Met Office - Podcasts

The UK's Spring is arriving a full month earlier than it did before 1986. For garden plants that shift is influencing their flowering and fruiting patterns - what survives and what doesn't.In Part Two of Shifting Spring, meteorologist Peter Gibbs joins Alex Burkill and Clare Nasir in his Berkshire garden to explore what climate change actually looks like at ground level. From mild winters followed by April frosts, to Mediterranean plants thriving in places they never used to, and what it means for the gardening year ahead.Peter is a deeply experienced meteorologist from his many years at the BBC to time spent in Antarctica with the British Antarctic Survey. For the past two decades, he's been part of the team on BBC Radio 4's Gardeners' Question Time - the longest continuously running radio show of its kind in the world. This is the second part of our Shifting Spring series. Watch Part One with the Met Office's Grahame Madge on the world of birds and what climate change is doing to migration: https://youtu.be/HeLeio-OcfkSCIENTIFIC PAPERS & SOURCES CITED IN THIS EPISODEBüntgen et al. (2022) — Plants in the UK flower a month earlier under recent warming. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 289(1968). The landmark Cambridge-led study analysing 400,000+ records of 406 plant species from 1753 to 2019. Found that the average first flowering date from 1987–2019 is a full month earlier than the long-term average. Herbaceous plants shifted most (32 days). 🔗 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2021.2456Met Office (2025) — State of the UK Climate 2024. Annual report. Includes phenology data showing hazel flowering in 2024 was almost ten days earlier than the 1999–present average. 🔗 https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/about/state-of-climateJNCC UK Spring Index (1891–2024). Long-term index of spring biological events across the UK. Now approximately 8.7 days earlier than the 1891–1947 baseline. 🔗 https://jncc.gov.ukNature's Calendar — The Woodland Trust's citizen science project. Records date back to 1736. Open to public contribution. 🔗 https://naturescalendar.woodlandtrust.org.ukJean Combes OBE (1927–2023) — Surrey phenologist who recorded first leafing dates of oak, ash, horse chestnut and lime every year from 1947 until her death in 2023. Believed to be the longest single-observer phenological record in the world. Her data was brought into formal scientific use in 1995 by Professor Tim Sparks, co-author of the Büntgen 2022 study.

From boyhood birdwatcher to one of the UK's leading voices on wildlife and climate change, Grahame Madge brings fifty years of field experience and a career spanning the RSPB and Met Office to the growing evidence that British springs are arriving earlier. Backed by landmark research, Grahame adds depth and colour to the story of nature as it struggles to keep pace with a rapidly shifting season. From declining Bewick's swans at Slimbridge to migrant birds racing against a calendar that no longer waits for them. Next in the series: BBC Gardener's Question Time host, Peter Gibbs, on plants, trees and gardens.

How do you make millions of data points understandable in a single glance? Discover the art and science behind climate data visualisation. From the iconic warming stripes to the frontiers of visual climate communication. Featuring Prof Ed Hawkins (creator of the warming stripes) and Met Office Senior Scientist Neil Kaye.

With our changing climate we have already seen an increase in impacts from heavy and intense rainfall in the UK. As we go forwards it is essential to understand what the future looks like and what steps are needed to help mitigate the changes. Alex Burkill speaks with Dr Will Lang - Met Office Chief Meteorologist, to find out how the changing climate is altering rainfall patterns across the UK and what the expected impacts are.

The UK is undergoing an energy revolution with renewable sources making an increasingly greater contribution.The National Energy System Operator (NESO) is tasked with coordinating and planning the UK’s current and future energy systems. Following the announcement of a new partnership between NESO and the Met Office, Clare Nasir hears how Met Office weather and climate expertise will help shape our future energy provision. https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-ushttps://www.neso.energy

Could melting Arctic ice be reshaping British and Irish winters?

The Arctic just hit its lowest winter sea ice maximum on record - and as a region is warming faster than many other parts of the world. New groundbreaking research reveals a climate "tug-of-war" between Arctic ice loss and ocean warming that could fundamentally alter our winter weather patterns.

In this episode of Climate Conversations, Clare Nasir introduces a fascinating deep dive into how rapid Arctic changes ripple thousands of miles south to affect our weather. Alex Burkill speaks with two leading climate scientists about why the Arctic is warming three times faster than the global average, and what this means for future weather patterns across the UK and Ireland.

MEET THE EXPERTS:

Dr Ed Blockley - Met Office Arctic Sea Ice Expert Ed explains the mechanisms linking rapid Arctic warming to mid-latitude weather patterns and the critical role of temperature gradients in driving the jet stream.Dr Steph Hay - University of Exeter, Lead Author Steph reveals surprising findings from her groundbreaking paper on Arctic sea ice impacts specifically on the British Isles—the first study to focus on our region in such detail.

The impact our changing climate has on nature is complex. Whilst some species have thrived, many others have struggled, and it is therefore essential to understand developments in order to reduce the rate of species loss. Alex Burkill caught up with Sophie Pavelle, an award-winning author and science communicator. In Sophie’s first book, Forget Me Not, she goes on a low-carbon journey around Britain in search of ten animals and habitats threatened by climate change in the 21st century. Sophie’s second book is a thrilling exploration of nature's symbiotic relationships, some comforting and familiar, others wildly alien.

The new list of storm names for the 2025/26 storm season has been announced. But is climate change influencing storms in the UK? Clare Nasir is joined by Met Office Climate Scientist Dr Mark McCarthy to find out more.

Communicating information about our climate and how its changing has always been a difficult task; whether it’s providing the latest facts and figures or information on new initiatives and projects happening to help adapt to the future. Earlier this summer the university of Exeter and the Met Office hosted a climate forum, and climate communication was one of the key topics. Alex Burkill went along to find out more and catch up with many of those speaking and attending the event.https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us...

After 40 Celsius was recorded in the UK for the first time in 2022, a report looking into the increasing chances of this happening again has been published. Clare Nasir takes us through the impacts of the extreme heat and then Alex Burkill catches up with the author of the report, Dr Gillian Kay, to discuss the importance of these findings.

Check out the report's press release here:

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/news-and-media/media-centre/weather-and-climate-news/2025/met-office-report-details-rising-likelihood-of-uk-hot-days

With the cost of food going up, we take a look at how our changing climate is impacting the ability to produce certain food types. As well as discussing the ongoing concerns we look at ways we can adapt to the changes and how we can reduce the impacts. Clare Nasir goes through some of the developments whilst Alex Burkill catches up with Thomas Crocker, Science Manager for the Met Office Climate Security Team to learn how the work we do is helping organisations prepare for the future.

In this month’s Climate Conversations we are talking aboutsustainable fashion. Attitudes are changing towards clothing that we buy with increasing numbers choosing second hand clothing items made with more sustainable methods. Clare Nasir goes through some of the developments whilst Alex Burkill catches up with Professor Tamara Galloway from the University of Exeter to discuss her work to help reduce the fashion industry’s impact on the climate.

In this month’s Climate Conversations we are talking about renewable energy, specifically in the UK. Huge improvements have been made to our green energy output and Clare Nasir takes us through some of the important figures and promising developments. Alex Burkill then catches up with Philip Hodge, Senior Account Manager for Energy here at the Met Office, to discuss how the work we do benefits the industry as it continues to grow.

In this month’s Climate Conversations we are talking Carbon Dioxide .

Clare Nasir talks us through some key developments then Alex Burkill talks to Professor Richard Betts, from the university of Exeter but also Head of Climate Impacts Research at the Met Office, to find out about his recent work looking at CO2 levels.~

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