What to do in heavy rain

The next few days will see some heavy rain across the country resulting in possible disruption. Yellow alerts have been issued by the Met Office this week for many areas of the UK.

Met Office warnings and what they mean

If a yellow warnings is issued: Be aware.

During a yellow warning for rainfall there may be some minor traffic delays due to slower traffic and outdoor events may be disrupted or cancelled. There may be localised flooding of fields, car parks and recreational land.

When an amber warning is issued: Be prepared.

An amber warning indicates the need to be prepared for some disruption of daily routines and travel only if well prepared as the journey may take longer. Some flooding of homes, businesses and transport connections is possible. Utility services (gas, electricity and water) may also be affected and protecting property will be needed (for example moving possessions upstairs and using sandbags).

A red warning means action must be taken.

It is essential to follow advice from authorities under all circumstances and expect significant disruption. Only take journeys if absolutely essential and carry emergency food and clothing. Red warnings mean there could be widespread flooding of property and severe disruption to travel. There may be some loss of utilities (gas, electricity and water). There may be possible risk to life and the advice of the emergency services needs to be followed.

Check the latest forecast for your area on our severe weather page.

You can also sign up to our severe weather RSS feed or severe weather twitter account for your local area.

For more information on our severe weather warnings service, watch our video guide:

The Environment Agency’s Floodline 0845 988 1188 is available 24 hours a day for flood advice or you can see the latest flood warnings on our website.

For more detailed travel information check the Highways Agency’s website.

Latest snow depths and wind speeds – 5 February

As forecast, unsettled wintry conditions brought snow and strong winds to parts of the UK overnight and this morning.

Eskdalemuir saw the deepest snow, with 14 cm of snow recorded at 10 am this morning, while Aviemore recorded 12 cm.

Many areas also saw strong winds, with a gust of 78 mph recorded at Culdrose, Cornwall and 99 mph recorded at Cairngorm Summit.

Snow depths at 10 am 5 February

TIME	SITE NAME	AREA	ELEVATION	SNOW DEPTH ( CM)
10:00	ESKDALEMUIR	DUMFRIESSHIRE	236	14
10:00	AVIEMORE	INVERNESS-SHIRE	228	12
10:00	DRUMALBIN	LANARKSHIRE	245	10
10:00	GLENANNE	ARMAGH	161	9
10:00	TULLOCH BRIDGE	INVERNESS-SHIRE	249	7
10:00	REDESDALE CAMP	NORTHUMBERLAND	211	7
10:00	BALLYPATRICK FOREST	ANTRIM	156	5
10:00	SPADEADAM	CUMBRIA	285	5
10:00	THOMASTOWN	FERMANAGH	72	3
10:00	BINGLEY	WEST YORKSHIRE	262	2
10:00	ALBEMARLE	NORTHUMBERLAND	142	2
10:00	WADDINGTON	LINCOLNSHIRE	68	1
10:00	SHAWBURY	SHROPSHIRE	72	1

Maximum gust speeds 5 February

TIME	SITE NAME	AREA	ELEVATION	MAX GUST SPEED (mph)
00:00	CULDROSE	CORNWALL	76	78
04:00	SCILLY ST MARYS AIRPORT	ISLES OF SCILLY	31	75
00:00	CHIVENOR	DEVON	6	67
03:00	ISLE OF PORTLAND	DORSET	52	66
04:00	JERSEY AIRPORT	JERSEY	84	66
03:00	GUERNSEY AIRPORT	GUERNSEY	101	64
00:00	CAMBORNE	CORNWALL	86.85	62
02:00	SOUTHAMPTON, OCEANOGRAPHY CENTRE	HAMPSHIRE	26	62
01:00	SOUTH UIST RANGE	WESTERN ISLES	4	62
00:00	AVONMOUTH	AVON	9	62
00:00	CARDINHAM, BODMIN	CORNWALL	200	61
01:00	TIREE	ARGYLL	9	60
03:00	WIGHT: ST CATHERINES POINT	ISLE OF WIGHT	20	60
01:00	WIGHT: NEEDLES OLD BATTERY	ISLE OF WIGHT	80	60
02:00	YEOVILTON	SOMERSET	20	60
01:00	CAPEL CURIG	GWYNEDD	216	59
01:00	ABERDARON	GWYNEDD	95	59
04:00	ISLAY: PORT ELLEN	ARGYLL	17	58
01:00	LERWICK	SHETLAND	82	58
00:00	MUMBLES HEAD	WEST GLAMORGAN	43	56
01:00	ODIHAM	HAMPSHIRE	118	56

