Summer Days at Well Hill

		0	0	0	0	4	16	31	21	0	0	0	0
		Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
2010

First day of summer was May 21st.
There have been 72 summer days this year.
Compare this graph with the 2009 and 2011 weather graph.

What are Summer Days?

A Summer Day is defined as a day when the average air temperature at Well Hill exceeds 16 Celsius (61 Fahrenheit). The temperature is not adjusted for height above sea level - it is the actual temperature at Well Hill.

Where is Well Hill?

Well Hill is at the western edge of Kent, about 25 kilometres (16 miles) east of London and close to Orpington, in England which is part of Great Britain (GB) which is part of the United Kingdom (UK). It is one of the highest points in Kent and the peak of Well Hill (TQ 497 631) is at 187 metres (614 feet) above sea level.

Keep abreast of environmental news at www.environment-watch.co.uk

From the BBC

Britain could be in for a big freeze, with the climate ending up more like central Canada, say scientists studying the world's oceans.

They have found evidence that the flow of cold water from the Arctic has decreased by 20% since 1950.

If the trend continues, the supply of warm water to northern Europe will decline, bringing a big chill.

The last time this happened, in the 11th to the 18th Century, northern Europe entered the Little Ice Age.

Such climate variations are thought to be caused by changes to a belt of water that moves heat and cold around the world, the global conveyor belt.

'Key' decade

The new research was presented at the British Association Science Festival in Glasgow.

In a research paper, Sarah Hughes of the FRS Marine Laboratory in Aberdeen, Scotland, said: "It seems that in the past the conveyor belt has stopped and started, sometimes as quickly as within one or two years.

"When it stops, northern Europe is cooled by about 5 C and we get a climate similar to that of northern Canada."

"The next decade will be a key one," she added.