Weather in U.K

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AARDVARK
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Weather in U.K

Post by AARDVARK »

I know this is a subject that gets talked about forever and a day,but this year's summer has been truly awful,and every show I have attended or seen pics/reviews from has been either cloudy,raining or even cancelled,bar Biggin Hill,which for 2 years running has had glorious weather.
If this is due to global warming and we are going to see more and more wet summers,do you think this will have an adverse affect on the Airshow scene,especially as rising fuel/operation and insurance costs drive ticket prises up.
Comments welcome.

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Ben Montgomery
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Re: Weather in U.K

Post by Ben Montgomery »

I think politics will have a bigger effect - no flares, supersonic flight, flying over the crowd. Whats next, no burners, formation flights etc?

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AdamN
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Re: Weather in U.K

Post by AdamN »

TheOriginalMonty wrote:I think politics will have a bigger effect - no flares, supersonic flight, flying over the crowd. Whats next, no burners, formation flights etc?


Not sure what any of those have to do with politics, nor why afterburners or formation flying would pose any risk to the spectators...

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Burleysway
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Re: Weather in U.K

Post by Burleysway »

I think its time we started putting out satellites to better use like in Superman 3, i'm sure its possible.

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CH2
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Re: Weather in U.K

Post by CH2 »

No nothing to do with Global Warming (if there is such a thing), more to do with the position of the Jet Stream and the position of the Azores high, plus a load of other factors.

As I have discussed before here, that the British climate is generally crap, and with its geographical position its no real surprise. Ever so often we will get a decent summer, Airshow buffs will always pick up on 2006, true an unusually nice late June and July with almost wall to wall sunshine, but come August of that year (in fact the day the PR9’s were delivered to Kemble) it was like somebody just flicked the switch.

Prior to that there was 2003 which was a genuine scorcher it also started very early, you could take the pattern all the way back to February of that year which went through to October and beyond, whilst 2004 was a dud, and so on.

However there is no doubt about it that 2008 is dire, even by the end of July last year the Jet stream had shifted and the summer did in fact recover.

The Global warming fanatics were predicting long hot summers with European high-pressure super blocks baking the British Isles, they hadn’t accounted for the power of the Atlantic.

By the way I don’t doubt there is climate change, only human arrogance would assume it’s completely down to them and they can actually stop it!
Cheers,

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AlexC
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Re: Weather in U.K

Post by AlexC »

I thought that according to the global warming theory we were supposed to be getting hotter, drier summers, and wetter winters?
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Armadillos
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Re: Weather in U.K

Post by Armadillos »

Indeed as you say these glorious summers seem to come round in cycles. I mean there was the heat wave of 1997 (i think?) then as mentioned 03 then 06 so you never know next year maybe a decent one.

Last few i remember started early in the year, ie 06 we had a good 2/3 weeks at end of april beginning of may then it trailed off and returned for July.

However granted our share of bad summers this cycle have been particularly crap!
3 Months to go, hopefully he says.

flyboy
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Re: Weather in U.K

Post by flyboy »

Just take from Sky News website will it ever end.

The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning for Friday with a risk of heavy rain in Wales, southwest England, parts of the Midlands and central-southern England.
And while most people will have been hoping for an Indian summer, it seems September squalls are looking more likely.
Sky News weather forecaster Lucy Verasamy explained: "It'll be feeling more and more like Autumn over the next few days, turning very unsettled as the week draws to a close.
"A system rolling in from the Atlantic will bring a batch of steady and significant rain into southern Britain on Friday morning.
"Winds will be strengthening too with gales likely in exposed coastal spots.
"The windy, wet conditions will drift slowly northwards through Friday into Saturday to affect many areas into the weekend.
"Nearly two inches of rain could fall on saturated ground bringing a threat of local flooding once more."
The grim forecast follows a disappointing summer. Official figures show August was the least summery since records began in 1929.

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Harlequin67
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Re: Weather in U.K

Post by Harlequin67 »

So records began in 1929. Wow, all of 79 years. We have had a very short span of weather watching.

We, as humans, have no idea what the extremes of weather can be. There were known medieval cold and warm periods. That was 700 years ago. The cold period meant feet of snow during the winter. The warm period meant vines and wines from Yorkshire(?), or somewhere quite north of Watford.

It should be noted that evidence that hurricane storm surges can be found as far north as New York. Our recent hurricne events have got no further than the Carolinas. Again we have so few years records to base "global warming" thesis on. All that we are seeing could be natural climate variations.

Remember that scientists are paid, given grants, for research. They get more money for more popular research, and get bigger grants for getting the desired results!
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A380FWWOW
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Re: Weather in U.K

Post by A380FWWOW »

I heard this evening that the weather warnings will be for both Friday and Saturday, with lots of rain due to fall on already sodden ground! Local flooding is a real risk! :sad:
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Abingdonman
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Re: Weather in U.K

Post by Abingdonman »

This country is not a Spain or an Oz and thats a fact we Brits should know by now :grin: ...we,ve always had mixed weather with the odd hot spell and the odd rain spells,its been unlucky for airshows,but they are THE most weather reliant events going,i,ve been soaked at Football matches and horseracing etc,but still had great fun(result reliant)) :biggrin: but airshows NEED the clear skies!
you just cant pick a day to be guaranteed 'nice' i,ve known a heavy frost in June and a beautiful warm Christmas day in the distant Berkshire/Oxfordshire past...
last Saturday we went 'pick your owning',good fun usually,but it was almost too hot to stay outside,and everyone was flagging...
late morning today was fine and we called in same place to get some more veggies and the fields were shut off to us...you couldnt even walk in them,they had just been flooded! ....
Thats good ole Blighty for yer!

