What a difference a year makes
Scotland has experienced the warmest February on record, while last year the country froze. JODY HARRISON reports on the freak weather
IT was a bitter winter storm which brought Scotland to a standstill, with days of sub-zero temperatures and blanketing snow closing roads and making travel treacherous.
Yet a year on from the arrival of the Beast from the East, the picture could not be more different as the country bathes in the warmest February since records began.
An already mild winter has given way to balmy climes more commonly found in the South of France as century-old temperature records tumble across the whole of the UK.
Last week saw thermometers at Aboyne in Aberdeenshire reach 17.9°C, equalling Scotland’s previous February high set in 1897.
And on Monday the UK saw a new winter record temperatures set in two consecutive days, with a reading of 21.2°C at Kew Gardens in London.
But while many have welcomed the unseasonable warmth, environmentalists have warned that the topsy-turvy start to the year could have a devastating effect on wildlife as it plays havoc with the rhythms of the natural world.
And other experts have suggested it could be a taste of things to come and a symptom of climate change as more extremes of weather become common.
Firefighters have already been tackling “apocalyptic” hillside blazes sparked by dry undergrowth more usually found at the height of summer.
Dozens spent last night tackling a large gorse fire on Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh, which saw around 800 square metres of hillside go up in smoke on the Salisbury Crags with flames visible across the city.
In England, firefighters who tackled a large moorland blaze said the fire was highly unusual for February and a product of days of dry weather.
The smoke and flames on Marsden Moor, west of Huddersfield, could be seen for miles around as a kilometrelong front of flames spread across the hillside on Tuesday night following the warmest winter day on record in Britain.
Station Commander Tony Pearson, from West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said moor fires in February were “very unusual but not unheard of. When I arrived at first light, there was about a kilometre-long fire front behind us. It looked quite impressive, quite an intense fire.”
The warmer weather has been driven by a Saharan plume – warm air rising in the far south which has settled over the UK during a spell of high pressure.
But along with the unusually high temperatures, the warm front has brought pollution, with four areas – Glasgow, Inverclyde, Renfrewshire and Dumfries and Galloway – reporting poor air quality, based on the presence of five pollutants including nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, ozone and particulate matter.
Birds usually seen in the spring are already starting to appear on British shores, with reports of swallows and house martins reaching the RSPB, while butterflies and bumblebees have emerged from their winter hiding-places to search for sustenance.
But this could spark a wildlife crisis, the charity said, if temperatures suddenly return to normal and birds, insects and animals are caught in the cold.
Martin Harper, the RSPB’S director of global conservation, said: “While the warm weather, bright sunshine and abundant sights and sounds of nature undoubtedly make us all feel better, they should also ring alarm bells.
“The early signs of spring are likely down to climate change, which is bad news for us all.
“As we expect the weather to return to temperatures more traditionally associated with this time of year – as they are forecast to – then there could be a real crisis for our birds, insects and other wildlife.”
The Met Office predicts that temperatures will return to normal next week, with wind and rain forecast to creep into the country from Friday.
But Dr Sam Gardner, deputy director of WWF Scotland warned that people should get used to unusual weather patterns as the affects of global warming become more apparent.
He said: “We know that climate change means a weather system on steroids, and that 18 of the 19 warmest years have all occurred since 2001.
“We can see the impacts burning fossil fuels is having, whether it is the precipitous decline in Arctic sea ice or the devastating impact on corals.
“Although we can’t lay today’s unseasonably hot weather solely at the door of climate change we know that we are forcing the climate in one direction only, more weather extremes and a warmer planet.”
The environmentalist added: “Scientists have shown that last year’s heatwave was 30 times more likely because of climate change. These freakish weather events should serve as a pressing reminder of the need to massively accelerate our response to the climate emergency.”
We know that climate change means a weather system on steroids