesting that the weather would go one of two ways after mid month; it would either continue to be bitterly cold, or it would become substantially warmer, and unfortunately for Winter lovers things went the wrong way. But it still made the month stick in my memory as being one of incredible contrast, split down the middle into two completely opposite halves. CET: 1st-14th Feb 2012: 0.0C 15th-29th Feb 2012: 7.6C Overall: 3.8C, bang on the 1961-90 mean, the two halves cancelling each other out completely.

Really not liking the look of this plume that's being modelled. Far too hot.

Haven't had permanent astronomical twilight here for nearly three weeks now. Looking out on a clear night like tonight one can certainly see just how black the sky looks, as opposed to the deep, inky blue of astronomical twilight.

Had this beauty fly in the other night, think it's called a red underwing. Also had an enormous old lady moth the night before. Woke me up at 3am because of the sound of it crashing around my room.

The only way? What is so difficult (in a relative sense) about dispersing some sulphur dioxide into the stratosphere? We are easily capable. The other thing to bear in mind is this: if we were to completely halt our emissions today, greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere are still dangerously above their prior equilibrium state. The Arctic is suffering, the damage is being done as we speak. The positive feedback loop of ice melt ---> warmer Arctic ---> more ice melt ---> warmer Arctic, etc. seems to be underway already, and unless we attempt to mitigate Arctic warming totally I just don't see how (unless their is a very potent natural intervention) this process can be reversed..