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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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- 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… 34 minutes ago
- We've seen some cracking #sunset and #sunrise photos 🌄 Here are a few of our favourites 📸 #LoveUKWeather https://t.co/5ss6G0jnNu 54 minutes ago
- The skies will be mostly #sunny today ☀️ Meaning largely high #pollen and #UV levels are likely🌺🧴 https://t.co/Q4XCU1Oorh 1 hour ago
- The latest view from space 🛰️ shows that #thunderstorms are continuing across Scotland and eastern England ⛈️ Stay… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 1 hour 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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- Hot spell to follow rain 19 July, 2019
- Heatwave for much of the UK 23 July, 2019
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Tag Archives: cme
Met Office Space Weather Operations Centre – third anniversary
Mark Gibbs – Head of space weather It was nearly seven years ago, when my boss said “Mark we’ve got a little project for you called space weather “. Little did I know at that time what an adventure it … Continue reading
US total solar eclipse – the most photographed event of all time?
Today, the path of a total solar eclipse will move across continental USA, an event predicted to be the most photographed of all time. The eclipse occurs as the moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, casting a 70-mile … Continue reading
Posted in Met Office News
Tagged cme, eclipse, Met Office, space weather forecasts, Sun, US eclipse
2 Comments
Large solar storm brings spectacular views of the aurora
Updated 24 June 2015 The Space Weather team at the Met Office has been keeping a close eye on solar activity over recent days. A large solar storm resulted in the northern lights being seen as far south as Dorset and … Continue reading
Posted in Met Office News
Tagged aurora, cme, Geomagnetic storm, Met Office, northern lights, power grid, solar flare, solar storm, space weather, sunspot
1 Comment
Northern Lights reach the UK
Anyone in the Midlands, and further north, might have a chance of catching sight of the northern lights tonight. Occasionally there are large explosions on the Sun and huge amounts of magnetically charged particles are thrown out into space, this … Continue reading
Posted in Met Office News
Tagged aurora borealis, cme, coronal mass ejection, northern lights, space weather
1 Comment
Giant sun spot moves back into view
The Met Office Space Weather Operations Centre is closely monitoring what was the biggest sun spot in the current 11-year solar cycle as it rotates back onto the face of the Sun. When it last faced the Earth it was … Continue reading
Posted in Met Office News
Tagged cme, coronal mass ejection, Met Office, solar cycle, space weather, Sun, sun spot
2 Comments
Space weather brings Northern Lights to UK
You may be lucky enough to get a glimpse of the northern lights in Scotland, and if you are really lucky in northern England and Northern Ireland, late Friday night into Saturday morning. The aurora borealis is caused as a … Continue reading
Posted in Met Office News
Tagged aurora borealis, cme, coronal mass ejection, Geomagnetic storm, northern lights, space weather, Sun
5 Comments
Met Office keeping a close eye on space weather
The Met Office will be keeping a close eye on the Sun over the coming days after a recent surge in its activity. It’s fairly common for eruptions from the Sun (often called “space weather”) to occur, and these are … Continue reading
Posted in Met Office News
Tagged British Geological Survey, cme, coronal mass ejection, flare, Met Office, NASA, solar, solar flare, space, space weather, UK Space Agency, weather
3 Comments
Northern Lights over the UK
Guest blog: Sarah Reay, British Geological Survey Many people in the UK were treated to a fine display of the northern lights (aurora borealis) on Sunday night. This was seen widely throughout Scotland and the north of England. There is … Continue reading
