Category Archives: Met Office News

The Fujiwhara effect: When Tropical Cyclones go dancing

Posted on 26 July, 2017 by

Did you know that Tropical Cyclones sometimes go dancing? This interesting phenomena is called the Fujiwhara effect*, which can be seen this week in the Eastern Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico. Sometimes, when tropical cyclones get close to … Continue reading →

Posted in Met Office News | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

What is causing my hay fever?

Posted on 7 July, 2017 by

It’s that time of year again when grass pollen is in the air across the UK. For many people this brings all the symptoms of hay fever: runny nose, itchy eyes, and sneezing. The NHS says hay fever is one … Continue reading →

Posted in Met Office News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Measuring the hot spell of June 2017

Posted on 23 June, 2017 by

The last week has seen high temperatures across large parts of England and Wales in what has been the longest continuous hot spell in June since the hot, dry summer of 1976. Temperatures of 30°C or more were recorded somewhere … Continue reading →

Posted in Met Office News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Could navigational buoys help with Met Office forecasts?

Posted on 12 June, 2017 by

For the first time the Met Office has set up a trial to see if it is possible to use navigational buoys to gather weather data from near coastal areas. The Met Office has just 10 weather observation buoys around … Continue reading →

Posted in Met Office News | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Heavy rain boosts rainfall totals for Southern England

Posted on 18 May, 2017 by

The mid-month statistics for May (1-17 May) show the month got off to a dry start, although the heavy rain yesterday brought up rainfall totals in some areas. It has also been a sunny and moderately mild early May for … Continue reading →

Posted in Met Office News | 1 Comment

Early April statistics

Posted on 28 April, 2017 by

Early provisional statistics for April (1st-26th) show that overall it has also been a sunny and warm month so far compared to the long-term 1981-2010 average. Following on from the mid-month statistics, Middlesex remains the driest historical county with 2.7mm … Continue reading →

Posted in Met Office News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Big data – big challenge

Posted on 21 April, 2017 by

The Met Office is facing new and increasing challenges because of the huge volume of data that we manage and produce. Alex Longden, who leads the team responsible for data provision for the data re-use community and private weather sectors, … Continue reading →

Posted in Met Office News | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Early April remains dry but some rain is on the horizon

Posted on 19 April, 2017 by

Preliminary mid-month statistics for April show the recent pattern of dry conditions has continued, particularly in the south, as high pressure has so far dominated the weather this month. All regions in the UK, except northern Scotland, have so far … Continue reading →

Posted in Met Office News | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Are the next three months going to be scorching?

Posted on 10 April, 2017 by

There are headlines in the media today suggesting the UK is in for “three months of sizzling weather”.  It would appear these stories have been based, in part, on the latest Met Office three month outlook for contingency planners. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Met Office News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Why is forecasting low cloud so difficult?

Posted on 7 April, 2017 by

You may have been enjoying the sun these past few days, and noticed that some website and app forecasts have been somewhat more pessimistic with their predictions of the cloud cover. But why is something as fundamental as cloudy or … Continue reading →

Posted in Met Office News | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments