MyWeather2

Lately the UK has been ravaged by brutal storms  with ferocious winds and colossal waves causing widespread chaos. The result has been some of the worst floods in decades, and these are set to continue into 2014.

Over the past few weeks, thousands of people have had their Christmas and New Year plans ruined as over 75,000 homes were left without power. Furthermore, many didnt make their desired destination for Christmas as numerous transport routes came to a halt. Gatwick was one the biggest airports to face disruption, as a power cut in the North terminal left flights delayed and cancelled with thousands of passengers left stranded as a result.

The storm is a result of a deep area of low pressure developing over the Atlantic Ocean bringing winds of 80 mph and waves as high as 32ft  conditions which have wreaked destruction across the UK. Despite efforts from the Environment Agency who released daily flood warnings, many residents haven’t have enough time to prepare for the bad weather. As sea-levels rose, the worst to be affected were coastal towns such as Norfolk, Suffolk and Kent.

Sir David King, the governments special representative on climate change, responded to the recent floods by stating, priority should be given to much more funding to create a better situation so we can face up to flooding in a proper manner on the British Isles. King claims that expenditure needs to double to £1bn a year by 2020 to manage the problem more effectively, as extreme weather is likely to occur more frequently.

Climate changes as a result of global warming are said to be the cause behind the recent storm surges. With the added low pressure and the stronger winds to contend with, what is being put in place to protect the UK from such changes? With stormy weather set to continue, the Prime Minister released a statement saying that the UK would see a record level of money invested on flood defences guaranteed right out into 2020 so [the Environment Agency] can really plan for the future.

Finding the perfect shade of lipstick involves trial and error. This may be an arduous task but it is definitely worth it! Would 1950s screen siren, Marilyn Munroe have looked as glamorous without her trademark red lips? Remember, there is nothing quite as alluring as a perfectly painted pout. The ancient Egyptians were willing to die for it, as Egyptian women used to extract red dye from plants and chemical compounds to apply to their lips. However, they often ended up poisoning themselves in the process.

Nowadays looking beautiful is not quite so dangerous! 2013 is all about the lips and lipsticks have made a killer comeback. Allow me to guide you to this summer’s Hottest Lip Colours:

Electric pink is the colour in every Fashionista’s makeup bag this summer! Tone down your eyes to pull off such colours that pop. 

Juicy Peach is a summer favourite that looks great on the beach! Team it up with plenty of bronzer for that sun-kissed look.

Tangerine looks great with lashings of mascara, to turn up the drama.  

Red Lips were confirmed by this season’s catwalks. Burberry models wore a rich, scarlet red with a velvety texture; whilst Prada models wore a matte crimson. We celebrated all shades of red, ranging from pinky red at Missoni and Oscar de la Renta to fire engine red at Jean Paul Gaultier. In contrast, Jonathan Saunders favoured a more dramatic, cherry red. In terms of textures, matte is definitely in but I suggest you use a lip moisturiser underneath to prevent your lips from looking chapped.

Red is a challenging colour to pull off but the trick is to match your skin tone with a bright red containing an equivalent undertone. Do bear in mind that your skin tone may change with the different seasons (summer and winter being the extremes):

1) A deep or aubergine red will compliment a dark skin tone.

2) A golden or coral red will compliment a creamy, olive or tanned skin tone.

3) A cold, pinkish red will compliment a fair skin tone.  

Whatever the fashion, Red lipstick is an essential fashion item along with that little black dress for timeless elegance.

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It’s hard to get the perfect pout or kiss for that matter, when you have to weather the elements. Dry winter air, arctic blasts of wind, and bright sunshine can seriously dehydrate your lips! The thin layer of skin on the lips does not have oil glands, whilst oil acts as a barrier for skin and helps to protect it from the elements. Did you know that you can lose up to 10 times more moisture through your lips than anywhere else on your face/body? This can seriously compromise your pout.

The lips are similar to a sponge: When they are exposed to moisture, they will absorb water and plump up. When dehydrated, they will shrink.

Follow these simple tips for a perfect pout:

1. Drink plenty of water to keep your skin hydrated, if your body is sufficiently hydrated then your lips will be moisturized automatically.

