Feeling under the weather? Published Feb. 28, 2008 By Suzanne Harper 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs RAF LAKENHEATH, England -- Even if you have been on the base for just a little while, you have surely noticed how changeable our British weather can be. If you spend much time around British people, you will have noticed that our obsession with the weather forecasts isn't just a stereotype; it's a survival skill. You might have noticed that even during a single day, the weather can change greatly. For its range of extreme conditions,our climate is quite unusual. Winds of more than130 mph (1976), arctic conditions like those in early 1963 and snowstorms producing 6 feet of undrifted snow in 15 hours (1929), fogs in which you cannot see your own feet (1952), protracted droughts as in 1975 to 1976 and 1995 to 1997 and heatwaves with temperatures reaching 101.3F (2003), hailstorms showering down enormous hailstones (1925), ice-storms so severe that birds fell to the ground in mid flight, weighed down by coats of ice (1940), and deluges releasing 11 inches of rain in 24 hours (1955). Let's not even mention 2007 - if you were stationed here then you would have noticed that summer happened in April and then it just seemed to rain for the rest of the year. Britain, for its size, has remarkable geographic and climatic diversity. This gives rise to a wide variety of landscapes. Our weather is very changeable because it is influenced largely by the unsettling effect of low-pressure zones moving in with the prevailing westerly and south-westerly winds from the Atlantic. The diverse landscape coupled with the changeable weather, mean that the British Isles are home to a wonderful collection of plants and animals. To be technical, ours is part of a temperate climate, which is characterised by rainfall all year round, and a relatively small fluctuation in temperatures. The British Isles are in a maritime temperate zone, that is to say our weather is greatly influenced by the seas around us, which keep summer temperatures relatively cool, but at the same time prevent very cold weather in winter. Springtime in the UK never ceases to amaze me with the swathes of snowdrops, followed by the daffodils and then the bluebells. We also enjoy long summer evenings due to our northerly latitude and periods of fine weather can happen in all seasons. Locally,we have some beautiful forests which glow with autumnal colours and the large skies we enjoy in this flat region serve as dramatic backdrops to the bleak silhouettes of the bare trees in the wintertime. As one year rolls into another, I look forward to the changing seasons and their beauty. It makes the unpredictability of the weather worthwhile. As a wise British man once said, there's no such thing as the wrong weather, just the wrong clothes. That might mean you need to invest in a pair of wellies* during your stay. * "wellies" or "Wellington boots" are "galoshes"