Month: November 2018

Significant Squall line moving East across the UK!

Parts of the UK will see a short but potentially dangerous spell of weather over the next few hours.

A strong squall line has developed and is currently heading Eastwards across the UK.

As you can see from the picture many cities including  Nottingham, Sheffield, Bradford, Leeds, Newcastle, Hull and others places in the area will see some torrential rain and very strong winds for a short period of time making travelling conditions particularly hazardous.

There is also an isolated risk of the odd rumble of thunder as this strong Squall line passes. 

Your Christmas tree will be crawling with bugs!

Everyone loves Christmas right? And everyone loves a real Christmas tree aswell. 

Well a lot of you do and that might not be so great after all.

It turns out bringing the outdoors indoors also means bringing in the creepy crawlies to share your home aswell.

The most common insects using your Christmas tree as its home are Aphids. These 6 legged creatures will generally remain on the tree however should they produce offspring then you could find a winged variety around the home.

Its not just these that will be entering the home as you bring the tree in. Mites & of course spiders also enjoy a nice Christmas tree to call home. 

It is recommended, And i will be honest ive never known anyone do this, But buy your tree, Then let it stay in your garage for a day to give these bugs time to vacate, Then finally shake the tree before bringing inside.

Merry Christmas.

Flood warnings in place as further Heavy rain and Severe winds are expected!

After two days of Atlantic influenced weather the river levels are already on the rise and the forecast is for further wet and windy spells to come.

Today we had 89MPH recorded in North Wales and numerous areas seeing gusts of over 50MPH.

Tomorrow morning will see the winds continue with gusts up to 70MPH in the South West of England with wind gusts in the range of 50-60MPH elsewhere before the risk transfers to the North West of Scotland from midday onwards.

Beyong this global model predictions are pointing to further spells of strong winds and heavy rainfalls which will only increase the risk of flooding.

The flood warning information service currently has 15 flood alerts and 2 flood warnings in place for England however that number may well increase over the next 7-10 days should the forecasts verify.

UK Summer temperatures to be 5.4c Hotter!

Many reading this will probably be thinking, 5.4c hotter, Bring it on!

As we all know the UK is not the first place you think of when summery weather is what you are after with many of us heading to the Mediterranean to get that glorious sunshine.

With that in mind the prospect of saving a few quid and taking a sunshine holiday here in the UK may be a welcome prospect.

However whilst it might sound good the risks it would bring could cause more harm than good with a rise in Heat strokes for example especially for those most vulnerable.

Extreme heat during summer will also lead to Forest/Grass fires and a rise in the number of severe thunderstorms. These severe thunderstorms will result in an increased chance of major flash floods, Severe hail and damaging winds.

As for the cooler side of the year an increase in Sea levels will put homes and businesses at risk of flooding particularly during wet stormy weather with sea levels potentially rising over 1 metre!

Despite all the warnings the Met Office report does state that this would be a worse case scenario by the year 2070 and should the world reduce harmfull emissions the temperature rises expected are likely to be around 2c by 2100.

 

STORM Diana to smash Britain with winds of 80MPH! Potential STING JET to amplify winds further!

The relative calm of the last week or so is due to come to an end today as a series of powerful Low pressure systems takes aim at the UK.

By midday Tuesday wind speeds will be on the rise as will the amount of rain fall. Temperatures are also expected to rise up to 15c however given the significant wind speeds it won’t feel that pleasant.

The biggest concern for travellers on Tuesday will be that rainfall which is expected to be heavy at times.

As we go into the period for Wednesday through Friday the winds become the main concern with a chance that the fourth named storm of the season is announced by the UK Met Office (Currently a yellow warning for the period Wednesday to Thursday has been issued).

Update: The IPMA Portuguese weather service have since named this Storm Diana so it will take that name rather than the next on the list of UK Met Office named storms.

An area of Low pressure to the North West of the UK is expected to intensify bringing wind speeds of up to 80MPH across high ground in Northern England and parts of Northern Ireland and Scotland.

An additional risk for parts of England which itself will face strong winds up to 50MPH and Wales up to 60MPH come in the form of a sting jet which could Amplify wind speeds considerably for a short period of time. Should this occur wind speeds could hit 80-90MPH with damage to trees, Fences, Roof tiles etc.

Beyond that the UK is given a brief respite before further wet and windy weather is expected Sunday into Monday.