Maximum gust speeds – mountain sites

TIME	SITE NAME	AREA	ELEVATION	MAX GUST SPEED (mph)
09:00	CAIRNGORM SUMMIT	INVERNESS-SHIRE	1237	99
07:00	CAIRNWELL	ABERDEENSHIRE	928	86
08:00	AONACH MOR	INVERNESS-SHIRE	1130	75
09:00	BEALACH NA BA	ROSS & CROMARTY	773	67
04:00	GREAT DUN FELL	CUMBRIA	847	56
10:00	GLEN OGLE	PERTHSHIRE	564	54

Warnings for ice, snow and wind remain in place in some areas.

Overnight wind speeds – Wednesday 30 January

Following Met Office amber weather warnings for wind in some parts of the UK yesterday, some high gust speeds were recorded late last night and into the early hours of the morning. The highest gust speed at lower levels was recorded at Fair Isle, Shetland which saw speeds of 86 mph this morning, while the highest gust recorded at a mountain site was 135 mph at Cairngorm Summit.

Max gust speed at lower level sites

Date/time	Site name	Area	Elevation	Max Gust Speed (mph)
30/01/2013 06:00	Fair Isle	Shetland	57	86
30/01/2013 05:00	Lerwick	Shetland	82	84
30/01/2013 07:00	Kirkwall	Orkney	26	82
30/01/2013 01:00	Loch Glascarnoch	Ross & Comarty	269	79
30/01/2013 01:00	Stornoway Airport	Western Isles	15	78
30/01/2013 04:00	Wick Airport	Caithness	36	75
30/01/2013 00:00	South Uist Range	Western Isles	4	75
30/01/2013 00:00	Tain Range	Ross & Cromarty	4	70
30/01/2013 05:00	Altnaharra	Sutherland	81	68
30/01/2013 03:00	Wight: Needles Old Battery	Isle Of Wight	80	68

Max gust speed recorded at mountain sites

Date/time	Site name	Area	Elevation	Max gust speed (mph)
30/01/2013 00:00	Cairngorm Summit	Invernessshire	1237	135
30/01/2013 01:00	Aonach Mor	Invernessshire	1130	110
30/01/2013 07:00	Cairnwell	Aberdeenshire	928	105
30/01/2013 00:00	Bealach Na Ba	Ross & Cromarty	773	101
30/01/2013 02:00	Glen Ogle	Perthshire	564	77

Warnings remain in place for wind in some areas, you can keep up to date with the latest severe weather warnings on our website.

The worst storm in years?

Various articles in the news today said that the weather over the weekend was the worst storm to hit the UK in years, and that there is more to come this week. There was indeed a very deep area of low pressure in the Atlantic over the weekend. At its deepest, on Saturday 26 January, the central pressure of the depression was 932 millibars and it was sitting some 1,800 nautical miles west of the UK. It came closest to the UK during the day yesterday with a central pressure of 950 millibars but was still around 600 nautical miles to the north west of Scotland.

Satellite image from 26 January 2013

To put this into context, the storm that affected the UK on 3 January 2012 had a central pressure of 953 millibars but was centred right on the west coast of Scotland and brought winds in excess of 80 mph to the Central Belt and a gust of over 100 mph in Edinburgh. Property was damaged, as well as trees, and there was disruption on the road network and with ferry crossings. Power supplies were also affected significantly.

The storm in January 2012 was therefore much more disruptive and severe than any wet and windy weather we have seen so far this year.

