North Yorkshire is the largest rural county in England its geography encompasses a wide central vale, coastal strips, high moorland and long sweeping Pennine hills with deep dales. The diversity of these features means that the communities within County can be affected by a variety of severe weather events such as:

• Severe gales
• Heavy rain and thunderstorms
• Heavy snow and icy roads
• Dense fog

As the national meteorological service for the United Kingdom, the Met Office has a vital role in public safety. They warn the community of severe or hazardous weather which has the potential to cause danger to life or widespread disruption of communications or transport through their National Severe Weather Warning Service.

But what should you do when a warning is issued?

Make sure you know what to do when severe weather is forecast. The first and most vital is check local and national weather forecasts. The Met Office web site is also a valuable source of information. Not only can you find the latest forecast for North Yorkshire, but also all the warnings that are currently in force along with advice on what to do when faced with severe weather.

The NSW warns the community by providing warnings of severe or hazardous weather which could cause problems, ranging from widespread disruption of communications to conditions resulting in transport difficulties or threatening lives.

The severe/extreme weather event warnings mean authorities can then plan how to mitigate or reduce the impact of the weather. This support is provided in three ways:

• To the public at large via the broadcast media
• To the civil emergency authorities
• To the Ministry of Defence when conditions may become sufficiently severe to warrant military aid