The so-called great British summer has been pretty wet, windy and miserable so far. But what does the rest of August have in store for us? HELLO! asked BBC Look North in Yorkshire presenter Abbie Dewhurst to predict the long-range forecast for us – because we all need a bit more sunshine in our lives.
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Abbie, who has amassed 54.7k followers on TikTok thanks to her fun and informative weather videos, also talked us through why flash flooding happens, the worrying impact of global warming and whether we can expect more weather chaos this summer.
She also shared the biggest misconception about weather presenters – and it might surprise you. Read on for Abbie's expert weather predictions for the rest of August…
BBC Look North in Yorkshire presenter Abbie Dewhurst reveals all
What does the long-range weather look like for August?
"It's looking to stay pretty unsettled for the first half of August, but I might have better news for the second half of the month. There are pretty encouraging signs of a shift to more settled and possibly warmer weather.
"It's still not set in stone and might take a little while to materialise but we are optimistic."
Will there be another heatwave this year?
"As there are signs of warmer weather developing in the second half of August, there is the chance of heatwave conditions, but this would require high pressure to linger overhead for lengthy period.
"I'd say overall confidence in a heatwave is still fairly low though but that’s not to say it won't settle down and warm up a bit – all we need is a bit of sunshine this time of year and it feels pretty lush."
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Why does flash flooding happen and can we expect more of it?
"Flash flooding happens when we get intense rainfall over a relatively short period of time, but it can depend a little on pre-existing ground conditions. In terms of the heavy rain, the thunderstorms we've seen recently are a good example.
We can expect more flash flooding in August
"As we haven't had much wind, these storms have been slow-moving and that allows a significant amount of rain to fall in one location over an hour or so.
"Also, if there has been an extended dry spell then the ground can be quite hard and won't absorb rain that falls.
"The same goes for concrete/tarmac surfaces, hence the recent flooding in London. With more heavy showers forecast through August there is every potential of seeing some localised flash flooding."
What other impacts of global warming are we seeing on the weather this year?
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"The 'State of the Climate' report has been recently published by the Met Office, which confirmed 2020 was warmer, wetter and sunnier than average with temperature, sunshine and rainfall all in the top ten highest on record.
"This is the first time we've seen this in a single year and the records date back at least 100 years.
"Team that with what we're seeing globally with intense, record-breaking heatwaves, wildfires and devastating flooding, 2021 has already shown that the impacts of global warming are being seen in these extreme weather events around the world."
However, a heatwave may be on the cards!
What are the most common misconceptions about weather forecasting?
"The autocue! From speaking to people online and in person over the years, so many people think our job is just to read a script that someone else writes for you off an autocue. There is so much more to the job than that and all of us weather forecasters need to understand the weather and what we're talking about in such great detail.
"We prepare all our own bulletins and graphics, give forecasts across all the local BBC radio stations and have the information stored in our heads ready to tell the story as opposed to read the script as we never know what questions could be thrown our way or how long our bulletins are going to be so we really do have to be prepared for all sorts. No autocues are used at all."
You're big on TikTok - why do you think your videos are so popular with the younger generation?
"I think we're all a little bit obsessed with the weather, aren't we? Particularly here in the UK where it's so changeable and can impact your plans so much. I remember being glued to the TV forecasts when I was younger, desperate to see whether my netball would be cancelled or our Friday night BBQ plans would be called off.
Abbie has 54.7k followers on TikTok
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"I think what's nice about TikTok is that it's encouraging people to view things and therefore explain and present things differently. I'm showing a forecast or a weather explainer in a way that is SO different to what people are used to seeing on TV and it's something that is all of a sudden a little more relatable to younger audiences.
"Plus, I still find the 'behind the scenes' stuff at the BBC fascinating and I've worked here almost eight years, so I think the peek behind the weather camera and into the inner workings of the media industry has shown people a world they never knew existed – hopefully we're inspiring the weather forecasters of the future!"
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