The past two months have produced record amounts of rain in the United Kingdom. If you look out to your back garden now, it is very likely to still be raining, and will likely still be raining for the foreseeable future. The summer floods in the UK have been a phenomenon that have produced unheard-of levels of damage as the British isles are bombarded with storm clouds. Indeed, it is thought to continue up until the summer Olympics and perhaps even beyond. The storms have minimized what should be hot and humid summer days and generated flash floods across the nation that will likely only increase in size and frequency.
While some western areas of the nation have been spared from the heavy flooding, most have not been so lucky. The low-pressure fronts produced by Atlantic currents of warm air have produced the equivalent of wringing out a sponge above the UK, with more rain falling than almost any other time in human memory. Southern England has been hit particularly hard, with some areas reporting nearly eight centimeters of precipitation in a single night. Flood alerts for the rivers Bride, Axe, and Yealm kept Devon County on notice for evacuation when the water flow reached peak levels. Those who left the area returned to find their homes and belongings drenched in a meter of standing water.
While June has been the wettest month on record, July is not likely to be any brighter. The Atlantic jet stream produces much of the weather conditions across northern Europe, pushing air from west to east across the ocean. Under normal conditions, not much of the moisture accumulated in this jet stream falls on Britain; most passes over into Scandinavia and Russia. As the jet stream experiences changes in speed and water vapor, however, it puts the UK square in its cross-hairs and unleashes torrent after torrent. The first week of July gave little reason for optimism, as the monthly average for rain had been surpassed in the first twenty-four hours.
What is affecting the jet stream and creating summer floods in the UK? Climatologists and meteorologists do not agree on the causes. While global warming is a likely culprit, it may be more complicated than saying the increase in temperature leads to greater water evaporation. It could be that the Arctic sea ice diminished, which in turn kept the poles from their usual moisture transfer during the winter season. This made the winter drier, affecting the jet stream's movement of temperature and water.
Could this be a permanent fixture in the UK's future? The increased levels of water vapor in the global atmosphere suggest that it might be. Water vapor is a more heat-conductive greenhouse gas than carbon, meaning that it could accelerate regardless of how carbon emissions are handled. The difficulty in coordinating the vast amount of data covering such a huge range of geography and weather, however, give no concrete answers.
As it stands, some two hundred different warnings have been given for the summer floods in the UK. Some venues, such as the British Grand Prix, had to be relocated from the threat of flooding. The Association of British Insurers believes this flooding will cost the nation some tens of millions of pounds before it is over.
Article published on behalf of Steve Caunce Ltd of St Helens, Merseyside. Steve Caunce are commercial drain specialists providing professional drain repairs and drainage solutions throughout the united kingdom. Visit http://www.stevecaunce.co.uk for more information.
