Wednesday, 18th May 2022. Register your interest via Eventbrite.

Is the Weather Changing in Cornwall?: Implications and Perspectives from the Kernow Weather Team

About the talk

Weather is one of the main talking points in life, if you’re meeting friends, family or business associates it’s always a talking point. “It’s too wet, too cold, most often in Cornwall too humid or windy” and then in the blink of an eye “it’s too hot!!” I think we are all guilty of making conversations out of the weather but how much do you understand about it? That’s something we at Kernow Weather Team want to change.

You may be wondering who we are. We were an idea thought up by three like minded people five years ago. Trying to find an accurate forecast was always difficult, with Cornwall’s unique peninsula position and geography it spawns microclimates. A general Southwest forecast often leaves the Cornish community puzzled. Before Kernow Weather Team’s launch most people just looked out of the window and guessed what the day will do from what they could see. Now they have a knowledgeable and experienced team to rely on. Over five years the team has grown, allowing us to be able to share that knowledge, making it understandable to everyone. We explain the science behind it from “What is rain?” to “How heavy are big cumulonimbus thunderclouds?”, in a way that the everyday person can grasp and not be afraid to ask for clarification. We have kept our ethos, in keeping the community as part of the team, we don’t want to be the untouchables and many followers feel we are their family. We are unique offering support and advice from everyday through to many weather events often over 24 or more hours. Dave is our lead forecaster and qualified meteorologist. Among his other interests, he is currently studying volcanology and seismology. Somewhere in his busy schedule he wishes to fit in a little tornado and hurricane chasing too.

We have been monitoring how the weather is changing here in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly as well as the rest of the world. Yes, it’s changing rapidly and what was an isolated and rare weather event is now becoming more common. What will happen to Cornwall when the sea warms up just by a few degrees? It’s a frightening thought – are we prepared?

Thankfully, the use of satellites to help with weather forecasting greatly benefits not just tracking weather systems, it also helps us predict and monitor changes closely.