Now It’s Hurricane Force Winds!
By Paul Homewood
This is all getting beyond absurd. Last month we had media claims of 80 mph winds, then 90 mph during Storm Henk. Now it’s “Hurricane Force”!
Every time they have to ramp up the alarm, as their efforts to scare us fail.
So let’s be very clear about one thing – this is not a hurricane, which specifically is a tropical cyclone, something that feeds off the warmth of the ocean. According to NOAA, they need the following conditions to form:
Currently there are no TCs in the Atlantic:
This new storm, Isha, is actually an Extratropical Cyclone, which gets its power from the temperature difference between cold polar air and warm tropical air. In other words, a common or garden depression, which can be small and weak, or big and powerful:
https://www.treehugger.com/extratropical-cyclones-arctic-4863071
The claim that Isha has hurricane force winds is particularly disingenuous. Sustained (average) winds of 74 mph over the open ocean are nothing unusual at all at this time of year, and will be much stronger than anything hitting land, even on top of The Needles. And sustained winds are not gusts.
Gusts of 50 to 60 mph are generally expected inland, again nothing unusual. The worst of the winds are expected in the west of Scotland and West Wales:
If we look at the latest Met Office forecast for Sunday evening, Glasgow might get gusts of 52 mph, but average winds are much lower at 25 mph.
It looks a bit windier down in Aberystwyth, gusts of 61 mph and average winds of 33 mph. No doubt a few locations will see stronger winds, but this is just another gale of the sort we see every winter. A hurricane it ain’t!
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NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT 
Does this latest warning trigger mobile phone alerts? Not that I’m worried in the slightest because I turned mine off.
It’s a bit like the little boy who kept crying “Wolf”- the more the weather is hyped up the sooner normal people will realise just what is going on with the weather forecasters not to mention the rest of the media in general. The media and weather forecasters would serve the people better if they pointed out more factual information, not only with the climate but also with other issues concerning economics, science, engineering etc.
Accuracy and judgement would help.
We signed up to the EA ‘Floodline’ years ago as a precaution.
Within a few weeks we got emails and texts telling us to run for the hills and take our children and animals with us. We actually booked in to a hotel. The park by the river got a few puddles.
Got fooled a few more times and gave up paying much attention. Which in Feb 20 was a pity.
Also there is a new tests with the direction of flood water, since square miles of affordable housing on flood plains, duly defended, sends stuff from unexpected directions.
The MetOrifice is not in the business factual information – it is an activist organisation.
‘According to NOAA, they need the following conditions to form:’
Okay, the link does NOT go to NOAA, rather to the site “treehugger.”
Then “treehugger mashes it up:
‘Ocean waters of around 80 degrees Fahrenheit, often within 300 miles from the equator’
NOAA knows better. Yes on 80 degrees. What’s missing, and critical, is it has to extend to depth, like a hundred feet. 80 degrees on the surface alone is useless for cyclone formation. Treehuggers don’t know that.
I’ve been on a ridge in 80 mph wind and I’m still alive.
It was very difficult to move into the wind, but that
was the direction to go to get out of there.
Luckly, there were no garbage cans or other
junk to be flying by.
Always enjoy yours, John. I am writing to GB News to suggest that they give no support to the imminent disaster warnings by the Met Office. Trouble is that it is cheaper to pass on ‘ cause to panic ‘ from the Met Office than to engage their staff to write copy about world affairs. The BBC and the on line UK news sources seem totally taken up by murder and dead babies — and sport, of course.
GB News have signed up to have the MetOrifice provide its forecasts.
Gezza:
All the more reason that GB News should know what they are getting. Brings to mind the Sale of Goods Act and whether the Met Office are selling goods (? services) of merchantable quality.
The Beaufort Scale (assuming the Met Office still uses it) gives a figure for hurricane force winds as a sustained 73 mph. Ah, well – good luck to the Needles…
C’mon man, why you gotta throw that “sustained” in there?
The Beaufort Scale refers to sustained winds, not gusts.
But gusts are good enough for GB News.
Isha, any relation to She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed?
‘Standing on the waters casting your bread
While the eyes of the idol with the iron head are glowing
Distant ships sailing into the mist
You were born with a snake in both of your fists while a hurricane was blowing’
I am fast losing sight of what is the modeled situation and that observed.
Let us hope they stow the blades on those windmills. or they will be picking up pieces for the next fortnight.
And we will have to import more costly power from France to fill the gap.