Storm Herminia and Storm Eowyn have just initiated what could be a new era of turbulent weather for the UK, a weather expert has warned.
Speaking to the Mirror, Jim Dale from British Weather Services highlighted the public’s adherence to safety instructions during these storms but emphasized the increasing intensity and frequency of such high-impact weather events in the UK.
“It’s just a matter of where we are at this matter in time, seeing these high impact storms coming in. It’s my expectation that we would see more,” he remarked.
“Eowyn and Herminia are just the start of a trend of major storms that could hit the UK. We saw it very much last year. The pattern is being repeated in a slightly chaotic or repeatable way.”
Amidst his forecast of similar-scale storms to Eowyn and Herminia affecting the UK, Dale commended the public’s response to warnings, crediting their compliance with saving lives: “Eowyn, I think most of the public recognised it [the danger], especially in the red warning areas did what they had to do and stayed in. If they hadn’t there would have been mass fatalities,” he said, reports the Mirror.
However, while noting the effectiveness of this approach, Dale expressed concerns over the country’s readiness for future extreme weather, cautioning that the UK is not “fully prepared” and suggesting that “people have not got the education of what to do when these things hit”.
Jim is pressing for more talks between the government and the public to prepare everyone for potential extreme weather events.
He also highlighted a pressing need for infrastructure improvements, with a pointed observation: “Our infrastructure is largely at risk, it’s not up to the standard that will be able to resist what mother nature will throw at us.”
The lesson here is that the UK should be taking cues from nations like Japan, where innovative measures like seismic isolation bearings in homes and skyscrapers allow structures to withstand earthquakes.
In 2019, seismic expert Ziggy Lubkowski from University College London informed the BBC: “You design buildings to protect people’s lives. That’s the minimum requirement.”
Jim’s concern about the UK’s climate change readiness is echoed by others. Last year, Brighton and Hove City Council committed to a plan to bolster resilience against climate impacts.
Chair of the Transport and Sustainability Committee, Councillor Trevor Muten, remarked last January when discussing their Climate Action report: “We’re continuously seeing the impact of climate change locally, with increasingly regular storms resulting in flooded streets and homes at threat, power outages and damage to businesses in the city.
“We need to do everything we can to ensure Brighton and Hove is more resilient to climate change and extreme weather events. A new approach is needed to take on the challenge we face.”