Weather warnings in the UK and Europe (MeteoAlarm)

In Europe, each country's national weather service issues its own weather warnings, in its own language and with its own rules. Most of them use the same four-colour idea, and one website brings them together. Here's how the system works, how the UK fits in, and how to get warnings for the places you care about.

Who issues warnings

The national weather service is the official source in each country. Examples include the Met Office in the UK, Météo-France, Germany's Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD), Spain's AEMET and Italy's national service. Each decides when to warn, for which areas and at what level.

MeteoAlarm is the shared European window onto those warnings. It's run within EUMETNET, the network of European national meteorological services, and brings together warnings from around 40 countries' weather and hydrological services on one map. MeteoAlarm doesn't write or change warnings. It shows what each national service has issued, so the national service stays the authority.

Flooding and civil protection are often handled by other agencies, such as environment agencies, river authorities and civil protection departments. Evacuation decisions and emergency instructions come from local and national authorities.

The colour levels

MeteoAlarm shows national warnings on a common scale (legend). In paraphrase:

Where there's no significant risk, the map shows no warning colour. The hazards covered include wind, rain, snow and ice, thunderstorms, fog, extreme heat and cold, coastal events, forest fire risk, avalanches and floods, depending on what each country issues. Some national services use their own names for the levels. France's "vigilance" map uses green, yellow, orange and red by department (Météo-France). Germany's DWD uses four warning levels from ordinary weather warnings up to extreme weather (DWD). The colours line up closely enough that MeteoAlarm can show them together.

The UK: Met Office warnings

The Met Office issues the UK's National Severe Weather Warnings in yellow, amber and red (Met Office). They're impact-based. The colour comes from a matrix that combines how severe the impacts could be with how likely they are. A yellow warning can mean low impacts that are likely, or bigger impacts that are less likely, so it's worth reading the text and the matrix position, not just the colour. Warnings cover rain, thunderstorms, wind, snow, lightning, ice, extreme heat and fog, and can be issued up to seven days ahead.

Flood warnings in the UK come from separate agencies. In England, the Environment Agency issues three levels (GOV.UK):

• Flood alert: flooding is possible, so be prepared.
• Flood warning: flooding is expected, so take action.
• Severe flood warning: there is a danger to life.

You can see current warnings on Check for flooding and sign up for free calls, texts or emails. Scotland (SEPA Floodline), Wales (Natural Resources Wales) and Northern Ireland (nidirect) run their own services. The flood warning services don't cover every kind of flooding. In England, for example, there are no warnings for surface-water flooding.

Phone alerts: UK Emergency Alerts and EU systems

The UK's Emergency Alerts system sends messages to compatible mobile phones in an area where there's a danger to life. It uses cell broadcast, so it needs no phone number or app, and it doesn't share your location (how alerts work). Alerts make a loud sound even when the phone is on silent. They're sent by emergency services and government, for things like severe flooding. GOV.UK recommends keeping them switched on.

In the EU, the European Electronic Communications Code (Article 110) required countries with a public warning system to deliver warnings through mobile networks to people in the affected area by June 2022, or through an equally effective alternative such as an app. Examples include NL-Alert in the Netherlands, Cell Broadcast in Germany (BBK) alongside the NINA app, and FR-Alert in France. These are the official channels for urgent instructions, and they come first.

Where Herebeat fits

Herebeat shows MeteoAlarm warnings and national weather service alerts for the places you save, each labeled with its source and the time it was issued. That's useful if you follow places in more than one country, like home, family abroad or a trip. It doesn't replace national emergency alerts, the Met Office or your country's flood warning service.

Tips for travellers and cross-border lives

Check the national weather service for the country you're in, as well as MeteoAlarm's overview. Read the warning text, because the same colour can mean different things for wind on a coast and snow in the mountains. If you're travelling, look up the local emergency alert system before you go. And if you're in an affected area, follow instructions from local authorities.