Much of the recent severe weather has been attributed to the phrase “Weather Bomb”, which is not a perfect meteorological term but is defined as an intense low pressure system with a central pressure that falls 24 millibars in a 24-hour period. This happened to the depression over the Atlantic during the weekend but as it was miles away from the UK its impacts were minimal. A better description can be more directly linked to the meteorological phenomena known as rapid cyclogenesis. This is where dry air from the stratosphere flows into an area of low pressure. This causes air within the depression to rise very quickly and increases its rotation, which in turn deepens the pressure and creates a more vigorous storm.

Updated: Latest snow depths Friday 18 January

As forecast, many areas of the UK have had heavy snowfall today, particularly in Wales and the south and west of England.

The heaviest snowfall so far has been in Wales, where a red warning is currently in place. Sennybridge in Powys currently has the highest total, with 26 cm of snow recorded at 12 pm today.

Updated snow depths at 12 pm Friday 18 January

Location	Area	Elevation	Snow depth ( Cm)
Sennybridge	Powys	307	26
Dunkeswell Aerodrome	Devon	252	15
Filton	Avon	59	12
Larkhill	Wiltshire	132	11
Liscombe	Somerset	348	11
Middle Wallop	Hampshire	90	11
Brize Norton	Oxfordshire	82	10
Leek, Thorncliffe	Staffordshire	298	9
Hereford, Credenhill	Hereford & Worcester	76	9
Hurn	Dorset	10	6
St Athan	South Glamorgan	49	6
Boscombe Down	Wiltshire	126	6
Northolt	Greater London	33	5
Coleshill	Warwickshire	96	5
Aviemore	Inverness-Shire	228	5
Boulmer	Northumberland	23	5
Trawsgoed	Dyfed	63	4
Marham	Norfolk	21	4
Shawbury	Shropshire	72	4
Scampton	Lincolnshire	57	4
Eskdalemuir	Dumfriesshire	236	4
Wattisham	Suffolk	89	4
Nottingham, Watnall	Nottinghamshire	117	4
Wittering	Cambridgeshire	73	3
Leconfield	Humberside	7	3
Cranwell	Lincolnshire	63	3
Dyce	Aberdeenshire	65	3
Bingley	West Yorkshire	262	3
Odiham	Hampshire	118	3
Bridlington Mrsc	Humberside	15	3
Heathrow	Greater London	25	2
Charlwood	Surrey	67	2
Andrewsfield	Essex	87	2
Benson	Oxfordshire	57	2
Coningsby	Lincolnshire	6	2
Church Fenton	North Yorkshire	8	2
Rostherne	Cheshire	35	2
Albemarle	Northumberland	142	2
Redesdale Camp	Northumberland	211	2
Aboyne	Aberdeenshire	140	2
Yeovilton	Somerset	20	1
Aberporth	Dyfed	133	1

Snow depths at 2 pm Friday 18 January

Location	Area	Elevation	Snow depth ( Cm)
Sennybridge	Powys	307	25
Filton	Avon	59	15
Larkhill	Wiltshire	132	12
Liscombe	Somerset	348	12
Hereford, Credenhill	Hereford & Worcester	76	11
Middle Wallop	Hampshire	90	11
Brize Norton	Oxfordshire	82	11
Leek, Thorncliffe	Staffordshire	298	10
Coleshill	Warwickshire	96	7
Northolt	Greater London	33	7
Boscombe Down	Wiltshire	126	7
Shawbury	Shropshire	72	7
Hurn	Dorset	10	7
St Athan	South Glamorgan	49	5
Scampton	Lincolnshire	57	4
Nottingham, Watnall	Nottinghamshire	117	4
Eskdalemuir	Dumfriesshire	236	4
Marham	Norfolk	21	4
Yeovilton	Somerset	20	4
Heathrow	Greater London	25	4
Charlwood	Surrey	67	4
Odiham	Hampshire	118	4
Wattisham	Suffolk	89	4
Trawsgoed	Dyfed	63	4
Wittering	Cambridgeshire	73	4
Aboyne	Aberdeenshire	140	3
Leconfield	Humberside	7	3
Cranwell	Lincolnshire	63	3
Dyce	Aberdeenshire	65	3
Waddington	Lincolnshire	68	3
Boulmer	Northumberland	23	3
Leeming	North Yorkshire	33	3
Bingley	West Yorkshire	262	3
Bridlington Mrsc	Humberside	15	3
Benson	Oxfordshire	57	3
Andrewsfield	Essex	87	2
Church Fenton	North Yorkshire	8	2
Rostherne	Cheshire	35	2
Albemarle	Northumberland	142	2
Redesdale Camp	Northumberland	211	2
Coningsby	Lincolnshire	6	2
Bedford	Bedfordshire	85	2

