Turning cooler this weekend

Turning cooler

As we head into this weekend, it will feel much colder than of late across most parts of the UK. Friday will see more in the way of cloudiness across the UK, especially in some coastal parts of Scotland and northern England. It will also feel much fresher than of late in these parts, with the occasional very light rain shower possible too. Elsewhere, will remain dry throughout Friday, and although it will be noticeably cloudier than of late, the afternoon could see some good sunny spells breaking through in places.

Saturday will also see much more in the way of cloudiness across most parts of the UK. It will also remain relatively dry across most parts of the country once again, and although there could be the occasional light rain shower in some places; these really won't amount to much at all. Saturday evening will then become increasingly chilly across many parts, with a widespread frost likely to develop under clearer conditions.

Sunday will therefore begin chilly across many parts for the time of the year. It will also remain dry across most parts of the country once again during Sunday, but with more in the way of sunshine on offer, especially across more southern parts of the UK. However, there is also the potential for some wetter and windier weather across parts of the far north, as we progress throughout Sunday and into Monday.

James Madden (UK Long Range Forecaster)

ExactaWeather.com

Content copyright © 2010-2012. Exacta Weather. All rights reserved.

Mild & settled weekend ahead

This weekend will remain fairly settled and mild across most parts of the UK. However, it will be particularly cloudy with some pleasant and brighter interspersions of sunshine pushing through at times. Sunday is likely to be the better of the two days in terms of these sunny spells. Temperatures could also reach a balmy 18C over the weekend in parts of southern England too. This is how things are set to remain as we head into the new working week, with a further rise in temperatures and some generally dry weather for most parts.

James Madden (UK Long Range Forecaster)

ExactaWeather.com

Published: Friday 9^th March 2012
Content copyright © 2010-2012. Exacta Weather. All rights reserved.

New & Important Update

18th February 2012

I would just like to reiterate that the UK has recently endured the coldest start to February in almost 30 years, with only seven February's to date being recorded as colder in terms of Central England Temperature (over 350 years old) with ample widespread heavy snowfall across many parts of the UK including the south.

Now although the first half of my original winter forecast proved somewhat unsuccessful in terms of the below average temperatures and extensively widespread snowfall that I was forecasting (which I will also cover in my winter review and place on the accuracy page).

I did state on the 30^th October 2011 in my final winter outlook that February would experience below average temperatures and some moderate to heavy snowfalls across parts of the UK.

This forecast was also issued nearly four months ago and is available to view in the link provided below:

http://www.exactaweather.com/uploads/a31upd.pdf

Even in the revision of my winter forecast in late December, I strongly emphasised that the most severe part of this winter would now be in February. I also forecast a mildish first half to January with cold and snow from mid month onwards and into February. Please feel free to examine any of my previous blog entries and Youtube videos.

Now the UK Met Office poured cold water on any severe weather this winter, they even issued a statement in October that said “recent long range forecasts by other agencies, bear no relation to the kinds of weather that the forecasters at the Met Office are currently expecting.”

As it stands the original article is now unavailable, but I managed to find another version of it in the climate realists link below.

http://www.irishweatheronline.com/news/atmosphere/cold/uk-met-office-pours-cold-water-on-severe-winter-2011-12-forecasts/41736.html

http://climaterealists.com/index.php?id=8490

Did you also notice how the statement/article named other weather agencies too? There was more than one weather agency and some quite big names too, who was also forecasting similar scenarios to myself about this winter at one stage. Even the Met Office forecast below average temperatures for October in the September 'big freeze' newspaper articles that never developed, which leads me to think that they may have also been this way inclined at one stage too.

However, the Met Office have the ability to swap and change their forecasts on a daily basis, so unless you know a little bit about the weather, it is difficult to pick up on any of their mistakes like the example above.

Another very recent article from the Daily Mirror dated 13^th February 2012 also emphasises on this a little further as a Met Office spokesperson said that the big freeze was likely to last until 11^thMarch 2012, pretty much the same statement I had said a few days earlier in the Daily Express.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/coldest-february-since-1986---and-the-big-682476

The following article in the link below is the only one newspaper article that I have had any kind of influence on or approved recently.

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/300978/8-inches-of-snow-in-next-24-hours/

It actually reads:

“Temperatures for FEBRUARY and into the first week of March are likely to be well below-average.”

