Go to Met Office homepage Weather warning issued - go to UK severe weather warnings

Water

Graphic of the water cycle.

The Met Office has been working with the water industry for some years providing critical weather information to help drive day-to-day operations.

Our increased focus on the water sector has ensured that we are able to offer the most advanced scientific solutions to address real business issues highlighted by our customers.

Benefits

The benefits of using water services provided by the Met Office include:

  • Improved business performance and asset optimisation.
  • Improved ability to predict demand and output on a weekly, monthly and seasonal basis.
  • Reduced costs of operation, resulting from better weather-related intelligence.
  • Reduced operating cost through proactive planning and mobilisation of workforce when extreme events are forecast.
  • More-realistic business planning, as a result of improved understanding of specific weather forecasts.
  • Better ability to manage weather risks associated with major capital investments.

Climate change

We can working with to help you analyse and interpret the complexities of the climate change data issued by UK Climate Projections 2009. These projections give detailed climate projections for the UK, at a higher level of detail than ever before. Critically, they give a large range of possible futures and the uncertainty associated with these projections.

Benefits of working with the Met Office

  • Our science underpins the UKCP09 projections.
  • We have direct access to the scientists that produced the projections and experience in applying these to the water industry.
  • We are experienced in applying climate projections to the water industry and can help you identify the business impacts of any analysis.

Operational

Sywell reservoir in the Midlands.

Our services can help you with many areas of operations, from helping you assess levels of demand to risk of pipes bursting.

Catchment Level Forecasts

  • Detailed information allows improved use of water management systems and operational deployment of resources.
  • Bespoke warning fitting in with your company’s lead-times and thresholds.
  • Post-event analysis will help identify individual thresholds and exceedence levels.
  • Full verification and validation for an initial period of use, with opportunities to modify to customer requirements.

Forecasts of water demand

Sywell reservoir in the Midlands.
  • Collaborative work between your company and the Met Office will develop and quantify weather and demand relationships.
  • Identification of your company’s thresholds of importance for demand peaks and troughs.
  • Provision of a pilot, medium-range forecast service. After a year there will be full verification and validation of the service.

Pipe burst risk

  • Increased focus on business planning and change maintenance strategy.
  • More effective cold weather plans.

Tools

Water services tools
Tool What they do and how to use them
Monthly Outlook Essential planning tool for all weather elements out to 30 days ahead, specific to your region. Updated weekly.
Ten-day forecasts A more detailed look at the weather for your region giving you daily predictions of sunshine, temperatures and rainfall amounts for 10 days ahead.
Forecaster discussion Discuss the key areas of interest to your business from our monthly and 10-day forecasts with one of our specialist forecasters.
Site-specific forecasts A detailed five-day forecast of the weather elements of interest to you, for specific locations, within your region, delivered four times a day.
MORECS The Met Office Rainfall and Evaporation Calculation System (MORECS) is the only nationwide service giving real-time assessments of rainfall, evaporation and soil moisture.
Weather warnings High winds, rainfall and high and low temperatures can all impact your business. We notify you with 12–24 hours' notice that these events are on the way, giving you detail of the severity of the event and where it will affect you.
Rainfall radar Real-time and forecast radar rainfall data from our total UK radar coverage network allow Operation Managers to use data to monitor heavy rainfall over specific regions. System modellers can use the data in sewer network models to enable better management of clean and waste water systems.
Environment A map-based map viewing tool which displays real-time weather and hydrological information for the UK. You can overlay information about river systems, sewerage networks and waterworks to analyse impacts of real-time precipitation on their catchment and networks.
Storm analysis A tailored report, created for severe weather events using a range of weather parameters and timescales. The report contains observations in map and tabular form for a defined geographical area and is used by water managers to analyse correlations between weather events and their operations.
Asset risk Losing use of an asset due to weather damage causes inconvenience to customers and increases operational expenditure.
Risk maps In addition to our warnings service the Met Office can provide risk maps for assets for electrical storms and high winds.
Odour control We can run dispersion models to model the track of odours from water treatment works.
Energy costs Energy requirements are a major expense for water companies.
Algal bloom Our modellers have worked on the relationship between the weather and outbreaks of algae and can provide predictions of these events occurring.

To find out more about our water services contact our Customer Centre or email consulting@metofffice.gov.uk