Monday, November 12, 2012

Temperature, Water, and Storms in Kent

Consistent temperatures year-round and light to moderate rain showers make up County Kent's climate and weather. 2009 and 2012 exhibited cooler temperatures and heavier rainfall as thunderstorms swept across Kent.

Temperature
Latitudinal location and land-water contrasts account for temperatures in Kent. Kent averages 50.5°F year-round and is one of the warmest areas in England.
Latitude
Higher latitude means greater temperature range. Located along the southeast coast of England just above the 51° North latitudinal belt, Kent reports smaller temperature ranges than northern England. Temperatures in Kent range and rarely go below 28°F or above 78°F.

Kent climate data (1981–2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F)
7.4
(45.3)
7.4
(45.3)
10.3
(50.5)
12.9
(55.2)
16.3
(61.3)
19.3
(66.7)
21.8
(71.2)
21.9
(71.4)
18.8
(65.8)
14.8
(58.6)
10.7
(51.3)
7.8
(46.0)
14.1
(57.4)
Daily mean °C (°F)
4.5
(40.1)
4.4
(39.9)
6.7
(44.1)
8.7
(47.7)
12.0
(53.6)
14.7
(58.5)
17.2
(63.0)
17.2
(63.0)
14.6
(58.3)
11.2
(52.2)
7.5
(45.5)
5.0
(41.0)
10.3
(50.5)
Average low °C (°F)
1.7
(35.1)
1.5
(34.7)
3.1
(37.6)
4.6
(40.3)
7.7
(45.9)
10.2
(50.4)
12.6
(54.7)
12.5
(54.5)
10.5
(50.9)
7.7
(45.9)
4.3
(39.7)
2.3
(36.1)
6.6
(43.9)
(Data collected showing average temperatures in Kent from 1981 to 2010. Kent maintains steady and higher averaging temperatures year-round compared to the rest of England because of their latitudinal location. Kent recorded England's hottest temperature in 2003 at 101.3 °F. Image courtesy of: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent)

Land/Sea
Kent's coast meets the English Channel. Kent's land heats and cools faster than the water. Less temperature range occurs in coastal climates whereas interior land in northern England produces greater temperature ranges throughout the year and suffer from Continentality.


(The water above represents the English Channel. The land represents Kent. Land heats faster and as a result the lower pressure winds from the sea carry up to the land where warm air rises up and circles back around. Image courtesy of: http://clasfaculty.ucdenver.edu/callen/1202/Climate/PressureWind/dirunal-landwater.jpg)
Water/Precipitation
On average northern England and areas with higher altitudes are wetter and accumulate more precipitation than Kent's southeast lowlands. Moderate to light rainfall affects Kent year-round, most notably between November and January. Reports from 2009 and 2012 indicate heavier rains during the summer and in the month of November respectively. Along with heavy rainfall, winds reached up to 100 mph in 2009. Torrential rainfall and strong winds led to 110 flash-flood warnings issued by the Environment Agency. Violent waves and flooded areas shut down schools and people needed rescuing from flooded cars.

Waves crash up on to the ahore at Dover
(Pictured above: the port of Dover. Caused by wind and rain, unsafe and 
rough waters cancelled departing ferries from Dover. The port of Dover 
closed for a day in 2009 and cancelled ferry services between Dover and 
France. Image courtesy of: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/6275725.stm)

Not all of England suffers from an overabundance of rain. Eastern and central areas in England currently suffer from drought and need rain to combat dry spells.

Storms
Lightning and Thunder
Lightning and thunder affect Kent during thunderstorms.



(Photograph taken over Deal Pier in Kent. The green circles represent stepped leaders that did not reach the ground (water in this case). The yellow circles represent the points where lightning hit its target (the water).

(Kent experiences more frequent thunder than anywhere else in England as illustrated within the yellow circle. Image courtesy of: http://metofficenews.wordpress.com/2012/04/11/why-are-we-getting-thunder-and-lightning/)

Funnel Clouds
Sightings of funnel-shaped clouds took place over Dover, Kent earlier this month with one water spout and tornado sighted as well.

(Photograph of a water spout over Dover above a large body of water. Because the funnel does not go beyond the red line and touch the ground, it is not considered a tornado. Tornadoes must come into contact with the ground. Funnel clouds are dangerous vortices of spinning air though and can reach over 200 mph. The funnel cloud is classified as a tornado when and if it hits the ground. Image courtesy of: http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kentonline/news/2012/july/31/waterspout.aspx)

(This funnel cloud in Dover did reach the ground and is a tornado. England gets more tornadoes per square kilometer than in the United States, but they are generally weaker than the ones in the U.S. Image courtesy of: http://metofficenews.wordpress.com/tag/thunderstorm/)


(Another funnel cloud spotted over Dover, Kent. Image courtesy of: http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kentonline/news/2010/july/5/tornado_hits_kent.aspx)

(Yet another funnel cloud over Kent. Image courtesy of: http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kentonline/news/2010/july/5/tornado_hits_kent.aspx)








Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent

http://weatherspark.com/averages/28732/Canterbury-England-United-Kingdom

http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/climate.html

http://clasfaculty.ucdenver.edu/callen/1202/Climate/PressureWind/PressureWind.html

http://clasfaculty.ucdenver.edu/callen/1202/Climate/EarthTempClim/EarthTempClim.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2225877/UK-weather-Thunderstorms-gale-force-winds-set-batter-Britain-bringing-strong-seas-heavy-rain.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/dover-closed-as-winds-hit-100mph-1820951.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/8991395/Britain-braced-for-second-blast-of-storms.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jun/28/flood-alert-britain-storms

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/6275725.stm

http://clasfaculty.ucdenver.edu/callen/1202/Climate/Weather/Weather.html

http://clasfaculty.ucdenver.edu/callen/1202/Climate/Weather/tornado.html

http://www.crystalmemoriesphotography.com/photo_7648929.html

http://metofficenews.wordpress.com/2012/04/11/why-are-we-getting-thunder-and-lightning/

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kentonline/news/2012/july/31/waterspout.aspx