In this issue of Weather

Abstract

The October 2016 issue of Weather begins on p. 241 with ‘A test of visibility sensors at Hong Kong International Airport’ by Pak-Wai Chan. Visibility is one of three observed features of weather that are significant to aviation, so the choice of a reliable accurate sensor, able to reproduce visibility as observed by humans – at least when obscurity removes our ability to see objects 10km or less away – is essential. There has been much development in both transmissometers and forward-scatter meters to measure visibility in recent years and this paper provides useful insight into relative performance that can be applied in many situations. On p. 247, we take our annual look at the duration of snow patches on English and Welsh mountains in 2016. Iain Cameron demonstrates that the mild weather of last winter meant that most snow in these countries disappeared relatively quickly. The factors that affect school attendance in sub-Saharan Africa are complex and manifold. Weather and its variability are key elements, as shown by Joseph Adejuwon in ‘Effect of climate variability on school attendance: a case study of Zamfara State in the semi-arid zone of Nigeria’ on p. 248. Next, we move on to an examination of ‘Tide–surge interaction in the Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman’. These interactions, associated with areas of low pressure, have a significant effect on shipping through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, used by a wide range of shipping, not least tankers carrying oil and gas from the oil fields of the Middle East. On p. 262, Sulafa Hag-elsafi and Manahil El-Tayib examine the inter-annual variability of the rainfall of Saudi Arabia in ‘Spatial and statistical analysis of rainfall in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from 1979 to 2008’. Their study shows no clear pattern in the distribution of rainfall, although much of the country receives and average of more than 150mm yr–1 and the highest values are usually found in the mountainous southwest. Ending a bumper issue, our last paper looks at ‘A train of cloud heads associated with multiple cold fronts’ on 5 and 6 February 2016. This short paper by David Smart and Keith Browning provides good revision of this form of mid-latitude weather system and its significance on p. 267.