The myth continues

I know it's been a fair while since the last posting but important research needed to be undertaken, meaning that time was limited. Anyway never mind. Now with time pressures not so extreme I can devote at least some attention to outlining the many many inconsistencies that plainly illustrate that this planet is far from heating up to the point where we shall resemble the steaming cauldron of a planet - our nearest neighbour Venus, where a cool day comes in at a positively mind boggling 700 degrees centigrade.

Anyway it's time to take stock and summarise world weather since the last posting. This can quite easily be described as unremarkable and very ordinary. For example the summer in the British Isles arrived in name only with wet and cool conditions and temperatures that were lower than the so called norm. This was largely because of winds that were predominantly of a northern direction, in contrast to the year before when they were predominantly from the south.

Further afield we had the occasional heatwave in the Mediterranean, and most especially Greece where fierce forest fires - deliberately lit - created widespread disruption with many deaths. However this is Greece, traditionally hot in summer, in a way that has continued for many centuries. Parts of the USA also experienced heatwave conditions, which in this present climate were exaggerated to fit the pattern of that highly esteemed new age religion of Global Warming.

Anyway so much for the summary. But what about now??

Again nothing remarkable for this time of year. Northern Europe is under the grips of intense cold, which even extends to more southern areas with significant snow falls in Greece and Spain, and nothing much of note in other parts of the world. Quite how this squares with either a pattern of disastrous Global Warming or even the faintest glimmer of proof that could support Climate Change is up to the seriously deluded to decide. Meanwhile freezing temperatures and apparent normality elsewhere speak volumes for the rest of us. In short nothing unusual.

Despite this the powers that be wring their hands in glee. The Climate Change hysteria continues in overdrive and governments as well as the press everywhere continue to trumpet the mantra of carbon footprints and the inevitable taxes that will shortly follow to save the planet. In fact we would go so far as to say that never in the modern history of the world has such a half baked argument ever been pedalled with the same maniacal, religious zeal, with so little evidence to support it, and with such great success in convincing the masses

Cold, heat, rain, blizzards, heatwaves and cold snaps have always been the way of the worlds climate. Sometimes one or other elements of this pattern predominates, creating the illusion of permanent change, but which actually represent no more than one more cycle, either longer or shorter of world climate that has always been subject to change. This is the way it has always been and the way it always will be.

Strange migrations.

A lot has often been made of the fact that so called warm water creatures are appearing much further north than is normal. For example Mediterranean fish caught in British waters, or even birds spotted much further north of their habitual domain. For the advocates of Global Warming this is firm evidence in support of their claims of human induced climate changes.

But is it?

As frequent visitors to this site will know, we are firmly of the belief that temperature anomalies, are solely the result of changed winds, bringing warmer, or even colder winds and temperatures to places where such creatures are far from the norm. Moreover winds and sea currents often act in tandem, with one having a very definite effect on the other. It follows then that changed wind patterns will also result in changed sea currents, and in the Pacific Ocean this is most demonstrably the case. However this is very much a world-wide phenomenon with changed sea currents bringing a new wealth of life to areas they would not normally frequent.

Hence there is no great mystery to fish or birds being found far from their normal habitat. Nor does it imply these will be long term changes: Simply that for the moment ocean and wind conditions allow for an overlap of species in either direction. Moreover this is a process that has existed for a very long time and is certainly nothing new. For example even as far back as the 1960’s fishermen in the Mediterranean often caught or witnessed fish species traditionally to be found in much more northern climes. Those with especially long memories will recall that this was a period when Global Cooling was all the rage. The experts of the day had decided - through equally feeble evidence as now supports Global Warming - that we were headed for the next Ice Age.

And it wasn’t only fish that were being caught out of place. Reliable sightings were often made of Puffins seen on Mediterranean shores, but these sightings were dismissed by experts as impossible: Dismissed that is until years later when the so called experts began to see the Puffins for themselves.

It seems obvious that a much wider migration of species into non traditional climes has existed for a much longer period than the current furore over Global Warming. It is also apparent that creatures will follow new wind and sea currents and quite naturally will want to explore new horizons while the opportunity exists. Before long however changing circumstances will bring a stop to these migrations or else encourage other species to explore previously closed domains. In other words this is an entirely natural development that is a sign of nothing other than periodically changing wind and sea currents in a way that has been going on for countless millennia.

Extreme flooding follows reduced Solar flare activity.

Some weeks ago we mentioned the possibility of disturbed, extreme or unusual weather patterns that we felt may arise as a result of lowered Solar flare activity. To some extent or other this has persisted for around three weeks.

For us this was cause for concern because previous spells of lowered Solar flare activity earlier in the summer were later followed by extreme weather conditions in numerous countries, including the British Isles where estimated damage ran into many millions of dollars. This time reduced flare activity has extended for even longer, and once again the world has witnessed extremes of conditions.

As reported in an earlier post the Far East, including India, China, Bangladesh, and Vietnam have been especially badly hit with some of the worst ever monsoon flooding in recorded memory. Meanwhile in Europe particularly heavy flooding has resulted in severe disruption within numerous Balkan nations, including Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey. Flash floods also hit areas of Spain, and in the USA New York was lashed by hefty downpours after a stifling heatwave.

Once again as on previous occasions of lowered Solar flare activity we see an astonishing concentration of floods and extreme weather within a relatively short time period, and inevitably this hints at a single causal factor. Of course there have been those who have rushed to attribute these events to Global warming or Climate Change. Reassuringly however people are beginning to wise up a little and see things differently. Meteorologists for example speak of a new La Nina wave attributed to a cooling of the Eastern Pacific, which has long been known as a source of disturbed or unusual weather patterns. This certainly is one cause of these latest anomalies, but we believe that the determinative factor in all of this is the actions of the Sun, or more precisely the lack of Solar flare activity, which time after time is followed by extreme events here on Earth. Events that we actually predicted would happen some time ago.

It doesn’t get anymore ridiculous.

Theories, suspicions and counter arguments regarding Global Warming and Climate Change, can surely never get anymore ridiculous than claims highlighted in an article published in the Times of London. In this article an environmentalist is quoted as saying that driving your car to the shops is less injurious to the atmosphere than walking there.

