Threat of more bad UK summers
The Met Office says none of the extreme seasonal weather is unprecedented, and not necessarily the result of climate change. But a summit concluded the UK could be in line for many more bad summers.
The Met Office says none of the extreme seasonal weather is unprecedented, and not necessarily the result of climate change. But a summit concluded the UK could be in line for many more bad summers.
We have seen a run of unusual seasons in the UK and northern Europe, such as the cold winter of 2010, last year's wet weather and the cold spring this year.
This may be nothing more than a run of natural variability, but there may be other factors impacting our weather.
For example, there is emerging research which suggests there is a link between declining Arctic sea ice and European climate - but exactly how this process might work, and how important it may be among a host of other factors, remains unclear.
The Met Office is running a workshop to bring together climate experts from across the UK to look at these unusual seasons, the possible causes behind them, and how we can learn more about those drivers of our weather.
Leading scientists and meteorologists have gathered at a Met Office summit to discuss the UK's unusual weather patterns in recent years.
Has summer finally arrived? It’ll feel like it this week as warm air is drawn up from the near continent. Airflow is bringing warmer air.
Don't expect any hard conclusions from today's brainstorming session. But there could be a significant shift in thinking over climate change