Green and Pleasant Land

One thing I like about England is that we very rarely get weather conditions that would be viewed as remotely severe in other parts of the world. The occasional winter storm can be pretty nasty, but in general, the weather conditions are simply mild.

Compare the average US news story on tornados to a British one - like this one from BBC News.

It reports that a funnel cloud was seen over Lancashire. Yes, that's right, it didn't even touch the ground. Was it a big one? Well, they quote the Met Office in the story...

If this funnel cloud had touched down it could have badly damaged a tree or a shed roof.