The reasoning behind this blindingly facile argument is that people expend so much energy in going to the shops that they eat more, and therefore consume more food. This in turn leads to more food purchases from an industry that according to the article is top heavy in terms of environment harming processes - far more it claims than the fumes emitted from ones car.

Perhaps the theorist involved failed to consider that people who walk more and exercise more, may also be more inclined to take more rests, thereby minimising their use of devices that place a strain on the use of natural resources. Above all features like this illustrate that when people’s minds become preoccupied, or in this case obsessed with a particular theory then all sorts of junk begins to take root. And just wait: In time these inane ramblings will themselves become backed up by equally ludicrous measures that will likely tax the amount of walking or exercise we are likely to do in order to prevent undue food consumption. Couldn’t happen? You bet your **** it could. Just wait and see!!! It also illustrates that when people part company from common sense and create a situation of self imposed logic then there’s no telling how perverse a world we might create.

For more on this article please turn to the link below:
The environmental harm of walking to the shops.

Heavy rains cause 2 million evacuees in China

For some time we have been warning that reduced Solar Flare output was likely to lead to extremely disturbed weather patterns in some parts of the world. Very shortly after this China was hit by some of the worst floods in living memory. These led to widespread disruption with around 2.5 million people forced to evacuate their homes, as well as causing at least 500 deaths.

Authorities believe that the intense flooding has yet to peak and are warning of potentially even more disastrous consequences in the days and weeks ahead.

Inevitably there were the usual murmurs of Climate Change being responsible, but the evidence suggests otherwise. In fact once again the culprit was quite simply a collision of winds with warmer air colliding with cooler winds from the north that produced particularly long and explosive downpours.

Stronger than usual monsoon rains also brought extensive flooding to large parts of India and Bangladesh.

For more information on the full severity of the Chinese flooding please turn to the following link:
Chinese floods.

In Greece meanwhile the intense heatwave that brought highly unpleasant conditions only around a week ago at last began to subside. But was this because the swirling clouds of carbon dioxide had spread their influence elsewhere or was there a more mundane explanation? Yes you guessed right - there is. Once again it comes down to a simple change of wind direction as a north westerly air flow brought more bearable conditions to the country.

Elsewhere Britain still struggled to live up to the name of summer, with a relatively indifferent spell of weather, that was at least a respite from the intense rain and flooding of the previous week. Once again this was hardly evidence of run away Global Warming, though we can well expect that despite this lousy weather official temperatures will still somehow be quoted as "warmer than average" Yeah right!!!

Extreme or unusual weather on its way.

The likelihood of even more unsettled or extreme weather conditions across the world was made even more likely by the activity of the Sun or rather the lack of it. For just around a week Solar flare activity has been unusually low to non existent (see pic below) Of course this corresponds to Solar minima, part of an 11 year cycle of Solar activity when the Sun goes from very turbulent flare activity to barely any at all.

We are now in the latter stage and there are many who believe that these periods have a profound influence on the world’s weather. For example the recent spells of extreme weather across Europe were both preceded by periods of low Solar flare activity. Now this current spell is the most profound of them all, and we can safely say that the next few weeks will be filled with extreme, unusual, or otherwise bizarre episodes of weather phenomenon.

Remember you read it here first.

See here for more on this topic
Solar flares and the weather

Southern Europe continues to stew.

An intense heatwave gripping southern and central areas of Europe set new records. At 41.9 centigrade Hungary saw its highest ever recorded summer temperature, whereas a record summer high of 44 centigrade was also registered in Bulgaria. Meanwhile not far away in Greece temperatures topped even this with a reported 45 degrees in the Greek capital Athens. In Italy the capital Rome also sweltered.

So far an estimated 500 deaths have been attributed to the unbearable heat and hospitals were swamped with cases of heatstroke and other weather related casualties. In Spain the city of Barcelona was subject to a blackout as the electricity network struggled to cope with increased demand due to the over use of air conditioning. Temperatures at around 40 centigrade were not quite as high as eastern and central Europe, but nonetheless uncomfortable and very different to those of northern Europe. Here floods, high winds, rain and unseasonably low temperatures continued to account for some of the worst summer conditions for over 60 years. So just what was going on?

Inevitably the Global Warmers were chirping with an unbroken chorus of glee, sprouting out to anyone who would listen that this was just a foretaste of the real miseries that would soon strike the planet.

So was this really Global Warming at work? Was this the result of the swirling clouds of carbon dioxide or was there a much more mundane explanation? Turns out there was.

As this site continues to illustrate there is nothing particularly mysterious about these spells of extreme weather. As on other occasions it was simply the work of whatever particular wind direction was blowing where. As can be seen from the picture below the Balkans and Central Europe were under the influence of very hot winds blowing up from the tropics. These then crossed over the deserts of North Africa and came streaming into areas of Europe to register the record temperatures outlined above.

Meanwhile Britain and northern Europe were still under the influence of considerably more cooler winds streaming across the Atlantic, bringing wave after wave of rain laden clouds. The reason that these caused so much flooding was simply because of the swirling nature of the weather system as it remained focused above Britain for a comparatively long time. Not much mystery then and shows how ordinary the explanations are when one looks to science instead of fantasy.

Well done to the Times

Congratulations to the Times newspaper for refusing to join the growing bandwagon of those streaming to attribute the recent spell of flooding in Britain to the effects of Global Warming. In a strongly critical editorial published on July 25th it points out that historically speaking Britain has a long and solid tradition of summer flooding. It comments: "All of this is worth remembering during the present deluge. If the torrent of water was not bad enough, the surge of ignorant speculation as to its causes has added to the misery of the season. Numerous commentators and supposed "experts" have asserted that the flooding is proof of global warming."

The Times adds: "One camp that has not joined in this ludicrous orgy of false prophesy is the category that should know most about the weather, the professional meteorologist. Our weather correspondent Paul Simons has pointed out that summer floods do occur in Britain rather often. There were, he outlines, dreadful runs of weather in the 1840s, 1910s, and 1950s before the advent of low-cost airlines and quantifiable carbon emissions. The claim that global warming is at work is no more plausible than more far-fetched suppositions. These include the idea that years ending in 7 are cursed." The column concludes: "Global warming has become an industry of its own, generating more heat than light (never mind the rain) as it wallows in breast beating hyperbole."

For the whole of the comment feature please turn to the following link:
Times Comment.

Low Solar flare activity may mean extreme weather to come.

As the picture below illustrates current Solar flare activity is almost non existent. In this connection it should be stressed that previous, though not quite so dramatic episodes of Solar inactivity have almost always resulted in particularly disturbed weather patterns (see here for more) and it will be interesting to see how the worlds weather systems react in the days and weeks ahead.

Solar flare activity again linked to extreme weather.

Recent spells of extremely turbulent or unusual weather across the world may be linked to periods of reduced Solar flare activity. As our post below (see here) illustrates quite convincingly it is a matter of record that the period of extreme and unsettled weather that affected many parts of the world around the end of June, and which brought heavy flooding to Britain, occurred very shortly after a period of reduced Solar flare activity.

Now the same thing has happened again. A matter of just over two and a half weeks ago we announced (see this link) that a renewed spate of reduced Solar flare could well result in yet another period of weather turmoil, and this is exactly the way it has turned out. Once again Britain saw widespread flooding and disruption of services, and once again there was a remarkable carbon copy of extreme heat in the Balkans, and in particular Greece where temperatures are tipped to reach 44 centigrade early in the week.

Although a lot more work needs to be done before we can understand the effects of the Sun on the weather there is definite proof that Solar flare activity has a direct bearing on extreme weather conditions. In fact exactly the sort of conditions that others have mistaken for human induced Climate Change. But there’s more. For interestingly enough, as the pic below will illustrate, current Solar flare activity has again dwindled and this could well create yet further turbulent weather conditions for the weeks to come.

With such definite effects of the Sun on our weather it is important to remind readers that Solar activity has increased quite dramatically over the last 50 years and the turbulent changes this has brought about have now been misinterpreted as man made damage to the environment.

Southern and Central Europe swelters.

As areas of northern Europe continued to endure less than attractive summer weather southern areas of Europe sizzled in the sort of temperatures (around 40 centigrade) that first gave credence to the theory of Global Warming. Particularly affected were nations such as Slovakia, Austria, parts of Italy, as well as a variety of Balkan nations including Romania and Greece for whom the summer - as reported elsewhere in this site has seen prolonged periods of very high temperatures.

So finally this just had to be Global Warming - the clear signature of man made carbon emissions that now exerted a unique stranglehold over wide areas of the southern Mediterranean and beyond. Well you may think that!! But you would be very mistaken, because once again we see quite plainly from the pic below that the reason for these high temperatures is simply a matter of wind direction. Greece for example catches a glancing blow from the winds threading their way up from the Sahara Desert in North Africa, whereas Central Europe is in the direct flow of winds flowing up from the Sahara Desert which as we all know is supremely hot, so that any wind that blows from it is bound to exhibit the same scorching properties.

So once again no mystery, and a quite obvious explanation that is apparent to anyone who really bothers to look.

What a difference a year makes.

What a difference a year makes. This time last year advocates of Global Warming were cooing with delight as temperatures in Britain topped the high 30’s centigrade, and actually bested some of the more popular resorts of the Mediterranean.

However fast forward a year and what do we find. We find one of the most miserable summer periods for quite some time with regions of Britain again subject to flooding, torrential rain, and very average, if not below average temperatures. But of course if this wasn’t Global Warming then it just had to be Climate Change. Presumably those highly active, but not entirely consistent concentrations of carbon dioxide must have conspired to make this an entirely forgettable British summer.

As ever - and as this site so brilliantly illustrates the answer was much more prosaic. In fact simply a matter of wind direction.

As the pic below illustrates, the British isles were subject to a swirling wind pattern of the sort that only last month deluged areas of England, and particularly the city of Sheffield with particularly heavy downpours. (see here for a link to the entry of that period and also one of the nicer pics of Paris Hilton)

Swirling weather systems of this sort can stay active above a region for a prolonged period, at least long enough to result in widespread flooding or otherwise miserable conditions. Either way there was no evidence of any swirling clouds of carbon dioxide, and even the staunchest advocate of Global Warming was left facing the unpalatable possibility that perhaps their equations were in need of urgent revision as the British summer stubbornly refused to be anything but ordinary.

Extremes of condition.

While most of the southern hemisphere has experienced unusually cold conditions in what is their winter (see post below) parts of the northern hemisphere have registered other extremes of circumstance. These involve floods and torrential rain in the states of Kansas, Missouri, Texas, and Oklahoma in the USA, as well as near heatwave conditions in New York and other areas of the eastern US coastline.

For those tempted to believe that maybe this involved the subtle effects attributed to Global Warming or Climate Change, then think again. As the picture below shows quite prominently the floods and prolonged rainfall were no more than the result of warm winds from the south colliding with those from the north. The meeting point between them inevitably produced ferocious downpours which once again considering the factors involved owes less to some fanciful scenario such as Climate Change and more to natural cycles of weather that have existed for thousands of years.

Meanwhile the New York heatwave was the result of warm southerly winds emanating from the Gulf of Mexico. (click on map for larger version)

In Europe there was a sharp division between north and south. For example while Britain continued to experience a parody of summer with cool, wet, and windy conditions, the Mediterranean regions could not be more different. Areas of Spain registered around 43 degrees centigrade, and in Greece there was a return to a mini heatwave with some areas touching 40 degrees, following highs of 47 degrees only a few weeks ago.

And the reason? Was it Global Warming? Climate Change? Clouds of carbon dioxide? In fact none of these. As the picture below illustrates quite plainly it was just the result of winds that emanated from the tropics and fed themselves up across the deserts of North Africa.

Another explanation is that the last three of four weeks have seen varying periods of much lowered Solar flare activity. This has frequently been cited as a trigger for unusual or extreme weather patterns, and the last few weeks seem to confirm this pattern. See the following link for more on this topic.

Unusually cold winter for southern hemisphere.

The southern hemisphere is experiencing unusually cold conditions in what is now winter for that half of the world.

In South America for example the first snow for over 90 years hit Buenos Aires the capital of Argentina. Elsewhere in South America heavy snow also swept across areas of Bolivia, Chile and Peru.

