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The Royal Meteorological Society, in association with AccuWeather, is hosting an exclusive FREE virtual event on Thursday 25 March 6-7pm (GMT) ahead of launching this year’s Weather Photographer of the Year competition at the end of April.

A panel of professional photographers, previous winners, meteorologists and competition judges will spill the secrets on what makes a great weather photo, knowing the weather and getting the best out of your camera equipment.

I would like you try a small experiment.

Put your hand close to your mouth and, with open lips, breathe on it as hard as you can. The air feels warm no matter how hard you breathe.

Now do the same thing, but this time with pursed lips and blow on your hand as lightly as you can.  It feels cool no matter how softly you blow.

The Polar Vortex is a phenomenon seen in the stratosphere, in the winter hemisphere only. It occurs at a height of around five to thirty miles and forms because air above the winter pole cools markedly in response to the lack of solar radiation experienced there at that time of year. This cooling makes the air more dense, leading to a high pressure area near the surface but a low pressure area aloft, as illustrated by Image 1.

From local to global scales, 2020 has already shown itself to be another record-breaking year.

It is quite well known that the process of photosynthesis, by which plants convert solar energy into usable energy for themselves, has a rather handy benefit. It results in them taking carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and producing oxygen in return. What is more easily forgotten is that plants, being living things, must also respire in order to live, just like we do. This process, as in animals, uses oxygen and produces carbon dioxide.

Why are the dates of the seasons different for meteorologists and astronomers? The simple answer is because the two groups look at different things.

The shortest day may have passed (21 December), but the coldest months on average are still to come and can bring with them some potential risks. However, with knowledge comes power, so we hope that after you read this article, you’ll be fully equipped to face winter weather head on!

Another year has passed and with it, more weather records have fallen.  Recent reports from the UK Met Office and the Copernicus Climate Change Service show that 2020 was the UK’s third warmest year since 1884 as well as Europe’s warmest on record.