Weather forecast UK latest – Scientists make shock driest year EVER discovery as record-breaking rain data revealed
MILLIONS of Victorian era archived rainfall records have been digitised during the COVID pandemic which reveal record breaking data.
The University of Reading's Rainfall Rescue project involved the transcription of 130 years worth of handwritten rainfall records.
The results revealed the UK's driest ever year on record is now 1855 as well as widespread flooding in the winter of 1852.
However the project produced more than just new records.
According to Catherine Ross, an archivist at the Met Office, it has "broken the definition of an archive".
Professor Ed Hawkins, a climate scientist at the University of Reading and Rainfall Rescue project lead, said: “I am still blown away by the response this project got from the public.
"Transcribing the records required around 100 million keystrokes, yet what I thought would take several months was completed in a matter of days.
“Thanks to the hard work of the volunteers, we now have detailed accounts of the amount of rain that fell, back to 1836, as seen through the eyes of other dedicated volunteers from several generations ago."
Read our weather live blog for the latest news and forecasts…
- Louis Allwood
The dreaded 'cold snap'
Change is coming following the early summer warmth as the airflow shifts from south-easterly to north and north-easterly.
The high pressure area will move south, ushering in cool weather in its wake.
This is set to bring a more wintry feel to most of the country by Tuesday next week.
Sharp frosts are then expected to send temperatures plummeting to as low as -3C across the country – throwing Britain into a bitterly "cold snap".
There is even the possibility of snow falling in some areas.
Wintry showers are forecast in Scotland which could extend into north–east England.
While patchy low cloud could also be drawn in off the North Sea, smothering coastal areas.
Met Office meteorologist Becky Mitchell said: "Temperatures are due to fall to around the average for the time of year but it will be noticeably colder than at present.
"Showers on Tuesday and Wednesday could turn to hill snow in Scotland and some of those wintry showers could spread into north-east England."
- Louis Allwood
Weekend is heating up
Brits can expect highs of 19C this weekend making us hotter than Madrid as Britain's heatwave continues.
Londoners can expect warm temperatures all weekend, but those in Madrid can only expect a cool 14C according to the Met Office.
The Met Office said Brits can expect 'fine, sunny' weather and 'feeling warm for most.'
The news comes as many could face a drastic change in weather conditions in the coming few days as the warm weather could be replaced by a cold -8C snap.
WXCHARTS weather forecast service warns the UK’s 20C heatwave could be replaced by a -8C cold snap as we enter April, suggesting parts of Scotland could see chills of between -6C and -8C.
The rest of the UK could see equally cold temperatures, however, they do not look set to tip mercury into freezing.
Parts of Wales instead look set to see temperatures vary from 1C to 3C.
England could see highs of 4C in Cornwall.
And to top it all off, snow is also forecast to fall across England on April 1, according to WXCHARTS.
- Louis Allwood
Closest photo of the Sun EVER taken reveals incredible secret
THE Sun has been revealed as you've never seen it before.
A spacecraft has managed to snap the closest photo yet of our flaming star, marvelling scientists with superior detail.
It exposes the fiery outer atmosphere – known as the corona – in amazing high quality that we haven't seen before and could help experts unlock hidden secrets about the Sun.
The picture was taken on March 7 by the European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter as it reached a very special point in its journey.
More than two years after launching, the spacecraft reached the halfway spot exactly between Earth and the Sun.
That's about 46million miles away from both.
The photo wasn't a fast feat either, taking over four hours to be captured.
This is because the orbiter got so close it needed to take 25 separate pictures, each taking about ten minutes, and piece them together into one big complete photo.
The image contains more than 83million pixels in a 9148 x 9112 pixel grid, which is ten times better than what a 4K TV can display.
- Louis Allwood
Mid April forecast
The weather is likely to turn more unsettled in early April.
Showers or longer spells of rain are more likely to be seen across the UK, although short drier and more settled interludes are still possible.
Showers may be heavy at times, with thunder and hail. Moving into mid-April, there is a trend for a return to more settled weather again, although some rain and showers are still possible in places.
Temperatures are likely to be near average, with the south and southeast on the slightly warmer side.
- Louis Allwood
Where is the cleanest air in the UK?
The majority of Scotland has good air quality at the moment, as well as Northern Ireland.
Wales has moderate air pollution across the country with low pollution in Anglesey.
In the fight against rising emissions, Brighton and Hove are the cities closest to becoming net zero on carbon emissions per capita, according to research by AlldayPA.
According to IQ's Air's World Air Quality Report, in 2021 Midlothian, just south of Edinburgh, Scotland had the cleanest air.
English counties of Wiltshire and Berkshire were not far behind but were the only two counties in England to make the top ten list, the rest were in Scotland or Wales.
- Louis Allwood
What is air pollution?
Air pollution is a substance that lingers in the air that has harmful or poisonous effects.
It is a contamination of the air we breathe by pollutants, such as car emissions.
London has been tackling the rising emissions with the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) scheme, which could expand to cover the whole of Greater London by the end of 2023.
Air quality is important because toxic air conditions could over time damage our lungs, with fatal consequences.
Thousands die each year in high air pollution boroughs, from issues attributable to the air quality.
- Louis Allwood
Why is the air quality bad today?
While many of us are enjoying the UK's heatwave and rushing to sit outside and bask in the sun, with it can come higher pollution levels.
Defra data showed high levels of air pollution in much of the South East of England, especially Essex and Norfolk.
Other places such as Leeds, Sheffield, Kent and Sunderland are also facing high levels of pollution.
High pressure brings the pollutant particles into the UK but the still air means they are not swept away again.
When there is little breeze or wind to clear airborne pollutants away, it means the air quality gets worse.
In heavily populated areas, with a lot of traffic and little greenery, such as London, air quality can quickly deteriorate.
People have been urged to walk, cycle or use public transport to lessen the air pollution.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said it is particularly bad at the moment because we are "importing pollution from the continent" as well as local emissions building up.
He said: "Toxic air is extremely dangerous for Londoners – and I'm doing everything in my power to tackle it.
"This is particularly important in order to protect those who are more vulnerable to high pollution."
- Louis Allwood
Chilly but bright
Some mist and fog patches this morning for those heading out early.
It comes after another chilly night which saw patchy frost in more rural parts of the UK.
- Louis Allwood
Fine, dry and sunny
Fine, dry and sunny for most and feeling warm, but there will be cloud patches for parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England.
Some rain developing over the Northern Isles and perhaps an isolated afternoon shower over Northern Ireland.
Dry, clear and chilly for most with some mist and haze for east and southeast England this evening.
Cloudier in far north and north west with some light rain for the Northern Isles.
- Louis Allwood
Pollen level warning for hayfever sufferers
Experts have warned rising temperatures may cause tree pollen levels to spike in the UK.
And a third of people with hayfever admitted to staying indoors because their allergies are too severe, a poll found.
It is thought climate change is increasing temperatures and elongating the pollen season.
Jin Zhang, global medical director at Kimberly-Clark UK, said: “When temperatures rise, primary sources of pollutants tend to increase, making the air quality even more challenging for millions of hay fever sufferers.
“As such, global warming will likely cause pollen seasons to start earlier and last longer.”
- Louis Allwood
‘At least’ seven days of sunshine forecast ahead, says Met Office
Daytime temperatures have been in the mid-to-late teens since the official start of the season on Sunday – with Porthmadog recording a sweltering 20.7C yesterday.
And Met Office forecaster Aidan McGivern says Brits will be treated to a further “seven days” of sunshine.
He said: “There will be more spring sunshine to come during the rest of the week. High pressure close to the east then becomes increasingly centred over the UK from Wednesday into Thursday and Friday.”
“That high pressure isn’t going anywhere for the foreseeable,” he added.
“For the next seven days at least it’s going to bring plenty of warm sunshine.”
- Louis Allwood
Drastic change as Brits to face -8C cold snap
Brits could face a drastic change in weather conditions in the coming few days.
WXCHARTS weather forecast service warns the UK’s 20C heatwave could be replaced by a -8C cold snap.
WXCHARTS suggests parts of Scotland could see chills of between -6C and -8C. However, warmer conditions could come towards the March 31, with temperatures hovering around 0C.
Parts of Wales instead look set to see temperatures vary from 1C to 3C.
England could see highs of 4C in Cornwall.
Snow is also forecast to fall across England on April 1, according to WXCHARTS.
