British Billy - What is going on with the British weather?

  • Published
  • By British Billy
  • 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England --  Excuse me while I cough up a fur ball. Are you serious? The United States of America has some of the most incredible weather on the planet! Tornadoes, hurricanes, ice storms, sweltering desert heat and deadly blizzards. Mind you, you don't necessarily get all your weather in the same place and on the same day. That is a British speciality.

You may have noticed over the last few days that there has been a chill in the morning air as the seasons turn. Autumn is nipping at my whiskers, and there is a brisker pace to my daily patrols. This weekend, gale-force winds and driving rain are forecast. Batten down the hatches!

I will concede that the British Isles have a changeable climate. It's why you need to constantly check the weather forecast when you live here - it's not a British obsession; it's a survival skill. Personally, my finally-tuned whiskers alert me to pressure and temperature changes. It's a gift.

Britain, for its size, has remarkable geographic and climatic diversity. This gives rise to a wide variety of landscapes. Our ever-changing weather 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.

As some other wise individual once said, there's no such thing as the wrong weather, just the wrong clothes. In the summer, if I get a bit overheated, I stretch out on some cold floor tiles or shaded paving. You should try it. When it's cold, I curl up next to something warm. If it rains, then I just shake my fur and get some shelter and, when it's windy, I just run around a lot and get frisky. I'm not sure why I do that, but there's nothing wrong with a bit of friskiness now and again and it's a good workout.

You have the option of coats, hats, gloves, umbrellas and wellies (rain boots). Try putting any of that cat couture stuff on me and I will be sending my fur ball in your direction.