24/12/2016 Weather World

Now BBC News, Nick Miller finds out how the Snowdon Railway keeps

running despite the extreme weather. This time on the weather world we

are going up in the world, literally into the mountains of North Wales,

and our method of transport may surprise you, it is good to be quite

a ride. Also: extreme storms and the battle to survive them, as global

temperatures set new records. Winter fights back in the USA, but not in

the Arctic. It is still not cold enough on top of the world. Plus,

while the winds, how not to get caught out and extreme weather. I

will be here at this nature reserve in Kent are taking a look at how the

from a quite blue sky day here in from a quite blue sky day here in

Kent to the hazards of a hurricane in the Atlantic. And why everything

in this Welsh field is not as it seems. The new type of sheep and

what it can tell us about the weather.

Welcome to weather world. This time we are in the North Wales, in

Snowdonia, about to claim the highest peak in Wales, Mount

Snowdon, now I am up for a bit of climbing, I am fairly fit, dressed

for the part, but I have got an easier option in mind. We are about

to take a ride on the historic Snowdon Mountain Railway. If you

know anything about this part of the world you will know that this

Railway is actually closed in the winter that I have got a special

ride lined up on an engine of's train, because I'm going to find out

how this Railway copes with the harsh mountain weather. When you are

ready. This Railway has been taking people

to the summit of Mount Snowdon since 1896. An estimated 12 million people

have made that journey since then. The trains normally run from

mid-March until November, but it is the weather that dictates the

schedule, and they told the weather takes the mountain railway means for

the maintenance teams, winter is the busiest time of year. You are the

senior engineering manager of the railway here, and already we are

getting a sense of the climb we have started. Yes, the railway follows

the mountain, maximum gradient is one in 5.5, we have just come up one

in 6.2, it alters as we go over the terrain, but it is a steep railway.

And we're going 4.95 mph. Mountain railway weather. They too must clash

a little bit. They do. Obviously, wind, rain, snow, they all impact on

our maintenance activities. Throughout the year. What is the

worst element. In the operating season? Wind. We have wind limits

for operating trains. And in the winter it is heavy rain, and the

lower mountain, and snow on the upper reaches.

So you are doing a lot of maintenance and I will see some of

that take place and hopefully get stuck in myself.

The more the merrier. Looking forward to it. Winter has

arrived in Snowdonia but there is no doubt that the main weather story of

2016 has been heaped. Record heat. Hurricane Matthew slammed into Haiti

in October, killing hundreds as it cut a path from here to the

south-east United States. A massive storm, fuelled by warmer than

average ocean water. In the Pacific, in September, Taiwan feels the force

of the strongest typhoon since 2013. In October, in South Korea, cars are

swept down flooded streets in the strongest cyclone there in four

years. Rescues in Spain, in December, animal, and human, as

torrential downpours lead to flash flooding. But in South America,

Rivers run dry. Not enough rain has caused Bolivia to declare a state of

emergency facing its worst drought in 25 years. Israel, in November,

fighting the flames, as a two-month drought, and arson, led to

wildfires. Australia, and beach-goers in Melbourne struggle

against strong winds whipped up by approaching thunderstorms. Several

people died from a rare thunderstorm asthma in November, after suffering

breathing problems from pollen carried by the wind. In the UK the

first named a storm of the autumn, Angus, struck in November, wind in

the Irish Sea was so strong and this very was stuck there overnight until

it was safe enough to dock. Not ideal if it is your maiden voyage.

My first time on a boat. We were on there overnight until it was safe

enough to dock. Not ideal if it is your maiden voyage. My first time on

a boat. We were on there for 24 hours. Sleeping. It was lumpy and it

made you feel sick. But I am glad I am off. It is impossible to link one

whether extreme to a warming world but scientists say that extreme

events are more likely and well before the end of 2016 the year was

labelled odds on to become the warmest on record. We have just

stepped off the train to see the first piece of work happening on the

line. Mike, what are you doing? This is a storage facility for tools,

equipment for the railway. To make it safe we are building a platform,

and a storage area on the left, and another platform on the right-hand

side. And this all needs to happen fairly quickly, doesn't it? Because

you have time and weather to think about.

