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Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Climate
- Daily Mirror
Extreme weather survivalist explains why mega tsunami could be truly 'devastating'
Meteorologist Jim Dale has offered his thoughts on the tsunami issues that have been issued across parts of the world today, following an earthquake of a magnitude comparable to those that wreaked devastation in 2004 and 2011 An expert has shared their thoughts as alarming tsunami warnings are issued in various parts of the world, with ferocious waves having already crashed against the shores of Russia, Hawaii, California, and Japan's northern island of Hokkaido. Senior meteorologist Jim Dale, who founded meteorological operator British Weather Services, has explained why the 8.8-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami waves have sparked such concern, while issuing a serious warning to anyone who finds themselves caught up in this sort of dangerous situation. Speaking with the Mirror, Jim noted that "at this moment in time we're in the sort of waiting period to see exactly what impacts unfold", as fears over potential casualties circulate. He revealed: "Because the playground is so big, the Northern Pacific, we've got to wait and see how that affects." This comes as Hawaii, Japan and US issued with warnings after monster earthquake This comes as footage shows horror moment waves from 8.8 magnitude quake smash Japan This monster quake is understood to be the biggest since March 2011, when a magnitude-9.0 shake struck 250 miles off the northeastern coast of Honshu, the largest island in Japan. Notably, this earthquake occurred just 20 miles below the Pacific Ocean's surface, a relatively shallow depth. This factor, when combined with the high magnitude, led to a catastrophic tsunami. Some 15,894 people died, while a further 26,152 individuals were injured. Amid the widespread destruction, Japan saw serious damage inflicted on the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, leading to hazardous meltdowns. To this day, this long-evacuated area remains a no-go zone. Comparisons have also been made with the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami, a tragedy whereby a 9.2–9.3 earthquake triggered a nightmarish tsunami with waves as high as 30 m (100 ft). Also known as the Asian Tsunami, this event decimated communities along the coasts of Indonesia, India, and Thailand. It remains the deadliest event of the 21st century so far, claiming more than230,000 lives. Footage of fierce waves striking shorelines today will, no doubt, bring back painful memories for many. However, Jim has cautioned against drawing comparisons with the 2011 and 2004 tragedies, as the current event continues to unfold. While he feels it's "too soon" to make any predictions, Jim is cautiously optimistic that we won't see the sort of devastation that emerged in 2004. Jim told us: "It's obviously too soon, but my instant reaction, given we're now eight hours past the actual earthquake itself, the premier one, I would have expected if we're going to see that kind of destruction, that we would have seen some of that already, to be frank with you. Particularly in and around where the earthquake has been, the Kamchatka Peninsula. "That's where you would expect it to be; that's where it is. It's a shallow earthquake, apparently, so some of those can be quite devastating in terms of producing the biggest types of waves. "So, because this part of the world is fairly remote-ish, and then you've got Alaska on the other side, and then the massive ocean, and then Hawaii, and then the west coast of America. You kind of have to wait, but I do not think at this stage that we're in the same category as 2004. We're yet to see, but I don't think so." In this case, Jim has emphasised that this particular quake has "nothing to do with climate change", and is a "geological not meteorological event". Furthermore, even though this earthquake is indeed of a similar size to these two harrowing quakes, scale isn't the only factor that affects the overall impact, and the positioning of the plates can be just as important. Jim said: "These things will always have their own uniqueness, wherever the adeptonic place will be, it depends where it is, it depends how deep it is, how shallow it is, it depends what the landmass next door to it is, etc. "So there are lots of different components in every earthquake that happens, but essentially, if we're trying to compare, I don't think we can properly compare; we've got to bide time. You know, because it still might unfold in days to come if there are further shocks, etc, etc. "But for now, we've got a look at particularly unpopulated areas, by which I mean more remote areas that might have been on social media, that may have seen tremendous damage, we'll see. But for the likes of Japan, Hawaii, the west coast of America, I doubt that we'll be seeing the kind of devastation that we saw in 2004, for example." With this in mind, Jim is cautious about making any predictions about the number of fatalities, but has noted that, had this quake happened in a more densely populated area, then we could have been looking at" countless hundreds of thousands [of deaths] without a shadow of a doubt." He went on: "If it happens in a remote area, this being one of them, it's probably arguably got less chance of doing fatality damage than if it happened right next to a big urban area, such as Tokyo, for example." Jim noted that "lessons have been learned" in the years since previous weather events devastated communities, with authorities reacting quickly to the situation as it continues to unfold, with this sort of preparation undoubtedly saving lives. According to Jim: "The emergency warnings that go out do save lives. Make that absolutely clear. Places like Japan are a good example of a place that is well equipped to deal with this kind of event, because they've got the backup. They're a first-world country, obviously, and they've got the backup of emergency shelters, evacuation routes. They know what to do; they're very well trained." However, Jim, who teaches seminars on how to survive earthquakes and tsunamis, has also cautioned that survival can ultimately come down to individual actions and decisions made with mere seconds to spare. This, of course, includes knowing what not to do should disaster strike. As a regular traveller to earthquake and tsunami hotspots, he's previously been surprised by how little some seminar attendees know. Jim, who co-wrote the book Surviving Extreme Weather, urged: "If individuals know what to do beyond the local authorities, then it's a bit like, if a tsunami happened on a beach, you see the sea going back out again. You don't go and pick shells, you don't take photographs for social media, you get the hell out of there as fast as you can. Aim for higher ground, higher buildings." According to Jim, those who find themselves in a high-rise building in the event of an earthquake shouldn't risk getting out of there via the stairs or lift, and should instead take shelter under their desk, taking precautions to protect their head. However, those in low rise buildings should aim to get outside. Jim warned: "If it's just a normal two-story building, you'd want to get out, you know, get out the front door and get into the open space away from buildings. Why? Because the buildings falling are the things that are going to get you in the end". Talking specifically about earthquakes, Jim added: "If you get yourself into an open space where nothing can fall on you, trees, buildings, you're virtually safe. The chances of the ground opening up and swallowing you up are very, very small. The chance of a building falling on you is far higher."
Daily Mirror
21-07-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mirror
UK thunderstorm maps show 14 regions to be battered by lightning and heavy rain
Brits up and down the nation are bracing for potential flooding and travel disruption as the Met Office has blanketed the majority of the country under yellow weather alerts Yellow weather alerts for thunderstorms and heavy rain have been issued across the UK, putting a brutal end to the country's heat spell. Britain's blue skies and scorching temperatures have quickly been replaced with stark warnings for heavy showers and thunderstorms which could result in travel chaos and even flash flooding. More than a dozen regions have today (Monday, July 21) been included in the Met Office's weather warnings - which include two thunderstorm alerts and two 'rain' alerts. "Rainfall amounts will vary from place to place but 20-30 mm is likely within an hour in a few places, with a small chance of 40-50 mm in one or two locations; this most likely across southern Scotland and northern England," the Met Office states. "Lightning strikes are also likely along with the potential for hail and gusty winds." Speaking exclusively with the Mirror, Jim Dale, the founder and Senior Meteorological Consultant at British Weather Services, says it's hard to predict the exact time the storm will batter Brits due to the erroneous nature of the 'random beasts. "This is very likely the last day of major thunderstorm risk for now," he added. "But within that risk anything goes, including lightning strikes, hail, gusty winds, flash floods, and maybe -just maybe - the odd mini tornado. Most of us will inevitably miss them but if you happen to be in one of them expect any of the above and take cover." Want big news with big heart? Get the top headlines sent straight to your inbox with our Daily Newsletter The first warning (labelled below as 1/2) , which is slated to last from 3am and is in place until 9pm, impacts England's south east, including Greater London, Kent, and Oxfordshire. This warning was updated at 10am and has actually shrunken in size as the Met Office removed parts of southern England from the yellow zone. The second warning (labelled below as 2/2), which started at 11am and is also in place until 9pm, impacts a much larger area of the country. Yellow thunderstorm alert - full list of affected areas (1/2) East of England Bedford Cambridgeshire Central Bedfordshire Essex Hertfordshire Luton Norfolk Southend-on-Sea Suffolk Thurrock London and South East England Bracknell Forest Brighton and Hove Buckinghamshire East Sussex Greater London Hampshire Kent Medway Milton Keynes Oxfordshire Portsmouth Reading Slough Southampton Surrey West Berkshire West Sussex Windsor and Maidenhead Wokingham South West England Swindon Wiltshire Yellow Thunderstorm warning - full list of affected areas (2/2) Central, Tayside & Fife Angus Clackmannanshire Dundee Falkirk Fife Perth and Kinross Stirling East Midlands Derby Derbyshire Leicester Leicestershire Lincolnshire Northamptonshire Nottingham Nottinghamshire Rutland East of England Bedford Cambridgeshire Norfolk Peterborough Grampian Aberdeenshire Moray Highlands & Eilean Siar Highland London & South East England Buckinghamshire Milton Keynes Oxfordshire North East England Darlington Durham Gateshead Hartlepool Middlesbrough Newcastle upon Tyne North Tyneside Northumberland Redcar and Cleveland South Tyneside Stockton-on-Tees Sunderland North West England Blackburn with Darwen Blackpool Cheshire East Cheshire West and Chester Cumbria Greater Manchester Halton Lancashire Merseyside Warrington SW Scotland, Lothian Borders Dumfries and Galloway East Lothian Edinburgh Midlothian Council Scottish Borders West Lothian South West England Gloucestershire Swindon Wiltshire Strathclyde Argyll and Bute East Ayrshire East Dunbartonshire East Renfrewshire Glasgow Inverclyde North Ayrshire North Lanarkshire Renfrewshire South Ayrshire South Lanarkshire West Dunbartonshire Wales Conwy Denbighshire Flintshire Gwynedd Powys Wrexham West Midlands Herefordshire Shropshire Staffordshire Stoke-on-Trent Telford and Wrekin Warwickshire West Midlands Conurbation Worcestershire Yorkshire & Humber East Riding of Yorkshire Kingston upon Hull North East Lincolnshire North Lincolnshire North Yorkshire South Yorkshire West Yorkshire York The Highlands have also been placed under a yellow weather alert for heavy rain. The warning will come into place at 3pm and is expected to last until 6am the following morning. Over in Northern Ireland, an existing yellow warning for rain is predicted to end at 6pm this evening.
