Tag Archives: sudden stratospheric warming

Multiple drivers create challenges for forecasting weather direction

Posted on 5 February, 2021 by Met Office Press Office

How times change. This time last year, we were in the early days of a month which went on to become the wettest February for the UK in a series stretching back to 1862. Storms Ciara, Dennis and Jorge, which … Continue reading →

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Why the beast from the east is unlikely to roar.

Posted on 14 January, 2021 by Met Office Press Office

A sudden stratospheric warming high in the atmosphere early in January has led to reports a so called ‘Beast from the East’ is heading our way and speculation of extreme cold weather to come. A sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) sees … Continue reading →

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Is there another ‘Beast from the East’ on the way?

Posted on 3 January, 2019 by Met Office Press Office

There have been many headlines in recent days proclaiming a return of the ‘Beast from the East’ and ‘triple polar vortex to trigger heavy snow’ with bookies reportedly cutting the odds that this month will end as the coldest January … Continue reading →

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Cold again this weekend

Posted on 18 April, 2016 by Met Office Press Office

After a cool few days, temperatures will recover through the middle part of this week, before turning cooler again by the weekend. The cool spell we saw during the weekend just gone, and the colder conditions expected at the end … Continue reading →

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High pressure keeping things mostly settled

Posted on 11 March, 2016 by Met Office Press Office

After the recent wet and windy weather we now have a period of calmer weather due to an area of high pressure that is pushing in from Scandinavia. Through today (Friday) and into the weekend a frontal system will bring … Continue reading →

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Could sudden stratospheric warming bring a cold start to spring?

Posted on 29 February, 2016 by Met Office Press Office

Our atmospheric scientists are predicting a dramatic change in high altitude winds 50km above the ground and the imminent occurrence of an event known as a sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) in early March. Professor Adam Scaife, Head of Monthly to … Continue reading →

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What are the prospects for the weather in the coming winter?

Posted on 29 October, 2015 by Met Office Press Office

Anyone who has read the newspapers lately can’t have failed to notice this winter’s weather is in the headlines. Justification for claims of a ‘big freeze’ has come from sources as diverse as the plucky Bewick Swan settling into the … Continue reading →

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What is a Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW)?

Posted on 8 January, 2013 by Met Office Press Office

You may have heard talk of the UK possibly seeing some colder weather next week and that ‘things going on’ in the upper atmosphere may be playing a part. The ‘thing’ happening in the atmosphere is known as Sudden Stratospheric … Continue reading →

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Cold weather clue in upper atmosphere

Posted on 4 December, 2012 by Met Office Press Office

During a period of colder than average weather across northern Europe in February this year we issued a blog discussing potential causes – including changes in circulation high up in the atmosphere. We also discussed these disruptions, known as Sudden … Continue reading →

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What’s bringing the cold weather to Europe and the UK?

Posted on 9 February, 2012 by Met Office Press Office

The current cold weather across Europe is in sharp contrast to the mild, wet and windy conditions across much of Europe through December and January. The cause of the cold conditions is the development of a large ‘blocking’ anticyclone over … Continue reading →

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