Weather World Wide

UK weather: England to bask in temperatures as high as 18C

nadrim — Sat, 19 May 2012 12:09:44 +0000

Prolonged cold snap could keep skiers on Scottish slopes until the end of next month – only time season lasted into June before was two years ago
Yellow weather warning in place for southern areas of England and Wales tonight and early tomorrow morning
Between 20 and 30mm of rain are set to fall in most parts of England, Wales and southern Scotland over the next two days, according to forecasters
High Street down 3.3% after wettest April on record dampens summer sales

By
Jill Reilly

PUBLISHED:

11:13 EST, 9 May 2012

|

UPDATED:

02:20 EST, 10 May 2012

Tale of two Britains: A great weather divide has split Britain, as Scotland and England bask and shiver greatly contrasting weather

A great weather divide has split Britain, as Scotland and England bask and shiver in greatly contrasting weather.

While temperatures in southern England are expected to soar to 18C over the next few days, Scotland is facing bitter winds, low temperatures and snowfall.

But England is not quite on the way to barbeque weather – despite the warm temperatures, heavy
rain is on the way and will likely to cross southern parts of England tonight.

The predicted rainfall has led the Met Office to
issue a yellow weather warning, for tonight and early tomorrow morning.

They stated that the ‘public should be aware
that this may lead to difficult driving conditions due to standing water
and surface spray and the possibility of localised flooding.’

Both northern England and Scotland
are facing flood fears, according to forecasters.

Heavy downpours have been forecast to
hit southern and central England and Wales today before moving north,
with as much as 60mm (2.4in) of rain predicted in Cumbria and areas of
southern Scotland by Friday.

A Met Office spokesperson said:

‘We’re in for some heavy rain so we have put out a weather warning out for southern areas of England and Wales from 7pm tonight to 9am tomorrow morning. There will be fairly strong gusts of up to 50mph in exposed areas.’

He said that temperatures were slightly above average in England for this time of year, and slightly cooler on average in Scotland.

Under cover: A woman pushes a child on a bike at The Royal Windsor Horse show in the grounds of Windsor Castle, Berkshire, which is continuing as normal despite the bad weather

Taking shelter: Katie Snelling, four, left, and Maddie Downton enjoy walking through the mud at The Royal Windsor Horse show while taking cover from the rain

Today’s top temperature was at
Manston in Kent which hit 17C and tomorrow East Anglia is expected to
bask in a predicted 18C-19C tomorrow. However Scotland is expected to remain in single figures.

However staff at the Cairngorm Mountain resort in
Scotland are celebrating the cold weather as this year with little in the way of snowfall, the resorts have struggled.

The only time the season has lasted into June before was two years ago, but staff are hoping for a repeat this year.

Cairngorms
marketing manager Colin Kirkwood told The Scotsman: ‘The late snow this
season has been a considerable boost for the business, after what had
been a very poor season.

Dark sky in Plymouth: But England is not quite on the way to barbeque weather – despite the warm temperatures, heavy rain is on the way and will likely to cross southern parts of England tonight

Rain ahead: Between 20 and 30mm of rain are set to fall in most parts of England, Wales and southern Scotland over the next two days, according to forecasters

HIGH STREET DOWN 3.3% AFTER WETTEST APRIL ON RECORD

Meanwhile figures revealed today that
the wettest April on record dampened demand for summer fashion as
retailers suffered their biggest sales falls for more than a year.

Like-for-like
sales dropped a ‘disappointing’ 3.3 per cent – the worst performance
since March 2011 – driven by “substantial” falls for clothes retailers
and the worst footwear trading since January 2008, the British Retail
Consortium (BRC) said.

The
trend was made worse because many shoppers had already splurged on
summerwear in March’s heatwave, while the period was up against tough
comparatives with the previous year when hot weather and the Royal
Wedding boosted sales of partywear and food.

Online
retailers also saw demand slow amid the dreary weather, while
supermarkets felt the pain despite the cold weather boosting sales of
winter warmers, such as hot drinks, porridge, meat for stewing and soup.

However,
there was a silver lining as sales of floor coverings and homewares,
such as bedding, linen and lighting, received a boost as the depressing
weather prompted people to give their homes a facelift.

‘We did not ski at all in March,
which is unheard of, so it has been great to have such good snow cover,
albeit late in the season.’

He added: ‘The forecast is for it to stay cold, with perhaps some significant snowfall tonight.’

Roughly
20mm and 30mm of rain are set to fall in most parts of England, Wales and
southern Scotland over the next two days, according to forecasters.

The predicted downpours follow a period of unsettled weather which has seen unusual storms hit parts of the country.

A
‘supercell’ storm travelled through the south Midlands earlier this
week, bringing rain, large hailstones, and a tornado in Oxfordshire.

The
thunderstorm started in Wiltshire, and moved across Oxfordshire – where
a tornado was reported in several places including Bicester, Eynsham,
and Kidlington – then moved to Buckinghamshire.

The
Met Office confirmed the UK had seen its wettest April on record, with
almost five inches (126.5mm) falling on average during the month.

The
amount was almost double the long term average for April of 69.6mm (2.7
inches) and outstripping the previous record set in 2000 by around 0.24
inches (6mm).

As a result of the rain a popular duck race had to be called off because it was too wet.

Hundreds
of visitors usually gather to cheer on 1000 plastic yellow ducks flow
along the River Colne in Lower Castle Park, Colchester, Essex.

The traditional event forms part of Colchester Lions Family Fun Day which raises money for charity.

But organisers had to cancel it because the ground was too waterlogged and river levels too high after torrential rain.