Snow depths at 3 pm Friday 18 January

Location	Area	Elevation	Snow depth ( Cm)
Sennybridge No 2	Powys	307	25
Filton	Avon	59	16
Dunkeswell Aerodrome	Devon	252	15
Larkhill	Wiltshire	132	12
Brize Norton	Oxfordshire	82	12
Liscombe	Somerset	348	12
Hereford, Credenhill	Hereford & Worcester	76	12
Middle Wallop	Hampshire	90	10
Leek, Thorncliffe	Staffordshire	298	9
Coleshill	Warwickshire	96	8
Northolt	Greater London	33	8
Boscombe Down	Wiltshire	126	7
Shawbury	Shropshire	72	7
Hurn	Dorset	10	7
Nottingham, Watnall	Nottinghamshire	117	6
Heathrow	Greater London	25	5
Marham	Norfolk	21	5
Odiham	Hampshire	118	5
Aviemore	Inverness-Shire	228	5
Cranwell	Lincolnshire	63	4
Eskdalemuir	Dumfriesshire	236	4
Scampton	Lincolnshire	57	4
Yeovilton	Somerset	20	4
Charlwood	Surrey	67	4
Wittering	Cambridgeshire	73	4
Wattisham	Suffolk	89	4
Trawsgoed	Dyfed	63	4
St Athan	South Glamorgan	49	4
Benson	Oxfordshire	57	3
Leeming	North Yorkshire	33	3
Lough Fea	Londonderry	225	3
Waddington	Lincolnshire	68	3
Bridlington Mrsc	Humberside	15	3
Leconfield	Humberside	7	3
Bedford	Bedfordshire	85	3
Aboyne No 2	Aberdeenshire	140	3
Dyce	Aberdeenshire	65	3
Bingley, No 2	West Yorkshire	262	3
Church Fenton	North Yorkshire	8	2
Coningsby	Lincolnshire	6	2
Andrewsfield	Essex	87	2
Rostherne No 2	Cheshire	35	2
Boulmer	Northumberland	23	2

Further snowfall is forecast today and tomorrow. Keep up to date with your local forecasts and warnings for the latest information.

Related articles

• Heavy snow forecast for the UK (metofficenews.wordpress.com)
• What to do when heavy snow is forecast (metofficenews.wordpress.com)

What to do when heavy snow is forecast

Make sure you know what to do when severe weather warnings are in place for snow.

The first and most vital thing to do is check local and national weather forecasts and keep up to date with the latest warnings from the Met Office. Check the latest forecast for your area on our severe weather page.

You can also sign up to our severe weather RSS feed or severe weather twitter account for your local area. Keep up to date on social media on our Twitter and Facebook pages.

For more information on our severe weather warnings service, watch our video guide.

When a yellow warning has been issued: be aware

Be aware of the likely conditions and ensure you access the latest weather forecast for up to date weather information. Be aware that:

• There may be small amounts of snow lying on roads and pavements so slippery road surfaces are possible.
• Traffic may move generally slower than normal, and you may wish to allow extra time for your journey.
• You should take extra care when walking, cycling or driving in affected areas.

When an amber warning has been issued: be prepared

During amber warnings be prepared to change your plans. Take precautions where possible and ensure you access the latest weather forecast. Be prepared for:

• More widespread snow lying on roads and pavements with a number of road closures.
• Localised disruption to road, rail and air transport with difficult driving conditions likely.  Journeys through affected areas may take longer than usual.
• Taking extra care when walking, cycling or driving in affected areas.

