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Centennial recognition for 'Memories of Weather'

The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has officially designated six Met Office observing sites across the UK as ‘Centennial Stations’. They join a global network of sites that have been recognised by the WMO for recording reliable observations for over 100 years.

Eskdalemuir, one of the 6 weather sites recognised

Through the decades, the robust observations from these sites have been a vital contribution to the climatological record for the UK: they are our ‘memory of the weather’. These stations tell a unique story of recent climate.

The records from the sites are a treasury of observations spanning some of the UK’s most memorable weather since the late eighteenth century. The archives capture the details of many notable weather events, including the harsh winters of 1947 and 1963, the heatwave of 1976 and the heavy rainfall of December 2015.

Handwritten weather record from the Armagh site (courtesy Armagh Observatory and Planetarium)

Adam Barber, the Met Office’s Climate, Pollen and Rainfall Network Manager, said: “The Met Office has a long history of collecting weather data, including working with volunteers. Through the lenses of our network of weather observing sites, we are able to build a great understanding of the UK’s changing climate and record some notable weather events. All of these sites are building valuable memories of weather.”

“Without the volunteers who over time have cared for these sites, hosted them on their land, and submitted observations every day, the irreplaceable UK climate record would be nowhere near as comprehensive.”

The six observing sites are:

Eskdalemuir, Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland

Rothamsted, Hertfordshire, England

Balmoral, Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Armagh, County Armagh, Northern Ireland

Morpeth Cockle Park, Northumberland, England

Llysdinam, Powys, Wales

Read more details from the histories of each of the stations recognised in this story fromBarometerthe Met Office journal.

Rothamsted station in 1955

 

Channel website: http://www.metoffice.gov.uk

Original article link: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/news/releases/2018/centennial-weather-stations

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