Sainsbo

Temperature is still rising here - 34.3C at the closest official Met Office site (Lyneham). Only 0.6C away from the all time site record. Not bad for 6PM!

I could be wrong, but I'd think that global models like the UKMO will have some large biases in surface temperature in circumstances where you have a high airmass temperature but some cloud around. Model resolution likely isn't high enough to resolve many of the breaks in the cloud, and you'll end up with a more uniform layer of cloud being modelled than we would see in reality. With 20C+ 850hPa temperatures and strong solar heating, the temperature would respond very quickly in cloud breaks, and this is probably isn't going to be captured in the model.

Despite the new red warning for the SE, the larger amber warning is still in the highest category of the matrix for severity. As we get to T0 the event likelihood has to increase, so this warning will surely need to change to either a lower 'severity' amber in the matrix, or further red warnings. Wind already picking up here in Swindon, especially in the last 15 minutes.

The ensemble spread for inland areas in the south is currently ~65-80 mph. Red warnings are reserved for events that are all but certain. When 65mph (which would not warrant a red) is still within the realm of uncertainty, it's pretty understandable they haven't bumped it up IMO. The amber warning is as high as it can go on severity. I guess they just need to see what inland gust values the models converge to later today.

Possibly some further evidence of a sting jet on the AROME 0z: Vertical cross section shows air from ~800hPa descending to the surface collocated with the wind maxima.

Possibly an even stronger storm on the 12z UKMO - large swathe of 80-85mph+ gusts inland. Will be interesting to see how the evolution differs to the GFS which seems have tempered the strongest gusts.

Every 5-10 years might even be underselling it a little bit. For many this is likely to be the worst storm since Burns' Day 1990. This is the maximum February 10m wind gusts across the UK since 1950 according to the ERA5 reanalysis. It may be a slight underestimation compared to observations because of the resolution, but not a massive underestimation. A lot of southern England have not seen winds as high as currently being modelled (in February at least).

Honestly I'm not surprised to see the Met Office wait until today to give an amber. A number of the GFS ensemble members didn't even have a closed low over the UK on Friday until very recently. There's always a trade off to be made between giving the public suitable warning, and uncertainty, and the Met Office can't really afford to get it wrong. I do wonder what areas will get a red warning tomorrow (providing no change in the output). Large swathes of inland area have the potential to see 80mph gusts. In the densely populated south, maybe a red warning won't be reserved for just the 90/100mph gusts along coastal areas? Guess we'll find out.

Not a forecast you see every day - For the next 3 days, starting from tomorrow, the Met Office forecast daily maxima at Heathrow is within 2C of the all time temperature record.

Met Office forecast for Reading was 27C at 12:00 - Currently it's 31.0C at the University observatory. Could push 35C. Should note though that BBC had Reading at 30C at 12:00 and only predict a high of 34C. Interesting to see the differences in how the heat builds.

If the 03z UKV verifies around the Reading area then the July record of 35.3 is likely to go on Thursday, maybe even the all time record of 36.4C. Only 18C currently - Think I better try and cool the house down whilst I still can!

36.9C, Kew Gardens, Thursday.

Friday 28th, 31.1C, Salisbury.

Swindon has been hammered over the past few hours and no sign of it letting up just yet. Already ~15cm of snow with potentially another couple to go on top of that. Not bad, given a Met Office yellow warning for 1-3cm with 5-10cm locally on higher ground.

Unless the precip dies out as it goes inland it looks like we could get a good few cm's in Reading this evening. Very light snow here at the moment, as it has been all afternoon.