Britain bakes, Europe burns. Is this proof of global warming?

Independent.co.uk ^

[StatesEnemy]

If it isn't proof of global warming at last, it certainly looks like it. As much of Europe burns like a furnace and rivers run dry across the continent, Britain is bracing itself for its own record temperature.

Sometime tomorrow, in southern England or the Midlands, the mercury in the thermometer may pass 37.1C, which became the national record when registered in Cheltenham on 3 August 1990. That centigrade peak translates as 98.8 Fahrenheit, so the remarkable figure for Britain of 99 or even 100F- is on the cards.

"We reckon there's a 20 per cent chance it will happen, but in any case it's going to get very very close," said Andy Yeatman of the Met Office.

A record would be hugely significant - a three-figure Fahrenheit temperature for the UK would be breaking psychological as well as new meteorological ground as it would give many people for the first time the perception that global warning is a real, not a theoretical phenomenon - and that it is happening to them.

[StatesEnemy]

Get ready for more anti-merkin backlash - Global Warming has already been equated with a 'Weapon of Mass Destruction'

[Uncle Miltie]

"Britain bakes, Europe burns. Is this proof of global warming?"

Nope. Just payback. It's cool this summer in North Dakota, God's country from whence military men set forth.

[Hildy]

I don't know...Alaska hit record highs..now this...it's weird.

[piasa]

Florida's forests have burned for the last few years now... I figure this nice wet weather we are now having is WAY overdue. Wish we could get a few years of this.

[Let's Roll]

It ain't proof of "human caused" global warming.

[Arkinsaw]

Its rained like crazy this year in northern Arkansas. Very strange for July and August. Based on this single datapoint I must conclude that we are about to have an epochal flood.

[jed turtle]

rainy, misty, cool, continous metallic-looking dark clouds for days on end. highly unusual for what are typically the dog-days of August here in Maine. the drought of the past few years is finally over!

[Parley Baer]

Saw on the Weather channel that this is one of the coolist summers on record for Atlanta. In fact it is on track to break the record for the coolist summer. Parley

[StatesEnemy]

Rained like crazy here in the North East during Mar, Apr, May and June - I'm not building an Ark.

But if the weather in Europe continues to be 'abnormal' - by human cause, or natural cycle - America is going to be blamed.

That's my point.

[blam]

"Its rained like crazy this year in northern Arkansas. Very strange for July and August. Based on this single datapoint I must conclude that we are about to have an epochal flood."

We've had the wettest July here in Mobile since they began keeping records. This is our first year out of a four year dought too.

[AF68]

This is one of the mildest summers I've ever experienced. Of course, it's all President Bush's fault.

[CaptainTrips]

Not only is it the coolest Atlanta summer I can remember in the last 11 years, but it won't stop raining either. But excessive rain is "sign" of global warming, I guess we are screwed.

[FlyVet]

Hah! I have no sympathy for them. It's been miserably hot in AZ, even worse than usual. Our monsoon season was late, but on the plus side, we've had a few heavy rains in my area, so we are up to our yearly average in rainfall. Very good news, since we've been in a drought for 5 years. Too bad the rain didn't hit before half of our forest burned down. Mainly caused by stupid humans, of course.

Ve muscht exschterminate zese humans, ve muscht schtop zis global varming!

[Malesherbes]

Not Global Warming in pagan Europe - just a foretaste of Hell.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Burn Europe down. The midwest is having a cool spell.

[Cold Heat]

I hope it rains chicken crap!

[P.O.E.]

Global Warming has already been equated with a 'Weapon of Mass Destruction'

Except that there doesn't seem to be much clamor from the media for proof of the existence of global warming.

[Billthedrill]

Britain bakes, Europe burns. Is this proof of global warming?

It's proof it's summertime. Let me venture a guess - I'm not a professional meteorologist, so I might be wrong, but I'm guessing it'll be much colder in January. OK, call me crazy...

[epow]

We've had warmer than normal winters and cooler than normal summers here in the north GA mountains for the past few years. My recording thermometer hasn't seen 85 yet this year, and today's high was 79. OK, I admit we went below zero a couple of days in February, but on average last winter was warmer than usual.

If this is the global warming the eco-freaks are worried about bring it on, I love it. Here's an idea. Maybe if we took those catalytic converters off our cars and went back to Freon in our fridges and A/C units the weather would get even better. And just think how nice it might get if we went back to burning dirty coal in our furnaces and electric generating plants. It just might turn out that air pollution is really the key to a more temperate climate.

[AF68]

Reminds me of George Carlin's Hippy-Dippy Weatherman who forcasted "darkness in the early evening, followed by continuing darkness through the night, then scattered light towards morning".