Category Archives: extratropical cyclones

Flying Through Storms To Understand Their Interaction with Sea Ice: The Arctic Summer-time Cyclones Project and Field Campaign

Posted on 1 May, 2023 by danaallen

By: Ambrogio Volonté Arctic cyclones are the leading type of severe weather system affecting the Arctic Ocean and surrounding land in the summer. They can have serious impacts on sea-ice movement, sometimes resulting in ‘Very Rapid Ice Loss Events’, which … Continue reading →

Posted in Arctic, Climate, Climate change, Data collection, extratropical cyclones | Leave a comment

High-resolution insights into future European winters

Posted on 21 October, 2019 by danaallen

By: Alexander Baker Figure 1: Observed UK rainfall anomaly as a percentage of 1981-2010 monthly average for (a) December 2013, (b) January 2014, and (c) February 2014. Figure from Huntingford et al. (2014). Most – roughly 70% – of Europe’s winter … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate change, Climate modelling, extratropical cyclones, Numerical modelling | Leave a comment

The OpenIFS User Workshop

Posted on 17 June, 2019 by danaallen

By Bob Plant I’ve been asked to write a blog post to go live on 17 June, the opening day of the 2019 OpenIFS user workshop. As I’m involved in the organisation, it would almost seem strange not to talk … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Climate, extratropical cyclones, Numerical modelling, Teaching & Learning | Leave a comment

North Atlantic post-tropical cyclones

Posted on 7 January, 2019 by danaallen

By Alexander Baker Figure 1: The 2017 North Atlantic hurricane season. Ophelia’s location stands out from the typical tracks of North Atlantic tropical cyclones during the active 2017 season. Selected major hurricanes occurring during 2017 – Irma, Jose and Maria – … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Climate change, Climate modelling, extratropical cyclones, Tropical cyclones | Tagged | Leave a comment

How the Hadley Cells work

Posted on 15 October, 2018 by hjia

By Gui-Ying Yang The Hadley Cell, named after British meteorologist George Hadley who discovered this tropical atmospheric overturning circulation, is one of the basic concepts in weather and climate. Figure 1 shows the zonal mean overturning circulation in a latitude height … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Climate change, Climate modelling, earth observation, Equatorial waves, extratropical cyclones, Tropical convection, Waves, Wind | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Sting jets in winter storms : how do the winds get so strong?

Posted on 20 August, 2018 by hjia

By Ambrogio Volonté Figure 1: Windstorm Tini (12 Feb 2014) passes over the British Isles bringing extreme winds. A sting jet has been identified in the storm. Image courtesy of NASA Earth Observatory The arrival of a winter storm battering … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Climate change, extratropical cyclones, Monsoons, Numerical modelling, University of Reading, Weather forecasting | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Tibetan Plateau Vortices

Posted on 25 June, 2018 by hjia

By Julia Curio Tibetan Plateau Vortices (TPVs) are meso-scale cyclones that originate over the Tibetan Plateau and move eastwards steered by the subtropical westerly jet above. These storms can also move off the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and travel as far … Continue reading →

Posted in China, earth observation, extratropical cyclones, Flooding, Monsoons, Numerical modelling, University of Reading, Weather forecasting | Leave a comment

Stronger windstorms and higher wind risk in a warmer climate

Posted on 19 February, 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 →

Posted in Climate, Climate change, Climate modelling, Environmental hazards, extratropical cyclones | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Improving jet stream forecasts through observational experiment

Posted on 28 October, 2015 by Stephen Burt

By John Methven Weather systems developing over the North Atlantic and hitting Europe are intimately related to large-amplitude meanders of the jet stream, known as Rossby waves. Characteristic weather patterns grow in concert with the waves, and the jet stream … Continue reading →

Posted in Environmental hazards, Environmental physics, extratropical cyclones, Numerical modelling, Weather forecasting | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew …

Posted on 19 October, 2015 by Stephen Burt

By Ray Bell In winter-time when the temperature gradient between the pole and the equator sharpens, the North Atlantic becomes a breeding ground for intense storms (extratropical cyclones). Occasionally associated with intense winter storms is a ‘phenomenal sea state’ (WMO … Continue reading →

Posted in Environmental hazards, extratropical cyclones, Oceans | Tagged | Leave a comment