Emily Chan
In November 2023, an exceptionally severe European windstorm known as Storm Ciarán caused mayhem across the United Kingdom.
Extreme weather can have many devastating consequences, such as damage to property and environmental issues.
Scientists have uncovered another grave outcome of bad storms—the loss of a proper morning cup of tea.
Tea plays a major role in British culture. According to the U.K. Tea and Infusions Associations, the British drink around 100 million cups per day. As such, it is entrenched in their way of life, which means it is a practice they can’t imagine living without.
Researchers from the University of Reading in England found that the record-breaking low pressure from Storm Ciarán changed the boiling point of water in the region, resulting in bland-tasting tea. The new boiling point was below the 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100 degrees Celsius) required to brew good tea.
“Like many Britons, I need my morning cup of tea. Although I know the boiling point of water varies with atmospheric pressure, I wasn’t expecting a storm to take the boiling water temperature outside the recommended range for brewing decent tea. Weather can have subtle effects,” Giles Harrison, the lead author of the study and a professor at the University of Reading, said.
On November 2, 2023, when Storm Ciarán hit southern Britain, the researchers set out to measure the effects of air pressure on the boiling point of water over the wider region.
They gathered weather and air pressure data from several sources, such as the University of Reading Atmospheric Observatory and weather stations in South England.
“Storm Ciarán turned attention to the wind and rain battering Britain outside. As an experimentalist, I saw the opportunity to make some measurements of the properties of boiling water during low atmospheric pressure,” Caleb Miller, a co-author of the study and a PhD student at the University of Reading, said.
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