Met Office Weather Warnings

Does there seem to be a weather warning every other week now?  It’s probably just a signal of impending “grumpy old man” syndrome, but slightly colder than usual? Yellow weather warning for Cold, slightly rainier than usual; Yellow weather warning for rain….etc etc. It might sner on Tuesday, perhaps a much as 5mm, currently at my location there’s a yellow weather warning on Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday for Snow and Ice, and yet the headline weather forecast for both Wednesday and Thursday is “Sunny with a Gentle Breeze” 🤷‍♀️

Getting so frequent, I kind of just ignore them, which defeats the purpose, Shirley?

Yup, I’m the same, constantly getting put up and cancelled.

They need to ditch the yellow tbh as for most people it serves no practical purpose, even just not putting it as an active alert would probably be better.

I don’t mind them…and I’m thinking given our ageing population, it probably makes a bit of sense to have warnings so older people can be better prepared – younger ones don’t seem to be quite so badly impacted by the bad weather.

I take it all with a pinch of salt as generally the weather where I am is never as bad as it is forecast, but it gives me a decent indication of how cold and wet I’ll be getting.

I’d suggest they keep them going…but I don’t tend to be too bothered by them myself.

They need to ditch the yellow tbh as for most people it serves no practical purpose, even just not putting it as an active alert would probably be better.

It is that eternal balance of this really helps some stupid/unawares folk vs those of us with common sense…

It’s good for the ageing population and the young daffodils. The amount of people that moan it’s cold and wet, when they have just walked 200 yards from the car park. I’m sat there with a glow having just cycled 10 miles in it.

It’s going to be cold this week, the spiked ice tyres went on last weekend as it was a bit too close to zero for my liking with normal tyres. They are about 3-5 minutes slower.  It’s actually quite refreshing cycling in very cold conditions – wrap up properly and it’s fine.

OK don’t go out in ice if you don’t have spiked tyres.  I passed a guy stupidly trying to cycle up a local farm track in November, that was covered in ice. He was spinning out going no-where. Really dangerous for him. Me, I just pedalled straight up the middle of the sheet ice and was off.

Still useful for folk who are impaired in their mobility. A bit of ice on the ground might not mean much to the average STWer but there’s plenty of folks who find the warnings useful. Just a small example – my mum’s COPD means that when the temps are low she’ll struggle to make it to the shops and back. The weather warning helps her plan ahead for that.

Yellow – Fine to ignore, useful for some people and does no harm as will not result in meaningful change for most people

Amber – Pay attention, probably going to impact you.

Red – Stop what you are doing as its quite a big deal and likely to change your plans for the day.

All seems harmless enough to me. 

Yellows are a bit daft. Ok young people might never have seen snow before but its not like a sprinkling of snow is the end of the world.

Weirdly they always appear to miss the real events around here.

Yeah weather warnings… We keep getting them. Ooh it’s gonna be hot (well, it’s freakin summer, that’s what happens).

40+ in the day. Dipped down to 28 overnight. No air. Lovely. Some big bushfires north of the river – nothing major down here yet.

We have a yellow warning at the moment. My Mrs took our Yeti 4×4 rather than her supplied work car to do her rounds today, mostly because the NHS won’t fit full winter tyres to it. 

Even a yellow warning can be useful for planning food, fuel etc in remote locations. I have noticed that we seem to be getting them more regularly and that sometimes the subsequent weather event seems pretty much normal. OTOH the most significant storm we’ve had recently was very localised, devastated much of the forestry in lower Glen Feshie, and yet didn’t seem to foster any warning at all. I tend to go with the predicting the weather is hard line 

I find it useful as I will consider adjusting my behaviour to suit weather warnings. An obvious example is to not plan doing a road bike ride if there are high wind weather warnings. Sure you can check the weather forecast yourself but I don’t bother checking wind speed as a matter of course.

Obviously they don’t always get right as the infamous case of the female news anchor who, the day after it was supposed to have snowed and didn’t, turned to the weatherman and asked,
‘So Bob, where’s that eight inches you promised me last night?’ proves.

It might sner on Tuesday, perhaps a much as 5mm,

Handy if you’re in Hull though 🤣

1
franksinatra
Full Member
Yellow – Fine to ignore, useful for some people and does no harm as will not result in meaningful change for most people

Amber – Pay attention, probably going to impact you.

Red – Stop what you are doing as its quite a big deal and likely to change your plans for the day.

All seems harmless enough to me.

This

Obviously they don’t always get right

1987:

When they come as smartphone alerts they are definitely distracting, and I’ve never found them to be useful. If I can be bothered I’ll figure how to disable them on my phone, I glance at the forecast anyway. Last summer I got an earthquake alert literally at the same millisecond as I felt the tremors.. impressive technology but again, not very useful

Yellow warnings main purpose are for scenarios which dont impact most people. Its for those who are vulnerable to pay attention and also for their support network.