Metro
03-07-2025
- Climate
- Metro
UK weather set for wet weekend and cooler temperatures after blistering heatwave
After the UK recorded the hottest day of 2025 so far earlier this week, Britons will finally get a chance to cool off. Temperatures hit 33.6°C in Kent on Tuesday as Wimbledon attendees tried to find any bits of shade to hide in as they waited in the queue. Thankfully, this weekend will bring some much-needed rain and cooler air. Today, the weather will remain mostly dry and warm, but overnight winds will pick up as a cold front moves in. The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for rain beginning tomorrow across parts of western Scotland, just north of Glasgow. In northern England, the wind will turn into rain, which could become heavy at times in the northwest near Liverpool. Tomorrow, much of the northern UK will feel wind and rain, but it will remain dry and a bit sunny around London and in the south, with spells of rain showers. Temperatures will drop in the capital to 22°C on Saturday, paired with rain showers and a low temperature of 17°C – sure to be a relief after this week's intense heat. It's too early to predict any future heatwaves in the UK this summer, but temperatures will likely rise again. Met Office Climate Scientist Dr Amy Doherty said: 'While we've not conducted formal climate attribution studies into June 2025's two heatwaves, past studies have shown it is virtually certain that human influence has increased the occurrence and intensity of extreme heat events such as this. 'Numerous climate attribution studies have shown that human influence increased the chance that specific extreme heat events would occur, such as the summer of 2018 and July 2022. 'Our Met Office climate projections indicate that hot spells will become more frequent in our future climate, particularly over the southeast of the UK. More Trending 'Temperatures are projected to rise in all seasons, but the heat would be most intense in summer.' Senior meteorologist Jim Dale told Metro earlier this week that heatwaves will become a regular occurrence in the UK. 'The dots are very clear, and they make a picture; one of records falling left, right and centre,' he said. 'It's not just air temperature records, it's sea temperatures too, with record levels in the Mediterranean even in June, never mind July and August.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Is it safe to travel to Crete? Latest tourist advice amid wildfire evacuations MORE: 'Biblical' wildfires in Crete lead to evacuations from hotels in holiday hotspot MORE: Teen struck by lightning through her phone charger in freak accident
Metro
30-06-2025
- Climate
- Metro
Naked man strolls through Newcastle town centre on hottest day of year
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video This was the moment a man walked through Newcastle town centre in his birthday suit on one of the hottest days of the year so far. Temperatures hit 24C in the city yesterday, but soared to 28C today – and it seems some are desperate to escape the heat. Onlookers were left stunned after spotting the fully-naked man, who wasn't even wearing shoes, on the High Street shortly after 5 pm on Saturday. The man was casually walking past shoppers near the Guild Hall, before further footage showed him sprinting across a roundabout. It comes as today, temperatures have got so high in London that Wimbledon fans were urged not to travel. Wimbledon is set for its hottest opening day ever, with temperatures expected to surpass the previous record of 29.3°C set on June 25, 2001. The hottest day the tournament has seen was on July 1, 2015, when temperatures reached 35.7°C. In Scotland, brave gamekeepers took on raging wildfires armed only with a leafblower to stop the spread to rural communities. Much of England will enter a fourth day of a heatwave, forecast to be hotter than holiday spots in Barbados, Jamaica and Mexico. Since 1960, UK temperatures in June have surpassed 34°C in only three years, with the hottest being 35.6°C, recorded on June 28, 1976, during the hottest and longest heatwave ever recorded. But an expert told Metro that scorching 40C temperatures will soon become the 'new normal' in the UK. Jim Dale said that the UK and the rest of the world are in danger of 'boiling over' as extreme heat becomes a regular occurrence due to climate change. Mr Dale spoke as the country bakes on the fourth day of a heatwave that is predicted to set a record-breaking 34C (93.2F) plus for the month of June. More Trending He has spent the last 40 years warning about the impact of global warming and now believes the planet is close to a tipping point. 