Monthly Archives: December 2015

What’s been happening to our weather?

Posted on 31 December, 2015 by Met Office Press Office

December 2015 will go down in meteorological history as one of the wettest – and warmest – on record. It will also be remembered for the devastating floods in Cumbria, Lancashire, Yorkshire and Scotland. The extensive flooding of homes and … Continue reading →

Posted in Met Office News | Tagged Atlantic, climate change, El Nino, heavy rain, Met Office, Storm, Storm Desmond, Storm Eva, Storm Frank, storms, tropical Pacific Ocean, wind | 20 Comments

Record breaking December rainfall

Posted on 28 December, 2015 by Met Office Press Office

This is has already been a record breaking month for rainfall in some parts of the UK, with exceptional amounts of rain falling onto already saturated ground. The very wet Boxing Day in parts of north Wales and northwest England … Continue reading →

Posted in Met Office News | Tagged climate change, December 2015, Environment Agency, flood, flooding, forecast, gales, heavy rain, Jet stream, Met Office, National Severe Weather Warning Service, rain, rainfall, record, Scotland, severe weather, statistics, Storm, Storm Desmond, Storm Frank, storms, UK, weather, wet, wind | 6 Comments

December on track to be the mildest on record

Posted on 24 December, 2015 by Met Office Press Office

Mowing the lawn has been the reality for some so far this December, with unseasonably high temperatures. It looks as though the UK is on track to break the record for the warmest December since records began in 1910 and … Continue reading →

Posted in Met Office News | Tagged climate, cold, dry, England, Environment Agency, flood, forecast, gales, heavy rain, Met Office, National Severe Weather Warning Service, rain, rainfall, record, Scotland, severe weather, snow, statistics, Storm, Storm Desmond, Storm Eva, storms, temperature, UK, weather, weather forecast, weather forecasting, wet, wind, Winter | 12 Comments

What’s ‘in store’ this Christmas?

Posted on 21 December, 2015 by Met Office Press Office

With Christmas just a few days away, it looks like the current mild weather is affecting our shopping habits during one of the most important shopping periods of the year. Christmas is a key trading period for suppliers and retailers, … Continue reading →

Posted in Met Office News | Tagged Christmas, consumers, demand planning, mild weather, retail, sales, suppliers, White Christmas | Comments Off

Mild start to December

Posted on 16 December, 2015 by Met Office Press Office

Looking at figures dating back to 1960 this has been the mildest start to December for Wales (8.7C), south west England (9.8C) and south east England (10C), and the 4th warmest for the UK as a whole (7.1C), with 1979, … Continue reading →

Posted in Met Office News | Tagged cold, dry, England, flood, flooding, forecast, frost, gales, heavy rain, Met Office, National Severe Weather Warning Service, rain, rainfall, record, severe weather, statistics, Storm, sunshine, temperature, UK, weather, weather forecast, weather forecasting, wet, wind, Winter | 6 Comments

Saharan dust

Posted on 16 December, 2015 by Met Office Press Office

During Wednesday night the mild southerly airflow affecting the UK spread a thin ribbon of dust, originally lifted from the Sahara, northwards across parts of England and Wales. The dust has been detected just above the surface over many parts … Continue reading →

Posted in Met Office News | Tagged Air pollution, air quality, blood rain, defra, Public Health England, Public Health Wales, saharan dust | 4 Comments

The science questions following a global deal on climate

Posted on 15 December, 2015 by Met Office Press Office

There has been a huge amount of worldwide media coverage following the weekend’s announcement of a globally agreed deal to try to limit global warming to 2 °C or less. Here Professor Stephen Belcher, the Director of the Met Office’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Met Office News | Tagged climate, climate change, climate science, climate summit, CO2, COP21, forecast, global warming, greenhouse gases, Met Office, Met Office Hadley Centre, Paris summit, temperature, UK | 47 Comments

Typhoon Melor bringing stormy weather to the Philippines

Posted on 14 December, 2015 by Met Office Press Office

After an extremely active northern hemisphere tropical cyclone season in 2015, the last couple of weeks have been very quiet. This is not unusual as the season often tails off in November and December. However, there has been a sting … Continue reading →

Posted in Met Office News | Tagged flooding, JMA, landslides, Melor, Met Office Storm Tracker, Met Office storms, Philippines, Typhoon, wind | 5 Comments

Climate change and weather caught in a media storm

Posted on 11 December, 2015 by Met Office Press Office

December so far has been characterised by intense media discussions about climate change and its relationship to weather. Early in the month, the Met Office welcomed the BBC Trust report, which recognised there was a serious breach of their editorial … Continue reading →

Posted in Met Office News | Tagged climate change, climate science, Cumbria, Desmond, heavy rain, Met Office, Met Office Hadley Centre, rainfall, record, weather | 28 Comments

Did climate change have an impact on Storm Desmond?

Posted on 7 December, 2015 by Met Office Press Office

The exceptional rainfall in Cumbria over the past few days saw the fall of numerous records and has led many to ask whether it is linked to climate change. The records are based on digitised data going back to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Met Office News | Tagged climate, climate change, climate science, Cumbria, England, Environment Agency, flood, flooding, forecast, gales, global warming, heavy rain, Honister, Met Office, National Severe Weather Warning Service, rain, rainfall, record, Scotland, severe weather, statistics, storms, temperature, Thirlmere, UK, weather, weather forecast, weather forecasting, wet, wind, Winter | 28 Comments