Meanwhile in Australia unsually cold air coming up from Antartica (see pic below) led to the revival of the nations ski resorts which had remained closed for numerous years for lack of snow.



South Africa is another victim. As reported elesewhere in this site - heavy snow falls covered large parts of the country and Johannensburg saw its first snow falls for nearly 30 years.

But wait a minute! Isn’t this supposed to be the era of Global Warming? So what are all these cold spells doin’? Or maybe the word hasn’t got round to the weather that it’s supposed to be hot!!!

Right, I got it! If it’s not Global Warming, then it has to be Climate Change! I mean if it ain’t one then it just gotta be the other. Right?

Turns out its neither of these. No Sir!! No Ma’am!! It ain’t neither. What it is, and what accounts for all of the above, is simply a really cold blast of air from the South Pole, the Antarctic, or whatever you like to call it. That’s as simple as it gets. No great conspiracy regarding clouds of carbon dioxide, ozone holes, or another type of hole we won’t talk about - just a plain old wind making its way up from the frozen wastes of Antarctica.

Of course there are those long on suspicion that will just drive themselves silly wondering just what it could be that might produce these winds that have resulted in such adverse conditions for many a long year. Perhaps one answer - and it seems perfectly plausible- is that recently the Sun has been exhibiting signs of lessened flare activity (see here for former topic on this issue) or this other Flare Activity.

In plain language it translates to just this - if you have a fire and turn down the heat then things get colder. And since the Sun is our only source of heat it follows that if its energy don’t quite match it’s usual output, then for awhile, things will get colder here on Earth.

Ain’t no mystery!!! Just plain old science.

Live Earth fails to convince the public.

The Live Earth concerts that took place on every continent on Earth at the weekend, ostensibly to save the planet from Climate Change, were characterised by huge public indifference. TV audiences, as well as interest in general, was disappointing and it seems that the general public have yet to be convinced by the near hysterical stream of propaganda that tries to sell the idea of Climate Change as the ultimate hazard that faces humanity at this point in time.

And why would the public be convinced when the evidence of their eyes is telling them that absolutely nothing unusual is going on. The world still continues, with the occasional hot or cold spell, and once in awhile we encounter particularly turbulent conditions, when - like as happened recently (see here for details) - nature seems to step up a gear and we get a spate of extreme weather circumstances.

However as this site has frequently illustrated these extreme events can easily be interpreted. Not it should be stressed as a consequence of swirling clouds of carbon dioxide, but simply a matter of easily explained weather phenomenon the like of which have been occurring for thousands of years. In addition there is the role played by the Sun, whose influence on this planet is paramount in maintaining life on this Earth.

See here why Solar fluctuations may have led to a recent spell of extreme weather worldwide.

Reassuringly it seems that vast numbers of the general public are struggling to see the logic of Climate Change when the evidence of their eyes says otherwise. And as this site will never tire of showing this ingrained public scepticism is extremely well founded.

Renewed suspicions of Global Warming

Rumours of Global Warming were again to be heard as very hot conditions were reported for Western areas of the United States as some regions topped 46 degrees centigrade. Now these are not places unknown to heat, but surely the mercury doesn’t lie and this just had to be a result of choking clouds of carbon dioxide that lay just above the lower atmosphere.

I mean what other explanation could there be... carbon dioxide was trapping in the heat and this surely led to the extreme conditions witnessed here.

Well not quite... You see as mentioned elsewhere in this site - the mystery - if that’s the word, never quite existed, and could certainly not be attributable to that scourge of the 21st Century (carbon dioxide) to be found in every can of Coke (trademark). The reason, more mundanely, was the result of very warm winds that came up from south west equatorial regions, as can be seen from the map below.

Meanwhile in Europe Britain was still in the grips of an abnormally cool summer - not withstanding that despite all indications to the contrary the local meteorological service was still pleased to call June of above average temperature (see here for more)

In Spain on the other hand temperatures of over 40 centigrade gave rise to yet more suspicions that the feared concentrations of carbon dioxide above the nation were strangulating the country of its fresh air.

Yet here again there was a considerably less sensational answer. Simply that winds were blowing up from the tropics to produce conditions of heat, that although elevated, is nothing unusual for areas of Southern Spain at this time.

June - Above average in temperature?? I don't think so!!!

Despite cold, wet, windy, and generally highly unseasonal weather, June in Britain was still officially rated as above average in temperature!!!

This is astonishing because - as posts on this site have shown - no ones recollection of the month was as anything but a very unsummery start to summer, giving vacation minded Britons the green light to race to sunnier climes abroad for their holidays. It naturally begs the question of just how reliable average temperatures are as a guide to what is really happening in the world, and also to that much broader discussion involving Global Warming and Climate Change.

It is well known that statistical averages can be manipulated in limitless ways, and for June in Britain to be rated above average in temperature, at the very least suggests we are getting a distorted image of a month that saw some of the wettest and coldest June days on record. Of course whole discussions now rage on the way temperature records are amassed, and it would seem that if the question of Global Warming is built on similarly distorted data then its no wonder that people are coming to believe in something that just doesn’t exist.

Low Solar Flare output may cause extreme weather conditions.

Solar Flare activity has dipped to very low levels (see pic below) heralding a possible return to the more extreme weather conditions that were seen around the globe only around a week ago (see this feature) That particular period was preceded by a previous spell of low Solar Flare output, that lasted for around six or seven days.

The possibility of another extreme spell of disturbed weather may depend on how long the present low in Solar flare activity is likely to persist. Anything beyond two or three days is almost guaranteed to trigger a noticeable reaction, and the coming week will be watched with interest to see how conditions unfold.

Inventing the wheel

Indifferent weather conditions typified the start of July in the British Isles. Indeed strong winds, rain, and below average temperatures for this time of the year seemed to mock those who continued to insist, beyond reason that this was really a scenario commensurate with anyone’s idea of Global Warming.

On the other hand where conditions don’t fit the idea of an abnormally heated planet they can always conform to that other new fangled idea - Climate Change. As our feature of some weeks ago illustrates, when the proof doesn’t accord with one theory then simply invent another. Meanwhile, as the previous post illustrates quite plainly, scientists were beginning to remember that variations of temperature in the Pacific Ocean - the El Nino, or La Nina, are an important source of weather conditions throughout the planet.

