Think of all the money you save on energy bills that can used for drowning sorrows.

It's shame Keith Browning doesn't get a nod here - he coined the phrase originally back in 1981: wmo.int/media/magazi...

But not the majority of his career on English wickets (and are English wickets flat compared to the rest of the world?) - he's played more away than home. But the picture still isn't pretty.

God it's bleak. We're not even halfway through wartime, either.

Zak Crawley now has the lowest batting average in Test history for anyone opening the innings who's played more than 50 matches. I appreciate there's no like-for-like replacement out there, but hasn't this probably run its course now? #AskGeorge

Based on the first day, rather than "May the best team win?" is this Ashes going to be more "May the least worst team not lose"? #AskGeorge

Dewpoints probably not low enough further East. Woken by two extremely close lightning strikes around 6am in Deal, though. Hail / graupel and maybe sleet at a generous push.

Can you do that after (if?) we've got Head out, please?

I have RI up my sleeve... coming very soon.

Thanks for commenting on this - I hope Reask get a bit more attention, bunch of smart guys creating models that facilitate counterfactual analysis. Yes it's a model, but it's another useful data point.

There's so much more that could be done on this yes. I'm totally sold on the idea that storms staying longer as HU means more at landfall - but still less sold on more at landfall because of genesis - and yes the more frequent recent Ninas is an obvious point. Will go back with Reask on it.

#heatpumpgrotto

It would be extra helpful if your map had some towns on it as you zoom in and out. Stamen Toner is quite a good map base for this.

(EC ensembles)

Bit of support from the ensembles (this is Canterbury so a little inland)

Another stand-out season for me - the amount of time spent by hurricane tracks over extra-warm sea probably the 5th highest year since the 1950s, behind the "big" years of 2023, 2024, 2010 and 2005. We just got lucky with the landfalls again...

Of course.