Author Archives: Met Office Press Office

Tropical Deforestation – a log jam on the road to Net Zero?

Posted on 13 November, 2020

With one year to go until COP26 in Glasgow, and today’s launch of Together For Our Planet, Met Office Chief Scientist Professor Stephen Belcher reviews the influence tropical deforestation is having on the journey to a resilient Net Zero through the significant role … Continue reading →

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A record-breaking year for Atlantic Tropical Storms

Posted on 12 November, 2020

2020 is shaping up to be a year for weather records – a new record for the highest temperature reliably recorded on earth in Death Valley this summer, the most land scorched in a single year during the Californian wildfires and now the busiest season on record for Atlantic tropical storms.  Julian Heming, Tropical Prediction Scientist … Continue reading →

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UK sees fifth wettest October since 1862

Posted on 3 November, 2020

One thing for certain is that October 2020 will be remembered for being exceptionally wet for some areas of the UK. The unsettled weather following Storm Alex brought enough rain on 3rd October to make it the wettest day on record for UK-averaged rainfall (31.7 mm, beating the previous wettest day … Continue reading →

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State of the African Climate update and the importance of climate services

Posted on 28 October, 2020

Every year the World Metrological Organization (WMO) publishes a range of reports examining the latest evidence on different meteorological and climatological factors. This year, a group of international specialists has produced a report specifically focusing on the State of the … Continue reading →

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Rainfall on UK’s wettest day on record could have more than filled Loch Ness

Posted on 16 October, 2020

Saturday 3 October 2020 is now the wettest day on record since 1891 for UK-wide rainfall. It received the greatest rainfall in any single day averaged out across the UK, beating the previous record on the 25 August 1986. Dr … Continue reading →

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Climate projections show extreme UK’s weather will become even more extreme

Posted on 12 October, 2020

“The UK’s set of climate projections are the best window we have on how climate change is likely to affect us out to the end of the century,” said Professor Jason Lowe OBE*, the lead for UKCP – the UK’s … Continue reading →

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How will La Nina affect our winter weather?

Posted on 12 October, 2020

La Niña is now present in the tropical Pacific and forecasters are suggesting these conditions will continue throughout the winter months.   La Niña is one of the three phases of the phenomenon known as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, El Niño – the warm phase, La Niña – the cool phase and lastly the neutral phase. During La Niña … Continue reading →

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Weather Statistics for September

Posted on 1 October, 2020

Looking back at September as a whole it turned out to be a fairly average month, although there were a few notable events. For the first time in 4 years we saw temperatures reach 30 degrees and a few long … Continue reading →

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Storm Alex, so why not Storm Aiden?

Posted on 29 September, 2020

Many media outlets have been reporting that ‘Storm Aiden’ will batter Britain with strong winds and heavy rain this weekend.  Over the last few days, weather forecasting computers – known as Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) models – have been predicting … Continue reading →

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Climate Change: The perfect fuel for wildfires? 

Posted on 21 September, 2020

As wildfires continue to rage in North and South America, Met Office Chief Scientist Professor Stephen Belcher examines what has led to the potentially record-breaking scale of fires and what science is needed to contain the risks.  Last year wildfires ravaged Australia. This year has seen reports of extensive fires in the Amazon, in California, and earlier this … Continue reading →

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