Wow!! I mean talk of inventing the wheel!! All this was known decades ago; can be found in any text book or web site on weather, worth half a dime, and suddenly it’s a new discovery!!

But whatever!!! This site is glad of any officially accredited proof that happens to verify what a shambles the evidence is regarding human enduced forcings of so called Global Warming, or Climate Change.

As to the present situation at the time of this posting, Britain still continued to be subject to inclement weather, with heavy showers, that were a result of strong westerly winds that came streaming across the Atlantic (see pic below)

Click on image for an enlarged version.

British weather stems from Pacific Ocean scientists confirm.

Scientists have decided that the British summer is likely to be something of a washout. Citing evidence of a Pacific cooling - a fact that we mentioned here around two weeks ago (see this) - they point the finger of blame on this current spell of wet and unseasonal weather in Britain to the workings of the La Nina phenomenon.

The La Nina effect has been known for some time and is contrasted by the El Nino, with the difference between them being that El Nino refers to a warming of the Pacific Ocean wheras La Nina refers to a cooling down of the same ocean. The importance of this is that both these phenomenon are known to make a fundamental contribution to the weather around the world, and a latest study has tracked back instances of La Nina effects on the British climate for the last one hundred years.

For more on this please turn to the following article just published in The Times of London - but be prepared to scroll down the page quite a way.
La Nina.

For some time it has been appreciated that important weather changes, that in some cases may last for numerous years are due to shifting locations of hot and cold pools of water in the Pacific Ocean. These have sometimes been linked to extreme weather systems bringing widespread disaster and mayhem. Lately however these changes have been erroneously attributed to Global Warming and so called Climate Change.

Once again however the truth is considerably more prosaic, and far from evoking the spectacle of a planet threatening catastrophe, these changes in the Pacific Ocean are simply the result of natural forces that have existed for thousands of years.

For more on El Nino please visit the El Nino home page for all the latest news.

Unsummery conditions for the British Isles

For well over a week Britain continued to endure conditions that were far from summery. In fact some areas were on alert for night frosts, which at the onset of summer is not what you would expect if we were indeed heading for conditions of Global Warming. In fact a Martian landing at this point in time may well have concluded we were heading straight for the next Ice Age.

Meanwhile strong winds with heavy rain buffeted most of the nation and many areas were on severe weather alerts from the local meteorological service.

During this last week in June the wind brought cold winds that varied in direction from North through North West, to West, before a swirling weather system pulled up winds laden with heavy rain from the South.

The map below illustrates the situation for the British Isles. (Click on map to enlarge)

In South Eastern Europe meanwhile there was a welcome softening of the intense heatwave that resulted in dozens of deaths and temperatures that in some areas came very close to 50 degrees centigrade.

As the map below shows quite plainly this change to cooler conditions was brought about by westerly winds that penetrated the length of Europe from the Atlantic Ocean.

Solar Flare activity and extreme weather.

A peculiar feature of the freaky weather conditions that affected many areas of the globe over the last few days was that they all appeared to take place around the same time. This involved severe floods in the USA, China, Australia, Romania, and to a lesser extent the United Kingdom. In addition there was a freak snow fall in many areas of South Africa, and the opposite conditions of a severe heatwave in Greece that saw temperatures in the capital Athens rise to 46 degrees centigrade.

This astonishing unity of so many events at the same time appears to point to a single event cause and much as it may seem bewildering one web site had actually predicted this disruption at least several days in advance.

Mood Alert is a site devoted to predicting people’s moods according to the phase of the Moon and the position of the planets. They also base their judgement on the state of the Solar flux and take into account such things as Solar Flare activity and the strength of the Solar Wind that they believe is fundamental in affecting people’s moods and attitudes. They also believe that such influences have a determinative effect on the weather and also on the incidence and strength of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Now whether you believe this or not the Mood Alert page of last week carried a specific warning of unsettled or unusual events ahead. And the reason for this warning? Simply that the output of Solar Flare activity had fallen to very low - even barely perceptible levels. They noted that every time this happened, strange, bizarre, or extreme weather systems were almost sure to follow. Below are the relevant graphs that illustrates this point. The first graph below shows a relatively normal period of Solar Flare activity around the 4th of June. This shows a solid wave system with a strong output.

Contrast the image above with the one below showing Solar Flare activity for the 21st of June, just shortly before these extreme weather events commenced. The difference is striking - and shows one of the most stagnant periods of flare activity for quite some time.

Currently flare activity is on the up again and the picture below shows the general state as existed at the time of this posting.

It is a fact that the latest research is beginning to confirm that the weather is uniquely affected by Solar output, and that the entire question over changed climate and extreme weather events can be answered in terms of increased Solar activity that has persisted for close on 50 years. At the very least the evidence as shown above is very interesting in the light of so many unusual events around the world over the last few weeks.

Freaked out weather.

The world seemed gripped in a series of very powerful and disturbed weather patterns that once again had the aficionados of global warming humming with delight.

In Britain the unseasonably cold and miserable weather continued to bring hefty rain showers, and farther afield, there was much more serious flooding in Texas in the USA, as well as the Eastern Coast of Australia, that was hit by some of the worst flooding in many a long decade. Floods and heavy winds also brought disruption to parts of China, and huge downpours also deluged areas of Romania and Germany, where high winds were also a problem.

Meanwhile the heatwave in Greece and other nations of the Balkans and Easter Mediterranean still continued, though fortunately coming days are forecast to see a change to much more normal conditions. Then of course we mustn't forget the unusual snowfalls that blanketed wide areas of South Africa including Johannesburg (see below)

To all intents and purposes it seemed that the planets weather system had just suddenly freaked out, and it was only natural that this should be touted around as the definitive proof that climate change had arrived in its full enormity. Well it’s very convincing stuff, and I must admit that if I knew nothing about what was really going on, I would be tempted to believe all the hype. However a rational look at the picture tells a much more mundane story: An explanation that in each case can quite easily be demonstrated from the relevant wind maps of the areas concerned. For example below we see that the flooding in Texas was the result of two weather systems colliding. In fact a typical story, as outlined in former posts, of warm winds from the south colliding with much colder winds coming down from the north. Where the two systems meet heavy rain is the outcome, and we have widespread flooding.

