The Know Daily - Thursday 2 November 2023

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Due to a systems glitch, only half of our readers got their email yesterday 🫠. We hope you all enjoy reading today’s edition with your morning coffee!

The winning images from the British Ecological Society’s annual photography competition have been announced. From the eye of a damselfish hidden within a coral reef (see below) to a lone tree dominating an empty landscape, each stunning photo showcases the beauty of the natural world. Check out all the winning pics and the powerful stories behind them here.

🌧️ Storm Ciarán makes landfall

The UK’s second named storm in the last two weeks has made landfall, closing schools, disrupting travel and even leading to evacuations.

Tell me more.
Storm Ciarán has hit parts of southern England, western Wales and north-west France, bringing heavy rain and powerful winds of more than 110mph. The strongest gusts have so far been reported on the island of Jersey, as well as at St Mary’s (Isles of Scilly), Berry Head (Devon), Shoreham (West Sussex) and Langdon Bay (Kent).

The storm has been declared a major incident in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, with schools announcing that they will close until Friday. Commuters in the area have been advised to work from home if they can.

Where else has been affected?
Officials in Jersey, where gusts have reached up to a “violent storm force 11” on the wind intensity-measuring Beaufort scale, have also declared a major incident. On the Channel Isle, hailstones measuring 5cm have caused damage to property and around 40 people were evacuated to hotels last night after the storm destroyed roofs and windows.

Why is this weather so bad?
Meteorologists have confirmed that Storm Ciarán is something called a “weather bomb” - an unofficial term for when the central pressure inside an area of low pressure drops very quickly, causing “violent winds” to develop around it. 

According to Sky News, the storm was given weather bomb status thanks to a “temperature discrepancy” between Canada and the US, and then a journey across the ocean where it gathered energy while its central pressure dropped rapidly. 

How long will it last for?
Yellow warnings for rain and very strong and potentially damaging winds will remain in place in swathes of southern England and Wales until around 6pm this evening. 

However, sunny weather isn’t on the horizon once Storm Ciarán passes. “The weather over the weekend continues to look unsettled for many, with more showers and rain at times,” said the Met Office’s deputy chief meteorologist.