LAST week we experienced this winter’s first real cold snap. For several consecutive days the mercury stubbornly refused to rise above 4C and overnight temperatures dropped well below freezing – a teeth chattering -7.3C was recorded in Castlederg.
In the grand scheme of things this is what you might expect of winter in the northern hemisphere. I don’t know about you but I find a balmy 12C on Christmas Day (as we experienced this year) a little ‘unseasonal’ and perhaps adds to that familiar complaint of ‘it doesn’t really feel like Christmas’.
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I don’t know if this is the fault of the ‘snowflake’ generation (the irony) and their apparent lack of resilience, but I am at a loss regarding this recent need to catastrophise about this kind of weather.
For days we were bombarded with yellow and amber warnings about snow and ice. Several times I noticed Alexa flashing yellow so I asked her for my notifications (trying to recall what I might have ordered from Amazon) only to be advised that I should expect snow in my area at 6pm. Well thanks Alexa, but I could just look out the window...
I do wonder how we coped before without these weather warnings. Well I do know, actually: we were prepared. My late grandfather always kept a box in the boot of his car containing a torch, a spade and a blanket in the unlikely event that he got stuck in a snowdrift. I’m pretty sure he most likely had jump leads, a tin of de-icer and an empty petrol can too. Realistically he was never more than 20 miles from home but the mindset of his generation was that you never know when you might get caught out.
I suppose the relative reliability of modern cars and the additional security of having a mobile phone means that we no longer concern ourselves with such trivialities. So, case in point, as we don’t need to be prepared we aren’t. If we breakdown, get a flat tyre or run out of fuel then we can simply phone someone else to come and sort the problem out.
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However, have we really reached the stage where if it’s very cold or very windy we need to be told that it could cause some ‘low-level impacts’ or ‘disruption to travel’? What has happened to common sense? Surely if people know it’s going to be windy they aren’t going to suddenly decide to head out on a coastal drive or go for a brisk walk along a cliff path.
I do wonder how we coped before without these weather warnings. Well I do know, actually: we were prepared
I understand that much of this has to do with climate change and the impact the changing environment is having on our weather, particularly in relation to flooding. I accept that people need to be informed of the risks and be aware when rain, snow, wind, thunderstorms, lightning, fog or ice are likely. Warnings for extreme heat were added to the list of hazardous weather conditions in 2021.
I have no issue with weather forecasts in general which are both informative and helpful. But we used to look at the forecast to see if we might need an umbrella or a raincoat not whether we need to build a bunker or buy a hazmat suit. It is this alarmist warning system that I struggle with because often the warnings exceed the reality of the situation. They put people unnecessarily on edge and cause fear and uncertainty, especially amongst the elderly.
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My great grandmother had an old barometer on the wall by her front door which she used to tap before she left the house – she never trusted TV weather forecasts and always said it will be the weather which isn’t predicted which will catch you out – just ask Michael Fish...
