Apology on behalf of the British Weather
We apologise for this temporary interruption to the usual British summertime weather. We realize that temperatures above 20°C are rather inconvenient.
Of course, we are working hard to ensure the speedy return of intermittent rain, cloudy weekends and days that start promisingly but turn out to be shitty.
In the meantime, please do not wear socks with your sandals or try to match chequered shorts with a chequered shirt.
Post inspired by UK Red Cross Blog, discovered via The NonProfit Blogs Read the full post...
Summer is over. Snif.
[i-Rome weather forecast]
We hardly had a single drop of rain in July and August. Two weeks ago, it was that hot, I had to buy a fan.
A week ago, almost at the flip of a switch, the weather turned around. Thunder, lightning, rain... I had to close the windows at night.
And according to the weather forecast, it looks like the summer is over. In the next 10 days, we will have one day of sunshine.
Time to go for a winter sleep.. See you all in 8 months. Bye!! ;-)
Rumble: Rome Floods
Rome in the rain[i-Rome in the rain]
There was a time we lived in Kampala, Uganda. When we had a rain storm, everyone was late coming to the office, as roads would be flooded knee high.
I was reminded of that today. The only difference is, I now live in Rome, Italy.
I woke up at 6:30 am. There was some distant rumble of thunder, but I did not think much of it.
When I got outside, it rained. I drove off, curbing a corner and followed a car in front of me, which stopped all of a sudden. I passed him, to find myself driving through 10 inches of water. As drainage where I live is almost non-existent, I did not think much of it.
Drove to work, and found the traffic to be very light. Saw many fields besides the highway drenched, but did not think much of it.
Took the Fiumicino-Rome highway. Exit close to work. One of the underpasses of the highway was flooded up to the ceiling. A car stuck in the underpass, its roof hardly visible. We had the same two weeks ago. And it took them four days to drain the underpass. So, this morning, I did not think much of it.
Got to work, and saw very few cars in the parking lot. Went to the usual Thursday morning staff meeting, only to find a handful of people. Normally we have 200 people attending. Started getting SMSes from several of my staff saying "I will be late", followed by "Stuck in traffic" and later "Making a U-turn. Going back home." "Not coming today, traffic just stopped".. One after the other, meetings were cancelled.
Only then I caught up with the news:
Apparently there was a big rain storm last night (slept through it), with loads of thunder and lightning (slept through it), and half of Rome was flooded (drove in from the other - non-flooded - side).
Rome's mayor declared the state of emergency, advising people to stay home. One person was found dead in a car, stuck in a flooded underpass. (More)
That is the point where I started to think about my time in Africa.
More on The Road about Rome and Italy
Picture courtesy Letneo
Rumble: It is cold here...
I am home for the weekend. Left Rome on Friday evening 7 PM, and it was 17 dgs C. Arrived in Belgium two hours later, and it was +1 dgs C.
Today it is freezing and snowing. Brrr...
I tell you: climate and weather does have an effect on people.
This is how it looked at noon time:
A cold november morning in belgium[i-A cold november morning in belgium]
In the afternoon, it started snowing:
Cold November day in Belgium[i-Cold November day in Belgium]
And just as the sun was setting in weird yellow/soft pinkish colour (the pictures below are unretouched!), it was clear I was going to have problems getting to the airport. If flights would not be cancelled, that is.
Belgium and it is not supposed to be winter yet.[i-Belgium and it is not supposed to be winter yet.]
Belgium and it is not supposed to be winter yet.[i-Belgium and it is not supposed to be winter yet.]
Update:
It snowed so hard, cars were skidding on the road. Belgians are not prepared for winter weather. Not even by essentials, e.g. we hardly ever put winter tyres on. So when it snows a bit, everything is a mess.
I live 40 km from Brussels airport. It took me three hours to get there. Train delayed by 30 minutes. Stopped half way, I had to change to another, which I missed. Next one stopped due to a frozen track and had to go back. I am at the airport now. Flight delayed by 2 hours, for starters.
Life is an adventure. ;-)
Rumble: Summer is over (snif)
Summer came late this year, in Italy. As I live two blocks from the sea, I saw the beaches gradually getting more crowded.
This is all over now. Three weeks ago, I left Rome for a weekend in Belgium. I left on the friday evening, and it was 37°C. When I came back on the Sunday evening, it was 16°C.
Last week, I had to switch the heating on, and a walk on beach yesterday required a sweater and rain gear. Winter is definitively coming fast.
Fall in Fregene[i-Fall in Fregene]
fall in fiumicino (2)[i-fall in fiumicino (2)]
Storm in Fiumicino[i-Storm in Fiumicino]
More on The Road about Italy, Rome and Fregene
News: Climate change: the struggle of the poorest
carbon emission per country[i-carbon emission per country]
The real climate change victims share two characteristics. They are too poor to defend themselves by expensive flood controls or sophisticated public-health programmes. And (unlike China or Brazil) the poor countries' own carbon footprints are tiny. Kirk Smith, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, calls climate change the world’s biggest regressive tax: the poorest pay for the behaviour of the rich.
