Why is the UK getting so many storms? Met Office explains as Franklin hits

Yellow, amber and even red warnings were in place across much of the UK and many areas are still dealing with the aftermaths of collapsed trees, flooding and damage to buildings.

But why have we been hit with so many storms lately?

The Met Office has the answer.

Why are we getting so many storms in the UK?

Speaking on the Met Office podcast, meteorologist Alex Deakin said we need to look high up in the atmosphere to the jet stream to see why we’ve had such a stormy week.

The fast-moving river of air is always there in one form or another.

For a lot of January the jet stream had been to the north of the country which allowed for high pressure to sit close to the UK. This explains why we had such a calm start to 2022.

However, two things have occurred that have led us to this stormy week: the jet stream has moved further south and it has become energised.

Deakin explains further that the jet stream has become highly energetic with winds of over 200 miles per hour in its core. This began tracking low pressure systems our way, picking up the lows and intensifying them.

A contrast in temperatures is what drives the jet stream, so when cold air drives southward coming from the Arctic it meets the warmer air coming from the tropics it intensifies the jet and creates “troughs” in the jet stream.

It is in these “troughs” that a breeding ground for intense low pressure systems is created.

Deakin continued: “Dudley was taken by the jet stream and tracked north west down to the North Sea. But with Storm Eunice, the jet steam has just shifted that much further south and develops more of a kink in it.

“So Eunice is attacking from a different angle, coming up from the south west. This is why different parts of the UK are being affected differently by these two storms.”

Dudley tracked across Scotland; Eunice came up from the south west.

Deakin stressed that the jet stream would remain lively as Storm Franklin would begin making its way.