The middle aged has doubled. The Daily Telegraph claims that the Armed Forces Face another round of cuts, partly due to the fall in the pound. It also notes transport Disruption Due to cold weather across the uk. The times reports that the government will reform charges for electric car charging, to combat the steep costs that are currently imposed. The paper also carries an image of Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia. And finally, the sun also pays tribute to Carrie Fisher, and reports that George Michael will be buried in his familys private plot. Now on bbc news, Weather World. This time nick miller is finding out how the Snowden Railway keeps running despite 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. Winterfights 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 Weather Impact of Migratory Birds, 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 climb 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 engineers train, because im 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 thatjourney since then. The trains normally run from mid march until november, but it is the weather that dictates the schedule, and the toll 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 were going 4. 95 mph. Mountain railway weather. They too must clash a little bit. They do. 0bviously, 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 heat. 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 storm of the autumn, angus, struck in november, wind in the irish sea was so strong this ferry 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, doesnt 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 quite mild at the moment but we have had freezing temperatures and we cannot lay concrete in freezing temperatures, when it is heavy rain it will wash everything out. Can i get stuck in . By all means, nigel needs a hand. Ok, lets 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 theres 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. Now, earlier this year there was some incredible radar footage of some birds 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. Lets take a look at how the El Nino Southern oscillation has affected this years Hurricane Season, and why it has been so intense, especially compared to recent years. In the year up to may 2016, enso was in the el nino, or warm, phase. The warming of the equatorial pacific often lead to stronger vertical wind shear 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 may the pacific has been cooling, becoming more neutral, and is now entering a week phase, or a cool place. Reducing 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, feeding warm and moist air over the Western Atlantic and warming the waters there by as much as four or five 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 snowdons summit. But some people get there the hard way. 0n 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 showjust 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 wardens 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 gotjeans 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 mejust 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 im 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 cold. 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 down 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 wearjeans. Still to come fake flock. What Electric Sheep can tell us about the weather that eral sheep cannot. That real sheep 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 130,000. For many it is about the beauty of the sky and the scenery around them, and sharing it online. Many people just walk along, with their head down, and they dont look up, they dont see the cloud, they dont 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. 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 willjust gently aged down the track. I willjust gently edge it down the track. This is a fairly exposed piece of track so it must get a fair battering. Yeah. 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, lets 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. 1; 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 all within tolerance. Very good. Go check some of track line. Thank you very much. Were 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 to 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 it is not cold enough. The not so frozen arctic. The number of sea ice that survived pretty 16 was the Second Lowest on record, slow to buy Air Temperature is 20 degrees above normal and the warmth of the ocean below. During summertime when The Sun Comes Up in the arctic could reflect most of the Sun Energy Out to if you remove the ci is covered in the ocean is absorbing their heat instead. So what you see and instead now as winter comes, the arctic is very warm, part of 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. We saw earlier how to properly address for the great outdoors, we saw earlier how to properly dress 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. Lets 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, pip 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 they experience on a farm. We have two things, we have our sheep, we also have a met station, and the station is measuring sun plus wind, plus ambient Air Temperature, and those things together tell us how the sheep is 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 maintaining the core Body Temperature in these conditions is increasingly hard as the wind blows so what we do with this sheep is we maintain them at 39 degrees, with. This array of heaters. And we also have a microcomputer. And what the computer is 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, forfarmers, 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 in the equation, and weather its a big part of that, keeping warm uses an awful lot of energy. Can i do something on my farm to help my sheep keep warm . Planning your farm with weather in mind, providing shelter in 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 winter 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 that 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 the eye of hurricane matthew, is this a typical kind of hazard that birds face a migratoryjourney . The situation is that they are crossing the path, the exact track, that many hurricans take 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 in 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 birds 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 know that we get weather coming from different directions, and that very often can bring birds, associated with it, so we get birds from North America turning up, in europe, we can get those from the tropical atlantic, from 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 elsewhere in the northern hemisphere. Thank you so much, graham for joining us. That is it from us here in kent, back to 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 work taking place, and if we did go any further we willjust 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 im 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 gust speed. A gust speeds can reach in excess 130 mph. Talking wind speeds like that, the spring. Lets get this Weather Station to bed then. What do you do with the station in winter . I have a hard life, we send the instruments are we got them recalibrated and bring them down. As they get to work, and before we go, when is a rainbow not a rainbow . When it is a fog bow. This rare phenomenon was spotted in scotland in november. Water droplets in fog are 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, ourdriver, steve, and ever one of the Snowdon Railway, snowdon summit still awaits me, but i will be back one day. Ill keep checking the forecast. The first part of wednesday will be quite cold across england and wales, but that is the least of my concerns, because it is the eastern side of wales and much of central and southern england where the fog could be quite dense first up in the morning. Not so much across the west. More in the way of wind helping keep it mixed. Anywhere from Central Eastern wales to the vale of york, it could be quite a slow commute if you are back to work. For Northern Ireland, and much of scotland, a little more in the way of Breeze Keeping things mixed overnight. Chilly in one or two spots, but relatively mild, especially across the northern and Western Isles close to a Weather Front. The wind will be a feature throughout the day with the odd spot of rain as well. Some brightness in the mix for northern england, Western Wales and the south west of england, and parts of Northern Ireland doing well. But elsewhere, it will stay really cloudy, and if you happen to keep the fog, your visibility may really suffer for a good wee while. The temperature may never get better than 0 2 degrees. If the fog should lift, it could be back with a vengeance on thursday. We could do something similar with more in the way of cloud for scotland, Northern Ireland, with rain getting into the north west up to the Western Isles and the northern isles. Further south, we keep the cloud. Not too much in the way of brightness. Temperatures 4 8 degrees perhaps, but where the fog lingers, 0 2 degrees. Into friday, the wind makes progress. We are beginning to squeeze the isobars. Perhaps come friday, fog less of an issue. Relatively warm air streaming in from the atlantic. Further south, the Western Fringes doing nicely. If the fog lingers for any length of time, it could be closer to six or seven for parts of east anglia. Then we are off and running towards the weekend and the new year. We will see a change with this Weather Front coming down and across the british isles. The air streaming in from the north behind that, so a significant change with colder conditions. If you are near the front, it could be pretty wet. A very warm welcome to bbc news, broadcasting to our viewers in North America and around the globe. My names mike embley. Our top stories 75 years on, japans Prime Minister shinzo abe makes an historic visit to pearl harbor, offering condolences to victims of the attack. Translation we must never repeat the horrors of war again. This is the solemn vow we, the people of japan, have taken. Somebody get this Walking Carpet out of my way. An outpouring of tributes. The actress and author Carrie Fisher, forever Princess Leia in star wars, has died at the age of 60. Argentinas former president , Cristina Fernandez de kirchner, is charged over corruption allegations. Make no bones about it, scientists believe evolution may be to blame forjoint pain, and it could get even worse
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