Anyone who has been in Britain in the last few weeks would have experienced the biting cold, ice and snow. Some parts of Britain experiencing temperatures below that recommended for the refrigeration of food. In fact it was so cold my toilet froze over. In the midst of a world where global warming is on the lips of everybody this extend cold period could be confusing. Why is it cold?
First things first, this period of cold weather says nothing about climate change. I’m sure scientist could be found to argue that this cold snap disproves or proves the world is warming. The weather in the British Isles is largely affected by the atlantic ocean. The wind and rain that are strongly associated with Britain are caused by areas of warm low pressure blowing over from the west. Though we may usually associated wind and rain with the cold during truly cold periods the sky is often clear. A high pressure system of cold air is sitting over Britain blocking any warm atlantic air. The strange thing about weather is if this system of high pressure occurs in the summer, we have beautiful clear skies and scorching hot weather.
Weather is notoriously hard to predict, this cold period could abate in a few days or in a matter of weeks. The behaviour of high pressure systems and when they dissipate are not set in stone, remember a forecast is just an estimation, not a promise
Professor Simon
Simple Sci-man 