Chaos is the one forecast we can trust

After an almost entirely benign summer, the weather took a turn for the worse yesterday as storm Ali swept across the country. There were dramatic scenes as trees were felled, power lines downed and roads closed.

With trains delayed, buildings damaged and several accidents reported, it was a stark reminder that Mother Nature can be a powerful foe.

In the wake of such adverse conditions it does not take long for recriminations to flow.

Not so long ago, supermarket shelves were cleared out as the beast from the east struck.

The storm led to widespread school closures and many motorists were left trapped in snowbound cars despite attempting to traverse some of the nation’s most popular and well-used routes.

Whether or not such conditions are becoming more commonplace as a result of climate change is a cause for heated debate, but what is quite clear is that — however advanced our society is — we will never be able to tame the elements.

Even when such extreme conditions are forecast — as they were on this occasion — devastation is unavoidable.

No matter how sophisticated we are, no matter how fast technology is developing, the kinds of conditions experienced yesterday remind us that we are not necessarily as in control as we might imagine.