We are open again on March and we cannot have any work on the railway

from March. It is obvious we quite mild at the moment but we have had

freezing temperatures and we cannot lay concrete in freezing

temperatures, when it is heavy rain at all wash everything out. Can I

get stuck in? By all means, Nigel needs a hand. OK, let's go and find

him. Nigel, what do you want me to do? If you just grab hold of that

were there, please, mate, and over the top the... That way? I had

upside down? But there's a good start. While I

try to get the hang of cement work, Sarah looks back at the Atlantic

hurricane season. Here I am at the Faversham nature

reserve in Kent, it is a great spot for capturing a glimpse of wintering

birds that are just settling into their home now for the winter

season. Later in the programme we will have more analysis about how

the weather impacts migratory birds, earlier this year there was some

incredible radar footage of songbirds that appeared to be

trapped right inside the eye of hurricane Matthew. Hurricane Matthew

was of course the strongest and the most deadly storm of the season. It

initially formed off the West Coast of Africa before moving across the

Atlantic and strengthening, for a time, two major category five

hurricane in the Caribbean. It has been a particularly active her again

season this year, partly down to the declining El Nino effect and the

return to more neutral conditions in the Pacific. Let's take a look at

how the El Nino Southern oscillation has affected this year's hurricane

season, and why it has been so intense, especially compared to

recent years. In the year up to May 2016, the NSO was in the El Nino,

all warm, phase. The warming of the equatorial Pacific often lead to

stronger vertical wind sure in the Atlantic, wind shear refers to the

changing wind speed, and/ or direction, with height in the

atmosphere. Stronger wind shear leads to weaker hurricanes and makes

landfall less likely. However, since made of the Pacific has been

cooling, becoming more neutral, and is now entering a week phase, or a

cool place. Producing the wind shear and hence promoting stronger and

more frequent hurricanes. Another major factor in the summer was a big

blocking area of high pressure, feeling warm and moist air over the

western Atlantic and warming the waters there, by as much as 45

degrees, compared to the average. These warmer waters have provided

the fuel to power these huge, formidable hurricanes, that have

formed in the region this year. So the very act hurricane season of

2016 has now come an end. Join me later in the programme where

we will take a more detailed look at some of these migratory birds and

just how the weather affects their journey. This railway carries more

than 130,000 passengers a year towards Snowdon summit. But some

people get there the hard way. On foot. However you choose to go high,

you need to respect the weather, and be fully prepared. Climbers battled

fierce winds in the Scottish Highlands, in footage released to

show just how wild the weather can get. This high, this exposed, it is

too late to simply turn back. We have just stepped away from the

railway and we can see the Snowdon Peak, here in the Snowdonia Park

warden's office, you are one of the wardens, Rhys Roberts, and you are

going to show me exactly what I need to be fully prepared to attack a

hill or a mountain. So you know, mountains are quite

cold, you need warm layers, preferably a base layer first, then

a mid-layer, something like a fleece, maybe even two, it is quite

cold, and some comfortable, warm trousers as well. I have got jeans

on, they are not selling the right thing are they? Not the best, they

get cold when they are wet and they are reasonably uncomfortable, so

something that will give you one when you are wet is preferable. You

also need waterproof layers. Jackets, trousers, I would also take

some hats and gloves with me just in case I get wet. Good idea, the right

footwear? You would have those boots, at the end there, just

generic walking boots. And these are winter boots, they have a stiffer

soul. They can support crampons as well which gives you more grip on

the ice, they have an essential bit of kit for any snow on the mountain.

And if it is very snowy I would need one of these? Another essential

piece of kit. An ice axe. It provides some sort of support

walking up the mountain and if you slip it can help stop you. I want to

know where I'm going but I am OK because I have lovely maps on my

phone. They are a start, but you want a proper map and a compass like

this. A phone can run out of battery or signal and become useless. That

will never fail you. And it sounds obvious, but you need something to

eat and drink on the way. Fuel is very important so make sure you pack

your lunch and maybe your dinner, and someone drinks if it is called.

And check the weather forecast. It sounds obvious but the weather at

the top of the mount is often very different from the weather when you

set off. Absolutely yes, it can be ten, 15 degrees colder on the

mountain than done in the valley, and check the mountain forecast as

well because it can be very different to the generic forecast.

If I come back and climb in Snowdonia I will, get you as my

personal guide, and I promise I will not wear jeans.

