Why did I become a scientist?

This is a question I love to ask other people – I love to find out why they first embarked on their career, or project, or why they chose a specific degree, etc. Some people have a story you can tell they love to talk about, and some people I’ve asked have kind of just

How can we forecast river flow around the globe, months in advance?

My PhD research looks into how we can provide earlier indications of flood hazard at the global scale. One way of doing this is through seasonal forecasts of high (or low) river flow. Seasonal forecasts are designed to provide an early indication that a given variable, such as temperature, rainfall or even river flow, will

Natural Hazards: Hurricanes, Typhoons & Cyclones

Ever wondered what the difference is between a hurricane, a typhoon and a cyclone? If so, you’re not the only one! And I can answer this one pretty quickly for you: there’s no difference at all! Hurricane, typhoon and cyclone are all different names for the same natural hazard: tropical cyclones. In the Atlantic, they’re

What is El Niño? (And can it really impact coffee & chocolate prices?)

You may have seen the infamous El Niño mentioned in the headlines as the cause of floods, droughts, fires, storms, expensive coffee & chocolate etc etc. But if El Niño is the cause of all of these different hazards, what actually is El Niño? Psst! Keep reading to see a fantastic cartoon of El Niño and

Natural Hazards: Volcanoes

So if you’ve read my blog before, you know that I’m in no way a volcanologist… I’m a hydro-meteorologist. But I do have an interest in (read: obsession with) natural hazards of all different varieties, so over time I’m going to be writing a series of posts on various natural hazards. You can read my

Pint of Science 2018 – Flooding: Is it all water under the bridge?

Pint of Science is all about taking science outside of the “lab” (or field, or office!) and bringing researchers into local pubs to present their science to people who wouldn’t normally get to hear about and discuss it. I first heard about Pint of Science last year through twitter and was keen to get involved

Sprites & Elves: Magical creatures or weather phenomena?

Thunderstorms are infamous for their beautiful, if dangerous, light displays and ear-splitting thunder. But did you know that while the thunder and lightning are capturing your attention near the ground, there could be something even more incredible happening way above the storm clouds, on the edge of space?

Storm Chasing & the Science of Tornadoes

Six years ago, I was studying at Oklahoma University in the USA – for my undergrad year abroad. I’d been excited about living and studying in Oklahoma because classes at the OU School of Meteorology took place in the National Weather Centre in Norman, and also because Oklahoma is in the heart of tornado alley. I’ve always been fascinated by storms (more on that another time), and I was really hoping to have the chance to see some supercells or even tornadoes – and tornado alley did not disappoint!

The Butterfly Effect: Chaos & Ensemble Forecasting

The Butterfly Effect is a well-known concept; the idea that a butterfly flapping it’s wings on one side of the world, could cause a hurricane on the other. But is this really possible? The question was first posed a little differently, in the title of a talk given in 1972 by Edward Lorenz, a professor

Can we really use El Niño to predict flooding? & 5 Things I learnt writing a Nature paper.

This question is the one that my PhD research, and my most recent paper, aim to address – looking at the links between El Niño and river flow to see if we can use it to provide earlier flood warnings. But the question I’ve been asked a fair few times over the past year in