Subscribe now

WONDERING whether to plan a day outdoors, reader Chris Shaw went, as one does
these days, to the BBC’s weather website at www.bbc.co.uk/weather. He was a
little alarmed to read that the outlook for the west of England and Scotland and
the whole of Wales and Ireland included “sunny spells”.

The overnight outlook, that is. “I had been planning to get some sleep
tonight,” he wrote at 01.46 am on 3 September, “but in view of the sunny
intervals, I think I’ll top up my fading tan.” You can see proof that they did
say that—or, this being the…

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with New Scientist events and special offers.

Sign up

To continue reading, subscribe today with our introductory offers

Piano Exit Overlay Banner Mobile Piano Exit Overlay Banner Desktop