Violent storms provide testing conditions for research scientists

Better forecasting of violent storms, such as those battering the British Isles over the past few weeks, could be possible in the future. A team of researchers has been flying a dedicated research aircraft directly into these powerful storms to obtain the data they need to help predict extremely stormy weather. The DIAMET project (Diabatic influences on mesoscale structures in extratropical storms) involves scientists from the universities of Leeds, Manchester, Reading and East Anglia together with scientists from the Met Office, and is led by the Natural Environment Research Council's National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS). Just a few days ago, on 8 December, the DIAMET team flew into the heart of the most disruptive, violent cyclone that Scotland has experienced in decades. They carried out comprehensive observations and data recordings of temperature, humidity and wind speed as well as the microphysical properties of clouds and their interaction with the ocean surface. Professor Geraint Vaughan, the project leader, explains why collecting this data is so important. "In extreme storms the condensation and evaporation of water are thought to play a crucial role in storm development, as these processes release - or take in - heat when clouds are formed, raindrops evaporate or moisture leaves the sea surface.