chrisbell-nottheweatherman

My ignore list only contains those whose weather-related posts don't add anything to the discussion or that are obviously intended to provoke a reaction, so you're safe! I sympathise regarding not liking something that someone else (in this case, me) wants to discuss, as I have tried, and failed on more than one occasion to get into football; sadly, I still find myself rapidly losing interest when I try to follow a match. It frustrates me as I don't want to seem like one of those pretentious types who feels superior to those around them due to their tastes being rareified and esoteric, but, just as you can't help finding motorsport boring, I can't generate any interest or pleasure in football. What makes it more confusing is that I enjoy rugby, in particular, union, which is, in the general scheme of things, not dissimilar.

Another aspect of the posts of some heat lovers that I find difficult to agree with is when they comment that the summer will be ruined if there are more than couple of wet, cool days or it doesn't hit 35C for at least 3 days in the Lake District or something along similar lines, when such events are rare in the UK. I'm not saying that, if that actually happens and you enjoy, it, you shouldn't comment on it, but expecting it seems unrealistic and as though you're inadvertently setting yourself up for disappointment, or, perhaps, that you enjoy complaining!

I have quite a lengthy ignore list - you, however, are not on it! I'm not sure that the "it rarely happens, so wanting it to verify is OK" argument really works, TBQH. Using my comparison to motorsport, the fact that most forms of motorsport these days are vastly safer than in 'the old days' doesn't reduce the tragedy of a fatality - if anything, it seems worse. I was fortunately not watching the Formula 2 round at Spa last August, but, had I been, I'd have been more shocked and saddened by the violent accident that killed one driver and badly injured another than if such events were commonplace, as they were before my time. It had a profound effect on the sport and raised questions as to whether the part of the circuit on which it happened, which is as iconic and spectacular a part of any circuit as you'll find anywhere, ought to be modified.

Don't think it was you, though I honestly can't recall who it actually was! Don't misunderstand me - I understand the desire to witness remarkable events, and I won't act as though I didn't find the hottest day ever in the region (when Cambridge Botanic Gardens made the headlines) exciting, but I was glad of rain and cooler conditions once that momentous occasion had happened. I always try to make it clear that I'm not trying to spoil the excitement of something that may not happen again, but my point is that it's different to wanting it to continue for days or weeks when the consequences are only going to get worse. I think there's an element of "I'm alright, so I don't care" to which we're all to some extent prone - while we don't have a wildfire approaching our house or a standpipe in the street, it's tempting for us to ignore the damage that a lengthy drought would cause, but, once the consequences affect us, we'd soon complain.

That's just the point, though - I'm not saying that wanting a few days of hot weather is somehow immoral, but there seems to be a syndrome here of "head in sand-itis" where members refuse to accept that extreme events have extreme consequences. I'm trying to suggest that enjoying some hot weather is fine, but wanting extreme heat or total drought for weeks on end with zero regard for the consequences is selfish. If we take the idea that we must not criticise someone for wanting extremes in their area of interest, we end up with motorsport fans like me being expected to support the desires of the minority who watch purely on the offchance of seeing a violent, possibly fatal accident, or aviation enthusiasts being expected to condone those who attend airshows wanting to witness a Shoreham-eque plane crash.

If the conditions they desired were equally extreme, yes. I consider an inch of snow that lasts a couple of days to be roughly equivalent to 30C+ for 3-4 days in terms of qualitative comparitive rarity and impact. Consider, though, that in the past month I have read complaints that 33C isn't hot enough, that 40C+ would be fantastic, and, most extreme of all, there was a post prior to last week's rainfall (which was much needed in eastern England) that the poster wanted there to not be a drop of rain anywhere in the Uk until autumn, which, as this was posted in early June, effectively meant nearly 12 weeks of total drought, which, I suspect, is almost unprecedented in the UK and which, after an extremely dry spring, would cause chaos for nature, agriculture and water supplies. I would argue that this would equate to a desire for a winter more extreme than that of 1947 or 1963, both of which caused food shortages, hardship and excess deaths.

I for one have never said that those who enjoy hot weather ought not do so. There's a difference between making the most of the weather conditions we experience, even if they are harmful to some, and actively wanting such things to happen. What would we think of a well-known stormchaser in the US if they expressed a desire for an EF5 tornado they're filming to hit a large city because they wanted to get spectacular footage of destruction, without any regard for the likely casualties? I would wager that most wouldn't hesitate to criticise their selfishness (and I'm not a gambling man), yet droughts and heatwaves, which can be equally dangerous (as the European heatwave of 2003 demonstrated) seem to be regarded differently. Were an EF5 tornado to hit a large city, I would not criticise a storm chaser for documenting the event, provided they rendered assistance to victims if it was safe for them to do so, and they do not sensationalise the tragic aspect of the situation for pleasure or profit, but that's different to commenting that they want a tornado they're filming to hit a heavily populated area while it's still over farmland. I'm not directly comparing such a situation to someone expressing a desire for an extreme heatwave, as the immediate consequences of the tornado are more obviously damaging, but the basic concept of understanding that extreme events have adverse consequences and that we ought to be careful what we wish for still applies.

Thanks - I'll give it a try. EDIT: Thanks - working fine, now.

Doesn't make any difference in Firefox, but in Chrome it's OK. Cheers.

My sympathies - that sounds awful.

I do think you're onto something regarding working conditions; I wonder how many of those who sneer at you for not appreciating really hot weather are desk pilots in air-conditioned offices? I did a research Masters for a year in a new building at UEA with fantastic air conditioning, though this was for a year July 2007 and July 2008, which, of course, was a period that saw two cool summers, but there were some warm/hot days, and I noticed how much 'brighter' I felt during the day than I had a few years earlier in an old lab during my third year research as an Undergraduate during the winter but with the heating turned up higher than it needed to be.

We've got a modern fan this year at least.

Do you have air conditioning? It's impractical for us as I'm disabled and the only place we could put an air conditioning unit is full of wheelchairs.

Might I seriously ask those Netweather members who are seemingly turned-on by extreme heat - do you somehow manage to sleep unimpeded in hot, humid conditions, or do you actually enjoy the experience?

Fake news - there are no downsides to heatwaves according to Netweather members!

Having some difficulties on Windows 10 laptop using Firefox - if I zoom out on the map in order to view the entire country, it zooms back onto my area after a couple of seonds, and the radar coverage area map sits centrally rather than being in a lower corner, which makes it obtrusive.

We had around 1mm earlier, but the 30mm from the other day has had a significant effect on our garden. I must say I don't like the sound of the expected hot and humid conditions later this week.

Thanks.

What's the CAPE value for south Norfolk/Norwich?

Unsurprising, but to be expected.

Thanks for the mention, mate - rain developed back down that line, to the point where we had some large, convective drops.

Rain has developed over us - large, convective drops, though it hasn't lasted for long.

We've just missed it by a few miles - I can see the cloud that's producing your rain as I type this.

We're developing light showers here which are intensifying as they move away from us to the north-west.

'Twas me being vague.