Met Office

Met Office. The Met Office is the United Kingdom's national meteorological service, operating as an executive agency of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. Founded in 1854 under the leadership of Robert FitzRoy, its primary role is to provide weather forecasts and warnings to protect life and property, and to support the nation's economy and infrastructure. The organisation is a world-leading centre for weather forecasting and climate change research, with its main operations based at the Met Office College and the Met Office Hadley Centre in Exeter.

History

The service was established in 1854 as a small department within the Board of Trade to provide meteorological data for the safety of sailors, with its first official head being Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy, former captain of HMS Beagle. Following the Royal Charter 1859 storm and the loss of the Royal Charter (ship), FitzRoy pioneered the first public weather forecasts, published in *The Times* in 1861. Early work was conducted from offices in London, including locations on Victoria Street and later in Bracknell. A pivotal moment came with the development of the first computerized weather prediction models following the work of Lewis Fry Richardson and, after World War II, the use of the Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator (EDSAC). The organisation moved its headquarters to its purpose-built site in Exeter in 2003, consolidating its operations with the Met Office Hadley Centre.

Structure and operations

As an executive agency, it is funded by the Government of the United Kingdom and overseen by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. The Chief Executive, currently Professor Penny Endersby, reports to a senior civil servant within the department. Its operations are divided into key areas including Public Weather Service, Defence, and Commercial services. It operates a 24/7 forecasting centre in Exeter and maintains a network of observation sites across the UK, including at key locations like RAF Brize Norton and St Mary's Airport. Critical technological infrastructure includes the Cray supercomputers, which process vast amounts of data from global sources like the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and NOAA.

Services and products

Its core mandate is the Public Weather Service, providing forecasts and severe weather warnings through platforms like BBC Weather, its own website, and the Weather Health Alert system in partnership with the UK Health Security Agency. It supplies specialized services to the Ministry of Defence, notably supporting the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. Commercial and government clients, including the Highways Agency and National Grid, use its data for operational planning. The organisation also runs the Met Office Weather App and offers consultancy on climate risks, contributing to projects for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement.

Forecasting and research

Forecasting utilizes one of the most powerful supercomputer complexes in the world, running sophisticated numerical models such as the Unified Model developed in collaboration with the Natural Environment Research Council. Its research is globally recognized, particularly through the Met Office Hadley Centre for climate science, which produces key datasets like the HadCRUT instrumental temperature record. Scientists contribute to major international assessments and study phenomena from Atlantic hurricane tracks to Arctic sea ice decline. Ongoing research focuses on improving model resolution, ensemble forecasting, and understanding the impacts of climate change on events like the North Atlantic Oscillation.

International role

It plays a leading role in global meteorology as a member of the World Meteorological Organization and one of the two World Area Forecast Centres, alongside Washington, D.C., providing vital data for global aviation. It is a key contributor to the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts in Reading and collaborates with agencies like Météo-France and the Japan Meteorological Agency. Through the Weather and Climate Information Services for Africa programme and partnerships with nations like Australia and India, it assists in building forecasting capacity worldwide. Its scientists are integral to the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, helping to shape international climate policy.

Category:Executive agencies of the British government Category:Meteorological organizations Category:Organisations based in Exeter