Weather warnings explained: yellow, amber, red
Published
Yellow: check whether it affects you. Amber: be ready to change your plans. Red: dangerous weather, so act now and avoid travel.
Yellow
The Met Office issues yellow warnings most often. They can mean the weather might cause minor disruption, or that something worse is possible but less certain.
What we’d do at home:
- Check the warning actually covers where you live.
- Charge your phone and the power bank.
- Make sure you know where the torch is.
Amber
Amber means significant problems are more likely: travel delays, roads and railways closed, power cuts, and some risk to life and property.
What we’d do at home, the things you’d regret not doing:
- Bring in or tie down anything the wind could pick up, like bins and garden furniture.
- Fill a few bottles or a container with tap water.
- Check on someone who lives alone.
- Put the radio where you can find it in the dark.
- Top up the power bank. If you haven’t got one, our pick is the Anker Zolo 20,000 mAh (Ad).
Red
Red is for dangerous weather. The Met Office says to take action now, if you haven’t already, to keep yourself and others safe.
- Follow what the emergency services and your local council tell you.
- Don’t travel unless you have to.
Keep the radio on for local news. If you need one, our pick is the iRonsnow wind-up and solar radio (Ad). The storm page has the rest, and the power cut page covers what to do if the lights go.
Reading the grid
Each warning’s details include a small grid. One side is how likely the weather is to cause problems, the other is how bad those problems could be. The colour comes from where the two meet. So a yellow warning can mean minor disruption that’s likely, or serious disruption that’s possible.
Floods are separate
Flood warnings come from the flood agencies, not the Met Office. Check your area: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland.
Emergency Alerts
In the most serious cases, the government can send an Emergency Alert to mobile phones in an area. It makes a loud noise, even if your phone is on silent.
Where to see warnings
On the Met Office website and app, and on local radio. It’s also worth a look at the checklist before the season starts.