Just as my Youtube video and blog from 26^th January read in a totally separate paragraph, as does my 8^th February update below. Please feel free to check them.

“Temperatures as a whole for this period FEBRUARY and into the first week of March are likely to be well below-average. It is also likely that there will be some school closures and disruptions to public transport from snowfall within this time period too.”

Now here lies the problem with long range forecasting and how the Met Office comes across to the general public. When I issue these forecasts so far in advance with very little revisions, it is very easy for others to pick holes or emphasise on certain lines/parts of my forecasts to suit their own agendas. I am much more vulnerable to some forecasting errors as I don't swap and change my forecasts every day. Those who do this and don't issue long range forecasts are substantially reducing their odds of ever being wrong, or coming across as wrong with statements that they have also made weeks earlier.

Even then they still struggle to get it right, and another recent example of this is the winds that the Met Office failed to put out an adequate warning for in early January in the link below.

http://www.scotsman.com/scotland-on-sunday/scotland/forecast_is_grim_for_the_met_office_but_are_they_at_fault_for_missing_big_gail_1_2043601

Although I did forecast very strong winds for that exact date many days prior to the event happening, it is not my responsibility as a FREE weather service with no funding to issue these warnings. There has also been a number of recent short range situations in regards to widespread snowfall and exact locations that I have reported on before any warnings from the Met Office were even issued, as many of you have also pointed out in the Guestbook.

If everyone was to take what the Met Office forecast weeks or sometimes days before, you would often find it has changed drastically. In terms of this update I am not saying that the Met Office are unreliable, or hop on over here to Exacta Weather, as it really makes no difference to me as a free service that is not reliant on any type of public funding. I am simply trying to reiterate that even weather forecasting for the professionals is not as always straight forward at it seems, and as I have also learnt for the first time as a forecaster this winter.

So just to clarify that when others were saying nothing as they don't issue forecasts this far ahead, I clearly stated in many updates that from mid January and into February as a whole would feature largely below average temperatures with widespread heavy snow. This is exactly what we have seen to date, and even though it is set to turn milder once again as we head into the start of next week, I still feel that the remainder of February and into the start of spring could still bring a number of notable wintry blasts of cold and snow to the UK that the professional meteorologists are possibly underestimating (and as I originally forecast).

Should this be the case and the CET does come in below average too, then I can certainly claim some sort of success for the second half of my initial long range winter forecast issued four months ago, and with my revised winter forecast in late December that stated colder and snowier from mid January onwards. Although the periods of moderation are likely to be less brief than I had anticipated in my original calculations for the period 15th-28^th February. However, in terms of records being broken in regards to the CET, we could still experience the coldest February in at least a decade dependant on the severity and timing of these wintry blasts.

My initial spring and summer forecast will be issued prior to or on the 1^st March 2012. These will also be followed by regular long range forecast updates throughout. I am also planning to implement a new long range forecasting system, which will contain any revisions or amendments from the initial long range forecast for up to two months ahead if required.

James Madden (UK Long Range Forecaster)

ExactaWeather.com

Content copyright © 2010-2012. Exacta Weather. All rights reserved.

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Turning cold & wintry as we head into this weekend

Turning cold & wintry as we head into this weekend

After a brief period of milder weather, the picture is set to turn cold and wintry again as we head into this weekend.

A cold front will work its way across the UK on Saturday, bringing with it a wintry mix of rain, sleet and snow to many parts. Some of the snow showers on Saturday are likely to be particularly heavy at times across higher ground in parts of Scotland and northern England, with the possibility of some snow showers to some lower levels in these parts too. These wintry conditions will also be accompanied by some strong winds in places throughout Saturday, especially in parts of the far north. It will become progressively colder across many parts throughout Saturday day and into Saturday night. Sunday day looks set to remain chilly again across most parts with periods of sunshine for many.

James Madden (UK Long Range Forecaster)

ExactaWeather.com

Content copyright © 2010-2012. Exacta Weather. All rights reserved.

