The RMetS does not issue weather forecasts but some of our corporate members do. For information about the Public Weather Service and National Severe Weather Warnings see the BBC (www.bbc.co.uk) and the Met Office (www.metoffice.gov.uk).
Warnings of severe weather for the UK are issued by our National Meteorological sService, the Met Office. We also post a warning on the front page of our site. Follow this link to find out what severe weather warnings are in place today. (Flood warnings for the UK are issued by the Environment Agency).
Detailed weather forecasts are available from many sources including the BBC, the Met Office. A few months ahead, general information about the likelihood of it being hotter/cooler or wetter/drier than normal around the time of your event can sometimes be calculated using seasonal forecasting techniques.
You can find information about the climatology of the UK from the National Climate Information Centre.
Information about the likelihood of it being hotter/cooler or wetter/drier than normal can sometimes be calculated using seasonal forecasting techniques. The techniques tend to be most reliable for other parts of the world than the UK - in the tropics especially over the oceans. These forecasts are available from the Met Office and others.
The ‘climate statistics’ for your holiday location will tell you what the average weather conditions are, and also how variable the weather is. In 2005 the World Meteorological Organization launched a World Weather Information Service. It provides climate statistics from the national meteorological and hydrological services of participating countries, including the UK (http://worldweather.wmo.int/)
People with a professional interest in meteorology work in a wide range jobs; from TV weather forecaster to weather observer, from research scientist to environmental consultant, and from satellite technician to software engineer. You can meet some of them in our career profiles page.
All these roles require a good scientific ability, and most a degree-level qualification. Mathematics and physics provide the underpinning skills for meteorological jobs. Large employers quite often take on new employees with science degrees and train them in meteorology at work; smaller employers often require meteorological qualifications. See our list of academic courses. The highest professional qualification available in meteorology is Chartered Meteorologist (CMet). Some courses have been accredited by the Society for meeting the standards required for CMet. The CMet qualification is regulated by the Society in the UK and is recognised throughout the European Union.
More information about careers in meteorology
Yes, there are in-service qualifications for practising weather forecasters and meteorological observers. The competencies are assessed on the job - there are no exams. These qualifications are administered by the Society and awarded by PAA\VQSET. Assessments are based in the workplace and are undertaken by registering with one of the Assessment Centres (Met Office and Royal Navy Training Group). These qualifications are recognised throughout the EU.
For attendance at conferences, purchase of equipment and certain educational activities for which adequate funds are not otherwise available, members of the Society can apply to the Legacies Fund for small grants (generally £300).
The Royal Meteorological Society is staffed by a small secretariat of about 10 staff. It is a learned and professional body run for the benefit of its 3,000 members in the UK and around the world. It exists to advance the understanding of meteorology, the science and its applications. We do this by promoting wider public understanding, publishing journals, organising meetings and conferences, managing professional accreditation schemes and co-ordinating educational activities. For information about current vacancies please write to the Chief Executive, Royal Meteorological Society, 104 Oxford Road, Reading, RG1 7LL.
Joining is simple. You can call 0118 956 8500, email membership@rmets.org or Join Online
The Royal Meteorological Society is a learned and professional body with more than 3,000 members around the world. It exists to advance the understanding of meteorology, the science and its applications and does this by means of journals, meetings, conferences, professional accreditation, grants, prizes, educational activities, promoting public understanding and evidence-based policy making. Unlike the Met Office, the Society does not make or collect weather observations and is not involved directly in meteorological research, operational meteorology or meteorological training. The Met Office is the National Meteorological Service of the United Kingdom. It is the UK’s provider of the Public Weather Service, which includes the National Severe Weather Warnings. The Met Office supplies the BBC’s weather information.
Individuals, Corporations and Schools can build on their interest and support the advancement of meteorology by joining the Society.
Individual members receive a free monthly copy of Weather with accessible articles on meteorology from the UK and around the world, and news of all the Society's activities.
Members are also eligible to apply for professional qualifications, Fellow and Chartered status.
In addition to Weather, members can attend Special Interest Groups or their Local Centre meetings, receive preferential prices for conference registration, discounts on leading scientific journals, entry to meetings and events and discounts on gifts and stationery from the RMetS online shop.
Schools pay a much reduced rate to join the Society as School Members. They also receive a monthly copy of Weather, can borrow meteorological instruments as well as apply for grants and bursaries and buy discounted instruments and educational resources.
Corporate members receive all the above benefits, but also get the opportunity to participate in business networking events and discussions with policy makers.
The membership lists for 1850, 1851, 1864, 1867, 1869, 1873, 1876,1879, 1880, 1882, 1888 and 1900 are online. Paper versions of these and all membership lists since 1850 are held at the headquarters of the Society. So, too, are membership lists of the two Meteorological Societies of London (lists dating from 1836-43 and 1848-50).
If you are a member, you will be able to subscribe at a substantial discount by logging on to the members' area of the site, or by emailing membership@rmets.org.
If you would like to subscribe as an organisation or individual without joining the Society, use the links from the journals page to visit our publishing partner, Wiley's website and subscribe online.
We publish the journals listed below.
For full advertising information visit our advertising page
We sell back issues of Weather, Weather Log and the Society journals. Email our despatch department
Our journals are published by Wiley Blackwell and author and title searches can be done using the backfile pages.
See this list of suppliers in the UK. This includes all suppliers that we are aware of.
Please note that this list is not comprehensive and we cannot take responsibility for any omissions, nor for any of the goods supplied.
You can download Simple Weather Measurements by Geoff Jenkins, or find out more from our Weather Watcher's 3-Year Log Book.
High pressure days provide the best conditions for setting a barometer since pressure values are changing more slowly than under lower pressure. If your barometer is aneroid (rather than mercury) you may be able to set it to adjust for height above sea-level. Observed values of pressure for a UK station near you. Alternatively you can call the Met Office customer centre on 0870 900 0100.
Find out more on Weather and Climate from the Society's web site.
The term "carbon footprint" refers to the environmental impact of carbon emissions from an individual or organisation. For more information and to calculate your own carbon footprint using this carbon calculating tool.
For monthly UK data going back to 1659 visit the Met Office Central England Temperature (CET) pages. You can find out more about the UK's climate from the National Climate Information Centre.
