What's Wrong With The Weather?

It was rather disconcerting returning to London and finding myself breaking out in a sweat on the way back to the hall from Gatwick Airport. We’re now in January, but Old Man Winter has been acting rather strangely. Temperatures are in double digits and even a tree inside the Goodenough College quadrangle has started blossoming. What’s happening? And just next it on the lawn, luscious bikini-clad babes can be seen, sunning themselves, obviously delighted at this turn of events.

OK. So I exaggerate. But only slightly...

It’s not as though I prefer to freeze, although many of my friends know that I do enjoy my fair share of cold weather. The concern I have is what this might portend for the coming summer. With its ancient infrastructure and concrete architecture, London’s not a place to be enjoyed when things get hot. Last year, I understand, was one of the warmest on record. Air conditioning is still comparatively rare here. And let's not even talk about the human oven that the London Tube system becomes.

Picking up my copy of the London Lite paper this evening, however, I chanced upon the massive headline on Page 11, “Met puts UK on snow alert”. Heh. Here's the adapted online version. Apparently, the experts are predicting a few cold snaps, although this winter is expected to remain mild generally. But “the winter could be followed by a cool summer, rather than the heatwaves of recent years.”

Now, that’s definitely some good news : )