Perhaps it would be useful to allow them to be suppressed on apps etc but the other use of them is where things might be more serious but its too early to tell.
They have recently extended the warning period to seven days which might account for seeing more of them. Plus thunder and lightning got added as categories.

Keep them coming, the warnings mean I get the outdoor pool to myself at lunchtimes.

Yellow warnings main purpose are for scenarios which dont impact most people. Its for those who are vulnerable to pay attention and also for their support network.

Indeed. Old people living on their own in an area that’s had repeated flooding in recent years being a key one. See also those with less usual heating systems that have to plan ahead of severe cold snaps. “I don’t need to know about yellow warnings with my housing and lifestyle”… good for you, ignore them and move on.

I agree that Yellow can be useful to plan and perhaps take practical action.

This morning I picked up an extra bag of grit, last night we bought one more milk and loaf for the freezer.
My dad, 80 and vulnerable living alone, also made sure he’s enough food in and has turned up the storage heaters for the next day or so.
One of my team was due in FtWilliam from Stirling tomorrow – now postponed to Thursday.

All depends on personal circumstances.

Does there seem to be a weather warning every other week now?

Climate change.  We’ve had a lot of moderately severe weather.  It’s so that you know not to take that road down by the river that often floods cos it’ll be flooded.

The snow ones are so that you can plan ahead.  The cold ones – not sure but I could guess that people who struggle to heat their homes could perhaps go and stay with someone else, or you might need to plan to go and visit your old mum to make sure she’s not freezing to death etc.

currently at my location there’s a yellow weather warning on Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday for Snow and Ice, and yet the headline weather forecast for both Wednesday and Thursday is “Sunny with a Gentle Breeze”

That means that some snow is moving through and there’s a chance it will hit you, or a chance it won’t.  The forecast is the most likely option, but the warning is when there’s a reasonable chance it might happen.  For example, there may be a huge snowstorm moving through east to west – but the track is uncertain and it might pass 20 miles either way.  If it’s 20 miles to the south, you get a foot of snow, if it’s 20 miles north you get nothing.  They estimate a 70% chance it moves north – but that still means a significant chance you get snowed in. Don’t you think you might want to know? If they said nothing, and you did get snowed in unprepared, you’d be complaining just as much.

They are a bit pointless in my opinion but I’ll happily keep them if we could ban all the click bait weather stories on the local news websites. Exact date Met offer predicts snow bomb and artic blast will hit your town, ie. there’s a dusting of snow and it’s going to be a bit nippy. Or Met office verdict on snowmagedon near your, when the Met office verdict is there won’t be any snow.

On the other hand..

Two weeks ago, we had a yellow warning for heavy rain, here at the western end of Angus.  A few hours later, every road barring the A94 was completely blocked (it was passable but very inadvisable), including the main A90 dual carriageway to Aberdeen; dozens of houses, farms and rural communities cut off.  A few houses flooded locally that have either rarely, or in some cases, never flooded before.  Fast flowing field wash off threatened to inundate our house, for a combination of reasons and the Mrs was sent home early from work at the vets as no-one could get around.  She had to leave her car in a safe place, a mile away and wade through 2 feet of water to get home, supported by me for the flowing sections.  Our farm track is washed out and has needed a lot of reworking to allow the cars to get in and out again.  So yeah, just ignore the Yellow warnings.

 ………….So yeah, just ignore the Yellow warnings.

I’d suggest that you’ve described is arguably an amber warning that people actively need to make alternative arrangements for, and may cause harm.

Yellow Warning: Yellow warnings can be issued for a range of weather situations. Many are issued when it is likely that the weather will cause some low level impacts, including some disruption to travel in a few places. Many people may be able to continue with their daily routine, but there will be some that will be directly impacted and so it is important to assess if you could be affected. Other yellow warnings are issued when the weather could bring much more severe impacts to the majority of people but the certainty of those impacts occurring is much lower. It is important to read the content of yellow warnings to determine which weather situation is being covered by the yellow warning.

Amber Warning: There is an increased likelihood of impacts from severe weather, which could potentially disrupt your plans. This means there is the possibility of travel delays, road and rail closures, power cuts and the potential risk to life and property. You should think about changing your plans and taking action to protect yourself and your property. You may want to consider the impact of the weather on your family and your community and whether there is anything you need to do ahead of the severe weather to minimise the impact.

The warnings can also go on county, so I’m currently In South Staffordshire which has a warning, but this also covers the Staffordshire moorlands which is an area more likely to see worse weather. 

If they said nothing, and you did get snowed in unprepared, you’d be complaining just as much.

Nah, its not the forecasting of it that makes me irritated, it’s warning me about it as well. I think its infantilising. It essentially tells me that I’m incapable of deciding whether weather will effect me or no.

