4wd

The intensity of a storm doesn't depend soley on how the Low the pressure is. Apart from not having the time it's pure nit-picking to gnash on about how a storm one year was maybe 2hPa lower at it's deepest - probably for only a couple of hours. I did know that late summer often brings storms into the arctic and they often become very slow moving. Wind speeds are the main factor in how 'stormy' a storm is, and they depend on pressure gradients - so a less intense low could easily produce stronger winds. Presumably the reason this 'unprecedented' business has been pushed so much is that they are trying to force feed (too much as usual) the concept of hitherto unknown warmth up there. In any case, won't a storm actually be sucking a vast amount of energy away from the water?

At this time of year the rate will drop off quickly with a wobbly period by month end with some minor gain then further slight loss. Initially plenty of days will beat the '31,000' . I still think it unlikely 2007 will be beat.

Dropping below freezing this week

I do wonder if this year will see an early minimum because one side is already pretty much melted as far as is likely.

The way those storms a moving like a chain means some places could get stupid amounts of rain.

I've no idea why you like to personalise the issue in this way, it doesn't make any difference what your evil deniers or rabid alarmists think or write in a blog - it will do whatever the physics of the situation dictate and most of that in any given season is a result of random variables. Looking at the cams which unlike previous years have not tipped into melt pools,all seems remarkably peaceful and frozen-looking despite the picture being painted of smashing cyclones and all the rest.

This suggests they don't understand the mechanism though. Anyone can extend the line on a graph but in nature most things follow undulating sine wave patterns.

You would think they would be more cautious with these rash predictions since they are easily picked up for mockery later. The models don't really have a handle on the main drivers which suggests to me they could as likely be wildly wrong altogether. It's very naive to point to graph showing steady decline and assume it will continue the same when the driving mechanism is not understood. It really isn't as simple as more CO2=warmer=less ice.

I disputed your assertion that the 20C temperature in one spot 'must be correct', even though everywhere else is at best barely above freezing. Are you still sticking to that?

There have been a few spots just now and temperature has dropped back to 16.5C We did get to 20.8C briefly which is the first day in this 'hot' spell above 20C Quite stiff wind from SE combined with threatening clouds does feel like rain is imminent.

SKS are obsessed with debunking anything remotely sceptical of AGW. Christy is well respected in his field and not an idiot or an oil industry patsy.

He's just plain wrong, grass copes well with drought compared to almost every other garden plant unless you plant cactus. You can let it go brown on the rare occasion anywhere other than the South East gets a few hot days, and it will be just fine come autumn It appears to be another propaganda piece.

Is this connected with a faulty buoy? There may be only one covering a large area. The averaging and smoothing seems to be struggling to cope with one data point showing an implausible sea-temp of about 15C In fact I think the epicenter is about 20C which is ridonckulous. You may have to agree with me here!

I keep seeing meadow browns which are not regulars here.

What 'action' on climate change would the self-appointed 'experts' recommend? Bear in mind that destroying the world economy is not a desirable or sensible option. The mind-numbing tirade of warming propaganda is never-ending but apart from a vague idea of evil capitalist consumerism being somehow to blame, the proponents have no realistic alternatives anyway. At least none that are even remotely politically acceptable.

This is a continued theme, any and every weather event being hyped up into 'evidence' of a strange new order in global climate. It's bordering on psychosis if you ask me. I think the loudest fans of the concept have had little interest in weather until recently, or are somehow unable to look at records? There have always been droughts, floods and storms but now an army of activists seem intent on trying to portray normal events as somehow unprecedented to scare people towards their alarmist position.

It will be very slow towards the end though, I fancy we will still not get below 2007.

It was cool here yesterday so not far to fall under clear skies overnight. Last year August 31st went down to 1.8C.

Calm and chilly night with minimum of 6.8C, now wind is brisk from east so doubtful we will top 20C despite good sunny spells.

These meteor showers are generally disappointing in my experience even if it's clear. I wouldn't make any special effort to go out looking anyway.

I thought this thread was supposed to be about news., not an opportunity to use the favourite denier term as often as possible.

17C max here, it was sunny most of the afternoon but NE wind off the sea so August or not it was cool.

Does look like a funnel cloud but tornado sounds more exciting for their headline!

Summers are cooling year on year, we rarely get near 25C here since 2005, whereas in the 1990s there were generally long runs of 25C+ days

We are in an ice age now and have been for 30 million years. The current situation with large ice sheets several KM thick in places is not the normal state of the planet http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/are-we-living-ice-age