2. Eat a healthy diet that consists of foods that are rich in vitamins A, B and C.  Plenty of green vegetables and juicy fruits!

3. Use an emollient balm or ointment rather than a waxy stick treatment to moisturise your lips.

4. Hunt for balms that contain super ingredients like beeswax, Shea butter, vitamin E and almond or coconut oil. You can’t go wrong with petroleum jelly either.

5. Use a Lipstick/balm, containing at least SPF 15. Lips are vulnerable to sunburn because they lack melanin. This is a pigment which helps to shield your skin from the sun. The suns UV rays can impact the production of collagen on your lips which can lead to wrinkles on and around the lip area.

6. Use an SPF lip balm every day and reapply it at least once every two hours, because UV rays can get through a cloudy sky aswell.

7. Beware of shiny lipsticks or glosses that contain little colour because they can direct UV rays to the lip area. The high sheen reflects the suns rays and if the product does not contain an SPF, it can increase your chances of developing skin cancer.

8. Avoid matte lipsticks because they dry out your lips. Alternatively, use a hydrating lipstick or apply a layer of lip balm underneath. 

9. Do not lick your lips as it will make them dryer! Saliva contains acids that help to break down food, but those acids can irritate your lips further.

10. Milk cream is a wonderful home remedy for softer and pinker lips, it will moisturise your lips and remove the dead skin:

Make a paste with milk cream, rose petals (crushed) and honey. Apply the paste to your lips with a cotton pad. Keep the paste on for fifteen and then remove with a cotton pad.

So come rain or shine, enjoy softer and smoother lips!

Love the skin that you live in! This is easier said than done, it’s difficult to love your skin when it is dry and flaking or oily and acne prone. The delicate skin on your face is especially vulnerable, as compared to the rest of our body because it is directly exposed to the harsh elements: Sun, wind, rain and snow.

Don’t let the current weather take its toll on your skin! Armed with the correct knowledge and action, your skin can get a happy ending too.

Follow my top skin-care tips for a summer glow:

1. Use a lighter moisturiser in the summer, which will hydrate your skin without overloading it. If you have oily skin, then try an oil-free or oil-balancing moisturiser.

2. Select a moisturiser which carries at least SPF 15 or higher, for everyday use. You may want to top up your moisturiser with additional sunscreen, especially on sun sensitive areas, such as the nose and lips.

3. The sun can cause hyper pigmentation/brown spots because of the heat from UV rays. Even if you are careful about sun protection, your melanin activity can still be stimulated, resulting in an increase of brown spots. Try using a skin lightener every day to control the melanin activity and prevent pigmentation from getting worse.

4. I highly recommend using a BB (beauty balm) for UV protection, anti-aging and brightening benefits

5. Don’t neglect your lips! Lips have no melanin, making them more vulnerable to sun damage. Invest in a lip salve that has an indicated SPF 15 or higher.

6. Do reapply sunscreen after swimming, because no sunscreen is totally waterproof! In general, sunscreen should be reapplied every two hours.

7. Adopt a good cleansing routine to avoid blocked pores and breakouts in the summer:

• Remove all make-up and perspiration built up during the day with oil blotting paper.
• Cleanse your skin thoroughly at night with a good quality cleanser. Avoid soap! Because it will strip your skin of its water and natural oils.
• Exfoliate to remove dead surface skin cells.
• Add a toner to remove any residue left and to rebalance skin.

8. Drink at least two litres of water per day!

9. Eat plenty of watermelon and cantaloupes to keep your skin hydrated with antioxidants.

So come rain or shine, treat your skin to some much needed tender love and care!

Everybody wants celebrity-like dazzling eyes that command attention. As they say, eyes are the window to the soul. Unfortunately many of us neglect our eyes and let the elements take their toll on them.

Seasonal climate involving cold air, chilly winds and bright sunshine can make your eyes dry, itchy and sore. Sunlight can also increase the long-term risk of developing conditions such as cataracts, macular degeneration and skin cancer of the eyelids.* Follow these simple tips to protect your eyes this summer:

  1. Drink plenty of water to keep your skin and eyes hydrated, a minimum of 2 litres per day is recommended.

  2. Include healthynutrients to your diet, such as fish oil, black current seed oil and fresh flax oil to treat dry eyes. Also avoid alcohol and caffeine, which dehydrate the body.

