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Met Office Warnings i
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Tick a warning to draw it on the map. Warnings appear up to 6 hours before they come into force. Those are marked Starts in… and drawn with a dashed outline. For all active warnings, refer to the warnings page. For authoritative weather guidance, refer to the Met Office warnings page.
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Met Office Weather Warnings

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

What the list shows. Warnings that matter at the point on the timeline you are viewing. A warning appears up to 6 hours before it comes into force, so you can see what is heading your way while you watch the rain arrive. Until it starts, it is labelled "Starts in…" and drawn on the map with a dashed outline; once it is in force the outline becomes solid.

Using it. Tick a warning to draw its area on the map. Scrubbing or playing the timeline updates each warning's status, and warnings that are more than 6 hours away, or that have already expired, are dimmed. "Full details" opens that exact warning on the warnings page.

For a complete list of all currently active Met Office warnings and detailed outlooks, refer to the warnings page. For authoritative weather guidance, refer to the Met Office warnings page.

About this satellite view

Live UK satellite view

This weather satellite map animates imagery from EUMETSAT's Meteosat Third Generation satellites, refreshed every 5 to 15 minutes, in visible GeoColour, visible greyscale and infrared channels. Press play to see cloud and storm systems sweep in from the Atlantic, scrub back through the last two days, and overlay rainfall radar, Met Office weather warnings and surface pressure. It is free and needs no sign-up.

How the live satellite view works

The imagery comes from Meteosat Third Generation, EUMETSAT's newest geostationary weather satellites, which watch Europe continuously from 36,000 km above the equator. A fresh frame arrives every 5 to 15 minutes depending on the channel, so the view reflects the cloud that is actually over the UK right now rather than a forecast. Use the timeline to animate recent frames and watch weather systems develop and move.

Satellite channels you can choose

  • Visible GeoColour: a natural-colour view of cloud, land and sea, blending in NASA Black Marble city lights on the night side.
  • Visible greyscale: high-resolution reflected sunlight, the sharpest daytime view of cloud texture and shower fields.
  • Infrared false colour: cloud-top temperature day and night; the coldest, highest tops often mark the most active weather.
  • Rainfall radar overlay: add the Met Office 1 km rainfall radar to see which cloud is actually producing rain.
  • Met Office warnings and pressure: overlay live weather warnings and ECMWF surface pressure to relate cloud to fronts and lows.

Day, night and infrared

Visible channels work like a photograph from space, so they are at their best in daylight. Infrared senses the temperature of cloud tops instead of sunlight, which means it keeps working through the night. Because colder usually means higher, it picks out towering storm cloud clearly. After dark the GeoColour view swaps to a night-time blend with city lights, so the UK stays visible overnight.

Tracking storms from space

Satellite shows the widest view of UK weather: you can see Atlantic lows forming hundreds of miles offshore, long before rain reaches the radar network. Animate the last few hours to follow a storm's track, then add the rainfall radar overlay and Met Office warnings as it makes landfall. During a named storm, the UK named storms page has the season's records.

More UK weather and flood tools

Explore the rest of Flood Forecast's live rainfall and flood-risk tools:

Frequently asked questions

How often is the UK satellite view updated?

Satellite imagery refreshes roughly every 5 to 15 minutes depending on the channel, so you can watch cloud and storms move across the UK in near real time. The optional rainfall radar overlay updates every 15 minutes.

Where does the satellite imagery come from?

Imagery is sourced from EUMETSAT's Meteosat Third Generation satellites, including visible GeoColour, visible greyscale and infrared channels. The GeoColour night side blends in NASA Black Marble city lights.

Can I see the UK on satellite at night?

Yes. Infrared imagery works around the clock because it senses cloud-top temperature rather than reflected sunlight, and the GeoColour view switches to a night-time blend with NASA Black Marble city lights after dark.

What is the difference between visible and infrared satellite imagery?

Visible imagery shows sunlight reflected off cloud, like a photograph from space, so it is sharpest during daylight. Infrared measures cloud-top temperature, revealing cloud day and night. The coldest, highest tops often mark the most active weather.

Can I track storms with the satellite view?

Yes. Press play to animate the last few hours of imagery and watch storm systems approach from the Atlantic. You can overlay live Met Office weather warnings, surface pressure from the ECMWF model, and rainfall radar to follow a storm as it arrives.

Is the live UK satellite view free to use?

Yes, the live UK satellite view on Flood Forecast is free to use, with no account or sign-up.

Flood Forecast is an independent, experimental tool. For authoritative weather guidance always refer to the Met Office.