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Pat Murphy
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Re: Weather in U.K

Post by Pat Murphy »

My first post on th new board after a holiday in SUNNY and HOT France. They have had an excellent Summer in the Poitou Charent region. Not unusual but more consistent weather due to the Azores High pressure being slap bang over them for most of the summer.

Abingdonman
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Re: Weather in U.K

Post by Abingdonman »

ILoveLightnings wrote:My first post on th new board after a holiday in SUNNY and HOT France. They have had an excellent Summer in the Poitou Charent region. Not unusual but more consistent weather due to the Azores High pressure being slap bang over them for most of the summer.

See..the French have the weather but i bet there isnt a decent airshow within a days travel! :grin:

AARDVARK
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Re: Weather in U.K

Post by AARDVARK »

Thanks for your comments so far,yes it is amazing that a country with such a changeable climate has such a large Airshow scene,as the weather certainly doesn't lend itself to the spectacle.

Abingdonman
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Re: Weather in U.K

Post by Abingdonman »

We are way down on what we had in the past for airshows,but its not the weather that did that....
possibly there were so many decent airshows then that it wasnt so noticeable if a few were wet?
you must admit its a great way of looking at it! :biggrin:

APG
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Re: Weather in U.K

Post by APG »

Worst air show weather I had was at West Malling for Great Warbirds, the day before the great storm that hit the south east, was that 1987?

You guys think air shows have been badly hit you want to try flying a balloon this "summer" :sad:

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Spock
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Re: Weather in U.K

Post by Spock »

Everytime there is a Hurricane in USA over the Gulf of Mexico we get the tail end rain & bad weather, mabe that's the weather that's coming in for the weekend that'll effect the southport airshow.

Trev :mad: :mad:

Abingdonman
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Re: Weather in U.K

Post by Abingdonman »

I hope you northerners get a decent day or two for Southport & Leuchars etc ....Leuchars ... one show i always wanted to..but never did! :sad:

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Re: Weather in U.K

Post by SEMAE »

I have been going to air many shows for more than 20 years. The last two years the weather has been generally more unsettled. Before that the previous 8 years the weather has been more kind to us, with longer lasting spells of warm weather. Even back then the odd show suffered from rain.

What has not happened in the last few years is a return to the cold easterly winds that use to make you freeze at almost every Duxford spring air show.

The weather we have now seems to be more like the type we had in some of the 1980s

Oddly enough the seasonal met office forecast for this autumn is giving higher than average temperatures and less than average rainfall. Too late!

The met office summer forecast was generally correct, predicting higher than average rainfall.

Thanks


Martin

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AdamN
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Re: Weather in U.K

Post by AdamN »

Spock wrote:Everytime there is a Hurricane in USA over the Gulf of Mexico we get the tail end rain & bad weather, mabe that's the weather that's coming in for the weekend that'll effect the southport airshow.


And people say we are hard done by!

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cfan
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Re: Weather in U.K

Post by cfan »

Tip USA airshows for the win :D pfft Global Warmings a myth the World got hotter 1000 years ago its a natural process. (Well thats what my Geography teacher said ) :topbombing:

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Pat Murphy
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Re: Weather in U.K

Post by Pat Murphy »

Abingdonman wrote:
ILoveLightnings wrote:My first post on th new board after a holiday in SUNNY and HOT France. They have had an excellent Summer in the Poitou Charent region. Not unusual but more consistent weather due to the Azores High pressure being slap bang over them for most of the summer.

See..the French have the weather but i bet there isnt a decent airshow within a days travel! :grin:


Ahhh Not the case :smile: Look out for my shots from Angers airshow soon in Airshow Photography :wink:

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Re: Weather in U.K

Post by SEMAE »

Some Sunny weather air shows in 2008 including two or more day shows where one or two days day was good:

Goodwood, Biggin Hill, Shoreham, Kemble, Halton, Eastbourne, Dawlish, Valley, Bournemouth, Lowestoft. However, Goodwood the following day was canelled due to flooding

Raiin/showers/fog:

Southend , Fairford, Waddington. Also a seaside show I cannot remember the name of.

Others it was a case of variable cloud/sunny intervals or mostly cloudy but some reasonable weather like Dunsfold and Legends.

I cannot remember all the shows but there were a few other sunny shows and some rain affected.

It looks like Old Warden has not been very lucky this year and the big shows appeared to be the target of the worst weather.

Martin

Abingdonman
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Re: Weather in U.K

Post by Abingdonman »

Most people over 50 talk of 1976 as THE hot summer,and it sure was,but i still got wet a couple of times!
Waddington that year.... and then in 76 i was caught by the first rain in the area for about 3 months,it was Upper Heyford and at last i was able to try out my new shower proof jacket,we had a blast of thunder& lightning with a few minutes of rain,lovely and warm rain mind.....and i found out the jacket was useless! :grin:

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A380FWWOW
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Re: Weather in U.K

Post by A380FWWOW »

Abingdonman wrote:Most people over 50 talk of 1976 as THE hot summer,and it sure was,but i still got wet a couple of times!
Waddington that year.... and then in 76 i was caught by the first rain in the area for about 3 months,it was Upper Heyford and at last i was able to try out my new shower proof jacket,we had a blast of thunder& lightning with a few minutes of rain,lovely and warm rain mind.....and i found out the jacket was useless! :grin:



Ah yes, both the summers of 1976 and 1977 were really great in Germany! :grin: Lets have a repeat!
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