Tag Archives: climate

Winter and February statistics for 2018

Posted on 5 March, 2018 by

Looking at the statistics you may be forgiven for thinking that the winter of 2017/18 was rather uneventful, as both temperatures and rainfall totals are quite close to average in most places. In fact the statistic of interest when taking … Continue reading →

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

Did You Know? We’re testing new weather balloons: from Cornwall to Antarctica!

Posted on 27 October, 2017 by

The Met Office launches over 4300 balloons every year from 6 locations across the UK and is involved in launching thousands more around the globe.  These are not party balloons; they are weather balloons that take a small weather observation … Continue reading →

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

Harnessing the power of the weather forecast

Posted on 26 September, 2017 by

You will be familiar with checking a weather forecast before planning a day out. But have you ever looked at a forecast to find out the greenest time to put your washing machine on? Well, now you can. Using data … Continue reading →

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

March 2017: rather warm and dry for some

Posted on 31 March, 2017 by

Provisional climate statistics up to the 29 March reveal that March 2017 has been a relatively warm month and has been rather dry in South-East England. Despite a colder interlude in the third week of the month – which brought … Continue reading →

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

Rainforests: exploring the global weather maker

Posted on 27 March, 2017 by

The belt of rainforests around the tropics may seem distant from most people’s day-to-day lives in the UK but these rich areas provide many essential services – such as providing key foodstuffs and helping to regulate the climate – that … Continue reading →

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

Another El Niño on the way?

Posted on 16 February, 2017 by

In the waters of the far-eastern equatorial Pacific – close to the South American coast – sea-surface temperatures are beginning to rise, prompting some climate scientists to believe the world could be heading for another El Niño in close succession … Continue reading →

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

The challenge of taking the temperature of the world’s oceans

Posted on 5 January, 2017 by

Sea-surface temperature measurements are an essential component in the production of the average global temperature figures. Without data from the oceans we wouldn’t see 70 per cent of the world’s surface and we would get an unrepresentative picture of global … Continue reading →

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

Has the weather played a role in bringing unusual birds to Britain during 2016?

Posted on 29 December, 2016 by

With our position on the edge of northwest Europe, the UK receives air masses from all points of the compass during the year adding to the natural variability of our weather. This fact is known by meteorologists and birdwatchers because … Continue reading →

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

Winter Outlook for December 2016 to February 2017

Posted on 28 November, 2016 by

Today the Met Office has released its long-range outlook for December 2016 to February 2017, highlighting the risk of a cold start to the winter for the UK. Latest observations from around the globe and long-range weather prediction systems suggest … Continue reading →

Posted in Met Office News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

An expert’s view on unusually warm Arctic temperatures

Posted on 25 November, 2016 by

This year has seen some exceptionally low extents of Arctic sea ice as well as periods of much higher than usual temperatures in the region. Ed Blockley manages the Met Office Polar Climate group, whose responsibilities include monitoring the increases and … Continue reading →

Posted in Met Office News | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments