Guest post by Alex Hill, Chief Met Office Advisor to Government in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Not long to go now… to the much awaited Wheels and Wings Show at the National Museum of Flight, East Fortune on Sunday 23 September 2012. Book your tickets in advance here.
My present job is as Chief Met Office Advisor to Government for Scotland and Northern Ireland. I spend my time ensuring that the best of the Met Office science and operational capabilities are used to help develop policy in areas such as resilience, climate change, flooding and renewable energy.
Rainbow over National Museum of Flight, East Fortune
For the Wheels and Wings show I have been researching a bit around the history of weather forecasting and looking at some of the surprising impacts that weather has had on some of the defining events in past centuries. Mainly, I’ll be talking about the development of meteorology as a science that has taken place over the last 150 years or so. Also looking at how much of this development went hand in hand with the needs of the transport industries, especially aviation not to mention the RAF and the Royal Navy.
Boy watching air display during rain shower at National Museum of Flight, East Fortune
The Met Office run one of the largest computer systems in Europe and have extensive links around the world, the majority of aircraft in the air today are flying on Met Office advice. Some insight into the work we are currently engaged in. And it’s not just transport – remember there is almost nothing you do day or night that the the weather doesn’t effect. Look forward to seeing you at the Wheels and Wings Show on Sun 23 September!
Haddington five day weather forecast from © Met Office
