A few days ago I was rummaging through my wardrobe to find my summer clothes when it hit me: it was the middle of February and I was searching for skimpy clothes that would usually locked away until at least April. The weather at Newcastle has been quite warm for the past few days and some of us couldn’t be happier. Afterall, nobody can ever complain about a little bit of sunshine around here!
A great thing about the warm weather is that you can wear your pretty clothes without countless layers of coats and jumpers over it and channel the inner diva in you. No need to carry those heavy parkas or heavy wool coats anymore. There is also no fear of catching a cold and roaming around with a runny nose. Everything is only pleasant, and nothing can seem to go wrong. Having such a sunny weather also means you can visit the North and South Shields and enjoy the great view and blue waters. This also means going to the beach and rather than running away from the freezing cold water, you can get into the warm water. Back on the ground, you can just sit around the University campus with your friends and have a sun basking impromptu picnic. Suddenly there are so many outdoor activities you could do and going out won’t feel like a war with mother nature. Nothing feels better than a clear sun shining above Newcastle and Newcastle glowing in hues of gold.
However, some people may not be a fan of this weather. While all this summer extravaganza sounds great, it might be helpful to look at the other side of the bridge. Having such high temperatures in the middle of February indicates the aftereffect of the much-dreaded global warming. The heat is an immediate effect of the phenomenon. It is estimated that heat waves with high humidity become more frequent and severe. For those who remember, last year at this time of the year we were experiencing The Beast from East. Things had gotten so out of hand that the university was even closed of a week. The cold was unbearable, and the snow had made it almost impossible to commute. And a year later, the weather has drastically changed, and we are experiencing such radically different temperatures. It is simply frightening to imagine what next year will bring. We might be experiencing something totally different in the February of 2020. This brings attention to the question: how fast we are approaching global warming and its associated after-effects?
In the short run, this weather might be a gift to us but in the long run, it holds nothing but uncertainties and fear. The temperature is still mild, and the heat is nice and bearable. But with the continual increase in temperature, there is possibility of very high temperatures and we won’t be loving the weather anymore. The most important thing for us right now is to be aware. The more we know, the better we are informed, the better we can adapt and combat whatever uncertainties that comes towards us.