Official URL: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/geography/

This paper describes H. H. Lamb 's synoptic classification of 'airflow typ es ' and shows how th is scheme can be utilised to fu rther our understanding of weather patterns in the British Is les. Sp atial con trasts in precipitation receipt are rela ted to airflow typ e as well as to local fa ctors, such as exposure at the lo cation concerned and the length of ocean passage for the airflow involved. Changes in the frequency of the Lamb classifica tion airflow categories are also considered over a 130- year period. Declin ing frequencies of westerly airflo ws and increases in cyclonic and anticyclonic ai1jlows are signalled as well as the consequences for climate which these frequency changes bring. Limitations of the Lamb classification system are also highlighted; in particular, the inability of the system to classify complex and transitional synoptic circulations. Wh en more than one ait:flo w type exists over the British Isles simultaneously, the adoption of sub-regional classification schemes may be more appropriate.