Rain forces lengthy rail delays (BBC News)
 

Rail passengers travelling to and from Bristol are warned to expect delays this week because of the rain.

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I have to say how extraordinary this has bee. I remember last year (and even the year before) travelling by rail in some of the hottest conditions. Yet this year has been a huge shock. Almost like summer came in April, and then again at the beginning of June. After that it has dissapeared. Is this global warming in action?

If the current theories are true, then yes. Extreme weather events are a feature of global warming predictions. As more energy is fed into the system, then the resulting weather becomes more violent and disruptive.

Our weather in the UK is detemined by two main factors, the Azores high pressure system and the Icelandic low. Generaly in summer the Azores high is dominant, whereas the Icelandic low takes charge during the winter. Unfortunately the position has been reversed this year. :(

This morning I was on a voyager which had been re-scheduled so it would terminate at Birmingham NS due to the flooding in Oxford. The train manager said that any passenger wishing to go to Reading were to change for a Pendolino to London Euston, then get a connecting service from Paddington to Reading.