Current alert level: Level 3 - Cold Weather Action
Issued at: 0813 on Sun 10 Mar 2013
There is a 100% probability of severe cold weather/icy conditions/heavy snow between 0800 on Sunday and 0000 on Thursday in parts of England. This weather could increase the health risks to vulnerable patients and disrupt the delivery of services. Please refer to the national Cold Weather Plan and your Trust's emergency plan for appropriate preventive action.
Becoming increasingly cold as a brisk northeasterly wind develops bringing a marked wind chill. Occasional snow showers to mainly eastern parts of England, although outbreaks of snow also likely across southwestern parts for a time during Monday. Towards the end of the week day time maximum temperatures are expected to gradually increase.
Met Office data show only a tiny change in world temperatures
Readers of this column do not need to be reminded why it is so important for us to know whether the world is truly in the grip of runaway global warming, or whether this belief has all been based on a colossal misreading of the scientific evidence. One reason why it is so vital for us to understand this, of course, has been all those devastating political responses to this fear, which promise to change our way of life out of recognition.
Just in Britain alone, paying for our Climate Change Act is officially due to cost us up to £18 billion a year. It is now driving our entire national energy policy, threatening us with ever more crippling bills, power blackouts, and the sight of our countryside being covered in ever more giant wind factories. In convincing the world that we must make such a dramatic response to man-made climate change, nothing has been more persuasive than those graphs that purport to show global temperature soaring to dangerous levels.
That iconic “hockey stick” graph, showing temperatures recently shooting up into the stratosphere, may now have been discredited. But just as important have been all those graphs showing how temperatures have changed in recent decades. These have the effect of greatly exaggerating those changes, by narrowly focusing just on what are called temperature “anomalies”, showing how they have risen and fallen round their average level in the past 30-odd years.
WINTER is roaring back with a vengeance this weekend as freezing temperatures bring another blast of snow.
Days after Britain enjoyed a glimpse of spring, bitterly cold winds will sweep in from Scandinavia.
The dramatic shift to temperatures as low as -7C (19F) comes less than a week after parts of Wales hit 64F.
Last night forecasters warned parts of the UK could see several inches of snow by Monday with up to eight inches possible on very high ground.
Widespread frosts and icy roads could cause hazardous driving conditions and areas not hit by snow are expected to get heavy rain with the risk of flooding.
The Government has put the UK on a level-2 cold weather health alert until Tuesday, warning of extreme cold and travel disruption. The Met Office issued severe weather warnings for snow over the next three days, with the South-west most at risk.
In response to our complaint to an article by James Delingpole in the Daily Mail on 10 January 2013 the Daily Mail has now published a response from the Met Office Chairman on its letters page.
Met Office mettle
James Delingpole’s views misrepresent the Met Office’s reputation for world-class weather and climate forecasting and research (Mail). The UK can be rightly proud that the Met Office is among the world’s top two national weather forecasting services.
We’re proud that, in independent surveys, more than 90 per cent of the public regard our warnings as useful and more than 80 per cent of the UK public trust our forecasts and warnings. This respect for our professionalism and impartiality has been built over 150 years of forecasting for the nation.
We aim to use our world leading scientific expertise to protect life and property and increase prosperity and wellbeing right across the UK. We provide impartial services ranging from forecasts and warnings to the public, services to transport operators, so we can fly, drive or sail safely, and advice to the energy, retail and health sectors so we can all go about our daily lives safely and efficiently.
We’ve had some very mild conditions this week with welcome sunshine pushing temperatures into the high teens. However, in a classic spring swing, colder weather is on the way as we head into the weekend.
By Saturday, we will see a return of easterly winds which will bring in much colder air from Scandinavia and Eastern Europe. Snow is expected across some eastern parts of the country over the weekend. By the start of next week, most of the UK will see daytime highs in low single figures with some frosty and icy nights.
There is an 80% probability of severe cold weather/icy conditions/heavy snow between 1200 on Saturday and 0800 on Tuesday in parts of England. This weather could increase the health risks to vulnerable patients and disrupt the delivery of services. Please refer to the national Cold Weather Plan and your Trust's emergency plan for appropriate preventive action.
