Holidaymakers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland look to take advantage of late summer sun
People seeking a bank holiday getaway in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are being warned to avoid major roads before 7pm as holidaymakers look to take advantage of good late summer weather forecast for much of the UK.
The RAC estimates that 16.7m leisure trips are planned between Friday and Monday, with the south-west predicted to be especially packed.
Continue reading...Heavy rain could cause travel disruption and flooding in Northern Ireland, north Wales, northern England and Scotland
Thunderstorms could bring lightning, hail and downpours to parts of the UK this weekend, following damp conditions at the start of August.
The Met Officeissued a yellow thunderstorm warning from 4am until midnight on Saturday, covering Northern Ireland, north Wales, northern England and up into central Scotland, with heavy showers potentially causing travel disruption and flooding in a few places.
Continue reading...Unsettled weather forecast across England and Wales with ‘torrential thundery downpours’ in the east
The Met Office has issued weather and flood warnings as Storm Evert moved eastwards across Britain with thunderstorms forecast for the weekend.
Yellow wind warnings are in place for coastal areas in south-east England and East Anglia, and thunderstorm warnings for a swath of England from Nottingham to Norwich and north as far as Hull.
Continue reading...Warning of possible infrastructure damage and travel disruption, with gusts of up to 75mph in Cornwall
Winds of up to 75mph (120km/h) will lash parts of south-west England as Storm Evert hits the UK on Thursday and Friday.
The Met Office said the newly named storm would bring “unseasonably strong winds and heavy rain”.
Continue reading...In the last month, devastating weather extremes have hit regions across the world. From flash floods in Belgium to deadly temperatures in the US, from wildfires in Siberia to landslides in India, it has been an unprecedented period of chaotic weather. Climate scientists have long predicted that human-caused climate disruption would lead to more flooding, heatwaves, droughts, storms and other forms of extreme weather, but even they have been shocked by the scale of these scenes
Environment Agency issues five flood warnings across southern England and 19 flood alerts including parts of Wales
Torrential rain has flooded roads and tube stations in London after thunderstorms hit the south of England on Sunday.
Barts Health NHS trust declared a major incident after the flooding led to problems at Whipps Cross hospital and Newham Hospital in the east of the city.
Continue reading...Yellow weather warning issued for southern England and Wales with risk of difficult driving conditions
A 70-year-old woman has escaped unharmed after two homes were partially destroyed by a lightning strike in Hampshire, with thunderstorms and heavy rain expected across the south of the UK this weekend.
After several days of sunny skies and scorching temperatures, the Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning in southern England and Wales for Saturday and Sunday, advising that frequent lightning, thundery rain and strong winds are expected.
Continue reading...Ballywatticock was country’s hottest ever spot last week – but its reign had ended within days
In the annals of climate change it will be remembered, if at all, as a diverting footnote: the brief reign of Ballywatticock.
Few people in Northern Ireland had heard of this townland on the shores of Strangford Lough in County Down until its weather station recorded the hottest temperature for the UK last Saturday: 31.2C (88.16F).
Continue reading...According to epidemiologists, meeting outside helps minimise infection risks but heat itself has a negligible effect on the virus
With the recent rising temperatures and more people now mixing outdoors as restrictions have been lifted in England, and eased in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, experts explain how much of an effect the weather has on Covid-19.
Continue reading...Met Office says thundery downpours also caused floods in parts of London, where fire brigade received over 150 calls
Southern England was hit by torrential downpours that resulted in significant flooding on Monday night.
The Met Office said the heavy and slow-moving thundery showers caused floods in parts of London. The London fire brigade said its 999 control officers received over 150 calls to flooding incidents in the capital.
Continue reading...Warm air from Spain usually means thundery days will follow – but changing weather patterns are making this less likely
Today is the day when Benjamin Franklin supposedly flew a kite in a thunderstorm, to prove that lightning was electricity. We have learned a lot about thunderstorms since 1752, but our fascination with them has not diminished: who can resist the energy in that crackling drum roll, the angry purple clouds and those brilliant fleeting flashes of light?
For nearly 200 years aficionados in Oxford have been measuring thunderstorms. Analysis of this uniquely long record has been published in the journal Weather, and reveals a marked drop in the number of thunderstorms in the Oxford area during the last decade. Curiously the 1920s and 30s were peak thunder years, with an annual average of 20 days of thunder heard. By contrast, the most recent decade averaged just 8.1 days of thunder a year.
Continue reading... Skygazers – with appropriate eye protection – will be able to see much of sun being obscured from 10.08am
Views of a partial solar eclipse will be “somewhat fleeting” across certain parts of the UK due to cloudy skies, forecasters have said.
But those in central and south-east England will have clear spells to witness the spectacle, according to the Met Office. On Thursday morning, skygazers will be able to see nearly a third of the sun being blocked out by the moon in what is known as an annular eclipse.
Continue reading...Temperatures reach 23C but Met Office warns of risk of showers on Sunday
Crowds have flocked to the beaches to soak up the sunshine as temperatures hit almost 23C across parts of England amid warnings the warm weather is not going to last.
Photographs show hundreds of people packed on to Bournemouth beach in Dorset on Saturday, while in the north kayakers took to Derwentwater in the Lake District.
Continue reading...Snowfall in some areas dampens hopes of businesses reopening their doors for first time in months
The lifting of lockdown restrictions to allow people in England to use pub beer gardens and dine in the outdoor areas of restaurants is being met by snowfall, as a spring cold snap hits.
The inclement weather will come as a blow to thousands of businesses that were hoping to welcome back customers on Monday after months of restrictions.
Continue reading...Spell of early spring warm weather continues after record 24.5C on Tuesday
Forecasters say there is a small possibility the UK could see the hottest day on record on Wednesday, as the spell of early spring warm weather continues.
It has been particularly welcomed in England, where temperatures have been the highest and people have just emerged blinking into the light as the nation begins to shake off a long national lockdown.
Continue reading...1856 guide offers insight into era’s thinking, including how spring weather would affect future harvests
The Victorians did not have much idea what caused weather patterns but they knew what effect they had on their welfare.
Enquire Within Upon Everything, “the indispensable guide to living”, published in 1856, poses many important questions and provides answers. Among the topics is spring weather and the effect it will have on future harvests. For example: what is the use of March winds? “They dry the soil, (which is saturated by the floods of February) break up the heavy clods, and fit the land for the seeds which are committed to it.”
Continue reading...Spring-like conditions will make it feel more like May than February, say forecasters
It could feel more like May than February for much of the UK this week, with forecasters predicting a spell of warm weather and the first signs of spring in the coming days.
In a likely welcome development for Britons still living under coronavirus lockdowns, clear skies and sunshine have been forecast for parts of the country for the rest of the week.
Continue reading...The car was buried. We tried the doors but they would not budge; the weight of the snow was too great
The sun was shining in Utrecht when my friend Rini and I set off for England in a white Ford Capri, in March 1979. We loved classic cars and were going on a tour of used car dealerships in search of a vintage Jaguar. Aged 19 and 20, we were full of the spirit of adventure.
It was so mild when we arrived in Kent that occasionally we would stop to sunbathe on the car bonnet. We had no luck finding a Jag in the south-east so decided to head farther north. We didn’t check the forecast on our way to a dealership in Cumbria.
Continue reading...Mercury drops to -21.4C in Scotland, the coldest temperature recorded in UK since December 2010
Temperatures plunged to below -21C in Scotland overnight, the lowest level in the UK in more than a decade, following an “extreme freeze”.
The mercury dropped to -21.4C (-6.5F) in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, the coldest temperature recorded in the UK since 2 December 2010, when -21.3C (-6.3F) was recorded in Altnaharra in the Highlands.
Continue reading...Authorities in the Netherlands declared a rare 'code red' emergency for the entire country as it was hit by its first proper snowstorm in more than a decade.
In the UK, amber and yellow weather warnings for snow were issued by the Met Office with widespread travel problems expected