Met Office

People are at the heart of what we do and it’s great to see them recognised in their fields. Three of our scientists won awards in the Royal Meteorological Society (RMetS) Awards 2023 that honour exceptional contributions in #weather, #climate and associated disciplines. Prof Brian Golding has played a leading role in weather forecasting science at the Met Office for over 50 years and won the Mason Gold Medal Award for his outstanding contributions to the understanding of fundamental processes that determine the variability and predictability of weather and climate. Dr Nick Dunstone has been recognised with the Hugh Robert Mill Award for Precipitation Research for making major advances in predicting precipitation. Prof Chris Kenneth Folland has received an Honorary Fellowship for Contribution or Service to the Society or Profession, the highest honour awarded by RMetS, considering his wide ranging and extensive contributions to meteorology. You can read more about all winners at https://lnkd.in/eDSHnwHr The awards were celebrated this week in London together with the 2022 winners. Our presenters Alex Deakin and Aidan McGivern went to pick up the Michael Hunt Award for Increasing Public Understanding of Meteorology and its Applications, as did Dr David Walters to receive the FitzRoy Award for Professional Meteorology. Mike Kendon and Dr Mark McCarthy were part of a team of authors who received the International Journal of Climatology Editors’ Award. Read more about all 2022 winners here: https://lnkd.in/eWsz5TmY   

The European Space Agency - ESA have announced the contractors for the long-awaited Vigil mission which will transform global space weather forecasting.    Confirmation of the building of the satellite is the next step in positioning a satellite with a side-on view of the Sun to provide enhanced space weather forecasting.    As one of a handful of 24/7 space weather forecasting centres, the Met Office Space Weather Operations Centre (MOSWOC), which is now in its tenth year, is set to benefit from the new satellite.    Mark Gibbs, who leads MOSWOC said: “The Vigil mission represents a step-change in space weather forecasting capability. As well as replacing aging satellites, this mission will help to improve our forecasting capability and deepen our scientific understanding of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that generate geomagnetic storms.”   Get more reaction in the blog 👇 https://lnkd.in/dadCXcnD   #SpaceWeather #GeomagneticStorms #Science

Human-induced climate change made the heavy storm downpours and total rainfall across the UK and Ireland between October 2023 and March 2024 more frequent and intense, according to a rapid attribution analysis by an international team of leading climate scientists. The scientists found that rainfall associated with storms is becoming both more intense and more likely. In a pre-industrial climate, rainfall from storms as intense as the 2023-24 season, had an estimated return period of 1 in 50 years. However, in today’s climate, with 1.2°C of global warming, similarly intense storm rainfall is expected to occur more often, about once every five years. Climate change has also increased the amount of rainfall from these storms, making them about 20% more intense. If global warming reaches 2°C, storm rainfall could become a further 4% more intense and could occur about once every three years. Read our news release for more information and a link to the full study: https://lnkd.in/e4nAznJD

You may know that meteorology – the study of weather phenomena – is one of our cornerstones 🌦    We are the UK’s national weather service, and our forecasts are relied on every day by millions of people and organisations to help them prepare for what’s ahead – sun, rain, wind, thunder and even snow ⚡    Following a stormy winter, a wet spring and some recent sunshine, we’re looking for qualified Operational Meteorologists to join our motivated team this summer ⛱    You’ll help us provide timely, accurate and helpful forecasts with expert advice for our customers, including the public, government and industry, and the military.    You’ll based at a Royal Air Force or Army Air Corps station within the UK or at Heathrow Airport. You’ll also have opportunities to work overseas, including in Cyprus, Gibraltar or even Antarctica. And you’ll typically do a pattern of 12-hour day and night shifts, including evenings and weekends.     Find out more and apply by Monday June 3 ⤵ https://lnkd.in/ewbKh_p7 See what some of our meteorologists say about working with us ⤵ #GreatPlaceToWork #UKBestWorkPlaces #JobOpportunities #Meteorology #WeatherForecasting Ele Hands, Rosie Hill

Today is UN Biodiversity’s International Day for Biological Diversity and this year’s theme is “be part of the plan”. Everyone from governments, businesses, and individuals, has a part to play in restoring and maintaining biodiversity, including the Met Office. At our head office in Exeter we have recognised the need to promote and protect biodiversity on site, taking wildlife actions including introducing areas of wildflower meadow, installing bat and bird boxes, and creating wood piles for hibernating reptiles and amphibians. We have many staff members who are passionate about monitoring and promoting our local biodiversity, with regular surveys that have enabled us to have recorded over 500 species of plants, fungi, insects, butterflies, moths, birds, bats, reptiles, and mammals on site – and the number continues to grow. So, on this #BiodiversityDay, we’d love to hear about the biodiversity around you, whether at your workplace, your garden, or out and about locally. Feel free to share what you’ve found in the comments. Find out more about how we are making ourselves part of the plan: https://lnkd.in/eB2UxN-w #Biodiversity #BiodiversityPlan #GetClimateReady

This week we’ve been enjoying a variety of in-person and online activities for Mental Health Awareness Week on the theme of ‘movement: moving more for our mental health’. We were pleased to welcome The Premier League Assistant Referee, Matthew Wilkes, to our Exeter HQ to hear about his journey of officiating in the FA Cup Final to having cancer and returning to the Premier League. He provided insights into the highs and lows of mental health, the importance of support networks, and how people can help each other. Find out more about Mental Health Awareness Week from Mental Health Foundation here: https://lnkd.in/eXsXtmdw #MomentsForMovement #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek #MentalHealth

A call for evidence 👇 We’re seeking your evidence and information on UK climate risk, to inform the next Climate Change Risk Assessment Independent Assessment (CCRA4-IA) Technical Report. The Technical Report provides the full analysis for 61 climate change risks and opportunities for the UK. It is a vital component of the CCRA4 risk assessment published by the Climate Change Committee, which is a statutory requirement of the Climate Change Act (2008).  We’re proud to be leading the consortium to produce the new assessment. This includes experts from the Met Office Academic Partnership, the UK National Climate Science Partnership, the private sector and the third sector to provide the most useful assessment of UK climate risks. The “Call for Evidence” is an important part of the CCRA4-IA Technical Report methodology. We’re keen to access knowledge from a broad range of stakeholders. In addition to academic papers, we are also keen to tap into other relevant information eg. a PhD or Master’s thesis, conference proceedings, project reports, webinars, internal presentations or reports, blogs, etc. You may submit your evidence using this form until 30 June 2025. The process should take less than ten minutes to complete. https://lnkd.in/edUSjwcr #CCRA4 #GetClimateReady #ClimateChange

During the summer months, we can experience a range of different weather conditions from sunshine and high temperatures to summer storms. What we might not always consider is how this weather affects the health and wellbeing of ourselves and those around us. We’ve worked with a range of health & wellbeing partners to come up with some simple tips to help you, friends, family and communities stay safe and make the most of the summer weather ➡️ https://bit.ly/3SzMt0N #WeatherReady

“It’s important to teach deaf awareness to hearing people in order to help them understand deaf culture.” Through online and in-person workshops, we have been working with students from the Deaf Academy to develop a greater understanding of their needs and preferences when it comes to information about weather and climate. Read more in our blog post: https://lnkd.in/e5fi98fM #DeafAwarenessWeek2024 #DAW2024 #DeafAwarenessWeek #DeafAwareness

Have you been thinking about plans to get out and about over the summer? We work with expert partners to think about ways we can be prepared and stay #WeatherReady while out enjoying the longer days over the summer months. Scroll through for some simple tips to enjoy the outdoors, whatever the weather ➡️   Find out more here: https://bit.ly/3x2tt0i