Britain flooded as Bulgaria turns to desert

It’s alright for some! But not for many.

The inhabitants of the UK have had a truly miserable year, weather-wise. A soaking spring, followed by a soaking summer, followed by… a soaking autumn.

Entire swathes of the country have recently been lashed (yet again) by gales and heavy rain. There are now 2 million properties at risk of flooding – those that haven’t already succumbed to the latest bout of extreme weather. Three people have died; tens of thousands are, for the moment, homeless.

And, as weather forecasters habitually and dolefully announce: “There’s more on the way!”

And here, in Sofia?

The contrast couldn’t be greater. As I’m writing this, it’s a foggy evening. But today, a bit chilly, was again sunny. At almost the end of November!

I wrote a piece about the weather here, back in the height of summer. (Which reminds me, I still haven’t posted my promised analysis of August weather – I’ll do so, soon.)

So, I checked some online records for Sofia, principally for rainfall. Here’s the result for the past 28 weeks (i.e., from the beginning of June). Apart from a few heavy days, there’s almost nothing recorded.

Not much to measure.

And, just to fill out the picture over the same period, here are sunshine hours…

Lots, lots, lots.

… and maximum temperatures.

Hot, hot, hot.

In nearby Bankya, where we’ve spent a lot of time over the summer and autumn, there’s been even less rainfall than recorded in Sofia itself. On several occasions, even when central Sofia has suffered a few intensive downpours, there’s been nothing in Bankya.

Finally…

Too hot to dig the garden!

I reckon this year’s was the hottest and driest summer since I moved here. Here’s a proof of what I mean – and I assure you there’s no trickery behind this photo.

The thermometer was brought out from the shade and, stuck in full sun and, in 10 minutes, this was the result.

So, great sympathy for my family and friends over in UK. Meanwhile, I wonder what sort of winter lies in store for us here in Bulgaria? Surely, it must at least rain sometime. (I’ll probably soon wish I hadn’t written that last sentence!)

Main image: Metro

Graphs: weatheronline

Baking Bulgaria

Hot, hot, hot!

It was 24 years ago that a prominent NASA scientist, James Hansen, warned the world of a phenomenon he called global warming.

Hansen has recently published an updated report where he, basically, repeats his assertion that heat waves worldwide in the past few years (USA, Russia, etc.) are directly attributable to climate change.[1]

His views are, of course, challenged by other scientists. One thing’s certain, though: whatever caused it, Bulgaria is baking, this summer.

The other evening, we were discussing whether it was hotter this year than last. It seems reasonable to say, so far, that is indeed the case.

Sofia statistics

I checked out some data for Sofia from an online weather guide, and here are some simple statistics derived from a comparison of June and July 2011 and 2012. Note that the dates for both years do not quite coincide, but the differences are quite clear – and I thought last year was a cracking summer!

Daily sunshine hours

I counted only those days with 12 or more sunshine hours. 2011: 23 days. 2012: 37.

Maximum temperatures

Days of 30ºC max. or more. 2011: 20 days. 2012: 38

Rainfall (what’s that!)

2011: 126 mm. 2012: 48 mm (on 6 days in 8 weeks).

And August?

Let’s wait until the end of this month for another comparison! Now, it’s time for a cool beer…

[1]: USA Today

Image source: USA Today

Data and graphics: WeatherOnline