'Yes, from time to time, in the past 50 or 100 years, we have had heatwaves,' Mr Dale said. 'However, the top 10 global and UK temperatures have nearly all come in the last 20 years. 'This is the new abnormal. The dots are very clear, and they make a picture; one of records falling left, right and centre.' Firefighters in Turkey and France were responding today as both countries experienced extreme heat, with readings exceeding 40C (104F) in both countries over the past week. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Woman finds 'hidden camera' inside rented home's bathroom smoke alarm MORE: Easyjet launches 11 new flights from major UK airport to Greece, Spain, Portugal and more MORE: Greek hotel hits back after gran complained there was no English food and they only did chips on one day
Metro
18-06-2025
- Climate
- Metro
UK now 20 times more likely to see a 40°C summer
Heatwave-level hot weather will be here for a while – and we might even see temperatures pass 40°C this summer, a UK forecaster has warned. A UK heatwave is expected to be officially declared by this weekend, with temperatures reaching over 30°C tomorrow and sticking around until next week, before another burst of hot weather likely at the end of the month. While many will enjoy the chance of sunning themselves, hotter weather, for example heatwaves, are part of a concerning trend. The UK is now over 20 times more likely to see 40°C heat than it was in the 1960s, the Met Office warned today. Jim Dale, a forecaster who founded British Weather Services, told Metro the rising risk of heatwaves is obvious just from the weather so far in 2025. The driest spring on record, with drought conditions already seen in some areas, has given way to a sunny start to summer that shows no sign of easing. 'We may well see 40°C again before we get to the end of the month,' he said, with the caveat that it's still far enough away for weather models to have a wide margin of error. Dr Gillian Kay, lead author of a Met Office study into heatwaves, said: 'Because our climate continues to warm, we can expect the chance [of 40°C heat] to keep rising. 'We estimate a 50-50 chance of seeing a 40°C day again in the next 12 years. 'We also found that temperatures several degrees higher than we saw in July 2022 are possible in today's climate.' She warned that the UK must 'prepare for even higher heat extremes in the near future'. When UK temperatures went over 40° for the first time that year, it was seen as a shocking outlier. People camped out wherever they could find air conditioning, as London's fire brigade had its busiest day since World War Two. But this type of heatwave may be something we UK residents have to get used to, with models showing the likelihood is shooting up. Dr Nick Dunstone, Met Office Science Fellow and study co-author, said: 'The well-known hot summer of 1976 had more than a fortnight above 28°C, which is a key heatwave threshold in southeast England. 'Our study finds that in today's climate such conditions could persist for a month or more.' If you thought the current UK heatwave was sweltering, there is worse to come, that might even have you looking at flights to Finland. The US National Weather Service's GFS weather model shows another blast of hot air coming our way at the end of June. Mr Dale said it's not normal to be having such hot weather so early on: 'June isn't the hottest month of the year – it never is. July and August are.' He said dry conditions early in the year have made hot conditions more likely. Warmer weather has led to the North Sea, Irish Sea and English Channel being warmer too, meaning when wind blows over the water it has less of a cooling effect. Mr Dale pointed out that other countries have also been experiencing record heat. Temperatures were expected to be over 40°C in southern Spain today, and some stations recorded over 42°C last week. More Trending The Middle East, Asia, and North Africa are all 'going through their June records, if not all time records,' Mr Dale said. 'We're surrounded by all this heat, so it was almost inevitable we would get into an airstream that would deliver the same for us. Hey presto, it's doing that now and will do so for the next four or five days.' The reason for the increased heat is 'climate change, without a shadow of a doubt,' he said. 'It's what is written on the can of climate change: swapping from wet times in winter, to dry times in summer, and droughts etc.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: The ultimate guide for travelling on the Tube in a heatwave MORE: I love living in London — but it sucks in the summer MORE: For the latest Glastonbury weather forecast you need to follow a guy called Gav
