David Viner Gets It Wrong Again

By Paul Homewood

He had us all falling about in our seats with his epic “snow is just a thing of the past” routine.

And we were rolling around on the floor when he claimed that “continental tourists would be flocking to Blackpool for their holidays to enjoy the mediterranean climate there.”

So it will come as no surprise to find that our favourite junk scientist came up with this gem back in 2006, in the Guardian:

Dr Viner added that Britain could experience more dramatic and unpredictable weather in the future, including tornados.

“We saw a tornado in Birmingham last year and I think generally we are likely to see an increase in localised, unforecastable and unpredictable weather.

Wow, tornadoes!!

Fortunately, we have the ever sensible meteorologist, Philip Eden, to tell us the real story. From the Sunday Telegraph:

Unfortunately, the Telegraph never put his articles on line, but he points out that, back in the 1950’s most meteorologists did not believe that tornadoes occurred in Britain. He goes on.

According to the TORRO website, the UK gets about 35 to 40 tornadoes a year, but this number will increase “with the improved communications and a growing network of TORRO reporters.”

It is also worth pointing out that, according to NOAA, “In fact, the United Kingdom has more tornadoes, relative to its land area, than any other country. Fortunately, most UK tornadoes are relatively weak.”

So, next time you hear a junk scientists making up claims about tornadoes, suggest that they check the facts first