Climate services

Natural variations in the climate and longer-term changes due to human activities are increasingly affecting us and the environment we live in, such as the availability of fresh water, food security, our health, and social and economic infrastructures. Tackling these issues to ensure that society is sufficiently resilient and prepared requires the development and delivery of operational climate services - climate information prepared, interpreted and delivered to meet society's needs.

The Met Office is the UK's national weather service and a centre of excellence in weather and climate science. It is our job to provide information that allows decision-making on all timescales - from whether or not to take an umbrella to work, to how best to invest in large infrastructure projects, given the projected changes in climate this century and beyond.

By dealing with weather and climate as a combined entity and using much of the same science, we are uniquely placed to forecast today's weather and the future climate as part of a seamless service. To do so, we call upon the brightest scientific minds, both here at the Met Office and through collaborations with experts across the globe.

Our capabilities allow us to support the UK, and the international community, in ways far beyond the weather forecasts that make us a household name. Our skill in turning weather and climate science into services is recognised around the world. As the World Meteorological Organization prepares to embark upon a Global Framework for Climate Services, we will share our knowledge and expertise with others.

Climate science

Some level of climate change is now inevitable over the coming decades. This is already adding to the stresses faced by societies vulnerable to hazardous weather and natural vagaries of climate. The world's increasing vulnerability demands greater preparedness and resilience now. To help plan for and adapt to climate variability and change, information is needed on global, regional and local scales and for lead-times of months to years ahead.

At the Met Office, science is at the heart of everything we do. We take the time to understand how all our customers, in government and business, are sensitive to the weather and climate now, and how their sensitivity may change in the future. Our climate science is underpinned by the Met Office Hadley Centre, which delivers world-leading science advice to the UK Government to guide policymaking and international negotiations.

A key area of development for us is the delivery of a seamless operational forecasting service from weeks to decades ahead. This is already providing unprecedented detail at regional and local scales, and is made possible through advances in our science as well as progress in technology and computing power.

Using valuable information from these probabilistic forecasting systems, we help our customers make better informed risk-based decisions. As the science evolves and our scientific understanding develops, our weather and climate services - and ultimately our customers - will continue.