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Still feeling cold & wintry going into next week

Still feeling cold & wintry going into next week

After widespread snow fell across most parts of the UK as forecast, the new working week will also begin cold across most parts with fog patches in places. It will then become dry and settled across most northern parts throughout Monday, with some further brief wintry showers possible across some parts of south east England. It will still feel relatively cold throughout Monday, but not as cold as of late. Elsewhere is likely to remain grey with some light rain showers or drizzle throughout the day. Tuesday will also see some further rain coming in across northern and western parts, and some of these showers could also be briefly wintry in nature in these parts too.

As we approach the middle of the working week it will remain cold across most parts throughout Wednesday. Some further wet weather looks set to initially bring another wintry mix of rain, sleet, and snow throughout Wednesday to parts of Scotland and northern England.

A continuation of overnight frosts mixed in with these expected conditions, will also make driving conditions hazardous at times.

James Madden (UK Long Range Forecaster)

ExactaWeather.com

Published: Sunday 5^th February 2012Content copyright © 2010-2012. Exacta Weather. All rights reserved.

Cold & wintry theme continues into weekend

Cold and wintry theme continues into the weekend

After a bitterly cold day today across the UK, tonight will remain largely clear and very cold with another severe and widespread frost. There will also be some snow showers across parts of eastern and southern England as we progress through this evening and into tomorrow. A band of wetter weather pushing in across Northern Ireland will also bring some snow showers for a time to higher and lower levels in these parts throughout tomorrow. Elsewhere will be largely cold and clear throughout Friday.

As we progress through Friday night and into Saturday morning there will be a continuation of snow showers across some eastern and southern parts. Saturday will also see a band of wetter weather coming in across the UK, initially bringing with it some sleet and snow showers to northern and western parts. As this system progresses further across the UK throughout Saturday and clashes with the cold air, it will also offer the potential for some snow showers across parts of northern England and the Midlands, with some further snow across some eastern and southern parts later too.

Some of these snow showers are likely to be particularly heavy across higher ground, with some snow to much lower levels in these parts too.

Sunday is likely to remain cold and settled across most parts, although another band of wet weather could bring some further wintry showers to some northern and western parts at times.

James Madden (UK Long Range Forecaster)

ExactaWeather.com

Published: 2^nd February 2012 (17:27) GMTContent copyright © 2010-2011. Exacta Weather. All rights reserved.

February Weather UK 2012 – Snow, Cold, & Winds

February 2012 – Snow, Cold, & Winds

Towards the end of December 2011, I made some revisions to the remainder of my winter forecast for January and February. I also stated that this was a little unusual for myself, as this is the first time I have ever had to seriously amend one of my long range forecasts. My revised January forecast and updates since then have been quite accurate to date.

(Please feel free to review my dated forecasts/Youtube videos for late December & January to date)

I have also stated since December 2011 that:

February should prevail further in comparison to January, and this is when I feel we are likely to see the most severe part of this winter. A cold start to spring 2012 is also possible, with some especially heavy and widespread snowfalls across Britain and parts of Ireland.

I have also used this exact same quote in several of my most recent updates. Please also bear in mind that this statement was made before any type of inclination from the so-called 'professionals', as they don't issue forecasts this far in advance. Even at this late stage of heading into February they are still reporting on a lot of “uncertainties” and hedging their bets with a 50/50 scenario.

(I expect this is down to their computer models giving them a hard time)

I will therefore try and make this forecast as clear-cut as possible

February 2012

Forecast confidence: relatively high

1st - 14th February

This period is likely to see a continuation of windy and colder weather at times. Any periods of moderation will be relatively short-lived and frequently alternate with colder weather across many parts. The colder weather will prove to be wintry at times across northern parts, with the milder conditions once again becoming more apparent in areas further south. Temperatures as a whole for this period are likely to be near or below-average.

15th - 28th February

This is when I expect things to significantly change to a more prolonged period of much colder and snowier weather across many parts of the UK. Any periods of moderation are likely to be very brief in nature and will be 'rapidly' replaced by colder and snowier conditions. Many northern and central parts of the UK will experience some frequent and heavy falls of snow at times within this period, and this does include lower levels in these parts too. Parts of southern and eastern England, Wales, and Northern Ireland can also expect some falls of snow and wintry showers within this time period too.

Temperatures as a whole for this period and into the first week of March are likely to be well below-average. It is also likely that there will be some school closures and disruptions to public transport from snowfall within this time period too.

