The jet stream

I saw a forecast at lunchtime which said that the jet stream was on the move and would soon be up to the north of Scotland where they do need rain. The prediction was that we would be getting summer weather for the Olympics.

The jet stream naturally moves around over the year. Usually it's moved up above Scotland by now but this year it's hung around in the south which has caused the problems. As annobel says it's on the move north now and hopefully will settle down.

I doubt it's climate change. We've had grotty summers before and I'm sure we'll have them in the future. It's odd that we always need something or someone to blame for our weather. Now we have climate change but in the past when God was thought to be less benevolent it was seen as evidence that he was annoyed about something.

The Book of Roger [12 century] describes Britain as 'All is in the grip of perpetual winter'. So it was pretty bad back then . Suppose they blamed Wodan or somebody.

Yes, summer is going to come just as I leave for Canada!

The long range weather forecast from netweather is here. It has been reasonably accurate so far this year, unlike the Met Office.

Hurrah! It's official. . Walks away singing..the sun has got his hat on tedum tedum.....

All I can say is yipee eh ey [big , big smile]

I live in Iowa and our weather is horrid. Yesterday was 102 and today may be 104! I'm an "older" gran and have only experienced those temps a few times in my life! The long range forecast was that it will be hotter and dryer than normal for weeks yet. Not a good thing for the crops! Many areas have NO crops left. The entire Midwest is in a severe drought and England has been drenched in rain. I know little about the jet stream but hope it finds it's way back to normalcy soon!

We are so lucky here - we only get weather and we don't get CLIMATE like you do in Iowa and other places.
here is the New Scientist's take on it:
Jet stream caused by temperature gradient between equator and arctic
If arctic is a bit warmer (as it currently is) it messes up the usual pattern and the jet stream gets stuck - low pressure systems swirling over us in UK (always in an anticlockwise spiral in the N hemisphere ), relentless high pressure in Iowa.
This overly stable/stuck thing accounts for the fact that weather patterns have taken so long to move. But now there has been a shift, a high pressure area has built up south of UK and the pattern has broken here at least.
We did have a similar long wet pattern in summer 2007 - I remember distinctly saying in work "what this project needs now is a month of rain" - and it rained every day for over a month
The New Scientist would agree with the fact that the warmer arctic that is at the root of the problem is a symptom of global warming.

Global warming!?

BAGS!!!

Yes, well, of course the globe's been warming during this interglacial that we're in. There's a new idea about tectonics and seawater causing quite a lot of change. I'll see if I can find a link.

Buzzes off for a bit....

What it is to be predictable Bags

Indeed. So why the big fuss about other causes?

Anyway, here we are, an article in The Scotsman reporting some research published in the journal Science which says that natural variations in seawater chemistry cause climate change. Interesting how the seawater chemistry is changed!

Bags - but we are agreed that the world is warming and we are never going to agree about causation so, moving on. It is a lovely hot evening - feels like we have been transported into another country!

Get transported up here, then you'll know you're still in dear old Blighty, blighted with cool, damp weather!

Ooh! There is a glimmer of late sunshine to the north!

North!? It must be getting through some of the cloud to the NW. Hope springs eternal. Tra-la!

But, seriously, jess, do have a look at the article. It is an interesting idea.

Yes, it may be a lovely, hot evening in Milton Keynes - but not everywhere in the UK!

Gorgeous here!

And having a lovely hot evening in the southern part of Britain in July is hardly any indication of climate change; it's just standard summer weather. So talk of feeling as if transported to another (by implication hot) country is disingenuously arch, even if you didn't mean it like that.

Beautifully put, Bags!

We have had gales today, out walking I could hardly stay on my feet.

Gales harrigran? That's a bit different to us here in the south east, we've had our best couple of days for months, I'd almost forgotton what summer should be like

Steady Bags. I did read the article. I was resisting the urge to comment on it and start another interchange with me saying "of course it is" and you disagreeing.
Certainly no need to misinterpret what I said either. I certainly not was saying that a warm evening was evidence of global warming! Not at all sure how you managed to draw that inference.
I was merely noting that it was a sudden and welcome change in the weather after a couple of months of cool, changeable, wet weather that did not feel normal in the south of England.

righto. Thanks, jess. Will try not to read such things into what you say in future, but a lot of people do it and it gets annoying.