20.01.2013, 07:02
Looking out the window the snow is back. Fine wet snow mind you, the bulk of the snowfall is in the southeast today.
The thing with Britain is that we get snow when cold air hits moist air, so unless winds from the arctic or the continent are heading our way (the prevailing wind is off the Atlantic thus milder in tone), it doesn't happen. Recently the jetstream has been wavering southward of its average course so the as happened just over the past few days, the necessary cold air is getting across Britain.
Sometimes we do get serious winters of course 1948 and 1961 come to mind. But these are exceptional and linked to global variances. We often forget that Britain is on the same latitude as Labrador, so the blessings of an oceanic climate benefit us considerably.
The thing with Britain is that we get snow when cold air hits moist air, so unless winds from the arctic or the continent are heading our way (the prevailing wind is off the Atlantic thus milder in tone), it doesn't happen. Recently the jetstream has been wavering southward of its average course so the as happened just over the past few days, the necessary cold air is getting across Britain.
Sometimes we do get serious winters of course 1948 and 1961 come to mind. But these are exceptional and linked to global variances. We often forget that Britain is on the same latitude as Labrador, so the blessings of an oceanic climate benefit us considerably.