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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.
The blog will post latest news releases and related content, news diary and information supporting news stories already in the media.
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- Here is the latest #rainfall radar - a wet commute home for some... ☔️☔️☔️ https://t.co/Zeqa7aywFv 38 minutes ago
- The #rain band will continue to push southeastwards during #RushHour so take care on your journey home 🚗💦 https://t.co/xWS41QJLbn 2 hours ago
- #Rain has been slowly moving southeastwards today 💦 bringing cool conditions in Northern Ireland and western Scotla… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 2 hours ago
- If you're going to #RIAT19 here's an overview of what to expect from the weather over the course of the event ⛅️🌦️✈️ https://t.co/jJwYSyfkPK 3 hours ago
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Is 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 #wednesdaywisdomMeanwhile, over on Twitter 👀 . . #worldemojidayTake a look at this beautiful (almost) full moon pic taken on Monday night 😍 . The full moon on Tuesday night will look quite different, if you’re lucky enough to spot it. Clear-skies-permitting, a partial lunar eclipse will be visible in the skies above the UK. This occurs when the Earth moves between the sun and the moon but only part of the moon’s visible surface enters the dark part of the Earth’s shadow, the central region called the umbra. . The best time to spot Tuesday night’s partial eclipse will be between 10 pm and 11 pm and, with clear spells expected for much of the UK, there’s a good chance of spotting this lunar spectacle. . Massive thanks to @emmamcdsmith for sharing this with us 🙌🏻 . . #moon #fullmoon #clearskies #umbra #ukweather #lunar #spectacleA great #loveukweather photo sent to us from @gbc123 earlier today ☀️ Here is your weather outlook: Headline: Largely dry overnight, sunshine and scattered showers Tuesday. This Evening and Tonight: Fine and dry for most this evening and overnight with long clear spells, and some short lived fog patches developing in rural areas around dawn. Cloudier across Northern Ireland and western Scotland, with a few showers likely after midnight. Tuesday: A warm day with sunny spells, but the rising temperatures may trigger scattered/isolated heavy showers, particularly across Northern Ireland, southern and eastern Scotland, perhaps Wales and the Midlands. Outlook for Wednesday to Friday: Cloudy and wet in the northwest on Wednesday, sunny spells with showers elsewhere. Sunny spells and some heavy showers on Thursday. Turning windy on Friday with longer spells of rain in places.This is a beautifully moody photograph taken by @prc_photo on the Northumberland coast today. We could see skies like this again at times during the coming week, after a largely fine and bright day tomorrow. Here are the details ⤵️ . Headline: Dry with warm sunny spells. Today: Mostly dry with variable cloud and warm sunny spells for most. The best of the sunshine in the north and west. Perhaps a few isolated showers in the southwest. Feeling warm in the sunshine. Tonight: Mostly dry with variable cloud and clear spells, these mainly in the west where it will feel chilly with a few fog patches possible. Isolated light showers along eastern coasts. Monday: Fine and dry with early cloud in the east breaking up to give sunny spells for most. Isolated showers possible in the west and feeling warm in the sunshine. Outlook for Tuesday to Thursday: Some heavy showers in the northwest on Tuesday, extending to other areas through midweek. Driest in the southeast. Warm at first, but cooling down on Thursday.It was a beautiful start to the day for many. If you weren’t up and about early enough, thanks to @IrishPixel for capturing this spectacular dawn image 🌄 Will there be more opportunities to capture photos like this in the coming days, or is there a change on the way? Find out below ⬇️ UK 5 DAY WEATHER FORECAST Saturday 13 Jul - Wednesday 17 Jul Headline: Mostly dry with some clear spells tonight. A little cooler. This Evening and Tonight: Daytime showers fading, albeit quite slowly, with perhaps some showery rain across east and southeastern parts of England overnight. Some clear spells elsewhere, but with some low cloud drifting in off the North Sea into eastern, southern and central parts. Sunday: Mostly dry with variable cloud and warm sunny spells for most. The best of the sunshine in the north and west. Perhaps a few isolated showers in the southwest. Outlook for Monday to Wednesday: Fine, dry and warm across most parts of the UK at first. Turning increasingly unsettled towards midweek, mainly in the north and west with heavy showers. Driest in the southeast.Archives
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Met Office News- A cold and bright Bank Holiday weekend 2 May, 2019
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Category Archives: Met Office in the Media
The Met Office’s outlook for UK winter 2013-14
There are some headlines in the media today discussing the Met Office long range forecast for this winter. Firstly it’s important to remember that it’s our short and medium term forecasts that are relied on by emergency responders to help … Continue reading
Met Office in the Media: 16 February 2014, response by Professor Mat Collins and the Met Office
An article by David Rose appeared yesterday in the Mail on Sunday entitled: ‘No, global warming did NOT cause the storms, says one of the Met Office’s most senior experts’ In it he says that Mat Collins, Professor in Climate … Continue reading
Cold snap expected
The UK is going to see a very short, sharp, cold snap. From Wednesday night (4th Dec) into Thursday morning (5th Dec) Scotland, northern England and Northern Ireland will see some strong winds, while Scotland will see some wintry showers … Continue reading
Posted in Met Office in the Media
Tagged cold, cold snap, England, Friday, gale, gales, ice, Met Office, Northern England, Northern Ireland, Northern Isles, Scotland, severe weather, snow, Thursday, wind, yellow warning
The severe storm this weekend and why it’s not a hurricane
There is much coverage of the storm heading our way later this weekend with mentions of it being a ‘hurricane’. This is not strictly correct as we don’t get hurricanes in the UK and this is why. Hurricanes are warm … Continue reading
Winter Forecasting – Responding to the headlines
Once again it is the season for speculation and big headlines regarding what the weather will do over the winter period. The front page of the Daily Express today claims: ‘Worst winter for decades: Record-breaking snow predicted for November’. We saw … Continue reading
Posted in Met Office in the Media
Tagged Big Freeze, forecasting, frost, ice, Met Office, snow, weather, Winter
47 Comments
September weather summary
September opened with some fine, warm, sunny weather. After a brief stormy period mid-month, the second half was quieter and more typical of autumn. The provisional UK mean temperature was 12.8 °C, which is 0.1 °C above the 1981-2010 average. … Continue reading
Posted in Met Office in the Media
Tagged Met Office, pictures, September, summary, weather
Guest blog: Stay safe this summer with Norfolk’s firefighters
With summer finally making an appearance Norfolk’s firefighters are offering some timely safety advice. Every year fire destroys thousands of acres of countryside, forestry and other wildlife habitats across the country. Some fires are started deliberately, but most could easily … Continue reading
Posted in Met Office in the Media
Met Office in the Media: 23 June 2013
There has been further coverage in the weekend papers following a workshop held here at the Met Office HQ in Exeter on a recent run of unusual seasons in the UK. During the workshop new, early stage research by the … Continue reading
Posted in Met Office in the Media
Tagged Met Office, Tourism, university of reading, weather, weather forecasting
3 Comments
High levels of grass pollen forecast
With many parts of the UK seeing periods of warmer, drier weather over the next few days, high pollen counts are forecast in places. So far this season, we have seen relatively low pollen counts, due to the unsettled weather … Continue reading
Posted in Met Office in the Media
Tagged bendaryl, grass pollen, hay fever, Met Office, Pollen, pollen count, weather