  3. Moisturise and soothe your eyes with lubricating drops. Rose water is a highly effective, natural lubricant that can be readily purchased.

  4. Use a good quality eye cream and keep an eye out (ha!) for the following ingredients:

• Vitamin E can soothe and protect your eye area.
• Vitamin C can improve collagen production and skin elasticity. 
• Vitamin K can plump up the under eye area, decrease dark circles and renew sun damaged skin.

  5. Use a cooling eye pack, before going to bed to treat puffy eyes and dark circles.

  6. Go glam with large sunglasses that must block out 99% of Ultraviolet A (UVA) and Ultraviolet B (UVB) rays. I recommend wraparound sunglasses, to prevent the sun’s rays from entering from the sides.

Remember sunglasses are not just for the summer! UV damage can even occur on cloudy days. If youre out in the snow on a bright, sunny day with no eye protection, your eyes can actually suffer from snow blindness – when the corneas become extremely irritated resulting in pain, tearing and light sensitivity. So keep a pair of sunglasses at hand whenever you’re out. to check when and where its going to snow heavily, check our snowfall charts for global ski resorts.

 7. Wear swimming goggles to protect your eyes from chlorinated or salt water. Swimming goggles can be bought in different prescriptions to satisfy your individual needs. Our water temperature index can be found

 8. Your eyes deserve some tender love and care  So do remember to get them checked annually !

*To check the levels of wind and sunlight you may be exposed to on a daily basis, check out these wind flow charts and cloud/ sunlight charts for your area.

So we all have bad hair days or should I say big hair days? And no doubt the weather is a big contributing factor to the way your hair feels, be it humidity, wind or sunshine that’s damaging your hair. Unfortunately we cannot control the weather but armed with local or holiday weather information you can prepare accordingly.

 This summer, the UK has experienced something of a heat-wave. Now, there is nothing I enjoy more than lounging in the sun but sadly my hair does not feel the same way. UV-ray damage, chlorine and salt water build up can make your hair dry and brittle, resulting in split ends! For every strand, type, and texture there is a hair care product available to refresh, protect, and soften it. Are you spoilt for choice or just plain confused in the hair-care aisle? Allow me to shed some light on the solution to your season specific hair problems:

 

1. Cut down on the shampoo, because shampooing every day is extremely drying to your scalp and hair. Reducing shampoo will actually allow your scalp’s oil production to re-balance itself. 

  2. Search for a shampoo and conditioner that contains Sunflower because it is a NATURAL UV protectant from the sun.

 3. Invest in a versatile cleanser that is especially created to remove chlorine, salt and product build-up from your hair, there are many shampoo brands available that are especially created for swimmers.

4. Try a dry conditioner before blow drying to soften coarse, salt-dried strands without the greasiness. Alternatively a Leave-In Mist, containing antioxidants will protect your hair and scalp from free-radical damage and strengthen your strands by helping them to retain moisture.

5. Try massaging with Argan oil to exfoliate old cells, increase scalp circulation and to promote hair growth. Argan oil has been dubbed the celebrity secret for sensational tresses. It is a plant-based solution that is rich in vitamin E and fatty acids. This is a super versatile and natural product that can be used for:

• hair styling
• heat protector
• hair and scalp conditioning treatment
• hair growth-treatment

6. Simply wearing a hat or hair scarf will provide further UV protection from the sun and will help your hair retain its much needed moisture.

So come rain or shine, treat your hair to some much needed tender love and care!

Cowes will host its world famous premier sailing regatta, Cowes Week 2013 from 2 ^nd to 10 ^th August, and Weather2 will be covering the Cowes Harbour Weather in full with its  comprehensive marine forecasts.

Cowes Week is the longest running regular regatta in the world. The sailing event will kick off on the Solent (the area of water between southern England and the Isle of Wight) with over 1000 yachts and approximately 8,000 crew members participating

As sailing is a hugely weather-dependent sport, both the organizers, competitors and spectators will require accurate weather information for Cowes Harbour and The Solent.