And that’s about as mysterious as it gets!!! (Click on map for larger version)

As the picture below will illustrate, the floods in Australia were the result of two very strong weather systems colliding around the eastern coast of the nation, bringing severe flooding to many areas. Once again, not much of a mystery when you see what’s actually causing it. (Click on map for larger version)

The peculiar thing about these incidents is that they all seemed to have happened around the same time as one another. Usually when this happens there is likely to be a unifying cause, and this is the focus of the next posting which is outlined above, because strange as it may seem these events were forecast by one web site just shortly before they happened, and seem to represent a stunning verification of forces much greater than we can ever hope to control.

For more on this see the next post above.

Busy Day on the Climate Front

In Britain the weather was almost as cool as the farewell wishes of the nation as Tony Blair handed his resignation to the Queen. Equally cool was the nation’s reception of their new Premier Gordon Brown.

Meanwhile the newspapers were red hot with speculation as to whether the recent spell of extreme weather in Britain constituted another twist to the continuing Climate Change saga. In support of this the usual tired faces of the so called experts appeared on the nation’s TV screens trouping out the same ill informed banalities that could be paraphrased in a few short sentences.

Here is the scene:

Evidence: Several days of unsettled summer weather bring extensive flooding to numerous parts of the British Isles, and in particular the city of Sheffield which was especially badly hit.

Experts verdict: Climate Change with increasing temperatures will bring added moisture to cloud systems and scenes of this nature will be repeated more and more.

Quote: From Bob Spicer of Open University: "Events we have seen are typical of things we can expect more of. Storms associated with a warm atmosphere mean downpours."

Fact: These floods came at a time when the temperatures around Britain were actually a good deal lower than the monthly average. In fact the storms arose, as outlined elsewhere on this page simply because a twisting mass of warmer air from the tropics collided with much colder air from the north setting off a huge downpour. This set in motion a swirling weather pattern that went round and round the British Isles, dumping lots of rain in a relatively short period.

In fact an almost duplicate set of circumstances occurred in Spain just over a month ago, and In Greece barely three weeks ago. In each case warm winds from the tropics had blown up from the deserts of Africa, only to collide with much cooler winds coming down from the North. The point of their meeting resulted in huge downpours and was simply a meeting of two weather systems.

So there we have it! No Global warming! No Climate Change! Just swirling weather systems of very different temperatures.

To their credit the Times of London pointed out that these events were not without precedent and that other instances, over a hundred years ago - well before Climate Change hysteria, showed similar episodes of extreme weather.

Another voice of reason came from Philip Stott, Emeritus Professor of Biogeography at the University of London. Dismissing these recent episodes as evidence of climate change, as ‘simplistic nonsense’ he pointed out that: "Britain’s weather is a constant battleground between competing air masses. This week the jet stream had dragged in deep Atlantic depressions, releasing huge downpours."

Greek heatwave.

In Greece meanwhile and numerous other Balkan countries it was the still ongoing heatwave that was the protagonist. For the second day running temperatures in the Greek capital Athens topped 45 degrees centigrade, and elsewhere temperatures of 47 were recorded. But as outlined in previous posts , the origin of this extreme heat was not a sudden cloud of carbon dioxide but blazing winds from the tropics that made their way across the deserts of North Africa.

South African Snow Falls.

South Africa is not generally associated with snow, but heavy snow falls were reported in all parts of the country and especially Johannesburg, where snow fell for the first time in many years. As delighted children played with snow balls others speculated over the freak conditions and what they could mean. Snow in South Africa. I mean this just had to be Climate Change? Right?

Wrong?

As the map below quite clearly illustrates the cause of this dramatic cold spell of weather in South Africa is simply the result of winds emanating from the vicinity of the Antarctic continent, where temperatures are known to be cooling down.

Once again there was really no big mystery when one could see things as they are.

Contrasts and extremes.

26th June 2007

By far the hottest event of the day was not Global Warming, nor the Greek heatwave, but the "liberation" of Paris Hilton from jail.

Liberation?

Well at least that's what CNN was calling it, and though some of its reporters freely admitted that it was not the most meaningful story in the world, it was certainly the most newsworthy.

If one felt one just had to become a little more serious the Greek heatwave offered a likely destination. Once again rumours of Global Warming were swift to surface and in the worst day of the heatwave so far temperatures in the Greek capital Athens topped 45 degrees centrigrade.

Now that's hot in anyone's language, and inevitably had people drawing easy conclusions that this just had to be Global Warming?

Well I always hate to ruin a good party once it's got goin' but if you take a look at the picture below it shows a considerably less mystical explanation to what is now officially a "killer heatwave". The image clearly shows a North Easterly directed wind flow off the deserts of North Africa towards South Eastern areas of the Mediterranean. Interestingly enough areas of northern Greece were not nearly as hot and this is because they were subject to winds that descended down from the North Atlantic before turning towards the Balkans to offer at least some measure of relief.

Britain meanwhile woke up to headlines of a highly disruptive storm that claimed at least 3 lives and left workers in at least one major city - Sheffield - needing to be rescued by helicopter.

Now if this wasn't Global Warming, then it just had to be that catch all phrase Climate Change? After all, the equivalent of at least one months rain had been dumped on areas of the British Isles in little more than 24 hours. In addition tornadoes wreaked havoc in numerous areas and this was not the sort of weather associated with a British Summer.

In actual fact these circumstances had a much more mundane origin. Warm winds from the tropics drifting up towards Britain became enwrapped in a swirling wind pattern centred directly above the British Isles. This allowed the rains to fall for longer than usual and the action of colder winds from the North saw to it that this was an especially explosive event - but one that is so easily explainable, if you look at the picture below, which can be enlarged by clicking on it.

Europe - Continent of stark contrasts.

25th June 2007

In Europe there were stark contasts between Northern areas encompassing the British Isles and the Southern-Eastern nations such as Greece and Turkey. In the latter named, the influence of the recent heat wave was undiminished, and temperatures of 43 degrees centigrade or higher, were a fair reflection of blazing winds that poured off the deserts of North Africa.