This morning I picked up an extra bag of grit, last night we bought one more milk and loaf for the freezer.
My dad, 80 and vulnerable living alone, also made sure he’s enough food in and has turned up the storage heaters for the next day or so.

One of my team was due in FtWilliam from Stirling tomorrow – now postponed to Thursday. 

You would have done these things if a yellow warning hadn’t been issued, though?

but slightly colder than usual? Yellow weather warning for Cold, slightly rainier than usual; Yellow weather warning for rain….etc etc

Except that’s not what they warn about.

The current yellow warnings are not because its cold, it’s because there is a potential for disruptive ice and snow. So i know to make sure i check my trains are running later this week.

Yellow rain warnings are not just because it’s raining, it’s because there is a risk that rain will be severe enough to cause some travel disruption.

, it’s warning me about it as well. I think its infantilising. It essentially tells me that I’m incapable of deciding whether weather will effect me or no.

That may say more about you than the Met Office.

Funny how the 1987 myth continues – yes it was a communications failure there being no actual hurricane, but look at that chart!

The event was forecast from almost a week before – at the last minute it became clear that the worst impact would be in France. Presumably this gave an expectation of a free pass for southeast England.   Just because somewhere had slightly stronger winds does not mean you were forecast not to have a gale at all. This event is a very good argument for the often daft sounding storm naming,

Then there was the more destructive and wide ranging storm of January 1990.  Almost forgotten even though it too had a big impact in southeast England.

I’ve had 3 yellow weather warnings in the last hour for Wednesday night. Odd thing is their own forecast says its going to be clear skys for the next few days – no sign of snow.

Does there seem to be a weather warning every other week now?  It’s probably just a signal of impending “grumpy old man” syndrome, but slightly colder than usual? Yellow weather warning for Cold, slightly rainier than usual; Yellow weather warning for rain….etc etc. It might sner on Tuesday, perhaps a much as 5mm, currently at my location there’s a yellow weather warning on Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday for Snow and Ice, and yet the headline weather forecast for both Wednesday and Thursday is “Sunny with a Gentle Breeze” 🤷‍♀️

Getting so frequent, I kind of just ignore them, which defeats the purpose, Shirley?

“Today I’m mostly annoyed that there’s a warning on a website that some people may find useful.” 😉

The current yellow warnings are not because its cold, it’s because there is a potential for disruptive ice and snow. So i know to make sure i check my trains are running later this week.

It’s mid-January, the temperature is hovering around freezing, even here in the balmy Welsh Riviera, as it does most years in mid-January. Do you need a weather warning to tell you it might be worth checking for disruption? Or, to put it another way, if there wasn’t a weather warning would you just be toddling off to the station every day anyway?

Yeah I agree actually, I thought it was just me. I’m in my early thirties too so definitely no fogie.
Remember being a kid and in my teens when you were told there was a Storm it usually meant thunder and lightning or rain and gale force winds, now I get metoffice storm alerts on my phone and my Garmin even bleeps and tells me theres a storm alert, 7 times out of 10 nothing really changes in regards to weather maybe a little bit more windier than usual, 2 out of 10 times is actually high winds and on the very odd 1 out 10 its gale force knocking bins over and garden funiture around type wind.

As a result I tend to just ignore most weather warnings, that being said though, I did think it was something to do with the fact I now live on the coast where wind is usually frequently higher as a constant and more temperate year round with less extremes.

Odd thing is their own forecast says its going to be clear skys for the next few days – no sign of snow.

Is it “snow” or “snow and ice”. It might be the area has some risk of snow but the primary problem will be ice.

So yeah, just ignore the Yellow warnings.

As an Aberdeen resident that one really should have been an amber.  I  mean we were fine but only because we weren’t going anywhere for a few days.  That one also shut the A9

I think its infantilising.

So on the one hand, people are idiots, but not when they’re intelligent capable people.  Ok, got it.

Do you need a weather warning to tell you it might be worth checking for disruption?

Disruption, yes. Normal cold weather, no.

now I get metoffice storm alerts on my phone and my Garmin even bleeps and tells me theres a storm alert,

The garmin alerts are based on rapid changes in barometric pressure. You can adjust the sensitivity of it or just turn it off.
I disabled mine after it only ever seemed to go off when getting confused about me being in water.

As a result I tend to just ignore most weather warnings

Which if it is a yellow alert is the expectation of the people producing them.

Yellow is fairly pointless as a warning, but can serve as a “this could turn into an amber if we’ve misjudged it a bit” and also gives a baseline so when you do see an amber you know that its going to be notably worse than that yellow one last week.

Here in the soft south east, away from the coast etc I’m sure I  saw our first ever amber (for wind) last year.

Yellow is fairly pointless as a warning

Unless you are in a vulnerable group or support those vulnerable groups.

Today I’m mostly annoyed that there’s a warning on a website that some people may find useful.”

Pretty much 🤣 I should’ve just added this to @cougar “Things I’m irrationally angry about” thread.