WEATHER

Summary

Typical questions

• What will the weather be like in Madeira next week?

• What is the average summer temperature in Boston, USA?

• What was the weather like on 23 September 2000 in Lytham St Annes?

• Have you any information about tornadoes? I want to know how they are formed.

Considerations

There is much to consider here. Enquirers may want forecasts for holidays, or want to check previous weather for insurance purposes. They may be doing school projects on the weather. The possibilities are endless. However, with a few select resources, you should be able to manage most enquiries.

Where to look

General

Harding, M. (2001) Weather to travel: the traveller's guide to the world's weather, 3rd edn, Tomorrow's Guides Ltd

Weather profiles and what to wear for 205 countries.

Meteorological Office (1991) Meteorological glossary, 6th edn, HMSO

The definitive glossary.

Pearce, E. A. and Smith, C. G. (2000) World weather guide, 4th rev. edn, Helicon

Watts, A. (1994) The weather handbook, Waterline

A good general introduction to our weather systems.

Whitaker, R. (ed.) (1996) Weather: the ultimate guide to the elements, HarperCollins

A comprehensive and accessible guide to meteorology.

Longshore, D. (1998) Encyclopedia of hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones, Fitzroy Dearborn

The Met Office

The Met Office provide a wealth of information about weather.

Met Office

FitzRoy Road, Exeter, Devon EX1 3PB

Tel: 0870 900 0100; Fax: 0870 900 5050

www.metoffice.gov.uk

Current forecasts are available from:

www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/uk_forecast_weather.html

Severe weather warnings from:

www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/uk_forecast_warnings.html

Links to other sites giving related warnings and advice are at:

www.metoffice.gov.uk/about/website/links.html

The National Meteorological Library and Archive is based at the Met Office. This is open to the public and exists to provide information for anyone with an interest in the weather and climate and includes a comprehensive collection of published literature on meteorology and related science and original weather records. The Library and the Archive for England and Wales are based in Exeter, with an Archive for Scotland in Edinburgh and weather records for Northern Ireland being held in Belfast. A searchable online catalogue is available, which will enable you to see what is available on a particular topic.