The unprecedented battering by winter storms has led the Met Office to release a report which suggests climate change could be to blame. Widespread disruption coastal damage and persistent flooding has been rife right across the country and Hayling has not come away totally unscathed.
All across the UK businesses individuals and infrastructure has been affected by wet and windy conditions punctuated by large waves slamming coastal communities Hayling included.
The Jet Stream has been in much the same position for weeks and is the main reason that deep depressions are bowled our way. High altitude winds serve to accelerate low pressures and increase their spin as they head towards us. The result is extreme weather conditions.
More research is needed to give a definitive answer as to whether climate change is indeed the culprit the UKs weather is a complex beast to understand at the best of times. Nevertheless the intensity of weather systems taking a more southerly track is a typical reflection of this winters stormy weather.
Dame Julia Slingo the Met Office chief scientist said: There was no definitive answer to what caused the storms. But all the evidence suggests there is a link to climate change. There is no evidence to counter the basic premise that a warmer world will lead to more intense daily and hourly rain events.
Hayling has had its fair share of the extreme weather with yet more is on the cards overnight and tomorrow.