When a red warning has been issued: take action

During red warnings keep up to date with the forecast and take action to protect yourself and your property. Take action so you are ready for:

• Widespread deep snow with many roads closed or impassable and a high risk of drivers becoming stranded.
• Significant disruption to road, rail and air transport.
• Risk to personal safety. You should avoid areas that are worst affected and are likely to pose additional risks.
• Significant disruption to normal day to day life as a result of transport issues and school closures.
• You should take the advice of local emergency services and local authorities in your area.

For advice on clearing snow and ice from the pavement outside your home or public spaces to prevent slips and falls read the snow code.

Useful links:

UK severe weather warnings

UK local forecasts

The snow code

Get ready for winter weather

UK snow

How does snow form?

Snow forecasting in the UK

Heavy rain brings over 100mm of rain to parts of Scotland – rainfall totals across the UK

There has been some very wet weather across much of the UK seeing well over an inch of rain in the last 24 hours. The wettest place in the UK, in the 48 hours to 6 am this morning is Tyndrum, Perthshire with 102.4 mm of rain, with 94.6 mm of this falling in the last 24 hours.

The wettest place in England was Cardinham, Cornwall with 62.8 mm, in Northern Ireland was Ballypatrick Forest, Antrim with 57.8 mm and in Wales it was Tredegar Park with 54.4 mm of rain.

Although there will continue to be some patchy outbreaks of rain across eastern parts of Scotland today, generally the rain will continue to ease leaving a drier day for many, before more heavy rain pushes into the southwest of England later this evening and across Scotland tomorrow morning.

48 hour UK Rainfall Totals 19 Dec 0600 am - 21 Dec 0600 am
Stations recording more than 40 mm

SITE NAME	AREA	PRECIP AMOUNT(mm)
TYNDRUM	PERTHSHIRE	102.4
CARTERHOUSE	ROXBURGHSHIRE	68.2
CARDINHAM, BODMIN	CORNWALL	62.8
SHAP	CUMBRIA	61.6
BALLYPATRICK FOREST	ANTRIM	57.8
PLYMOUTH, MOUNTBATTEN	DEVON	55.6
STRATHALLAN AIRFIELD	PERTHSHIRE	54.6
TREDEGAR, BRYN BACH PARK	GWENT	54.4
PATELEY BRIDGE, RAVENS NEST	NORTH YORKSHIRE	53.8
RAVENSWORTH	NORTH YORKSHIRE	53.4
BINGLEY	WEST YORKSHIRE	51.8
DUNDRENNAN	KIRKCUDBRIGHTSHIRE	50.8
THORNEY ISLAND	WEST SUSSEX	49.4
SHOREHAM AIRPORT	WEST SUSSEX	49.2
USK	MONMOUTHSHIRE	48.4
NOTTINGHAM, WATNALL	NOTTINGHAMSHIRE	48.4
CARDIFF, BUTE PARK	SOUTH GLAMORGAN	48.2
HURN	DORSET	47.8
MURLOUGH	DOWN	46.6
THREAVE	KIRKCUDBRIGHTSHIRE	45.8
WEST FREUGH	WIGTOWNSHIRE	45.6
LEUCHARS	FIFE	45
MUMBLES HEAD	WEST GLAMORGAN	45
CAPEL CURIG	GWYNEDD	44.8
RONALDSWAY	ISLE OF MAN	44
BRAMHAM	WEST YORKSHIRE	43.6
GLASGOW, BISHOPTON	RENFREWSHIRE	43
DISHFORTH AIRFIELD	NORTH YORKSHIRE	42.8
HAMPSTEAD	GREATER LONDON	41.4
SWANAGE	DORSET	41
CAMBORNE	CORNWALL	40.8
SENNYBRIDGE	POWYS	40.8
TRAWSGOED	DYFED	40.4

As the wet weather continues into the weekend we have issued a number of severe weather warnings. It is important people are weather aware by staying up to date with these during this period of unsettled weather. Amber warnings mean you need to be prepared for the weather and take steps to change your plans and protect you and your family or community from the impacts of the severe weather based on the forecast from the Met Office. We’d advise people in the areas affected to expect some disruption and take precautions if they are in an area at risk from heavy rain and flooding.

