Category Archives: Weather forecasting

Weather vs. Climate Prediction

By: Annika Reintges Imagine you are planning a birthday party in 2 weeks. You might check the weather forecast for that date to decide whether you can gather outside for a barbeque, or whether you should reserve a table in … Continue reading

Posted in Climate, Climate modelling, Predictability, Weather forecasting | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Turbulent Life Of Clouds

By: Thorwald Stein It’s been a tough summer for rain enthusiasts in Southern England, with the region having just recorded its driest July on record. But, there was no shortage of cloud: there will have been the slight probability of … Continue reading

Posted in Climate, Clouds, Turbulence, Weather forecasting | Tagged | Leave a comment

What are the challenges in forecasting the impacts of tropical cyclones?

By: Liz Stephens Last year I joined the Meteorology department in a joint-post between the University of Reading and the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre (RCCC), but I still suspect most people have no idea exactly what it is … Continue reading

Posted in Climate, Flooding, Tropical cyclones, Weather forecasting | Leave a comment

Co-Producing New Sub-Seasonal Weather Forecasts in Africa

By: Linda Hirons Weather-related extremes affect the lives and livelihoods of millions of people across tropical Africa. Access to reliable, actionable weather information is key to improving the resilience of African populations and economies. Specifically, at the extended sub-seasonal timescale … Continue reading

Posted in Climate, Co-production, Energy meteorology, Forecasting Testbed, Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO), Predictability, Renewable energy, Seasonal forecasting, subseasonal forecasting, Tropical convection, Weather forecasting | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Data Assimilation Improves Space Weather Forecasting Skill

By: Matthew Lang Over the past few years, I have been working on using data assimilation methodologies that are prevalent in meteorology to improve forecasts of space weather events (Lang et al. 2017; Lang and Owens 2019). Data assimilation does … Continue reading

Posted in Climate, Weather forecasting | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Tropical rainfall and sea surface temperature link could improve forecasts

By: Chris Holloway  and the University of Reading Press Office.  Tropical rainfall, averaged on seasonal time scales, is influenced far more strongly by nearby sea temperatures in the real world than in almost all climate simulations, scientists have found, paving … Continue reading

Posted in Climate, Oceans, Weather forecasting | Tagged | Leave a comment

People are in the cities – how could we provide the weather climate information they need?

By: Sue Grimmond Climate services provide climate information to help individuals and organizations make climate smart decisions. Climate services work by integrating high quality meteorological data (temperature, rainfall, wind, soil moisture and ocean conditions); as well as maps, risk and vulnerability … Continue reading

Posted in Climate, Urban meteorology, Weather forecasting | Leave a comment

Finding the skill of forecasts of extreme precipitation in Southeast Asia

By: Samantha Ferrett Forecasting weather in Southeast Asia Southeast (SE) Asia is prone to high‐impact weather and is often subject to flooding and landslides as a result of heavy rainfall. Just last month Indonesia was hit by heavy rainfall that … Continue reading

Posted in Numerical modelling, Weather forecasting | Tagged | Leave a comment

Predicting the impacts of tropical cyclones – when should we trust the forecasts, and when should we not?

By: Rebecca Emerton Between September 2018 and May 2019, a record-breaking 15 tropical storms moved through the southern Indian Ocean. This marked the first season where two intense tropical cyclones, Idai and Kenneth*, made landfall in Mozambique, causing devastating flooding … Continue reading

Posted in Tropical cyclones, Weather forecasting | Tagged | Leave a comment

How can we provide accurate and useful weather forecasts to Tropical African countries?

By: Carlo Cafaro  Probabilistic weather forecasts contain useful information that could save lives by issuing early and accurate warnings. This is especially true in Africa, where the livelihoods of people rely significantly on agricultural activities. These, in turn, depend on … Continue reading

Posted in Climate, Convection, Weather forecasting | Tagged | Leave a comment