Posts by Lucy
Weather Extremes: Making and Breaking Records in Nottinghamshire
December 16, 2016
Over the last few months Georgina and I have been working closely with staff at the Department of Manuscripts, University of Nottingham, to curate a public exhibition for the Weston Gallery, Lakeside Arts, on the University campus. It opens today. Last night we held a private view that was opened by BBC meteorologist Helen Willetts, …
Guest post: A hive of weather data: exploring the International Bee Research Association’s collection
December 6, 2016
Guest post by Siobhan Maderson. Modern life appears to be dominated by time. Our phones beep incessant reminders, urging us on to our next appointment. But we are fundamentally biological organisms, ruled by elemental systems. The ancient Greeks recognised the difference between these two distinct patterns. Chronos describes the time of the clock, while Kairos …
Whitby and the ‘year without summer’
May 25, 2016
Last week I was lucky enough to be able to attend a Royal Meteorological Society regional event in Whitby, North Yorkshire. The theme of Saturday’s meeting was ‘1816 – the year without a summer’. The programme was put together by Dennis Wheeler (University of Sunderland). I wrote about the extreme weather of 1816 as experienced …
April showers… of snow?
April 28, 2016
As we have previously explored on this blog, sometimes it is not the intensity or severity of weather that makes an event extreme, but its timing. This week many people have been taken by surprise at the falls of snow around the UK (as pictured in the feature image © Nigel Brown, geograph), some music fans interpreting the …
Sources in focus: estate correspondence
February 29, 2016
Since Christmas I’ve been spending some time over at the University of Nottingham’s Manuscripts and Special Collections, looking more closely at their weather-related holdings. A large proportion of the documents I’ve so far consulted have been letters. Corresponding about weather The weather is a popular topic of conversation, and, in a similar way to diaries, …
Cherry Blossom and Daffodils: Mild Decembers in the Archive
December 18, 2015
This week the Weather Extremes team has been catching up in Nottingham. As well as reviewing recent activity, setting goals for the year ahead, and Christmas plans, the conversation frequently turned to the weather itself. The mild weather that much of the country is currently experiencing was one talking point, as blossom and other traditional …
“There’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing”
October 9, 2015
Weather and wardrobe The quote that I’ve used for the title of this post is popularly attributed to fellwalker and guidebook author and illustrator Alfred Wainwright, who spent much of his time outdoors, in the weather. Walking the remote Lakeland Fells it’s essential to be prepared for the weather, which can of course change rather …
Heatwave!
July 1, 2015
Summer is here, and temperatures in many parts of the UK are predicted to reach over 30 degrees C later today on what is expected to be the hottest day of the year so far, prompting much talk of heatwaves past and present in conversation and on social media (#UKheatwave). The hot weather has also prompted …
Edward Joseph Lowe and extreme weather observations
June 4, 2015
This week I thought I would write about a weather observer from Nottingham who completed much of his work just a couple of minutes walk from my office. Edward Joseph Lowe (1825-1900) was born in Highfield House, University Park, now home to the Centre for Advanced Studies of the University of Nottingham. He is probably most …
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