James Madden (UK Long Range Forecaster)

ExactaWeather.com

Published: 26th January 2012 (20:15) GMTContent copyright © 2010-2011. Exacta Weather. All rights reserved.

Wintry further north and milder further south

Wintry further north and milder further south

Things are set to remain the same as we head into this weekend, with further wintry showers and cooler temperatures in the north, with milder and drier conditions further south. Friday day and into Friday night will feel chilly across northern parts of the UK, with further wintry showers falling as snow at times, across higher ground in parts of Scotland and northern England during today. It will be somewhat milder and windier in areas further south.

Saturday will also see wintry showers falling as snow across higher ground in northern parts of the UK, with some further showers of sleet and snow to some lower levels too. It will also be particularly windy in the far north, it will however remain relatively dry and mild for most areas further south.

Sunday and into Monday will see a somewhat chillier feel across most parts of the UK, and although areas further south are again likely to remain relatively dry, further wintry showers and cooler temperatures will continue across northern parts of the UK.

This is how I expect things to continue as we head into next week, with the possibility of some strong winds and snow showers to even lower levels than of late.

James Madden (UK Long Range Forecaster)

ExactaWeather.com

Published: 20^th January 2012 (06:17) GMTContent copyright © 2010-2011. Exacta Weather. All rights reserved.

Cold, Snow, and Winds – Exacta Weather Update

Cold, Snow, and Winds – Exacta Weather Update

15th January 2012

I stated three weeks ago that “January certainly looks promising for this at present, in terms of some true cold and snow across Scotland and northern regions of the UK. Although once again there is likely to be some periods of moderation at times, and this is most likely to be reflected in any areas further south.”

I also stated over two weeks ago that “This is currently still how I see things developing throughout January and into February at present. Although the worst of the strong winds, cold, and snow for January, is more likely to occur from around mid-month onwards.”

So we are now at mid-month point and it has recently turned much colder with widespread frosts across many parts of the UK over the last few nights. As we progress through Tuesday and into Wednesday day, things are set to turn slightly milder, with some wet and windy weather across many parts of the UK during Wednesday. However as we progress through Wednesday night and into Thursday, some much colder air will push its way back in across parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Northern England.

This colder air will bring wintry showers across these parts during Thursday and into Friday. Some of these showers will fall as snow and accumulate in places, especially across higher ground in Scotland and Northern Ireland. I am currently expecting this pattern of colder temperatures, to become the more dominant feature over the coming weeks across most parts of the UK. I am also expecting this colder weather to be accompanied by frequent wintry showers across northern parts of the UK, with some moderate to heavy falls of snow possible at times in these parts too.

I also stated in my last update and since early September 2011 that “Potentially damaging gale force winds and strong stormy features, are still likely to be a frequent feature at times throughout this winter. However the low pressure systems will offer more in the potential of snowfall than of recently, which could also include areas further south too.”

I also stated over two weeks ago and 48 hours in advance that “Tuesday 3^rd January 2012 will see yet another area of low pressure arrive, bringing with it some strong winds and wet weather across many parts of the UK.”

Unfortunately two people died and many was injured as strong winds and rain battered many parts of the UK.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2081141/UK-severe-weather-warning-Britain-battered-105mph-gales-leave-2-dead.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jan/03/gales-sweep-uk-killing-two

The professional forecasters and their £30 million supercomputer also failed to issue a relevant weather warning about the impending havoc until afterwards. Met Office officials failed to upgrade from a 'be prepared warning', until 8:15am, when it was upgraded to 'red', which the Daily Mail and Guardian articles above fail to mention.

A Met Office representative then went on to say

“By Tuesday morning we updated the status to red to the areas most at risk when we had the information from overnight.” Met Office Representative

Forecast is grim for the Met Office, but are they at fault for missing Big Gail? (See Scotsman link below)

http://www.scotsman.com/scotland-on-sunday/the-week/andrew-eaton-lewis/forecast_is_grim_for_the_met_office_but_are_they_at_fault_for_missing_big_gail_1_2043601

James Madden (UK Long Range Forecaster)

ExactaWeather.com

Published P: 15th January 2012 (23:37) GMTContent copyright © 2010-2011. Exacta Weather. All rights reserved.

5th January 2012 - IMPORTANT UPDATE

5th January 2012

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jan/02/sleighbell-winter-climate-change-denial

The article above immediately starts out in defence of the Met Office and the hostility they received for their incorrect 2009 summer forecast.