1.4 Million tonnes of Salt to keep Britain moving as councils prepare for a severe winter!

Remember last years snowy winter? You know the one, The ‘Beast from the East 1 & 2 etc’ Well it seems as though many councils have taken that on board when considering the potential risks this winter. 

Currently 94% of them have ordered either as much or more salt than they did last year in an effort to ensure all roads and pavements remain ice free this winter.

A lot of this salt will be placed in yellow bins to allow residents to grit the pavements themselves. Of course there is the option not to and see if you can watch people slipping and sliding in order to send a video in to you’ve been framed but councils are recomending you make use of them. 

So it seems as though when the North wind does blow the roads & pavements should remain clear. Well thats the plan. 

Winter storm Bruce to blast U.S with up to 12″ of snow!

The U.S is on the eve of another major winter storm. This one named Bruce is expected to bring severe conditions across a number of states with upto 12″ of snow and 2″ of rain leading to a high risk of flooding.

As we go into the early hours of Sunday snowfall will begin to intensify for Nabraska, Northern Kansas before moving into Iowa later on.

Credit: Veryweather.co.uk || conditions expected Sunday to Wednesday

Storm Bruce will then advance North through Sunday evening and into Monday affecting northern Missouri, the far north of Illinois (Chicago 2-4″), the far South of Wisconsin and eventually Michigan during Monday.

The storm will then rotate and deliver heavy blowing snow for North Eastern areas of New York state, Northern Vermont, Northern New Hampshire and parts of Maine on Tuesday with a risk of huge snowdrifts given the considerable wind speeds expected.

Thanks Shivering! Record breaking Arctic blast freezing the North East!

Thanksgiving is finally here and its a day of good food and family get togethers. However, Whilst the Traditional turkey dinner may be piping hot the temperature outside wont be so toasty.

A bitterly cold Arctic blast has swept into the U.S with the North Eastern states feeling the full effects today. Cities of Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington could all see the coldest Thanksgiving in nearly a century with temperatures at or below 32f.

Adding to the bitter conditions will be the strength of the wind making the real feel minus 5 to minus 10!

Fortunately for those that dont enjoy the cold the temperatures will be on the rise by the weekend with a return to near normal values. 

UK set to be hit with snow over the next 48hours!

Cold air has been filtering across the UK over the past 12 hours and the risk of snow is on the rise.

During the next 48 hours there will be showers of rain, sleet, hail and snow which are expected to be heavy at times. 

This coupled with a brisk wind will see the temperatures feel significantly colder than the true air temp. 

But what about that threat of snow i hear you ask…

Current model predictions expect a wintry mix with a particular risk for snowfall above 200m. Despite this certain parts of the West Midlands and Wales could see snow down to low levels during the early hours of Wednesday morning making that morning commute a little tricky.

Elsewhere parts of Yorkshire, Scottish central belt and the Scottish Highlands could all see some snowfalling for a time throughout wednesday. 

Beyond this the UK finds itself in a battle between low pressure trying to push in and High pressure situated to the North. The high pressure wants to push cold Arctic air southwards whilst powerful low pressure systems want to sweep mild air in off the Atlantic. Given the time range each model output has its own version of how this pans out but should it be high pressure we could be faced with another cold blast as we move into December.

UK facing an Easterly blast of freezing weather lasting well into December!

The UK is now on the brink of the first major cold period that could be locked in right up until Christmas. Colder air will begin filtering across the UK from sunday evening and into next week. 

Initially the risk is reserved to overnight frosts however from mid week onwards a threat of snow increases.

This first blast of cold weather is unlikely to deliver significant snowfall but it is the risk of a another exceptionally severe blast of Easterly winds as we head to the end of November and early December that could make this a notable event.

Its all being brought about by a change in the Arctic Ocsillation from a positive mode to a negative.

This will allow the blocking high to form resulting in a cold and relatively dry spell that could be difficult to break down.

Although dry conditions are favoured the UK is positioned precariously in this set up. Whilst much of Europe is dry the temperature differencial over the North Sea between the warmish waters and the bitterly cold easterly winds can lead to significant snow showers.

There is also the risk that occasional areas of low pressures will try to force the blocking high eastwards and where the two air masses collide the potential for significant frontal snowfall occurs.

At the moment details for such snowfalls cannot be forecast accurately at this time frame but the building blocks are already being put into place. With that in mind we will post an update and issue weather warnings as/if confidence on increases over the course of next week.