Statistics for the week ending Monday 16-Feb-10

	Max (Celsius)	Min (Celsius)	Rainfall (mm)
AIRHEAD	31.2	25.1	Trace
TRAVELLERS	31.6	22.0	10.1
RESIDENCY	26.5	20.4	6.9
GEORGETOWN	32.6	23.4	0.0
ST. HELENA	25.4	18.1	22.0
FALKLANDS	17.3	4.1	40.5
UK (Brize Norton)	6.7	-1.8	1.4

UK: Rather cool over much of the UK with a frost many nights. Midweek saw several inches of snow for much of Kent and Sussex, though very little rain, sleet or snow has fallen over most of Britain. Scotland and the Northwest have had a little more rain, hill snow, at times.

Falklands: A rather unsettled week with rain and strong winds at times. Cold enough on Sunday for rain showers to turn a little wintry at times.

Ascension: Mostly dry and sunny.  A few rain showers over Green Mountain midweek.

St Helena: Mostly dry, sunny intervals. Some rain showers Wednesday and again Sunday.

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Rip Currents:

Around the middle of the month there was a spell when very little swell affected the island, with the usual surf on Long Beach decreasing to give just a gentle wave motion.  I very nearly had a dip in the water, though in the event chose to go to Comfortless Cove for a swim. 

The beaches of Comfortless Cove and English Bay are declared “safe” bathing beaches for a reason; they are largely protected from much of the swell and allow for easy entry to the water on a fairly safe sandy strip.

Of course any beach could be relatively safe if the sea is calm enough, but as most will know this is rarely the case on many beaches here at Ascension Island. The breaking waves together with rocks on or close to the beach can make bathing rather dangerous.

On two beaches in particular another hazard is often present, “rip currents”. I have seen this to some extent at North East Bay, but more especially at Long Beach, Clarence Bay. Rip currents are generally fairly narrow currents of water running out to sea perpendicular to the beach.  They can extend from just a few, to a hundred metres or so offshore.  Conditions that will induce a rip current are large waves with plenty of energy and some obstruction or variation in water depth on or close to the beach. The indentations often present at the shoreline of Long Beach are a good indicator that rip currents are likely.

When fairly large surf is breaking on the beach the waves push water up the beach, but on its return the water is funnelled into channels which then generate the offshore current of water.  One can often see this as areas of muddy or sandy coloured water running out to sea beyond the breaking surf. At long Beach a good vantage point to view this is from the guns on Cross Hill. It is often evident towards the southern, Georgetown, end of the beach.

If you should ever get caught in a rip current and are being taken out to sea, the worst thing to do is panic and start trying to swim against the current. It is likely you will tire, as the current will almost certainly be moving more quickly than you can swim against it. Try to keep calm and gently swim parallel to the beach, the current will ease offshore. Once free of the current swim back to the beach at a slight angle.

Compiled by  Chill       

Crown Copyright 2010        Met Office Ascension Island Base