Category Archives: Weather

Summer temperatures 2018 – the ‘new normal’?

Posted on August 6, 2018 by hjia

By Professor Sir Brian Hoskins (Grantham Institute, Imperial College London and Emeritus Professor at the University of Reading department of Meteorology) and Stephen Belcher (Met Office Chief Scientist and Visiting Professor at the University of Reading department of Meteorology) Figure 1. Hyde … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Climate change, Greenhouse gases, Historical climatology, Weather | Leave a comment

What a summer!

Posted on July 16, 2018 by hjia

By Ben Cosh What a summer it has been so far. The data is brilliant when it is like this. Stephen Burt keeps an eye on it and has filled me in on the (nearly) record-breaking numbers we’re seeing. It’s … Continue reading →

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DARE to use datasets of opportunity

Posted on July 2, 2018 by hjia

By Joanne Waller To accurately forecast the weather, we must first describe what is currently happening in the atmosphere. To determine the current atmospheric state, we could use: Previous forecasts (data from complex computational models of the atmosphere) which provide … Continue reading →

Posted in data assimilation, earth observation, Flooding, University of Reading, Weather, Weather forecasting | Leave a comment

Stronger windstorms and higher wind risk in a warmer climate

Posted on February 19, 2018 by Stephen Burt

By Oscar Martínez-Alvarado The most devastating type of winter storms to affect north-west Europe are characterised by a descending jet of air, known as a sting jet, that can result in strong, localised surface winds and wind gusts in a region … Continue reading →

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Heat waves of the past decade in Chinese mega-cities: a quick review

Posted on November 20, 2017 by Stephen Burt

By Ting Sun Although cities are often already warmer than their rural surroundings (the well-known “urban heat island” effect), heat waves (HWs), excessively hot periods, will not only enhance the urban and rural temperatures but also exacerbate the contrast between … Continue reading →

Posted in China, Climate, Environmental hazards, Weather | Leave a comment

Reducing climate change from aviation: could climate-friendly routing play a part?

Posted on May 29, 2017 by Stephen Burt

By Emma Irvine It’s commonly known that burning fossil fuels, like in jet engines, leads to the emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) which causes global warming. It is perhaps less well known that, particularly in the case of aviation, carbon … Continue reading →

Posted in Atmospheric chemistry, aviation, Climate, Weather, Weather forecasting | Tagged | Leave a comment

Nice weather, atmospheric blocking and forecasts

Posted on April 11, 2017 by Stephen Burt

By Oscar Martinez-Alvarado With the beginning of spring (either the ‘meteorological’ spring on 1 March or the ‘astronomical’ spring on 20 March, as the Met Office explains here), the UK and indeed the whole Northern Hemisphere start experiencing warmer weather. The … Continue reading →

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Observation uncertainty in data assimilation

Posted on March 20, 2017 by Stephen Burt

By Sarah Dance Approximately 4 million properties in the UK are at risk from surface-water flooding which occurs when heavy rainfall overwhelms the drainage capacity of the local area. Several national weather centres have been developing new numerical forecasting systems … Continue reading →

Posted in data assimilation, earth observation, Numerical modelling, Remote sensing, Weather, Weather forecasting | Leave a comment

UK drought monitoring and forecasting

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Stephen Burt

By Laura Baker After what feels like a pretty wet start to the year, it may seem strange to be talking about drought (although admittedly the warm weather over the last couple of weeks should help!). But in spring 2012, … Continue reading →

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A month’s worth of rain …

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Stephen Burt

By Ben Harvey Phrases like a month’s worth of rain fell in just one day are often seen in media reports of extreme precipitation. But what does this statistic actually mean? How rare is it to see a month’s worth … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Environmental hazards, Hydrology, Measurements and instrumentation, Weather | Tagged | Leave a comment