Science Story

02 December 2008 22:39 BST

Improved severe and extreme weather alerts announced

The Met Office has today announced details of a brand new weather warning system to be issued by its public weather service (PWS).

The new traffic light system will improve the clarity of the alerts, which the Met Office claims will better inform emergency services of any potential disruption associated with extreme weather including snow, gale force winds and heavy rainfall.

In a statement released today it was announced that improvements to the national severe weather warning service were drawn from the experiences of the summer floods of 2007 and implemented suggestions made in the interim report of the Pitt inquiry in December.

Met Office PWS spokesperson Graeme Leitch said the improvements had been planned for some time and "respond directly to feedback from our partners from the emergency services and local authorities".

"The advisory alert will flag up a developing situation to allow for more preparedness further in advance. And alerts generally will be more targeted and easier to use. The user-friendly traffic light system will provide quick and easy access to vital weather information to emergency responders and the public alike," he added.

Bruce Mann, director of civil contingencies at the Cabinet Office, said: "The weather has an enormous potential to disrupt our daily lives as we saw last summer. The Met Office has a frontline role; tracking developments days in advance and providing warnings to the appropriate authorities.

"Met Office advisory and forecast services are widely recognised as essential elements in resilience planning and emergency response, combining in-depth local knowledge with meteorological expertise."

Widespread flooding was experienced across the UK in June and July last year, affected thousands of businesses and tens of thousand of homes.