Turning colder over the weekend as cold air spreads south across the country during Saturday. Also during Saturday, a band a rain will move south across England and rain is expected to turn increasingly to sleet or snow down to low levels by the evening. Further snow showers are expected to follow into some eastern parts with a risk of a period of heavier snow affecting the far south on Sunday night. The cold weather will also be exacerbated across all areas for a time by brisk easterly winds bringing a marked wind chill. This spell of cold weather is expected to last across most areas until at least Tuesday and perhaps longer.
Click source for more from the Met Office and also see below for what Piers Corbyn and WeatherAction.com had to say about the same period at the start of March!!!!
In 2008, Britian’s Met Office noted a 10-year pause, or sharp slowing, in the warming trend and asked this question in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’ annual State of the Climate:
Do global temperature trends over the last decade falsify climate predictions?
No, it decided. Global warming models wouldn’t be clearly wrong until the pause lasted 15 years:
Observations indicate that global temperature rise has slowed in the last decade… The simulations rule out (at the 95% level) zero trends for intervals of 15 yr or more, suggesting that an observed absence of warming of this duration is needed to create a discrepancy with the expected present-day warming rate.
Werner Brozek checks the latest data for warming trends:
On all data sets below, the different times for a slope that is at least very slightly negative ranges from 4 years and 7 months to 16 years and 1 month.
BRITAIN is braced for winter to roar back next week with freezing temperatures and up to eight inches of snow.
Temperatures are expected to plunge lower than -10C (14F) as a bitter Arctic blast sweeps in from Sunday, experts have said. They warned the UK will be plunged back into “mid winter” with at least a week of shivering Arctic hell set to cause chaos.
It could be the end of the month before any turnaround in the weather with weeks of cold winds, frosts and “significant” snow on the way. The Met Office said a fierce blast will sweep in from northern Europe on Sunday bringing up to eight inches of snow on very high ground.....
....Jonathan Powell, forecaster for Vantage Weather Services, said the worst of the weather will arrive on Sunday night.
He said Britain faces a week of bitter cold winds with snow across much of the UK and daytime and overnight temperatures hovering around freezing.
BRITONS enjoying a taste of spring were warned last night that winter has a final blast in store – with freezing conditions returning next week.
Forecasters said it could be the beginning of next month before the cold weather bows out for good. Today will see temperatures hit a relatively balmy 61F (16C) in places. But the message from the Met Office was: “Enjoy it while you can.”
An Atlantic low-pressure system will bring strong winds and rain from Thursday. And the temperature will plunge from the weekend, bringing widespread frosts, bitter gales and possibly snow on high ground.
Forecaster Dan Williams said: “Temperatures today will feel quite spring-like. But we do have a marked change later in the week as a wet and windy Atlantic system moves in. “It is going to be unsettled by Wednesday and temperatures will be below-average next week. There is an increased chance overnight frosts and snow in some places.”
Jonathan Powell, of Vantage Weather Services, said bitter winds will send temperatures plunging below freezing next week. And heavy rain from Thursday will bring a risk of flooding. He added: “Next week will see winter take its final bow. It follows some particularly wet and windy weather at the end of this week, with persistent rain and winds hitting 60mph.
THE coldest weekend of the year brought a warning last night that the prolonged freeze is claiming thousands of lives.
As biting winds brought temperatures down as low as -15C (5F) the Met Office upgraded its Level Two health alert to the more serious Level Three.
Charities warned that the toll of weather-related deaths among the elderly is soaring as the bitter cold, combined with record energy prices, leaves many struggling to survive. The National Federation of Occupational Pensioners said deaths among its members had doubled since the New Year.
It warned that as many as 26,000 elderly people could die this winter, the worst death toll since 2008/09.
Chief executive Malcolm Booth said: “Horrendously, deaths among our members are more than double the average so far this year.
» News articles may contain quotes, these are copyright to the respective publication which will be stated, along with a link to the source article where available.
» If you feel your copyright has been violated please contact us and the article will be removed or amended at your request.
Articles Recently Viewed
3,468
Donations
» Please support the site by making a donation. No matter how big or small, your contribution helps to support the cause.
Met Office data show only a tiny change in world temperatures 
WINTER is roaring back with a vengeance this weekend as freezing temperatures bring another blast of snow.
In response to our complaint to an article by James Delingpole in the Daily Mail on 10 January 2013 the Daily Mail has now published a response from the Met Office Chairman on its letters page.
THE coldest weekend of the year brought a warning last night that the prolonged freeze is claiming thousands of lives.
Tweet Article
Post to Facebook
Print Article