Last night’s highest wind speeds

As well as being wet we had some strong winds overnight Saturday into Sunday. Below are some of the highest gusts of wind recorded at Met Office reporting stations:

Station	Maximum gust
St Catherines Point, Isle of Wight	69 mph
Isle of Portland, Dorset	69 mph
Needles Old Battery, Isle of Wight	67 mph
Solent, Hampshire	64 mph
Weybourne, Norfolk	61 mph
Langdon Bay, Kent	61 mph
Shoreham Airport, West Sussex	60 mph
Berry Head, Devon	59 mph
High Bradfield, South Yorkshire	56 mph
Wattisham, Suffolk	56 mph

 

 

Tropical Storm Isaac heads toward New Orleans

At 1500 UK time on Tuesday 28 August, Tropical Storm Isaac was located about 150 km southeast of the Louisiana coast and heading northwest at about 15 km per hour.  Mean wind speeds of 70 mph at the surface  have been observed by the United States National Hurricane Center aircraft. These mean wind speeds maintain Isaac as a tropical storm, just below hurricane strength which requires mean wind speeds of over 74 mph.

Satellite image showing Tropical Storm Isaac (Source: NOAA)

Although Isaac is expected to make landfall within the next 12 to 18 hours, there is still time for Isaac to intensify and become a hurricane. The official United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecast track predicts an intensification of this system into a category 1 hurricane as it continues its track northwestwards over the very warm Gulf of Mexico with winds increasing to around 80 mph when Isaac makes landfall at around 0600 UK time on Wednesday morning. 

Official National Hurricane Centre Forecast for Isaac on Tuesday 28th August

The latest forecast from the NHC suggests that Isaac will pass just to the west of New Orleans, though there is still some uncertainty over the exact track and intensity of the storm and the impact of Isaac will be felt quite widely along the Gulf coast region.

Although hurricane Isaac is not expected to be as intense as hurricane Katrina which caused massive damage to New Orleans 7 years ago, there is still a risk of extreme rainfall with up to 500 mm in 48 hours resulting in flash flooding and storm surge along the coast, in addition to the damaging winds.  As Isaac moves inland it will weaken, but is still likely to result in torrential rain, perhaps with tornados or very squally winds.  There is a risk of flooding over the lower Mississippi valley region for the next few days.

You can find out more about Tropical Cyclones on our website or read our case study on Hurricane Katrina on the Met Office Education website. 

Heavy rain in the west but very warm in the south east

The UK’s weather will see marked contrasts over the next few days – with heavy rain in the west today and very warm weather in the south east.

Forecasters at the Met Office have issued severe weather warnings for the rain across parts of western Britain today.

Rainfall amounts could reach 60 mm or more in parts of Wales and northern England, accompanied by strong winds. This could cause some disruption in places. The rain will ease during the early hours of Saturday morning.

Met Office radar image from 17 August 2012

In the South East of England, it will be much drier and will become oppressively hot as warm and humid air spreads up from continental Europe.

Temperatures are expected to rise into the high 20s Celsius today and over the weekend, and perhaps even the low 30s Celsius in parts of Kent and East Anglia on Sunday.

It remains to be seen whether the temperature will rise above the hottest seen so far this year, with 30.7 °C at St James’s Park in London on 25 July.

Temperatures on 17 August 2012

While it will be mainly dry in the South East, there will be some cloud around and any sunshine will be quite hazy with fog lingering along some coasts. There may even be a few thundery showers later on Sunday.

Met Office Chief Forecaster Martin Young said: “While it will be hot in the South East, we’re not expecting wall-to-wall sunshine and it will feel quite humid and oppressive over the weekend. As we head into next week, south westerly winds will push that humid air away to bring fresher conditions, and showers to north west Britain.”

For the latest information, keep up to date with our online online forecasts and warnings.