Still to come: fake flock. What electric sheep can tell us about the

weather that we will she cannot. Captured on camera, by BBC weather

Watchers, the building of the Queensferry crossing in Scotland,

through the changing seasons. In November, Weather Watch celebrated

its first anniversary and the number of sky snappers now totals more than

hundred and 30,000. For many it is about the beauty of the sky and the

scenery around them, and sharing its online. Many people just walk along,

with their head down, and they don't look up, they don't see the call,

they don't see the sunrise, the sunset, the rainbows, and they

thanked me for that, and I think that is probably the most rewarding

thing. And you can become a Weather Watch by signing up/ weather Watch.

We are taking a look at how the Snowdon railway copes with the

amount of weather, we stopped here at the Rocky Valley platform, it is

about two thirds towards the summit, the elevation, about 680 metres,

already we are above some of the cloud, and you can tell how the

weather has changed, it is cold, windy, and of course, all of the

track has to cope with these conditions, the heavy rain, the

heavy snow, and of course the big change in temperatures from one

season to the next. Further up Mike is taking a look at how this piece

of track is faring up. So, Mike, how are we doing this? With the system

here, a measuring trolley, we will put it on the track, this is

going to tell me the distance between the two rails, it is going

to tell me the cross level, the height of one rail to the other, and

it is going to tell me the twist and the difference. Shall I help you out

with that? You can push. All right. I will just gently aged down the

track. This is a fairly exposed piece of track so it must get a fair

battering. This is one of our sections of track which requires

constant maintenance. In the spring this will have moved, and we will

come back and do some more maintenance, lifting and packing. We

have moved down this short but, let's take a look at what you have

learned. This is telling me we travelled 12.75 metres from where we

started, telling me that at this particular

point the track gauges 806.4 millimetres, and it also tells me

that I have a cross level, negative, or 4.9 millimetres. That is a slight

twist to one side. Does the track need any work? No, the instrument is

telling me it is always intolerant? Very good. Go check some of track

line. Thank you very much. We're going to get back on the train back

on the move and just a moment, but before we do that it has been a cold

start of the Winter here in Snowdonia, but in that direction, a

long way in that direction, there is a part of the world that should be

very cold, but there is a problem,. If you start removing the

reflective sea ice cover than the ocean absorbs the heat instead. So

what you see and instead now as winter comes, the Arctic is very

one, part about this because now the ocean has to release heat again

during the summer, back to the atmosphere before the ice can form.

The frozen Antarctic. Records here show that sea ice has not suffered

to the same degree as its northern counterpart. But even so, National

Snow and ice data Centre scientists say that Antarctic sea ice shrank

November low. A warming world does not mean the end of winter weather.

In the USA in December, snow and ice caused damage and brought disruption

to millions of people. Then there is the occasional wintery surprise.

Such is here in Tokyo. Which had its first November snowfall in more than

half a century. And this, from Siberia, what looks like rocks on

the shore, thousands of natural snowballs. Formed from small pieces

of ice rolled over large by the wind and water. We saw earlier how to

properly address for the great outdoors, especially, of course, in

winter, very important for humans, but you would think that sheep, with

their woolly coats, would be good to go, whatever the weather. But there

is a unique experiment taking place here at the foot of Snowdon which

proves that they feel the weather also. Just like this one. Come on.

Let's find you a friend. You are a little bit heavier than I thought

you would be. You may have noticed that this is not a real sheep.

Neither is this one. Thankfully, that Jones from Banks University is

a real human. Why do you have fake sheep? They might be fake but they

tell us a lot about real sheep and the environment experience on a

farm. We have two things, we have our sheep, we also have a Met

station, and the station is measuring song, plus wind, plus

ambient air temperature, and those things together tell us how we she

was feeling. So on a day like today when it is really windy that must

have an impact on how the sheep feels. But how can you tell?