Local Lions treasurer Geoffrey Wilcox
said: ‘After visiting the park last week and consulting with Colchester
Borough Council we decided to cancel the event.

The Met Office’s three day weather forecast

‘The river was very high and coming over the side near Middleborough Bridge where spectators usually stand.

‘The fast current would also have swept the ducks away too quickly for us to follow.’

Numbered tickets corresponding to each duck are sold for £1 with cash prizes for the first three to complete the course.

‘It’s a shame because we usually raise about £2,500 for local charities,’ added Mr Wilcox.

The duck race has been rescheduled for September 9 to coincide with the town’s Classic Vehicle Show.

Article source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2141739/UK-weather-England-bask-temperatures-high-18C.html?ITO=1490

GD Fronabarger recalls 1949 tornado

nadrim — Sat, 19 May 2012 05:25:12 +0000

Garland D. Fronabarger recalls the tornado of 1949 that struck Cape Girardeau, Mo. during a 1983 interview. This audio slideshow includes photographs he took of the aftermath.

Crazy English weather – lightening storm

nadrim — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:27:00 +0000

Sudden storm in England. Storm of hailstones, thunder and lightening lasting 30 mins. 4th lightening strike caught on camera

Weather Watch: Rain showers here and there in US Midwest

nadrim — Fri, 18 May 2012 05:54:28 +0000

Thu May 17, 2012 9:00am EDT

UNITED STATES

Showers expected in Minnesota, northern Iowa, northern Nebraska and the Dakotas this weekend, bringing 1/2 to 1-1/2 inches of rain to those areas, said Joel Widenor, meteorologist with Commodity Weather Group.

The rest of the Midwest should be mostly dry during the next 10 days, although there is a chance for some light showers in the Ohio River Valley early next week. Soil moisture will need a boost in southern areas if rain does not develop, particularly if temperatures rise into the low 90s degrees Fahrenheit as expected.

Limited rainfall also seen in the southern Plains although Oklahoma and southeastern Kansas could see a few storms during the weekend, Widenor said. Moisture plentiful in northern Plains, good for development of the spring wheat crop.

A cold front swept through the Northeast overnight. High temperatures will be in the 50s and 60s from western Pennsylvania to Maine and in the 70s along the coast.

BLACK SEA REGION

Continued dryness in the Black Sea region to stress the early-headed winter wheat crop in southern Russia and Eastern Ukraine. Some light showers in the forecast for Thursday and Friday, but that will provide only temporary relief at best and more rain is needed.

Article source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/17/us-weather-watch-idUSBRE84G0PP20120517

Federal government spent nearly $70 billion on ‘climate change activities’ since 2008

nadrim — Fri, 18 May 2012 05:54:25 +0000

The Congressional Research Service estimates that since 2008 the federal government has spent nearly $70 billion on “climate change activities.”

Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Inhofe presented the new CRS report on the Senate Floor Thursday to make the point that the Obama administration has been focused on “green” defense projects to the detriment of the military.

The report revealed that from fiscal years 2008 through 2012 the federal government spent $68.4 billion to combat climate change. The Department of Defense also spent $4 billion of its budget, the report adds, on climate change and energy efficiency activities in that same time period.

Inhofe, the Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, argued that the expenditures are foolish at a time when the military is facing “devastating cuts.”

“[E]veryone agrees that energy efficiency in the military is a worthy goal,” he said. “In fact, I have been a strong supporter of some of DoD’s alternative energy solutions that are affordable and make sense, including their initiatives on non-algal bio-fuels and natural gas. But forcing our military to take money away from core programs in order to invest in unproven technologies as part of a failed cap-and-trade agenda is not only wrong, it’s reckless.”

Inhofe, who believes climate change is an unproven scientific theory at best and a hoax at worst, expressed concern about recent statements by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta expressing the department’s focus on making and keeping the military “green.”

Panetta’s comments came just two weeks prior to the Senate Armed Services Committee’s markup of the current Defense Authorization bill. During that markup, Inhofe said he plans to “put the spotlight on President Obama forcing his costly green agenda on DoD while [Obama] is gutting the defense budget.” He added his intention to introduce amendments to stop the administration’s green military plans.

“As President Obama’s war on affordable energy wages on there are real threats out there, and, contrary to Secretary Panetta’s remarks, man-made catastrophic global warming isn’t one of them,” Inhofe said.

The Oklahoma senator added that Panetta’s green focus reveals the administration’s true feelings about energy development.

“Secretary Panetta’s commitment of a billion dollars for alternative fuels makes clear that, despite President Obama’s recent change in rhetoric for his re-election campaign, he remains fully determined to implement his all-out attack on traditional American energy development — and the military is one place where he can force it to happen,” he said.

Inhofe noted “drastic” cuts in personnel, brigade combat teams, tactical fighters, and airlift aircraft DoD has undergone in the last four years, along with the cancellation or postponement of specialized ship and aircraft construction.

“Which would you rather have? Would you rather spend $4 billion on Air Force Base solar panels, or would you rather have 28 new F-22s or 30 F-25s or modernized C-130s?” he asked. “Would you rather have $64.8 billion spent on pointless global warming efforts or would you rather have more funds put towards modernizing our fleet of ships, aircraft and ground vehicles to improve the safety of our troops and help defend our nation against the legitimate threats that we face?”

According to Inhofe, Panetta’s focus on greening the military was a direct order from the White House — an order he should disobey.

“President Obama can write press releases for his lackeys but Secretary Panetta has an important job to do and doesn’t have time to be pandering to President Obama’s global warming fantasies or his ongoing war on affordable energy. He has a real war to win,” Inhofe concluded.

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