The Met Office has issued a severe storm surge warning this evening as an unprecedented weather system, fuelled by anomalously warm sea surface temperatures in the North Atlantic, unleashes a barrage of lightning strikes. The storm, currently battering the south-western coast is moving north-east, carrying with it a 2.5-metre surge capable of overwhelming coastal defences.
This is not an isolated event. It is the physical manifestation of a system loading more energy into the atmosphere. Each degree of warming increases the atmosphere's water holding capacity by about 7 per cent.
More water vapour means more latent heat to power storms. The lightning we are seeing now is a direct consequence. Recent studies show a 12 per cent increase in lightning flash density for every degree of warming.
That is not a projection. That is a measurement. The sea surface temperatures in the vicinity of this storm are 1.
8°C above the 1981-2010 average. This is the fuel. The storm is the engine.
And the surge is the result. Coastal communities from Cornwall to Norfolk should prepare for inundation. The Thames Barrier is closing.
Emergency services are on standby. But this is not a freak event. It is a taste of our new normal.
The biosphere is responding to our emissions. Every tenth of a degree matters. The energy transition is not a policy choice.
It is a survival imperative. We have the technology. We need the will.
Until then, we will weather these storms. Literally. Stay safe.
Stay informed. The data will not change. Only our actions can.
