Monday 1st March 2010
OK..this isn't funny any more. As I write this and look out of my window I can see no more than 2 metres due to the blizzard that is literally "howling" outside. Locals are saying that this is the worst snow that Shetland has seen in 50 years!
All schools were closed for the whole of last week as the local roads were just far too dangerous to drive due to the snow drifts that were being formed by the strong winds blowing the powdery snow off the fields. We had to make the decision to close The Marine Centre completely at 10.30 last Thursday and send everyone home and then we closed The Centre on Friday to all students.
Saturday was relatively "snow free"..which was a pleasant change but shouldn't have got our hopes up because it came back with a vengeance on Sunday afternoon with blizzards on and off ever since. The forecast is for this "wintery weather" to continue all week.
One particular news item has really focused local minds on this recent wintery weather. There is an iceberg the size of Luxembourg floating to the south of Australia and scientists are saying that as this iceberg melts the cold water will slow down the major oceanic currents which drive the global climate including the main one which determines the climate in the UK and Shetland, "The Gulf Stream". This particular current means that there is a warm flow of water across the North Atlantic which keeps Shetland warmer in winter than would normally be expected at this latitude...so if this current slows down or stops then Shetland may well be seeing a lot more of this wintery weather...which is a cheery thought (see below).
"An iceberg the size of Luxembourg has split off from the Antarctic continent and could disrupt global ocean patterns and weather systems for decades, according to scientists. The 985 sq mile (2,550 sq km) block of ice was knocked off the Mertz Glacier Tongue, a spit of floating ice protruding from eastern Antarctica, on February 12 or 13. It was dislodged by an older iceberg, known as B9B, which broke off in 1987. Although the impact will not be felt for decades, the iceberg could block the production of cold, salty water, known as “bottom water”, which could lead eventually to cooler winters in the North Atlantic."
Have a nice day everyone.