Weather fronts, Air Masses and Rain- Scotland in a nutshell!

Nice summaries here from the Met Office

Weather Instruments

Tail end of Hurricane set to hit UK

Transport links and power companies face disruption in Scotland and the north of England from the tail end of hurricane Katia.

The Tour of Britain cycle race, between Kendall and Blackpool,has been cancelled due to the dangerous and very high winds.

The M6 isone of the UK's busiest motorways and it has been closed because of the strong winds. Other roads are also closed.

The Met Office warns us of possible damage and flooding, especially in our part of Scotland! There is likely to be some disruption to roads, rail and ferry services, so travellers are advised to allow more time for journeys.

The high winds and heavy rain are expected to reach a peak on Monday afternoon and evening, so people are advised that to leave work earlier to help avoid rush-hour delays.
For the whole of this article read here.

Australian floods

I only have few minutes to post this one just now. All I can say is wow! Glad I'm not in this area. I feel really sorry for all who are suffering as a result of this.

USA understated weather forecast!

This guy is too similar to me really. Ask the Carrick kids.

China changes the Weather-possibly.....

The snow that fell on Beijing last week was the heaviest for many years. It was also, China claims, man-made. Some areas of farmland in the north of China were suffering because of drought. So on Saturday night China's meteorologists (weather experts) fired 186 explosive rockets with chemicals to "seed" clouds and encourage snow to fall. The US has tried this in California. The chemicals fired into the sky, usually dry ice or silver iodide, are supposed to provide a surface for water vapour to form rain. But there is little evidence that it works – after all, how do we know it would not have rained anyway? Such doubts have not stopped China claiming tha they did control the weather. Officials said the blue skies that were over Beijing's parade to celebrate 60 years of communism were a result of cloud-seeding. In 2008, more than 1,000 rockets were fired to ensure a dry night for last year's Olympic opening ceremony. As interest grows, so does concern about whether such techniques, known as geoengineering, are good for the planet and humans. "If climate change turns ugly, then many countries will start looking at desperate measures," says an energy expert ." Geoengineering worries experts for two reasons. First, the massive side effects; what it could do to the world's rainfall, for example. Second, once started, geoengineering would probably have to be continued, as stopping could bring lots of changes in climate.
With a lot of potential disasters some say, there must be a law against geoengineering. What do you think?

Wet July 2009

Just a bit of proof from the BBC and Met Office that we have had a wet July with less sun than average this year. Read the rest of this article here and see where the West of Scotland is in the league table compared to other parts of the UK. The North of Scotland was better off than us when examining the hours of sunshine. Right I'm off to the Orkneys now! I always loved it there as all my classes know. Click the graph for a link to the BBC article on this.

Water Cycle Songs

Water Cycle Song
Really “cheesy” this one!

Water Cycle Rap

Groundwater Animation Song

Weather Games

Good one here with lots of silly games t fill your time. Don’t know if they will help a lot but have a go if you have a spare 5 minutes.
The glossary is useful though. Might be a good idea for S grade classes to add to your favourites to refer to later.

Gustav does its worst, but New Orleans survives

New Orleans appeared yesterday to have been narrowly spared a repeat of the devastation of Katrina three years ago when Hurricane Gustav weakened. While Gustav failed to live up to the terrifying standards set by Katrina, it still left communal and political chaos in its wake. Almost 2 million people fled the Gulf of Mexico, the largest evacuation of its kind, turning New Orleans and other coastal communities into virtual ghost towns. New Orleans enacted a dawn-to-dusk curfew designed to prevent the looting which broke out in 2005. In further echoes of Katrina, the streets of the city were lined by heavily armed police officers.
Read the article here.

Weather revision S grade

Weather maps and symbols.

Yes I know this is in German but you can see the current weather data for the UK on this site http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/Rgbsyn.html. Good to use along side the BBC site. Check and see if they match!
BBC Weather site
Killie weather webcam! http://www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk/comser/tourism/webcams/cam1.asp
Glasgow George Square webcam http://www.camvista.com/scotland/glasgow/georgesq_camera1.php
This site gives you access to lots of webcams over the UK. Big borother is watching you! http://www.wetterklima.de/cams/uk.htm
And heres one in Europe too. Dream of your summer hols! http://www.wetterklima.de/cams/europa_deutsch.htm

There is no winter in the UK any more

Climate change is expected to bring winters that are both milder and wetter to Scotland. THE age-old signs of spring, which does not officially arrive until the Equinox on 20 March, are beginning to sprout months earlier than the norm. Many flowers are already in bloom. What do you think? Read the rest here.

Is this related too?
Only February and the hayfever season is already upon us.Superdrug confirmed remedy sales have risen by a quarter over the past few weeks. And Boots has seen a 24 per cent rise – with sales of some particular brands nearly doubling. Boots pharmacist Sarah Cameron said: "It's earlier than in previous years."

China plans to halt rain for Olympics

Read the article here telling us what China intends doing to control the might of the weather. WOW!

Sahara sand surprise over Wales

People in parts of south Wales woke to find their cars and houses covered in dust which has come all the way from the Sahara Desert.
A number of people were concerned it could be hazardous but experts say there is nothing to be worried about. It was caused by a big high pressure system sitting over central Europe which had coincided with the sand storm. The last time it had happened was in March 2007. Read the rest here.

Weather 'hit highs' during 2007

Last year was the third warmest in Scotland since records began in 1914. The trends backed predictions that Scotland would become warmer and wetter. Click here.

US ice storm

A severe snow storm in the US has claimed two lives and caused chaos in central and north-eastern states. Watch the video here.

The storm, which has hit the state of Oklahoma hardest, has killed 22 people. The storm has shut down many schools, businesses, roads and airports. Emergency generators have been shipped into some of the worst-affected states to power nursing homes and sewage works. Read the rest here.

Extreme weather in USA

At least 15 people have died in the US as an ice storm swept through several states east of the Rocky Mountains. Watch the video here. Perhaps the weather map showing the High pressure in the East is a clue why this is happening. What do you think? S4 can explain this before their exam on Friday.

At least 17 people were killed in the central United States as a freezing storm left much of Oklahoma and Missouri under a thick coating of ice, with more wintry weather on the way. At O’Hare International Airport, about 200 flights were cancelled, with others delayed by an average of 45 minutes. Read the rest here.

Horrendous weather forecast

Residents along the east coast of England, from Yorkshire to Kent, have been warned of an "extreme danger to life and property" as six severe flood warnings were issued by the Environment Agency.
A combination of north-westerly winds up to force 8, low pressure and high tides has combined to create the threat. The highest water levels would be at 7am on Friday, officials said.
Remember to look at the Guardians excellent information on the summer floods of 2007 here.

Read also the Times article here on the dangers.

Freak weather conditions

Look at this video on a freak hailstorm in Colombia, South America. Is this the other effect of “global warming”?

Massive floods in southern Mexico have destroyed or damaged the homes of as many as half a million people.
The military has helped to evacuate thousands of people in the states of Tabasco and Chiapas. Read the BBC article here.

Read also about the floods in Mexico here. This is Geography “in your face” This is in Tabasco.

The effects of a hurricane.

Katrina in New Orleans Top Gear comment. Watch and look at the damage.