Who issues warnings
The Met Office is the UK’s official weather service. It runs the National Severe Weather Warning Service 24 hours a day, every day, so a warning can be issued at any time. Warnings are issued up to seven days ahead for eight types of weather: rain, thunderstorms, wind, snow, lightning, ice, extreme heat and fog.
What the colours mean
Each warning is yellow, amber or red, based on a combination of how much impact the weather could have and how likely those impacts are. These summaries follow the Met Office’s own descriptions.
| Colour | What the Met Office says | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Often a high likelihood of some moderate impacts, such as travel disruption in a few places. Some yellow warnings instead mean much bigger impacts are possible but less certain. | Read the warning to see which kind it is, and check whether you could be affected. |
| Amber | An increased likelihood of impacts that could disrupt your plans: travel delays, road and rail closures, power cuts and a potential risk to life and property. | Think about changing your plans. Take action to protect yourself, your property and others before the weather arrives. |
| Red | Dangerous weather is expected. A very high likelihood of risk to life, substantial disruption to travel and energy supplies, and possibly widespread damage. | Take action now if you have not already. Avoid travelling where possible. Follow the emergency services and your local council. |
Read the matrix, not just the colour
Yellow and amber warnings each cover a range of impacts and likelihoods. In the “Further details” section of each warning, the Met Office shows a matrix with one box ticked: impact level on one side and likelihood on the other. That box tells you much more than the colour alone. Each warning also has a short headline, a “What to expect” section and a “What should I do” section.
From October 2026, the Met Office, the UK’s hydrological agencies and the Flood Forecasting Centre use a new shared matrix for weather warnings and flood guidance, with some changes to the words used for impact levels. Check the current matrix on the Met Office warnings guide.
Dual warnings
Sometimes two types of weather, such as wind and rain, are covered by one warning. Read both parts.
Weather warnings and flood warnings are different
A Met Office rain warning tells you about the weather. Flood alerts and warnings come from the Environment Agency, SEPA or Natural Resources Wales, and tell you about specific rivers, coasts and places. See flood alerts and warnings explained.
Power companies also use “storm categories” for compensation. Those are based on network damage and are different from Met Office warnings.
How to get warnings
- The Met Office app and website, including warnings for places you choose.
- Met Office email alerts and social media.
- TV and radio forecasts.
Separately, in rare cases where there is a danger to life nearby, the government may send an Emergency Alert to mobile phones. Read it and follow its instructions.
Official sources we used
- Weather warnings guide (Met Office)
- Weather warnings and advice (Met Office)
- UK Storm Centre (Met Office)
- Emergency Alerts (GOV.UK)