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This is the official blog of the Met Office news team, intended to provide journalists and bloggers with the latest weather, climate science and business news and information from the Met Office.
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- Good morning! Thunderstorms will soon clear the northeast, leaving a few showers in the far north. Some low cloud a… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 1 hour ago
- We've seen some cracking #sunset and #sunrise photos 🌄 Here are a few of our favourites 📸 #LoveUKWeather https://t.co/5ss6G0jnNu 1 hour ago
- The skies will be mostly #sunny today ☀️ Meaning largely high #pollen and #UV levels are likely🌺🧴 https://t.co/Q4XCU1Oorh 2 hours ago
- The latest view from space 🛰️ shows that #thunderstorms are continuing across Scotland and eastern England ⛈️ Stay… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 2 hours ago
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Thunderstorms are on the way tonight ⛈⬇️ . The storms have been brewing this afternoon over northern France and the Bay of Biscay. . As they come over the UK tonight they are expected to provide a dramatic lightning show. . Potentially damaging hail stones and gusty winds will accompany the thunderstorms too. . As is usual with summer thunderstorms not everywhere will experience them, but where they do arrive there may be impacts. . A warning has been issued, stay #WeatherAware. . . #ukweather #thunderstorm #france #bayofbiscay #hail #winds #warning⚠️The mercury is rising this week - and records could be broken 😮🌡 . Hot air will waft our way from Spain, with temperatures climbing widely across the UK from Tuesday. . It won't just be hot and sunny in London. 29 °C is likely in the north of Scotland on Thursday and highs into the low 30s are possible in northern England and south Wales during the next few days. . However, the very highest temperatures are expected to be recorded in southeast England. . This is where temperatures are expected to climb to 34 °C on Tuesday and 35 °C by Wednesday. . Thursday will be even hotter. So hot, in fact, that the most likely temperature in London is 37 °C. That would break the UK July temperature record. There's even a 30 % chance that the temperature will exceed the UK all-time record of 38.5 °C. . And it's not just about the high daytime temperatures. With high humidity in the forecast, nights will be very uncomfortable. . Of course, many people on their summer holidays will be looking forward to a few days of hot sunshine. But in some places the oppressive heat and humidity will be a risk to vulnerable people. With high UV levels expected as well as oppressive heat and humidity, make sure you take precautions so that you can stay safe in this week's hot weather. . . #recordbreaking #spain #ukweather #hot #heat #humidityHere’s a fantastic photo just before #sunrise this #SundayMorning by @CarlaSears, but will we see skies like this over the coming days? The forecast below might give you some clues. . Headline: Turning wet and windy in the northwest. Drier in south. . This Evening and Tonight: Rain in Northern Ireland and western Scotland will spread into northwest England and Wales, with some heavy outbreaks and strong winds. Further south it will be mostly dry, with clear spells, but it will be breezy. . Monday: After a cloudy and wet start for some, the rain will become confined to western Scotland. Otherwise, warm sunny spells will develop away from windward coasts. . Outlook for Tuesday to Thursday: Sunny Tuesday, and very warm or hot. Thunderstorms likely in west later, lasting into Wednesday. Exceptionally warm night southeast, and hot here Wednesday, Thursday. Fresher in west, risk of thunder.Hotter weather 🌡 is on the way next week - across much of western Europe, including parts of the UK 🇬🇧 . Higher humidities have already arrived in the UK - accompanied by heavy rain and thunderstorms in some places during Friday night and Saturday. . Sunnier ☀️ skies arrive during Sunday and Monday, with temperatures rising significantly during the start of next next week. . Inland Spain 🇪🇸 could reach the low 40s Celsius, whilst parts of France 🇫🇷 reach the high 30s Celsius. . Although we are unlikely to see temperatures that high in the UK, southern areas could still see highs approaching the mid-30s by midweek, with mid-20s in southern and eastern Scotland. . Not everywhere will be sunny, however. Western Scotland, North West England and Northern Ireland are likely to be cloudy, wet and windy at times - especially early next week. . . . #loveukweather #heatwavePlanning a #staycation? 🙌🏻 . Each day, we're going to pinpoint some beautiful locations around the UK. . We'll highlight the brightest and sunniest weather ☀️ . Got a favourite spot? Comment below 👇 . . #loveukweatherIs it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a swarm of flying ants! 😮 . Normally, our radar network only detects rain or snow. This morning, large blobs of blue appeared over parts of southern and eastern England – despite the weather being dry. . So, why does the radar detect flying ants and not other insect or even birds? . Radio waves emitted from an antenna travel out at the speed of light, only bouncing back when they encounter an object. When radar was first used during the Second World War, we were trying to detect enemy targets and not rain or snow. On a clear day, radar could quickly tell us the position of aircraft in the sky. On a wet day, echoes visible from the radar signal would only tell us about the weather. . Since the 1950s, radar has told us more and more about the weather as it happens – from rain to snow and from light drizzle to supercell thunderstorms. . The UK is now covered by 15 radar sites, collecting data at 1 km resolution every five minutes. . However, anything from birds and insects in the sky to hills and buildings on the ground can and have interfered with the vertical radar signal and returned false data. . Since a recent upgrade of the UK radar network, we now send two radar beams at once using a technology known as dual-polarisation. . One beam travels horizontally, one vertically, allowing us to build a 3D picture of any objects in the sky. There are now thresholds in place that allow us to discount larger objects such as birds or flies. Flying ants are so small, they slip under the threshold. But if the threshold were smaller, we’d miss some of the rain or snow in the sky. . . #flyingants #radar #weird #satellite #uk #ukweather #wednesdaywisdomArchives
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Met Office News- A cold and bright Bank Holiday weekend 2 May, 2019
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Top Posts
Monthly Archives: December 2015
What’s been happening to our weather?
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
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
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?
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
Mild start to December
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
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
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
Climate change and weather caught in a media storm
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?
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
