Storm Babette It left a trail of destruction and a lot of water in more than 20 countries. Great Britain was among those affected, but Environment Secretary Therese Coffey’s explanation of the floods raised many eyebrows.
During an inquiry by MPs, he suggested that Britain was less prepared for the recent rain because it came from the east than from the west. In other words, they came from the wrong direction.
Therese Coffey said meteorologists were “very good” at predicting rain from the Atlantic, but added: “It’s rain from the other side, which we don’t have as much experience with.”
“The accuracy of predicting where such heavy rain will fall is not the same,” he highlighted. But can rain really come from the wrong side?
Newspaper Dailymail Contacted UK meteorologists. Richard Allen, professor of climate science at the University of Reading, says weather forecast models “don’t take into account which direction the rain is coming from”.
“It’s unusual for the dry east of England to experience such intense and prolonged flooding, but our weather forecasts are full of detailed observations, they don’t care about the direction of the rain, and we’re able to make good, high-quality predictions.” Another professor, climatologist Lee Chapman, confirms: “It is true that the east of England has significantly less rain than the rest of the country, but the forecasts do not take into account whether the rain is coming from the east or the west. .” However, he added, “it has no impact on the intensity or duration of rainfall during the storm.”
In fact, the region of Brechin, the target of the delegation’s questions, has already experienced flooding on other occasions, so there is “no reason for the East to be less prepared” to face the rain.
Richard Allen says he is one of the culprits of global warming Babette: “Moisture increases in the air, and as a result, the rain is stronger and more intense.”
Liz Bentley, CEO Royal Meteorological Society, says the climate in Great Britain is becoming “more volatile and more extreme than it was three or four decades ago”. “We are seeing an increase in rainfall, which can cause flash floods, which is caused by climate change, which is also affecting the UK.”
Another climatologist, Edward Hanna, noted, “In general, the eastern parts of England and Scotland are relatively protected from rain from the Atlantic, but this is not always the case if storms or lows change course.”
“Weather with rain and wind usually comes from the west,” says climate science professor Richard Washington, “and is usually associated with low pressure systems that move from west to east.” What happened to the storm? Babette That’s right, it traveled from west to east, but there was a depression center in England and “it changed the wind and weather patterns,” he said.
“Reader. Infuriatingly humble travel enthusiast. Extreme food scholar. Writer. Communicator.”