Meanwhile in Britain, and other areas of Northern Europe cool and wet conditions were the result of a complex weather system that swirled around the region with swiftly alternating temperatures, and a very unsummery outlook that was definitely no ones definition of Global Warming. I mean 14 degrees centigrade? What sort of temperature is that for a good summers day in England?

Apparently its entirely normal as the experts tell us!!!

Certainly there was no need to invoke either Global Warming, or Climate Change, to see the origins of this situation for what they really were - simply winds that happened to bring either devastatingly hot conditions, or the unpredictable variations far to the North.

With regards to the Greek heatwave it was interesting to note that not all of the nation was equally affected. In fact some regions recorded much lower temperatures - at least 10 degrees centigrade lower than others, simply because they weren't immediately in the track of the hot winds coming up from North Africa.

In fact this is a perfect illustration of the way winds of one direction or another can cause sharp variations of temperature within comparatively short distances. And once again there is not a whiff of carbon dioxide in sight - apart that is from the little that's escaping from my Coca Cola (trademark) as I write this bulletin.

All normal on the European Front

24 th June 2007

The British Isles were subject to very changeable conditions, courtesy of a swirling weather system, that contributed cool and wet conditions interspersed with warmer weather that was disappointing for this time of the year. Meanwhile the Eastern Mediterranean continued to swelter with temperatures in the 40’s. So what exactly was this: Climate Change or Global Warming? Maybe it was even the Greenhouse Effect (Click here for more)?

In the end it was ascribed to just plain old normality - conditions that in neither case deviated from the way it has been for decade upon decade, and certainly could not be attributed to any sinister effects of carbon dioxide. As ever the culprit was the wind as it spilled off the deserts of North Africa to introduce hot baking air into parts of Eastern Europe.

As the image below shows quite plainly its simple when you really know why. (Click on image to enlarge)

Unremarkable start to summer in Northern Hemisphere.

A boringly usual early Summer.

Greece and other areas of the Balkans and Central Europe still continued to swelter under the wilting heat of winds that fed up from the deserts of North Africa: Winds that moreover had originated close to the tropics. In Britain meanwhile indifferent conditions resulted from cool swirling winds that offered a disappointing start to summer.

Which category this fell within, either Global Warming or Climate Change was hard to tell, but those who had been around for a lot longer than these terms had ever been known, saw nothing unusual or cause for concern.

So which term is it?

So which term is it?

So often we hear of Global Warming. But then we also hear about Climate Change. And then just to confuse things even further we hear about the Greenhouse Effect.

The fact is these are three separate and distinct concepts that have lately been linked together to pretty much equate to the same thing - the idea that man made activity is forcing disastrous effects on the world around us.

Now if there were ever an example of hedging your bets in an argument this is it. And it’s so easily done: First of all invent the threat of a climatic scenario - global warming and feed it with inflated, distorted, and highly selective examples that to the average person without any specialised knowledge may seem quite plausible. Then just to feel doubly secure introduce a second catch all situation - Climate Change - that could comfortably account for any freak of nature of the sort that have been happening for thousands of years.

By now you have the recipe for turning virtually any weather anomaly into indisputable proof of a catastrophic situation that needs quite urgent attention.

But where did all this start off at? Ah yes! It was the Greenhouse Effect. Funny thing is that you don’t hear so much about this just now. Global warming yes! Climate Change yes! But the Greenhouse Effect no! But why? After all, this was where all this hysteria got going with the idea that Greenhouse Gases were trapping heat in the atmosphere that couldn’t escape into space. Trouble is that for this to be happening there would have to be a sort of uniform heat effect across the whole of the globe. It means that no matter where the winds blew from they would always be warm. Yet as everyone knows, and as the maps included in this site illustrate, the world is still capable of quite extreme changes of temperature often within a very short time: A fact that would simply be impossible if true global warming were indeed responsible. That’s why the term Greenhouse Effect has now been ditched in favour of Climate Change.

As for Global Warming, this too is a term that is gradually becoming less common as the evidence throws up glaring inconsistencies that show that as some places have warmed up others have cooled down, or remain unchanged, and that taken as a whole, average temperatures for the planet have shown little variation for a very long time. In other words no great problem, and certainly not one that requires the mobilisation of effort to solve a crisis that never existed in the first place.

Greece swelters under heatwave.

Once again there were rumours of global warming afoot as Greece and Italy, and other nations of the Balkan States and central Europe sweltered under temperatures that touched 40 and were expected to rise even further towards the end of the weekend.

So this was bound to be global warming right? I mean 40 degrees? Pheww!!

Unfortunately not even the most diehard global warming fanatic could claim this one as a victory. After all this is summer: And above all this is Greece, a hot country where for thousands of years, temperatures of this sort are nothing extraordinary, and is why millions of tourists visit Greece each year - precisely cos its hot at this time.

But why the heatwave? As a glimpse at the map below will show this was a result of winds travelling from near the South American continent making their way across the Atlantic and over the blazing sands of the Sahara Desert before blow torching their hot winds on the eastern Mediterranean. Once again no mystery at all, and the picture more than speaks for itself.

In the Bristish Isles meanwhile variable conditions brought the usual quagmire to the Glastonbury music festival, and there were spectacular thunderstorms. In fact just about usual for this time of the year.

Global Warmers dancing for delight.

In Britain, and indeed most of Central Europe and particularly Greece proponents of Global Warming were dancing for delight as temperatures seemed primed to outstrip all records for the month, as the mercury rose to yet another day of elevated readings. However those of a more sobre disposition chose to hold back the champagne upon examination of the relevant wind flows that revealed that once again these temperatures were not due to swirling clouds of carbon dioxide but the sole work of southerly wind flows that emanated from equatorial regions, and in some cases crossed over stretches of the Sahara desert.

As the map below illustrates these winds then fanned themselves up the coast of North Africa to spread northwards and eastwards to the aforementioned regions.

The image below shows the relevant situation over North Africa at that time with winds crossing the deserts of the north of the continent before introducing baking winds to many European nations.

19th June - Global warming descends on Europe

For sure there was Global Warming in Europe as temperatures in Athens Greece topped 38 centigrade with a promise of 42 at the weekend. Meanwhile the rest of central Europe sweltered, as the mercury seemed destined to add that conclusive bit of evidence to those who could ever doubt that the planet was heating up.