Organizers Cowes Combined Clubs require specific weather information to plan and decide the position of the course, the committee boat and course markers. The challenge is to ensure that the starting line is perpendicular to the wind direction to make this a fair race. Up to date information about wind direction, wind speed and the state of the sea is crucial for preparation.

Bearing in mind that this is an English summer; we could have beautiful blue skies with force 3 to 4 south Westerlies or grey clouds and near gale force winds. Too much or too little wind is a challenge for the sailors! Keep an eye on the wind, wave and swell conditions for Cowes Week in our marine forecast for Cowes.

For the past couple of weeks Britain has been experiencing an unprecedented heat wave. Some parts of the UK were hitting record temperatures  with the seaside town of Margate in East Kent at times enjoying warmer weather than Tenerife, and Glasgow beating LA for hotness.

And this hot British weather has been a big boon for the domestic tourism industry.

Although Britain has always been good at tourism despite its typically unpredictable weather  with London being the most popular destination city in the world  this year the sizzling hot weather is having huge impact on domestic tourism as well as inbound arrivals.

According to a Travelodge survey, 65% of Britons decided to take their holiday at home this year. This is a noteworthy increase from the past two years, when 41% and 35% of Britons took a domestic break in 2012 and 2011 respectively.

But whilst domestic tourism is basking in the sun, the outbound tourism sector is really starting to feel the heat. Whilst the wet and gloomy summer of 2012 saw travel agents’ profits soar, this year, the uncharacteristically warm weather is making them work up a sweat:

Mr Endacott from On Holiday Group, said: “Rather than delaying the booking decision, [the heat wave] may be simply removing customers from the market.”

He went on to say that most major on-line travel agents have complained of a reduction of sales by more than 20%  a significant deficit.

With the Mail Online reporting that 59% of people admitted to going over their holiday budget in 2012, Brits are clearly looking for cheaper alternatives to sun and sea holidays and resorting to staycations.

So with staycations being so hot right now, why not check the forecast for one of the top five most popular places to visit in the UK according to Travelodge:

1. London
2. Edinburgh
3. Lake District
4. Cornwall
5. Scottish Highlands

One of the most hotly contested rivalries in international sport is finally underway in the form of The Ashes. But how will the notoriously unreliable British weather affect the Cricket?

Cricket is an incredibly weather sensitive sport, and with the typically volatile UK weather, it is important for players, fans, groundsmen and bookmakers to keep a very close eye on the weather forecast for the Ashes.

So far the hot spell of weather that the UK has had in the run-up to the Ashes will work to Australias advantage, as they will be more used to playing in intense heat and sunlight  conditions which can cause dehydration, exhaustion and heat stroke. Tactically speaking, a hard, parched ground will provide more grip for the ball, a condition that favours the bowler.

 Weather2 provides interactive charts which show the amount of moisture in the ground in 20 min intervals over the course of a day for every major cricket venue, in the ‘ detailed charts’ section of the forecast.

However, the only predictable thing about the British weather is that it is unpredictable, and there is always the probability of a cool, wet front affecting proceedings.

Too much rain can often interrupt or stop matches altogether, whilst wet and cold weather will serve to make the ball heavier and harder, putting the fielding side at a disadvantage.

Light quality is another issue  as the ball is hurled at the batsman at speeds of up to 100 mph is it vital for them to be able to see it clearly. Weather2 provides a light quality and visibility index for every one of the Ashes venues within the risk section of the forecast.

England will play Australia over 5 tests taking place between 10 July- 25 august at Trent Bridge, Lords, Old Trafford, Chester-le-Street and The Oval respectively. We will bring you the most up-to-date cricket weather information for free including 14 day weather forecasts, current weather, Detailed charts & graphs and probability tables. To view The Ashes schedule and weather information for The Ashes Cricket venues, click on the links below.

Wed Jul 10 - Sun Jul 14 11:00 BST	1st Test Trent Bridge
Thu Jul 18 - Mon Jul 22 11:00 BST	2nd Test Lords
Thu Aug 1 - Mon Aug 5 11:00 BST	3rd Test Old Trafford
Fri Aug 9 - Tue Aug 13 11:00 BST	4th Test Riverside Ground
Wed Aug 21 - Sun Aug 25 11:00 BST	5th Test Kennington Oval