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The Royal Meteorological Society is the leading independent expert in weather and climate.

The RMetS page provides regularly updated news, articles and links from the world of weather and climate, as well as information about RMetS activities including meetings, events and conferences. Find out how to join the Society here: http://www.rmets.org/membership

05/11/2026

Public voting closes tonight at midnight! There's still time to explore the striking images shortlisted and cast your vote for your favourite photograph.

Winners will be announced on Tuesday, 17 November 2026.

Cast your vote: https://www.rmets.org/weather-photographer-of-the-year/gallery/weather-photographer-year-2026-shortlist

04/11/2026

Which image will get your vote? The choice is yours!

Take a look at the fantastic entries and cast your vote for your favourite. Every vote counts, so don't miss your chance to have your say!

⏰ Voting closes Thursday at midnight!

Winners will be announced on 17 November 2026.

Show your support, and cast your vote to help decide the winners!

Vote here: https://www.rmets.org/weather-photographer-of-the-year/gallery/weather-photographer-year-2026-shortlist

04/11/2026

Vote for 'A Village Underwater' by Muhammad Amdad Hossain

In Kurigram, northern Bangladesh, floodwaters transformed a village landscape, leaving homes underwater and residents facing the challenges of life during the monsoon. Captured by Muhammad Amdad Hossain during the devastating floods of 2022, this image reveals the vulnerability of communities living in these areas.

Kurigram is shaped by its low-lying floodplains and shifting river islands, known locally as chars. These landscapes are constantly reshaped by flowing waterways, making flooding a familiar but often destructive part of life.

Bangladesh experiences the Indian summer monsoon, driven by seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation that brings moisture-laden winds and heavy rainfall. During 2022, exceptionally intense rainfall across Bangladesh and neighbouring upstream regions caused rivers to swell, triggering widespread flooding. As water levels rose, homes, farmlands, and transport routes were submerged, disrupting livelihoods and forcing many families to seek safer ground.

But climate change is also altering the conditions that shape the Indian summer monsoon. As the atmosphere warms, it can hold more moisture, increasing the potential for heavier bursts of rainfall. Research also points to changes in the timing and intensity of monsoon rainfall, contributing to greater sub seasonal variability, with periods of intense downpours occurring alongside periods of unusually dry weather. These changing patterns can make it harder for communities to anticipate and prepare for extremes.

As Muhammad explains, “the photo shows the scale of flooding and how people are forced to live with its consequences”.

04/11/2026

Vote for 'Exposed' by Graham Niven

The Cairngorms, Scotland, the UK’s largest national park, are known for their ancient Caledonian pinewoods, vast peatlands and wildlife-rich landscapes. But in July 2026, wildfires tore through parts of the park, leaving precious habitats devastated. Among the losses were centuries-old Scots pines, some of which had stood for generations before their roots became exposed and surrounding peat were consumed by fire.

For Graham Niven, this was not simply a disaster to witness from afar. He joined a team of volunteers working to tackle the fire, digging into the burning peat and soaking hotspots to prevent the flames from spreading again.

Peatlands are particularly vulnerable to wildfires. Formed over thousands of years, layers of partially decomposed plant material accumulate in waterlogged conditions, storing vast quantities of carbon. When prolonged dry weather conditions cause the surface to dry out, fires can burn deep into the ground, smouldering beneath the surface, even when the visible flames have disappeared.

Once burned, these ecosystems can take decades or longer to recover, and deep peat fires can release carbon that has accumulated over millennia.

Scotland’s wildfire risk is expected to increase as the climate changes. Towards the end of the century, projections indicate that summers are likely to become drier, while extreme heat and drought become more frequent. The Met Office identifies wildfire as an ‘emergent risk’ for the UK, with future projections pointing towards an increase in hazardous fire-weather conditions.

But Graham’s experience reveals the human effort required to protect their landscapes.

03/11/2026

Vote for 'Glacial Calving Surge' by Thomas Ruimou Yu

The calving zone of the Perito Moreno Glacier in southern Patagonia, Argentina, is a dramatic 5-kilometre-wide and 70-metre-tall ice wall where massive chunks of blue ice routinely crash into Lago Argentino.

Glacial calving is the breaking of large chunks of ice from the edge of a glacier. As glaciers flow, driven by their own immense weight and the pull of gravity, stresses build up within the ice. When these stresses exceed the ice’s strength, it fractures, sending pieces tumbling into the water below. While calving is a natural part of a glacier’s life cycle, its frequency and magnitude are closely monitored by scientists.

The Perito Moreno Glacier is experiencing accelerated ice loss, thinning, and rapid retreat in its calving zone due to rising regional temperatures and reduced snowfall. Between 2019 and 2024, some parts of the glacier’s northern front have retreated by as much as 800 metres.

The changes are consistent with broader patterns of glacier response to climate change. Rising air temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, and warmer water at the glacier’s end all contribute to increased melt and structural changes.

After eight years, Thomas Ruimou Yu revisited the Perito Moreno Glacier in 2026. Reflecting on the changes he observed, “the scene looked drastically different, with far more floating ice and frequent calving events”.

03/11/2026

Vote for 'Wildfire Haze in New York City' by Brendan Chan

At first glance, the sepia-coloured haze of this photo could make New York City, USA look as though it belongs to another era. In fact, Brendan Chan captured this image in July 2026, when smoke from intense wildfires burning across Canada travelled hundreds of miles, casting an eerie brown tint over the city’s famous skyline.

“You could smell it, see it and feel it with the heaviness it came”, says Brendan, describing how the smoke transformed the air around him.

