Strong winds that blow us off course are a blessing, too
CYCLING home from the Peak District a couple of days ago I was gripped by a strange weather phenomenon. It was a windy morning and I was deliberately going as carefully as possible down the steep, straight downhill road into Sheffield when suddenly the handlebars started shaking.
Within seconds my bike lurched left to right as if on a sheet of ice. To stop myself taking a nasty tumble, I slowly squeezed the brakes and came to an undignified, shuddering halt.
I have subsequently learnt that this is something called a speed wobble, the product of an unwelcome alignment between wind and bicycle frame. It served as a somewhat terrifying reminder that the wind – always liable to buffet us from every side of our island nation – at this time of year gains extra clout.
Winter is the windiest season, when the jet stream is typically stronger and flows over the UK, ushering in Atlantic gales. Most of the maximum recorded wind speeds have occurred in winter.
Among the chart-topping gusts in the record books is 142mph over Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, on Feb 13 1989, and 118mph at Gwennap Head, Cornwall, on Dec 15, 1979.
Scourge of roof tiles, tree branches and many a winter walk – and bike rides – the strong winds we are subjected to each winter may in fact turn out to be our saviour from far more extreme weather.
This week, as part of his 10-point green strategy, the Prime Minister announced many more wind farms in his quest to mitigate some of the worst impacts of climate change.
The ambition, Boris Johnson said, was to generate sufficient electricity to power every home in Britain from offshore sites within a decade.
It’s a comforting thought that amid the rattling windows and draughty doors, the wind can be a blessing as well as a scourge.