But hold the headlines. As these pictures below will indicate the sole reason for this hot spell was not the suffocating clouds of carbon dioxide stacked immediately above continental Europe, but something considerably more mundane - a strong windflow from around the South American continent that in many cases derived yet further heat from the deserts of North Africa.

So yet again the illusive search for the carbon dioxide clouds resumes unfulfilled but undiminished. Meanwhile Britain was subject to strong but warm southerly winds of the sort that contributed to the so called warmest April on record. Yet as we see from the image below the real cause was not a choking cloud of carbon dioxide but simply a southerly windflow that once again meandered up from South America.

Eastern Pacific cooler than average

Proponents of the Global Warming theory like to trumpet on about the heating up of the World’s Oceans. But are the Worlds Oceans really heating up or is this just one more fantasy in a theory that the more you look at it just gets more and more ridiculous?

The reality is that in an extremely influential part of the Pacific Ocean - temperatures have shown below average readings since the turn of the year.

Now that’s something you don’t hear blazoned in feet high banner headlines in the press, and nor has it been mentioned much on TV.

I wonder why?

Seems to me that every shred of evidence - however tenuous in support of Global Warming gets acres of coverage - the complete opposite to anything that would tend to deny that most hallowed of New World religions - Climate Change Hysteria.

Anyway it turns out that whole areas of the Eastern Pacific have been cooler than normal since the beginning of the year. But hey this isn’t anything we haven’t seen before. It’s just a regular La Nina effect. Remember that from another by gone age?

For those who may be too young or just let it slip them by, El Nino is when areas of the Pacific Ocean gets warmer, and La Nina is when it gets colder. Turns out its an entirely natural effect. Nothing to do with the Human Race, and routinely decides the weather outlook for large swathes of the planet. And if you’re thinking that maybe this hoo-hah about so called global warming is really no more than our old friends La Nina and El Nino in action then you would be entirely right.

For more on the cooling in the Pacific Ocean please turn to the following link
http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/enso/#basics

Below shows the temperature cooling in graphic form with the top bar showing the mean readings , and the bottom bar the current cooling effect.

16 th June - unsettled Western Europe. Hot Eastern USA.

England was treated to some of the worst flooding for some time as winds spiralled around the British Isles, dumping almost a month's average rain in just one day.

But surely this must be a definite sign of Climate Change?

Wrong actually!! In fact experts say it was merely a more potent example of average early June conditions of the sort that habitually wipes out the first week at Wimbledon and turns the Glastonbury Festival into a quagmire.

So no climate change here then.

For more convincing global warming evidence there was a spell of sweltering conditions down the eastern coastline of the USA, with New York well into the 30's centigrade.

So global warming at last? Well not quite. As the attached map shows this hot spell was more due to warm winds coming up from the Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico. Once again a straight forward explanation that is evident to anyone.

15th June. Strong winds over Britain - Heat in Greece.

The 15th of June 2007 saw winds streaming across the Atlantic bringing heavy rain to parts of Spain before turning sharply northwards to bring significant showers to the British Isles. Cool for the time of year, with temperatures of no more than 14 celsius, this was contrasted by Greece in the Mediterranean with around 34 centigrade.

But surely this latter was the result of global warming as reported on Greek state run TV ERT. Well no actually!! Simply the result of winds coming off the deserts of North Africa. Hardly a mystery when you really bother to look.

Click on image for larger version.

14th June 2007: Unseasonal rain for Northern Spain.

Britain was still subject to a southwesterly air flow clashing with one coming down from the North. This brought significant rainfall as the two collided.

The south of England basking in the southerly wind flow remained surprisingly warm with London at 26 centigrade. On the other hand northern areas could barely reach 15 centigrade - a significant difference, and on this occasion barely two hundred miles was enough to separate summer climes from a decidedly wintry outlook - proving in a way that the weather we receive is almost entirely dependent on the wind directions and not so called atmosphere warming clouds of carbon dioxide.

Further south meanwhile winds came streaming across the Atlantic from the American continent bringing heavy rains to the North of Spain. Such downpours at this time of the year may be considered ununusual, but as the picture below illustrates this has nothing to do with carbon dioxide levels, and everything to do with the winds racing across the Atlantic. So not much of a mystery after all !!

Click on image for larger version.

Further afield, but not covered by these maps, the Russian capital Moscow sweltered in temperatures of over 35 centrigrade. Global Warming? No! Simply a long stream of wind that stretched southwards right on down to the Sahara Desert. Once again an easy explanation for anyone who really bothers to find the answers.

June 13th - Unsettled and rainy UK weather

June the 13th 2007 saw the British Isles under the influence of at least two separate wind directions.

A northerly wind collided with a southwesterly wind flow to produce unsettled conditions with rain and quickly altering temperatures, as one or other wind flow became more prevalent.

The picture below gives some idea of the overall situation.

Click on image to view larger version

A change of winds.

Fast changing winds

Two weeks in late May and early June typified the complexity of the debate revolving around Global Warming. Many areas of Europe saw widely contrasting conditions within a very short time. This meant swift changes between relatively cold and wet weather, to dry and hotter conditions or vice versa .

Not surprisingly the Global Warming brigade attributed this to the actions of humanity and increased levels of carbon dioxide. Yet as these pictures of the prevailing winds - the Jet Stream - clearly indicate, the cause is very evidently the change of wind direction and nothing more. On the 27th of May the picture of the Jet stream shows a northerly flow of winds over Britain that created one of the coldest ends to May within living memory.

Click on image for larger view

Barely days later the situation was reversed with southerly winds that blew hot and dry conditions over the British Isles for a period of close on two weeks (see image below) Winds that moreover blew up almost unimpeded from South America to the North African coastline before heading up towards Britain.

Click on image for larger view.

These two instances quite graphically illustrate that temperatures are not dependent on levels of carbon dioxide but on straight forward factors of wind direction.

It couldn’t be simpler. In the northern hemisphere when the wind blows from the south you get warmer conditions, and when it blows from the north colder weather takes over. This is the way it has always been , and to any objective observer, so called changes in climate are quite easily explainable as a shift in global wind patterns, that this site is pleased to explore for the education of all.