Met Office spends millions on flash flood forecasts

Weather experts today revealed a multi-million pound scheme to enhance their ability to predict flash floods, Indian summers and hailstorms.

The Met Office will use more detailed maps in its computer simulations for forecasts to help avoid tragedies such as the deluge that devastated Boscastle last month.

Sean Milton, of the Met Office, said: "There is a general feeling that extreme events such as flash floods will increase in the future. However, they are extremely difficult to predict because they are so localised. We are making a huge investment in our systems to try and improve our predictions of these things."

Currently Britain's weather forecasts are made using computer simulations based on a map of the country divided into 4km grids.

However, the Met Office has begun testing a new system with 1km maps which are much more detailed and help give more precise forecasts.

"For a city like London, these maps are key to gettinga better forecast. Our initial trials have shown they are very effective in predicting localised weather patterns, like flash floods", Mr Milton said at the BA Festival of Science in Exeter.

"Predicting the weather in London is also made very difficult by the heat put out by buildings, which can cause small heat islands throughout the city, which have a huge effect on the local weather.

"More accurate maps will really improve that, as we can incorporate the data from these effects into our simulations."