- Louis Allwood
Supermarket sales rise as summer arrives early
Supermarkets recorded a 50 per cent rise in burger sales while ice lolly sales rose three-fold.
Tesco is expected to sell 250,000 packets of sausages and over two million bottles of beer and wine this week.
Asda is set to clear 500,000 patties and 250,000 sausages as Brits soak up the good weather.
But the spring heatwave will burn Brits in just 45 minutes as UV rays levels verge on high.
- Louis Allwood
London weather forecast for this weekend
Mainly dry with sunny spells, prolonged at times, and light winds.
Mist and fog patches possible in the mornings.
Warm by day, but remaining chilly overnight with some frost possible.
- Louis Allwood
Chilly start to Thursday morning says Met Office
It will be chilly start first thing on Thursday morning.
The Met Office tweeted: “A chilly start on Thursday morning with some mist and fog in places.
“Away from the mist and fog there will be lots of sunshine on offer.”
- Louis Allwood
Weekend weather outlook
The Met Office says in its weekend weather summary: “Mostly settled with warm sunny spells each day, but cooler near coasts and overnight.
“Far north cloudier with light rain at times.
“Some fog patches for north and east coasts.”
- Louis Allwood
Short weather summary for today
Early fog patches soon clearing then fine with plenty of warm sunshine for most, though an isolated afternoon shower is possible in the northeast.
Generally cloudier in the northwest.
- Louis Allwood
‘Big weather highlights’ to hit in April
It has been claimed by weather experts that there is a possibility of a heatwave in April.
Weather expert Jim Dale told the Express: “I think hot weather could come in fairly early as far as April is concerned perhaps. I know March is the start of spring but I think we’re probably going to get properly into April before we start to see the searing sort of temperatures.”
He also added: “Longer-term, given what’s happening globally in terms of the temperature profiles in the southern hemisphere and what’s also happening in the United States, I would not be surprised if we started to see some big highlights – in whichever direction it goes, either cold or hot.”
- Louis Allwood
‘At least’ seven days of sunshine forecast ahead, says Met Office
Daytime temperatures have been in the mid-to-late teens since the official start of the season on Sunday – with Porthmadog recording a sweltering 20.7C yesterday.
And Met Office forecaster Aidan McGivern says Brits will be treated to a further “seven days” of sunshine.
He said: “There will be more spring sunshine to come during the rest of the week. High pressure close to the east then becomes increasingly centred over the UK from Wednesday into Thursday and Friday.”
“That high pressure isn’t going anywhere for the foreseeable,” he added.
“For the next seven days at least it’s going to bring plenty of warm sunshine.”
- Louis Allwood
Hot weather is contributing to high pollution levels
In London, Mayor Sadiq Khan has urged those with health conditions – including heart and lung problems – to limit “strenuous physical exercise”.
Elsewhere, official advice has warned Brits that anyone else “suffering discomfort” amid high pollution levels should remain indoors too.
In a bid to cut pollution levels, Londoners who usually drive have been urged to walk or cycle instead.
High levels of pollution have also been recorded in Leeds, Sheffield, Kent and Sunderland, Defra data reveals.
In areas of South East England, especially Essex and Norfolk, levels will be “very high”, reports claim.
- Louis Allwood
Brits to bask in sizzling sunshine ALL WEEKEND
Brits are set to bask in sizzling sunshine ALL week – with yesterday’s high of 19C expected to continue throughout the weekend.
It comes after the mercury reached 20.5C on Monday as daytime temperatures soared 10C above the March average.
And this morning’s smog will likely clear by the afternoon, leaving “another warm day with plenty of sunshine for most”, forecasters claim.
So far, highs of 16C have been recorded in Lincoln.
- Louis Allwood
It’s hay fever season
Experts have warned rising temperatures may cause tree pollen levels to spike in the UK.
And a third of people with hayfever admitted to staying indoors because their allergies are too severe, a poll found.
It is thought climate change is increasing temperatures and elongating the pollen season.
Jin Zhang, global medical director at Kimberly-Clark UK, said: “When temperatures rise, primary sources of pollutants tend to increase, making the air quality even more challenging for millions of hay fever sufferers.
“As such, global warming will likely cause pollen seasons to start earlier and last longer.”
Source: Read Full Article