The coming summer is 'odds on for a barbecue summer'

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/news/releases/archive/2009/summer2009

The author then chooses to cleverly emphasise on quotes and newspaper headlines to make people question my credibility. However in a way I can understand this in regards to the newspaper headlines, and this is when I should be 100% clear about what actually happened with all them newspapers. The truth is that I did not write or have any influence on any of those newspaper headlines, I did not even speak to one newspaper editor or journalist, the quotes was simply taken from 'updates' on Exacta Weather, yet they appeared in almost every British national newspaper. Seem strange to anyone else? Imagine how I felt. Now at first I was overwhelmed and ecstatic at the national coverage and thought people would recite the quotations from within the article from myself and not the headlines that was used to sell the newspapers. So as you can see, I did not seek no publicity whatsoever as the author suggests. I also never made any financial gains from any of those newspaper headlines, although I am pretty certain that the newspapers did.

So let's review one of those articles from the Daily Mail on the 20th September 2011 (Britain to be hit by SNOW in October... Forecasters warn early winter is on way)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2039418/UK-weather-Snow-forecast-parts-Britain-early-October.html

It begins with

James Madden, of Exacta Weather, said: ‘I expect to see the first signs of some moderate to heavy snowfalls as early as October or November in certain parts of the UK.

OK, so this was part of my autumn update and once again this was taken from the Exacta Weather website, I did not speak to any newspaper editor or journalist. We did also see some moderate to heavy snowfalls in CERTAIN parts of the UK during October and November, and this is why included this within my autumn update.

The Daily Mail article then continues with

'I expect December, January and February to experience below-average temperatures, with the heaviest snowfall occurring within the time frame of November to January across many parts of the UK.

In all fairness and as an honest forecaster, my forecast has been well off the mark to date, and there has since been some revisions to my forecast for the remainder of winter and November. This is a little unusual for myself, as this is the first time I have ever had to seriously amend any of my forecasts. In my 8th November 2011 update I promptly explained that there had been a delay in some of these pattern changes, and although the latter part of November and into early December turned out roughly as expected, December as a whole was inaccurate.

The Daily Mail article then continues with

‘Huge swirly low-pressure systems also offer the potential for widespread disruption from heavy snowfall across many parts of the UK including the South, as they clash with the predominant cold air.’ He added that Scotland and the North would face the worst weather, including possible ‘blizzard-like conditions’.

Now although we have seen frequent low pressure systems, we have not seen the teleconnections enter a dominantly negative phase, as I expected. The NAO and AO were both dominantly negative during the summer months of 2011, and as I have stated before, this had an important bearing on my winter forecast. We have however seen the 'potentially damaging gale force winds' which I forecast before any other forecaster or weather organisation, and I firmly believe that this is due to some major 'long term' changes, in the major natural factors that I consider within my forecasts, and how they influence the 'long term' pattern of storm tracks.

I also stated in the same update in which all the newspapers extracted them quotes from that “The UK can expect a similar theme to continue as we head into autumn, with a notable increase in usual wind strengths for this time of year across many parts of the UK, that will result in frequent and potentially damaging gale force winds and strong stormy features throughout autumn and winter” yet not one of them decided to use this. Had I of had any influence on them newspaper articles, then I can guarantee that I would have included this part of my forecast too.

The Daily Mail article then continues with a number of incorrect quotes from other forecasters, including the Met Office, and not one of them mentions anything about strong winds in winter:

Netweather forecaster Paul Michaelwaite has also predicted ‘widespread’ snowfall as early as November. He told the Daily Express: ‘Over the past four years November snow has not been rare at all, and with temperatures below the average there is the chance of some widespread falls.’

Meanwhile, The Met Office has said that below average temperatures in October mean there is a chance of upcoming overnight frosts, which would be seen predominantly in the Midlands and south-east.

And Weather Services International agreed that October, November and December would be hit with temperatures approximately two degrees lower than the average. WSI’s chief meteorologist, Dr Todd Crawford, told the Express: ‘We currently expect the coldest temperatures to be confined to western Europe.’

