UK Met Office weather warnings

Weather WarningsMark Rogers, Met Office Advisor (Civil Contingencies)

Content

• Keeping up to date with forecasts

• Monitoring Weather Warnings

• Understanding Warnings

• Get Ready for Winter Campaign

• Naming Storms

Keeping up to date with forecasts


Importance of keeping up to date:

• allows us to be proactive rather than reactive

• gives us a early heads-up to what is coming

• enables us to prepare and put plans into place


Sources of information

TV & Radio

App

Website

Social Media

Monitoring Weather Warnings

TV Met office App

Website



Sign up to receive warnings through the Met Office website

Understanding Warnings


Area covered

Issue and Validity time


Warning text


Chief Forecasters’Assessment


Impact Matrix


Understanding Warnings - Considerations

Location


Time of year


Time of day

Understanding Warnings - Likelihood

Forecast Uncertainty

Low Impacts

Understanding Warnings - Impacts

Medium Impacts


High Impacts


• Access the latest weather forecast

• Expect some minor delays

• Outdoor events may be disrupted or cancelled

Examples:- Localised flooding of low-lying land- Some branches or trees brought down- Snow lying on roads and pavements but road network generally open

Yellow Warning – Be Aware


• Take precautions where possible


• Some disruption to normal daily routines

Examples:- Some flooding of property and transport links

- Tree damage & minor structural damage- Widespread snow with a number of roads closed

Amber Warning – Be prepared


• Remain Extra Vigilant

• Follow orders and any advice given by authorities


• Significant disruption to normal daily routines

Examples:- Widespread flooding- Widespread structural damage - Widespread deep snow with many roads

closed

Red Warning – Take Action


Get Ready For Winter

• A campaign by a partnership of over 20 agencies to help individuals, families and communities to prepare for winter and offer advice on what to do during severe weather.

• Hosted on the Met Office website at

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/learning/get-ready-for-winter

Get Ready for Winter

CommunitiesPractical steps you can take to support your community in preparing for winter weather.

Get Ready for Winter

Keep warm, Keep wellThere are some practical steps that you can take to help keep you warm and healthy throughout the winter months.

Protect my homeThere are certain practical steps that you can take to protect your home from winter weather.

TravelPreparing for the impacts of severe weather on road, rail and air travel is not just the responsibility of the transport operators. We

can all help to make their job easier when winter does its worst.

Naming Storms

• Pilot project with Met Éireann

• Provide a single authoritative naming system for storms affecting the UK and Ireland

• Help raise awareness of severe weather

• Named when wind is likely to lead to medium or high impacts

• Twitter campaign - #nameourstorms

• Alphabetical – alternating male and female (starting with ‘Abigail’)

Naming Storms

Questions and Answers

Business

UK Met Office weather warnings