Wildfire smoke can travel vast distances, carried by winds and transported through the atmosphere. Large-scale weather patterns, including the position of the jet stream, can influence the movement of air masses and help determine where smoke travels.

There is also a growing connection to human-caused climate change driving the increasing severity of extreme Canadian fire seasons. Hotter conditions can contribute to the extreme fire weather that allows fires to spread rapidly and burn over larger areas, increasing the amount of smoke released into the atmosphere.

The smoke itself contains a complex mixture of gases and tiny airborne particles. Of particular concern is fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, which is small enough to pe*****te deep into the lungs. Exposure to high concentrations can irritate the eyes and airways, cause breathing difficulties, and worsen existing respiratory and cardiovascular conditions.

Brendan’s photo perfectly captures how wildfire smoke is not just a local problem, but one that can cross borders, affect public health, and transform the appearance of an entire city.

03/11/2026

Vote for 'Life on the Flooded Edge' by Azim Khan Ronnie

From above, a densely inhabited community in Kishoreganj, Bangladesh, appears almost like an island, with its colourful rooftops and greenery contrasting the surrounding water. This is not an island, but a community in the wetlands, where flooding is a familiar part of life which has increasingly been putting homes and livelihoods at risk.

For generations, people living in these low-lying regions have adapted to the seasonal rise and fall of the water. When floodwaters retreat, the exposed land provides rich grazing for cattle, while farmers grow rice during the dry season. As the water returns, the wetlands become important breeding grounds for fish. To protect their homes from seasonal flooding, families build them on raised mounds.

However, intense rainfall can trigger flash floods before the monsoon season, submerging rice fields before crops can be harvested and damaging fish stocks. Climate change is increasing the risk of heavy downpours as a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, while deforestation in the region can increase surface runoff and erosion, potentially worsening flooding.

Azim explains how even in “this vast expanse of water, people continue to live, work and adapt. The image reveals the human impact of extreme weather: when water rises, it does not simply change the landscape, it changes how people move, live and survive”.

03/11/2026

Vote for 'Castles in the Wind' by Andres Miraglia

As an iceberg drifted away from the glacier that released it in Antarctica’s Paradise Harbour, Andres Miraglia captured the moment against a pristine sunset. This is “Paradise Harbour being Paradise Harbour”, he explains, with the towering ice and evening light creating a striking contrast with the dark ocean below.

Icebergs like this are a natural part of the Antarctic landscape, created when pieces of glacier break away in a process known as calving. Once separated, they can drift with the ocean currents and winds, gradually melting as they travel through warmer waters.

While a single iceberg is not evidence of climate change, it poses as a stark reminder of how climate change is affecting the region. The Antarctic Peninsula is one of the fastest-warming regions on Earth. In some locations, temperatures have risen by around 3°C since the 1950s.

Glaciers are constantly in motion, with seasonal melting and growth being part of their natural cycle. Across Antarctic, some areas are losing ice rapidly, while others may be gaining ice through increased snowfall. However, surveys of the Antarctic Ice Sheet as a whole show that it is in decline, and has been for decades, with the largest losses of ice occurring in West Antarctica. Between 2002 and 2023, Antarctica lost an average of around 150 billion tonnes of ice each year.

02/11/2026

Vote for 'Reflections with little water' by Emili Vilamala Benito

Usually, only the tip of the bell tower of Sant Romà de Sau can be seen rising above the water in the Sau Reservoir, Catalonia, Spain. In this image, however, the reservoir had fallen so far that the entire church stood exposed.

The village of Sant Romà de Sau dates back to the tenth century and was intentionally flooded in 1962 to create the reservoir on the Ter River. The 23-metre-tall church was the only building left, becoming the oldest standing submerged church in the world.

In February 2024, when Emili Vilamala Benito captured this image, Catalonia was facing a prolonged and severe drought. The regional government declared a drought emergency, with water reserves in the Sau reservoir dropping to less than 6% of its capacity. “For the past two years, the Sau reservoir has maintained a very good water level”, explains Emili. “However, prior to these two years, the reservoir was almost empty. And for the last few years, it has typically been quite low”.

Droughts are more common in some parts of the world than others, but climate change is increasing the likelihood of hotter and drier conditions, particularly across the Mediterranean. The result is greater pressure on already limited water resources.

In this image, low reservoir levels have brought an old church back into view, turning a simple landscape into a powerful reminder of the impacts of a changing climate.

02/11/2026

Vote for 'Fire' by Erfan Samanfar

From Marvdasht, Iran, in October 2025, Erfan Samanfar captured a striking image of a farmer attempting to protect their land as fire spreads across the landscape.

Wildfires need three basic ingredients: a source of heat or ignition, fuel, and oxygen. While climate change does not necessarily provide the initial spark, rising temperatures and changes in rainfall can create conditions in which fires ignite more easily, spread faster, and become more difficult to control. Longer periods of hot and dry weather can remove moisture from vegetation and soils, leaving grass, crops and other plant material highly flammable.

This can be particularly damaging for farmers. Fast-moving fires can destroy crops within minutes, while livestock and farming infrastructure can also be at risk. And the impacts do not necessarily end when the flames are extinguished. Losing vegetation can leave soils exposed to wind and water erosion, while the intense heat of the fire can alter soil properties and reduce its ability to support future plant growth.

For farmers already dealing with increasing heat and rainfall extremes, wildfires add another layer of risk. The image captures not only the immediate threat posed by the flames, but also the wider challenge of protecting crops, livestock and livelihoods as climate change alters the conditions in which farming takes place.

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