It is absolutely so much colder when the wind blows, that is called

wind-chill, and for warm blooded animals like us and Toshiba

maintaining the core body temperature in these conditions is

increasingly hard as the wind blows so what we do with his sheep is we

maintain them at 39 degrees, with... This array of heaters. And we also

have a microcomputer. And what the computers recording is how much

energy the sheep is using to keep that temperature in the prevailing

conditions. So we will pop it back in and have a look in a minute to

see how much energy she is using. If I was a sheep farmer, what

difference does it make to me, this research here? OK, so, for farmers,

farming is essentially all about energy, we record the energy that is

in that, the food that the animals eat, but there is also energy out of

the equation, and whether it's a big part of that, keeping warming

conditions uses an awful lot of energy. Can I do something on my

farm to help my sheep keep one? Planning your farm was whether in

mind, providing shelter the form of trees and hedgerows which they are

animals can use could take shelter from the wind especially, and that

will reduce the energy used to stay warm. So in the last few seconds she

has used a 37 watts just to stay warm. And as the winner gets

stronger and the air gets colder there will be more and more energy

use. Thank you for showing me the project, I have become quite

attached to my fake sheep. It must have a name. This is melon. Nice to

meet you, melon. Now, weather and birds. Here is Sarah Lucas again.

Welcome back to the nature reserve in Kent, I am joined by Graham Madge

of the Met office and previously the RSPB, so Graham, this is a very

idyllic and peaceful day in Kent, it is hard to imagine some of the

hazards of these birds face on the long journeys, including of course

the weather, earlier in the year there were some footage of some

birds that appeared to be trapped right

inside eye of hurricane Matthew, is this a typical kind of hazard that

birds face a migratory journey? The situation is that they are crossing

the path, the exact track, that many of or against it, so it is quite

likely the birds to get caught up in these weather systems. In fact, we

know from the records of bird-watchers and northern Europe

that many birds are brought to European shores on the back of these

cyclones, as they move up into the north Atlantic, so it is a very big

threat that these birds face, it is a very powerful hazard that these

birds have to try and cope with them their lives. So I have heard some

people say that birds can actually forecast the weather. Is there any

evidence or science behind this? It is a classic phrase, one swallow

does not make a summer. I think the evidence for but being able to

forecast the weather is probably quite thin. But what we do know is

that what we do know is that those are affected by the weather, so we

all now that we get weather coming from different directions, and that

very often can bring birds, associated with it, so we did birds

from North America turning up, in Europe, we can get those from the

tropical Atlantic, for all sorts of places, so although birds might not

be able to forecast the weather, by seeing interesting and exotic birds,

it gives you at least an insight into what the weather has been Mike

elsewhere in the northern hemisphere. Thank you so much,

Graham for joining us. That is it from us here in Kent, despite unique

in Snowdonia. We have come as far as we can go now

on the Snowdon Railway, this is about three quarters of the way to

Snowdon summit, but we cannot get any further, because number one,

there is essential track were taken place, and if we did go any further

we were just encounter snow on the track anyway, but before we start

heading back down the mountain there is one more thing I want to show

you, it is something that is crucial to the operation of the railway

here, the reason I'm excited as I am a weatherman and I have found a

weather station. Nearly at the top of Mount Snowdon. Mike, how

important is this piece of kit for you and the railway? It is crucial,

it gives us weather information, specifically wind information, for

the operation of the trains in high winds we cannot operate. And how do

you look at that information, when you are down in the office? This

weather station brings data through a data link, we can pick this up on

our computers down below, and we can get it graphically. And what is that

telling you, from a screenshot of something earlier in the day? That

is giving me the wind direction, the wind speed, the temperatures, and

crucially, the gust speeds. Because obviously we have got an average

speed here, and then we have got dust speed. A gust speeds can reach

in excess 130 mph. Talking wind speeds like

that, the spring. Let's get this weather station to bed then. As they

get to work, and before we go, when is a rainbow not a rainbow? When it

is a fork bow. This rare phenomenon was spotted in Scotland in November.

Water droplets in four car much smaller than raindrops and as the

sun interacts with them the result appears devoid of colour, more like

a white rainbow. Still not a rainbow as we know it, but closer, this rare

moon boat was England in October, as moonlight, rather than sunlight,

interacts with moisture in the atmosphere. And finally, the

lighting up of the sky and an imagination, the super moon, seen

around the world in the November, the closest the moon has been to the

earth in nearly 70 years. Which makes this lucky moment... There you

go. An example of picture perfect timing.

And that is it for this time on whether world. From Snowdonia,

thanks to Mike, our driver, Steve, and ever one of the Snowdon railway,

Snowdon summit still awaits me, but I will be back one day. I'll keep

checking the forecast. Merry Christmas, let's see what the

weather