OK, so let's head back to the recent Guardian article. Now I don't mind taking some flak for getting a forecast incorrect, in fact I would probably say this is all part and parcel of weather forecasting. I however won't be made a scapegoat for the ineptness of the professional forecasters. I will also not be used as some pawn in a political and agenda driven article from a loyal warmist, because I dare to question the authors beliefs on man-made climate change. There is a lot that the author also conveniently fails to mention in the article. For example, he chooses to emphasise only on the 2009 BBQ summer that the Met Office forecast incorrectly, yet conveniently forgets to mention that this was a long line of recent blunders from them and their supercomputers in terms of long range forecasting. He also conveniently forgets to mention what I forecast when these mistakes was made.

Let's take last winter for example when the £33 million supercomputer foresaw a mild winter, yet we experienced the coldest December in 100 years with widespread heavy snowfall as forecast by myself. I even contacted the professionals and told them to issue a severe weather warning, yet no forthcoming warning was issued. Check out my previous forecasts and the tweet on my twitter page from the 31st August 2010 here.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/8090325/Met-Office-data-suggests-mild-winter-but-dont-forget-last-year.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/8596583/Met-Office-staff-awarded-1.5m-bonus-pot-despite-another-year-of-bungled-forecasts.html

Then there is the winter of 2009/10 when the professionals once again foresaw a mild winter, yet we experienced widespread heavy snowfall throughout December, January, and February. The UK winter mean temperature came in at -2.0C below-average and once again as forecast by myself. I wonder why the author chose not to mention any of this?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/6246570/Britain-will-have-mild-winter-if-you-believe-the-Met-Office.html

Another example that he uses to discredit another forecaster within the article is an incorrect 2011 summer forecast, yet he fails to mention that the professionals issued nothing, or that I forecast this period with 100% accuracy and before any other forecaster.

As it stands I did actually respond to the author of the article before it was submitted online, for which I have still not received a response either. Now this is actually starting to get a bit personal, but I was back home for the festive period, and although I made time for the usual updates and weather warnings, it was impossible to work my way through the 700+ emails that I had received in this time period until recently. I may well be an undergraduate with a computer, but my computer or my methods never cost £33 million of the tax-payers money, and it has proved far more accurate too.

In regards to the comment about an independent audit from the author of the article, well this is starting to get serious when a national newspaper is asking me questions like this. Anyone is free to view any of my past forecasts and pass their own judgement on what I have forecast, when the professionals and computer models have been consistently wrong. Please note that none of my posts are ever deleted and remain intact on my blog and youtube channel. I really can't help it, if I have only had positives to highlight upon in my lifespan as an amateur forecaster, and even before the recent article was published, I did actually state in an update on Christmas Day, that my recent forecast errors would also be highlighted on the Exacta Weather accuracy page too. The fact that my forecast has turned out wrong to date, proves to me that my methods of analysis are not foolproof, and the long term aim is to refine my methods to become even more accurate in the future. In fact, an article from early 2010 and from the same author titled Britain's cold snap does not prove climate science wrong also states that:

“This is called weather, believe it or not, it is not always predictable and it changes quite often” Hickman and Monbiot (2010)

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2010/jan/06/cold-snap-climate-sceptics?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487

It is also a major relief to know that no-one has had to really suffer this winter so far, unlike last year when there was many unnecessary deaths, as many was unprepared for what happened. Surely it is better that we are over-prepared for harsher winters, especially as I firmly believe that they will become more commonplace in our near future.

Now the author of the article has made a lot of incorrect assumptions in regards to myself, and maybe he has made these same assumptions in regards to future climate change too. I am not dependant on false science as an income stream, and I don't have a warmist driven agenda, which I actually happened to believe myself at one stage in my life. I am simply telling the truth and will continue to do so, it is up to yourself as to whether you choose to follow or believe what I have to say. One thing is certain though, I certainly won't try and make your mind up for you, unlike others.

Certain people are trying to use one incorrect forecast of mine to justify their own mistakes, and after reading that recent article and all the confusion of the last few months, I am really starting to wonder how long it will be before the Met Office becomes privatised and I become a direct competitor. Why? Because I issue long range forecasts and they don't, and the plan will be to justify this once the transition has taken place.

How ironic and fitting too, a Guardian article below from 2009 before the Conservatives come to power titled “Conservatives may privatise Met Office”.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/oct/18/conservatives-defence