Met Office
Weather warnings guideWe warn the public and emergency services of severe or hazardous weather which has the potential to cause damage, widespread disruption and/or danger to life through our National Severe Weather Warning Service. This includes warnings about rain, snow, wind fog and ice. These warnings are given a colour depending on a combination of both the likelihood of the event happening and the impact the conditions may have.
The basic messages associated with each of the colours are:
The basic message associated with each warning level is:
What the colours mean
Yellow: Be aware. Severe weather is possible over the next few days and could affect you. Yellow means that you should plan ahead thinking about possible travel delays, or the disruption of your day to day activities. The Met Office is monitoring the developing weather situation and Yellow means keep an eye on the latest forecast and be aware that the weather may change or worsen, leading to disruption of your plans in the next few days.
Amber: Be prepared. There is an increased likelihood of bad weather affecting you, which could potentially disrupt your plans and possibly cause travel delays, road and rail closures, interruption to power and the potential risk to life and property. Amber means you need to be prepared to change your plans and protect you, your family and community from the impacts of the severe weather based on the forecast from the Met Office
Red: Take action. Extreme weather is expected. Red means you should take action now to keep yourself and others safe from the impact of the weather. Widespread damage, travel and power disruption and risk to life is likely. You must avoid dangerous areas and follow the advice of the emergency services and local authorities.
Severe weather warnings are available to you in a number of ways, meaning you can always access the latest information wherever you are. This includes on radio, TV, the Met Office website, social media, smart phone apps, RSS and via email alerts.
You can help by passing these warnings on to family and friends, or by sharing them on Facebook, Twitter and other social media with you friends and followers.
What information and advice can I get from the Met Office?
Where do I find weather warnings?
Warnings information is displayed through our website keeping you up to date with the latest information wherever you are on our site including: