A London weather record was broken recently making for an exceptionally crisp, clear winter day – but you probably didn’t notice it, explains Professor Stephen Burt in a recent post…Read More >
weather
The heatwave in numbers
The University of Reading weather records, captured at the Atmospheric Observatory, are updated daily and are publicly available online. Temperatures and rain records go back to 1908, while the sunshine…Read More >
Hottest ever Early May Bank Holiday among records broken in Reading
Records have been tumbling this year at the University of Reading’s weather station. Just days after the coldest March day since records began, a new record hottest recorded temperature was…Read More >
Exploring the impact of drought on 2017 wheat crop
By Professor Donal O’Sullivan, Professor of Crop Science in the School of Agriculture, University of Reading Unfavourable weather patterns and their impact on crop production have again been a major…Read More >
Reading tops rainfall charts: But how does downpour compare historically?
By Dr Rob Thompson, Department of Meteorology, University of Reading Last night Reading experienced an immense thunderstorm, like something I’d previously only experienced in the tropics. Driving conditions were horrendous,…Read More >
The hottest heatwave since 1976? This is what the evidence says
By Stephen Burt, Department of Meteorology, University of Reading There is much febrile comment in the media concerning the current heatwave. A common statement is ‘this is the greatest heatwave…Read More >
Weather forecasters face storm of criticism – so is it time for a new look?
By Dr Andrew Charlton-Perez, Department of Meteorology, University of Reading Former BBC weather forecaster Bill Giles’ criticism of weather forecasts raises questions about how weather is communicated generally. Mr Giles…Read More >
‘Powering down’ of sun will shift aurora to the poles
What happens to the Earth when the Sun’s activity hits a 300-year low, as is predicted in the next few decades? Research published this morning in Scientific Reports by Dr…Read More >
Shocking! Could an electric charge make clouds rain?
Clouds could be given a helpful jolt of electric charge to increase much-needed rainfall in dry parts of the world, thanks to an award-winning research proposal by scientists at the…Read More >
Record-breaking year when drought became flood
The Met Office confirmed this morning that 2012 was the wettest year on record for England, and the second wettest ever for the UK as a whole. Dr Roger Brugge,…Read More >