Met Office rubbishes 'really misleading' polar vortex weather reports
The Met Office has rubbished reports of a “polar vortex” hitting the UK next week.
A number of websites have reported that “brutal” freezing conditions and snow are likely at the start of October. A polar vortex is a circulation of winds high up in the stratosphere which can affect the weather.
However, when approached by Yahoo News, the weather agency criticised the reports (and an image of heavy snow accompanying them), branding them "really misleading".
“This doesn’t tally with our forecast,” a spokesman said. “We will be having a colder feed of air coming into the UK from the weekend, but no suggestion of snow. That image is really misleading.
“We may have some frosts to lower latitudes in the UK, and snow on the highest mountains in Scotland, but we aren’t forecasting snow to lower levels.”
The Met Office's current short-term forecasts are predicting "drier and brighter" weather on Tuesday, with "some spells of sunshine" and a "few showers" on Wednesday and Thursday.
The agency has become increasingly vocal against headlines predicting extreme weather events. “Talking about the weather is a national obsession in the UK,” it says in guidance, “making it a popular subject for the media.
“However, our weather is not always exciting or extreme, meaning misleading or exaggerated headlines can appear at times."
Last week, the agency even directly called out The Mirror for “clickbait journalism” over a story about upcoming thunderstorms.
It posted a video on TikTok that blasted the “utter rubbish” warning urging people to “shut the curtains” during a rainy spell in England.
Addressing why it’s difficult to predict extreme weather events such as heatwaves in the summer or snowstorms in the winter, the Met Office has previously told Yahoo News: “When looking at forecasts beyond five days into the future, the chaotic nature of the atmosphere starts to come into play - small events currently over the Atlantic can have potentially significant impacts on our weather in the UK in several days' time.
“Therefore, whilst we can still forecast the general feel of the weather to a relatively high level of accuracy using our ensemble models, it becomes harder to offer local detail to as high a level of accuracy as our shorter range forecasts.”
Met Office issues wind warning
A yellow weather warning for strong winds was issued for Sunday, with the possibility of disruption across the south west of England and Wales.
Winds will strengthen with gusts of up to 55 mph likely in places, exceeding 60mph in the most exposed areas.
The Met Office said this will be accompanied by outbreaks of rain which could lead to some surface water and spray.
Some coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities will be affected by spray and large waves, with some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport likely, along with disruption to bus and train services.