When industrial polluters in emerging markets cut emissions, they are rewarded through Kyoto. But the poorest are not rewarded for the big contribution they could make towards reducing emissions, which is the better management of tropical forests. That is because forests were excluded from Kyoto, to the chagrin of the poor. (Full)
More posts on The Road about the environment and global warming
News: Tough hurricane season coming up.
Hurricane Florence 1988[i-Hurricane Florence 1988]
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the approaching 2008 Atlantic hurricane season is likely to be above normal, with 16 named storms and up to five major hurricanes.
NOAA attributed the above-average outlook to the lingering affects of La Nina. The agency has urged residents of hurricane-prone areas to be prepared for the season, which begins on June 1 and will run until 30 November. (Full)
Atlantic-born hurricanes threaten the Caribbean, Central America, Southern US and Northern Latin America every year. In 2007, there were 17 named storms, of which hurricanes Dean, Felix and Noel, and tropical storm Olga wrecked the most havoc.
Picture courtesy ThinkQuest NYC
Rumble: Global Warming? My backside!
this morning. this is supposed to be spring![i-this morning. this is supposed to be spring!]
View from our house in Belgium, this morning. Five centimetres of snow. A sharp contrast to early March last year when I complained it was too warm!. Complaints, always complaints! :-)
News: Saudi Arabia uses 11 planes to bring rain.
Desert Clouds[i-Desert Clouds]
Saudi Arabia has started the fourth phase of its program to extract rain from clouds, part of a project started five months ago to secure more water resources in the kingdom.
The head of the Meteorological and Environmental Protection Administration, Saleh al-Shahri, said 11 planes are being used in the current phase, together with a high-tech network of mobile cloud physics radars, a communication and satellite network, and experts from various Saudi universities and research centers.
The process, commonly known as "cloud seeding" is a form of weather modification, attempting to change the amount or type of precipitation that falls from clouds, by dispersing substances into the air that serve as cloud condensation or ice nuclei.
The program is part of the kingdom's ongoing efforts to counter the scarcity of water, especially since ground water is subject to depletion. The average annual rainfall for Saudi Arabia is around 4.4 inches (112 mm) per year but whole regions may not experience rainfall for several years. (Full)
This post was written as follow-up to "World Water Day: One billion people without clean water".
Picture courtesy 3D Nature. Source: The Road Daily
Rumble: First Day of Spring 2008. The Belgian Way.
spring in belgium[i-spring in belgium]
I flew from Rome to Belgium yesterday. From one home to the other. It was 24°C in Rome. And 4°C when I landed in Belgium yesterday. Raining, wind.
Today was even worse. It hailed, rained, snowed. Dark, foggy, wet, cold,... Hannah said in the car: "Well, I am happy it is the first day of spring today...". She is an eternal optimist.
I could never ever live in Belgium again. Or any other wet country. The picture above I took at noon time today, during a hail storm. Luckily, one week from now, we're off skiing in the North of Italy...
Rumble: A Lovely Day..
I can't believe this... Was in Kuwait last week, and it was 3°C. Chilling to the bone. Came back to Rome, and it was just over 20°C. Here is the proof! Middle of January, on the beach and 20°C !!!
[i-link]
The beach was deserted.. You would not recognize this place in summer! Another four months, and you will not be able to find a free spot to sit down. This weekend, there were just a handful of people...
[i-link][i-link][i-link]
The beach is just 200 meters away from where I live. I realize how lucky I was to find my apartment. Quiet, lovely neighbours, nice restaurant and coffee bar downstairs. Here is a view of my street.
[i-link]
News: Record Rain Causes Flooding in Dubai
Talking about the weather in the Middle East, and "what people do not know about the Gulf": It DOES rain here. Sometimes it really pours for a long period, specifically around this time of the year.
Below some pictures Mats sent me from the flooding in Dubai after the heavy rains the last days. The main roads were blocked, with cars floating around, some of them even with people inside, like the white car in the middle picture. (see also this news article).
[i-link][i-link][i-link]
Rumble: Is Kuwait's weather state-controlled?
link[i-link]We had dinner in Kuwait City last night and talked about the cold weather here. Our resident hosts, told a funny story:
There is a law stopping all outdoor work when the temperature rises above 50°C (120° F). This means the country's construction and road works would come to a halt most of the summer, if it was not that the official temperatures are never "registered" to be above 50°C, but rather "hover around 49°C". Even though often temperatures climb up to the mid 50-ies.
I thought our friends pulled my leg, and looked it up on the Internet, to find a Human Rights report from the US State Department registering this rumour. Some bloggers joked about it, and the Webster Online Dictionary mentioned it too.
So would Kuwait be the only country where the weather is state-controlled?
Picture courtesy Wikipedia
Rumble: In Kuwait and it is cold!
link[i-link]
One of the many things people do not know about the Middle East: They see pictures of deserts and palm trees, but forget it gets cold here in winter too! I am in Kuwait and it is colder than in Rome! 6°C or 43°F (with the windchill, it feels like 3°C or 38°F). That is cold!
And as most of the houses and public areas do not have heating, often we get chilled to the bone... Oh well, summer is just around the corner..!
